the Splendor of His Majesty

For many years, my husband and I have wanted to go to South America. It is one of two continents that we have not traveled to. About a year ago, we picked out a specific cruise that would take us to four South American countries. We decided to plan for 2024 as our 25th anniversary trip. Just before Christmas, the cruise line we have previously sailed with sent an email with some discounted cruises. The exact cruise we had been looking at was being offered at one third of the cost but for 2023 only. We prayed and decided to go a year early.

Previously we looked forward to the trip but now even more so as the date was much, much closer. We have already been preparing for the trip like ordering motion sickness patches, stocking up on sunscreen, booking our flights, reserving our excursions, and arranging for someone to check our mail. But what if we had paid for this trip (that is a blessing from God at the discounted price), and instead of looking forward to and planning for it, we scheduled various non-essential appointments like grocery pick-up during the same time period? What if we canceled our flights or shredded our passports? You would think we’d lost our minds. It would be utter foolishness.

But this scenario doesn’t begin to compare with what is going on in Isaiah 2. As I read this chapter recently, a couple of phrases in it caused me to slow down and meditate on the passage.

First, Isaiah is prophesying based on a vision God gave him (vs 1, saw). Second, this prophecy is directed towards Judah and Jerusalem the capital of Judah. It is for God’s people the Israelites or Jews. However, there were several principles I learned from it.

Take a minute to read Isaiah 2.

Verses 2-4 explain a future time, the Millennium. This is a period of one thousand years when Jesus will reign in Jerusalem. There are more descriptions of this time in other chapters of Isaiah and elsewhere, but in our verses, we see that it is a time when Jerusalem experiences renown and glory (vs 2), all nations and many people come to Jerusalem to learn from Jesus (vs 3), Jesus will judge disputes (vs 4a), and it will be a time of world-wide peace (vs 4b).

We see God’s grace in this prophecy as it instills hope after the indictment in chapter 1. Israel has something wonderful to look forward to and anticipate. Although this was spoken to Israel, it can remind those in Christ that we too have something glorious to look forward to. We can look forward to these thousand years of Jesus’ reign before the final judgment and beginning of eternity. We can look forward to the final day when every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). We can look forward to eternity with God in the new heavens and new earth. And we look forward to these future events with hope that is certain that God will do what He has said He will do.

Isaiah ends this prophecy of the future with:

O house of Jacob,

come, let us walk

in the light of the Lord. [1]

Isaiah 2:5

“In view of the fact that in the Millennium all nations will stream to Jerusalem to learn God’s Word, it would be sensible for Israel, already knowing that Law, to follow it (walking in its “light”) until the Lord sets up His glorious kingdom.”[2]

Judah is being given a glimpse of the glorious future, and the charge given to them is to walk in the light of the Lord. The apostle Paul does something similar in his letters. His typical pattern is to spend the first part of his letter focusing on the indicatives – the truths of who God is, what He has done, and who we are in Christ. He plies us with good news and more good news before he moves to the imperatives or commands. Why this pattern? When we really understand the Gospel, what God has done, and who we are in Christ, then in gratitude and awe of God we will want to obey. We will want to do what honors and glorifies God.

Paul often links the imperative to the indicative: “If then you have been raised with Christ (indicative), seek the things that are above (imperative), where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above (imperative), not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2). “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling (imperative) to which you have been called…(indicative)” (Ephesians 4:1). Paul repeatedly calls us to live in light of who we are.

Next, Isaiah moves from the future to Judah’s current circumstances and the consequences (vs 6-22). Judah is not walking in the light of the Lord. They are not obeying God’s Word. In fact, they are living like the pagans of surrounding nations. We too can be tempted to live like the world around us. Especially when we are not grounded in God’s Word, we can compromise and live in disobedience. Just like it would be utterly foolish for us to shred our passports and skip our South American trip that is already paid for, it is utter foolishness to know who God is, what He has done, what our future is, who He has made us in Christ, and then to still live like the world.

There are three specific areas of disobedience to which we should take heed.

Idols – You might be thinking you have never worshipped a golden calf or a carved image, but God cares about the idols of our hearts (Ezekiel 14:1-5). In Isaiah 2, Isaiah cites idols of money, military strength, and accomplishments (vs 7-8). Idols of the heart can include security, possessions, relationships, a job, being in control, reputation, or ministry. Most often, the idols of a believer’s heart are good things, but we have allowed them to capture our hearts, minds, and affections more than God.

Pride (vs 9, 11-17) – We read of God’s hatred towards pride throughout Scripture (Proverbs 8:13; 16:18; Mark 7:22). Pride is not a new idea to us. Most of us would even recognize it as sin by its name, but we can still struggle with recognizing how it manifests in our own lives. We want glory. We want recognition. We do things to make sure our good deeds are noticed. We tell stories in a way that magnify our role. We act as if our abilities were our own doing. Social media plays to our pride, beckoning us to share our best moments. We can also exhibit pride in the opposite way by making known how unworthy we are with a false humility. We play down our good deeds, but really, we want people to contradict us and praise us. The truth is that everything we have, everything good that we do is from God. Paul’s boast was in his weakness because then God’s power was made perfect in his weakness. God was glorified not Paul (2 Corinthians 11:16-12:10).

Fear of man – “Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he” (vs 22)? Fear of man simply means that we value man’s opinions more than God’s. Saul was a prime example of this when he disobeyed God’s command to wait for Samuel to offer a sacrifice. The people were afraid and had begun to scatter. Saul feared losing the people, so he offered the sacrifice himself (1 Samuel 13). There are numerous ways we manifest fear of man too. In my writing, it is a constant temptation for me to look at the number of likes and shares on these weekly devotions or the number of book sales. As a youth leader, I am tempted to value whether or not the kids think I’m fun or dress fashionably. Praying in groups, I’m tempted to worry whether my prayer sounds spiritual enough. The list goes on. In each of these, I regard man more highly than I regard God.

Do you see a pattern in these three things? Go back and read verses 11b and 17b. “and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.” In our heart idols, pride, and fear of man, we are exalting something or someone else besides God when God alone is to be exalted. Later Isaiah says, “I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols” (Isaiah 42:8).

The phrase that originally caught my attention in Isaiah 2 was: “Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of His majesty” (vs 10, 21, emphasis added). “the terror of the Lord” and “the splendor of His majesty” point us to why God alone is exalted. Isaiah describes people trying to hide from the terror of the Lord. They fear a Holy God who judges sin and rightly so. On our own, we all have sinned, fall short of the glory of God, and deserve hell. God is holy. He is righteous. He deserves our love and worship with all of our hearts, minds, and souls.

As I read of “the terror of the Lord,” I am filled with gratitude. For those in Christ, we do not have to hide from God (as if we could). We do not need to fear judgment. Jesus perfectly loved the Father with all His heart, soul, and mind. Jesus lived a perfect life of humble obedience (Philippians 2:6-8). Jesus perfectly feared His Father never man. Jesus exalted God alone in every aspect of His life. Because of Jesus’ perfect record of obedience, He took our sin and bore the full wrath of God on the cross. He suffered and died in our place for our sin. He was forsaken by the Father, so that we would never be forsaken. He rose to life conquering death and sin, so that we could be clothed in His righteousness. He is at the right hand of God interceding for us – a living testimony that we are righteous in Christ.

“the splendor of His majesty” – I’ve seen pictures and videos of the royal family in England including royal weddings. I’ve watched various movies depicting royalty. You can imagine with me the lavish jewels, the extravagant clothes, the castles, the carriages. All this is a pale, pale image of the splendor of God’s majesty. No wonder Isaiah says that the Lord alone will be exalted. No wonder when in the presence of the holy, holy, holy Lord of hosts, Isaiah cries, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5)! When was the last time you meditated on and worshiped God for the splendor of His majesty, His sovereignty, His holiness, His righteousness, His might?

Sometimes we read the Bible secretly thinking that we would never do what the Israelites did or disobey God in the garden like Adam and Eve or deny Jesus like Peter. We can read this chapter in Isaiah and think we are nothing like Judah, but I know I don’t have to look very deep into my own life before I see evidence of heart idols, pride, and fear of man. I know who God is, what He has done, and who He has made me in Christ, and yet, I still choose to exalt other things and people above God. I’m grateful for God’s grace and mercy, His patience and love. I’m thankful that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ, and that nothing can separate us from the love of God. I’m thankful that one day my heart will no longer be divided. I will exalt God alone in the splendor of His majesty.

Reflection

1. Do you look forward with certain hope to eternity with God? To the day when every knee will bow, and every tongue confess?

2. In light of who God is, what God has done, and who you are in Christ, are you walking in a manner worthy of the calling? Walking in the light of the Lord?

3. Can you identify some of the idols of your heart. Some indicators might be: What do you run to for refuge? In times of suffering who or what do you look to for help? What do you worry about? What makes you angry (then look at what is the underlying heart issue)? How would you finish the sentence, “I would be happy if _______.

4. Where do you tend to exhibit pride? Do you tend to sing your own praise or have false humility?

5. In what ways do you fear man more than fearing God?

6. To put off idols of the heart, pride, and fear of man, we need to put on fear of God. Write down some “God is…” and “God does…” truths. Spend time exalting God in prayer and song.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Is 2:5. [2] John A. Martin, “Isaiah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1038.