Isaiah 2:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up; and against all the oaks of Bashan;

NIV: for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty, and all the oaks of Bashan,

NASB: And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, Against all the oaks of Bashan,

CSB: against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up, against all the oaks of Bashan,

NLT: He will cut down the tall cedars of Lebanon and all the mighty oaks of Bashan.

KJV: And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,

NKJV: Upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, And upon all the oaks of Bashan;

What high and mighty things do human beings put their trust in instead of the Lord of hosts? Isaiah begins to list some of these items (Isaiah 2:14–18). In every case, the day of the Lord will come and bring those things low.

He begins with mighty trees, those of Lebanon and Bashan. These sizable trees were used to make powerful structures; they were sources of beauty and protection. The Lord is greater than such trees. Human beings may put their trust in large, natural wonders. They may feel that resources and wealth can make them secure (Proverbs 11:28; Psalm 49:5–6), but the Lord can quickly and easily bring their destruction (Psalm 20:7; 33:17).

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).

Accessed 5/6/2024 4:35:02 PM