If someone asked you to name some of the great mountains of the world, you might immediately think of Mt. Everest and its sister mountains in the Himalayas. You might also think of some of the peaks in the Alps of Central Europe, or of the Rocky or Andes Mountains. One doesn’t typically think of any of the mountains in Israel, as they are not very high at all. The highest point in Israel is Mt. Hermon at 9,232 ft, in far northern Israel, near the Lebanon and Syrian border. Even the highest peaks of the Rockies, Andes, or Alps don’t make the top 100 highest, and Mt. Hermon comes nowhere near them. Yet in our Scripture for today, from the Book of Isaiah, we see where the mountains in Jerusalem are said to be the most exalted. Let’s look into these verses and see why this is so.
In the nation of Israel, the capital city of Jerusalem does sit on one of the higher elevations in the country, yet that is all relative. Jerusalem’s average elevation is only about 2,490 feet. The city has several mountains very nearby, yet many people would only call them hills. Right to the east is the Mount of Olives, with a height of 2,684 ft., and right northeast is Mt. Scopus, with a height of 2,710 ft. Neither are impressive in height. Most able-bodied people could easily climb them. So why did Isaiah say that these mountains, these hills will be exalted above all?
God, in His Word here, is not speaking of the height or majestic grandeur of these mountains or hills that surround Jerusalem. He is speaking of the holiness and sacredness of His city, particularly in His coming Millennial Kingdom, where Jerusalem will be the capital. When Jesus returns to earth at His Second Coming, defeating His enemies and Satan, He will set up Jerusalem as His capital, and as Isaiah prophesies, all people and nations will come there (vs. 2-3). They will come to learn from Him and His Word. They will be taught God’s ways. Right now the world does not want to come to God and learn from His Word. They reject Jesus. But there is coming a day when Jesus sets up His Kingdom, and at that time men and women will seek to be taught from Him.
As we read through this Scripture we come upon a rather familiar verse which speaks of people turning their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks (vs. 4). This speaks of turning weapons of warfare into useful tools, such as farming equipment. This prophecy will not happen until the Millennial reign of Jesus, either. Many people speak these verses with a desire for peace between nations, which naturally everyone would wish. However, no matter how ardently peace movements work for that, we don’t see this happening at all today. The world cannot and will not find peace without Jesus, and until the world accepts Him as their Savior, Lord, and King, nations will continue to lift up swords against each other. Until all nations worship Jesus, there will be no lasting peace anywhere.
We find the verses of this Scripture repeated by the prophet Micah (Micah 4:1-3). These two prophets weren’t just copying each other's words. When God repeats a message, the repetition shows how important it is to Him, and should be to us, as well.
The prophet Isaiah calls us to come and walk in the light of the Lord (vs. 5). God doesn’t expect us to find our own way in life, or to find our own way to Him, so He lights our path by His Word. We don’t need to grope in the dark. Let us walk confidently with the truth of God’s Word to guide us. As we walk confidently, being led by Him, the way will open up before us.
As we close our Scripture, let us return to the hills surrounding Jerusalem, hills that God has highly exalted. Jesus said that when He would be lifted up, He would draw all men to Himself (John 12:31-33). When Jesus was crucified, it was on one of the hills just outside of the Holy City, called Calvary or Golgotha. His death on that hill, smaller in size than most of the other hills surrounding Jerusalem, has brought salvation to man, reconciling us to God. Because of that, alone, we can join in saying that these hills are indeed, exalted above the rest.
No comments:
Post a Comment