This is what Isaiah saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, and it’s a picture of the glory of Zion. We must note that the word ‘Jerusalem’, Isaiah 2:1, isn’t speaking of the physical structure; it speaks of all the pure things, which Jerusalem represents.
The words in Isaiah 2:2-4 are virtually the same as the words we read in Micah 4:1-3; however, in the context of Micah 3, the words follow the destruction of the temple. Isaiah and Micah foretold of the coming response to the future kingdom reign of Jesus.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The tremendous importance of these passages in Micah and Isaiah is such that there cannot possibly be any wonder that God gave the same message twice. In the first place, this teaching is not talking about the earthly Jerusalem at all, but the ‘heavenly Jerusalem’ which is our mother, Galatians 4:26. God simply was not speaking of the literal Jerusalem, nor of the Law of Moses in any sense whatever in this passage. Moses’ law never went forth from Jerusalem, but from Sinai, and ‘many peoples’ have never flowed unto the literal Jerusalem, but unto the spiritual Jerusalem, which is Mount Zion, Hebrews 12:22.’
The first five verses of this chapter foretell the coming of Christ and the establishment of His kingdom on earth, the conversion of the Gentiles and their admission into the church.
The prophet is looking forward and refers to the last days, Isaiah 2:2. In other words, the Old Testament system was merely preliminary and would serve to spread the Gospel blessings when they arrived. The ‘last days’ refer to the last dispensation or the Christian dispensation, the days of the Messiah.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following concerning ‘the last days’.
‘This is an expression that often occurs in the Old Testament. It does not of itself refer to any ‘particular’ period, and especially not, as our translation would seem to indicate, to the end of the world. The expression properly denotes ‘only future time’ in general. But the prophets were accustomed to concentrating all their hopes on the coming of the Messiah. They saw his advent as giving character, sublimity, and happiness to all coming times. Hence, the expression came to denote, by way of eminence, the times of the Messiah, and is frequently used in the New Testament, as well as the Old, to designate those times, Acts 2:17 / Joel 2:28 / Hebrews 1:2 / 1 Peter 1:5 / 1 Peter 1:20 / 1 John 2:18 / Genesis 49:1 / Micah 4:1 / Deuteronomy 4:30 / Jeremiah 48:47 / Daniel 11:28.’
The mountain, Isaiah 2:2, refers to the house of God, Luke 17:20-21. The Lord’s house, being established far above all earthly governments, will be raised, that is, spiritually raised, as ‘the highest of mountains’, Isaiah 2:2, which refers to the majesty and exaltation of the church, 1 Corinthians 3:16 / Hebrews 12:18-23 / 1 Timothy 3:5. Today, we are the house of God, Ephesians 2:20-22.
The enemies of Jerusalem will now stream to it, Isaiah 2:2 / Isaiah 11:10 / Isaiah 42:1 / Isaiah 42:6 / Isaiah 49:22 / Isaiah 54:3 / Isaiah 60:3 / Isaiah 60:5 / Isaiah 60:10 / Isaiah 62:2 / Isaiah 66:12 / Isaiah 66:19.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following concerning the words ‘all nations will stream to it,’ Isaiah 2:2.
‘The expressions evidently refer to that period elsewhere often predicted by this prophet, Isaiah 11:10 / Isaiah 42:1 / Isaiah 42:6 / Isaiah 49:22 / Isaiah 54:3 / Isaiah 60:3 / Isaiah 60:5 / Isaiah 60:10 / Isaiah 62:2 / Isaiah 66:12 / Isaiah 66:19, when ‘the Gentiles’ would be brought to the knowledge of the true religion.’
The church began in Jerusalem, Isaiah 2:3 / Matthew 28:19-20 / Luke 24:47 / Acts 1:8, and ‘many peoples’, Isaiah 2:3, which would include the Gentiles, came. The apostles began to preach the Gospel in Jerusalem, Acts 2.
All the nations, that is, all the Gentile nations, those nations which have destroyed Jerusalem, are now streaming to it for lessons and guidance, Isaiah 2:3 / Luke 17:20-21. They now submit to the law of God, Isaiah 2:3 / Zechariah 8:22-23.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘In the house of God, and in his ordinances only, can we expect to hear the pure doctrines of revelation preached.
1. God alone can give a revelation of his own will.
2. We must use the proper means in order to know this will.
3. We should know it in order to do it.
4. We should do it in order to profit from it.
5. He who will not walk in the light when God vouchsafes it, shall be shut up in everlasting darkness.
6. Every man should help his neighbour to attain that light, life, and felicity: ‘Come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.’
God would send judgment among the nations by the preaching of His word, Isaiah 2:4. The judgment would come by the authority of the Word, John 12:48 / John 9:39 / Acts 13:46.
God will judge the world at the final judgment through Jesus and His Word, Acts 17:31 / Romans 2:16. When Jesus reigns, He will judge between the people and war will cease, Micah 4:3.
Micah 4:3, and Isaiah 2:4, both read, ‘they will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks.’ But in Joel 3:10, we find the words, ‘beat your ploughshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears’.
In Micah and Isaiah, the weapons are made into farming implements, but in Joel, the farming implements are made into weapons. The point is that when Micah and Isaiah speak, they both speak in terms of peace, which will come in the future, hence why the weapons are made into farming implements.
But in Joel, there will be no peace for God’s enemies because they are about to be judged, hence why the farming implements are made into weapons. The weapons are made into farming implements, and when they go up to Jerusalem, they will receive spiritual peace, Ephesians 2:11-16.
Jesus gives us peace of mind, John 14:27 / John 16:33 / Romans 5:1 / Philippians 4:7 / Colossians 1:20 / Colossians 3:15 / 2 Thessalonians 3:16. In other words, in the last days, there is hope.
God invites the descendants of Jacob to come and walk in the light of the LORD, Isaiah 2:5 / Isaiah 2:3 / Romans 6:4 / Romans 8:1 / 1 Corinthians 5:7 / Galatians 6:16. Under the Old Covenant, God dwelt with the nation; today, He deals with the individual.
What is the prophet saying here? Jesus is a Jew, our knowledge of God comes from the Jews, we had to learn about God from the Jews, John 4:22 / Jeremiah 31:8. The Scriptures came from the Jews. The word went from Jerusalem, from Jews to Jews, Acts 2, and then from Jews to the Gentiles, Acts 10 / Romans 15:27.
The remainder of this chapter foretells the punishment of the unbelieving Jews for their idolatrous practices and their failure to trust God. Instead of depending on God, the people depended on the fortune-tellers of the Philistines and other heathen nations, Isaiah 2:6.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The ‘East,’ that is, Arabia, Persia, Chaldea, etc., was the country where astrology, soothsaying, and divination particularly abounded, Daniel 2:2 / Deuteronomy 18:9-11.’
They engaged in trading contracts and covenants with foreign nations and they built up their forces for physical strength, Isaiah 2:7. In an effort not to forget their idol gods, they formed a presentation of their god out of silver and gold, Isaiah 2:7 / Colossians 3:5.
Horses and chariots, Isaiah 2:7, were forbidden by God, Deuteronomy 17:16 / 1 Kings 10:26, and are mentioned among the wares and merchandise of Rome in Revelation 18:13.
They turned to idols instead of worshipping to God, Isaiah 2:8. In other words, idolatry is now everywhere, Isaiah 2:8 / Hosea 8:4 / Hosea 10:1 / Revelation 9:20. They were to lower themselves, or the judgment, which is coming, will bring them down, Isaiah 2:9.
Isaiah describes a people who are proud of themselves, who trust in everybody and everything except God. They only looked after their own needs and didn’t look after the needs of anyone else.
Here we read on God’s day, He will bring judgment on the proud and self-sufficient, and we see how the people will be humbled, Philippians 2:11. They didn’t recognise that everything they had actually came from God.
When God is exalted, men are humiliated, and the day was coming when the idolaters would hide from the terror of the Lord, Isaiah 2:10, and in their terror, they would seek to hide themselves in caves and caverns, Isaiah 2:10.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following, concerning Isaiah 2:11-12.
‘In the day of which the prophet speaks, when God would punish them for their sins, Reference is probably made to the captivity at Babylon. It may be remarked that one design of punishment is to lead people to regard and honour God. He will humble the pride of people, and so pass before them in his judgments, that they shall be compelled to ‘acknowledge’ him as their just Sovereign and Judge.’
Although they were as proud as the cedars of Lebanon and strong as the oaks of Bashan, Isaiah 2:13 / Numbers 21:33 / Numbers 32:33 / Psalms 22:12 / Ezekiel 39:18 / Amos 4:1 / Micah 7:14, in fear, they would seek refuge from the judgment of God.
Isaiah speaks of high things, Isaiah 2:13-15, upon which the judgement of God would fall, and he says all the fortified walls would fall, Isaiah 2:15 / Revelation 12:6 / Revelation 12:12-17. Their trading ships and stately vessels, Isaiah 2:16, wouldn’t save them; they, too, would fall.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Ships of Tarshish are often mentioned in the Old Testament, but the meaning of the expression is not quite obvious, 1 Kings 10:22 / 2 Chronicles 9:21 / 2 Chronicles 20:36-37 / Psalms 48:7. It is evident that ‘Tarshish’ was some distant land from which was imported silver, iron, lead, tin, etc.’
He tells us that God alone will be exalted, Isaiah 2:17, and all the idols will be destroyed, Isaiah 2:18 / Haggai 2:6 / Hebrews 12:26 / Revelation 6:15-16 / Revelation 18:11-19.
When the Assyrians or Babylonians came upon them, they would run for cover, Isaiah 2:19, and their idols would be thrown away, Isaiah 2:20, because they would fail them, 1 Corinthians 8:4.
All the idols made of gold and silver, Isaiah 2:20, would be utterly useless when they are on the run from the Assyrians and Babylonians. They will throw them away to the moles and bats, Isaiah 2:20. In fear, they will flee to caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags, Isaiah 2:21 / Revelation 6:15-17.
Isaiah tells them to stop trusting in mere humans, Psalms 146:3-4 / Jeremiah 17:5, who are nothing but a breath, Isaiah 2:22. They have no power, they are of no use against God; therefore, it doesn’t make sense to trust them, instead of God, Psalm 118:8.