Isaiah 2:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots.

NIV: Their land is full of silver and gold; there is no end to their treasures. Their land is full of horses; there is no end to their chariots.

NASB: Their land has also been filled with silver and gold And there is no end to their treasures; Their land has also been filled with horses, And there is no end to their chariots.

CSB: Their land is full of silver and gold, and there is no limit to their treasures; their land is full of horses, and there is no limit to their chariots.

NLT: Israel is full of silver and gold; there is no end to its treasures. Their land is full of warhorses; there is no end to its chariots.

KJV: Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots:

NKJV: Their land is also full of silver and gold, And there is no end to their treasures; Their land is also full of horses, And there is no end to their chariots.

Isaiah has said that God has rejected His people (Isaiah 2:6). This does not mean they are completely set aside. Rather, it means God will refrain from protecting them, or blessing them. They will be subject to the consequences of their choices. Instead of living in His light, they are guilty of seeking light from the false gods of neighboring peoples, including consulting fortune tellers who made use of evil spirits or demons.

Now Isaiah adds that despite their actions, the people of Judah are enormously wealthy in silver, gold, and treasures. They have acres of horses and endless chariots ready for war. The implication may be that the people of Israel believe their wealth has been provided by the false gods instead of by the Lord. In any case, they refuse to see the depth of their spiritual poverty while living with exceptional material wealth. Scripture acknowledges that sin can be profitable, in the short term (Psalm 73:2–3; Proverbs 11:4). Eventually, it is not worth the cost (Mark 8:36).

Isaiah 2:6–22 begins with stunning words: the Lord has "rejected" His people Israel. Instead of trusting Him, they worship false idols and practice fortune-telling. They believe these things and their deal-making have brought them wealth and security. The day of the Lord, though, will result in the abandonment of their homemade idols. He will bring low every great thing they trust instead of the Lord. The people will try to escape the Lord's majesty in the darkness of caves as He terrifies the earth. Isaiah finishes this section with telling His people to stop esteeming human beings.

Isaiah describes Israel's far future as a time when all the nations of the earth will recognize Israel's God as the Lord. They will come to Jerusalem to learn from Him how to live. Isaiah tells his people to walk in the light of the Lord now. Instead, they worship false gods, follow fortune tellers, and make deals. Their great wealth, military might, and endless homemade idols will not save them from the God's judgment on day of the Lord. Human arrogance will be brought low as the Lord is exalted. Isaiah summarizes the chapter with a warning not to trust fallible people, instead of God.

Isaiah 2 follows the summation of the first chapter by reintroducing the prophet. He describes Israel's distant future. Someday, all the people of earth will come to Jerusalem to learn how to live from Israel's God. For now, though, the Lord has rejected His people. On the day of the Lord, however, those idols will be left behind in the caves in which the people attempt to hide from God's majesty. Later chapters of this book will explain more about how this prophecy will come to be.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).