Isaiah 2:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: against every high tower, and against every fortified wall;

NIV: for every lofty tower and every fortified wall,

NASB: Against every high tower, Against every fortified wall,

CSB: against every high tower, against every fortified wall,

NLT: He will break down every high tower and every fortified wall.

KJV: And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall,

NKJV: Upon every high tower, And upon every fortified wall;

In the ancient world, the size, strength, and thickness of a city's towers and walls determined its ability to stand against attack and invasion. Those cities with the greatest walls and towers imagined themselves to be beyond the reach of any foe. Arrogance based on material power is a consistent theme in human history. Isaiah now adds these to the list of things the Lord will bring down when their day comes (Isaiah 2:13–18).

On the day of the Lord (Ezekiel 30:3; Obadiah 1:15; Acts 2:20; 2 Peter 3:10), He will be exalted above towers, walls, and every other form of human defense (Revelation 6:15–17). Human structures, no matter how impressive, are no match for the power of the Lord (Psalm 20:7; Proverbs 11:28; Luke 12:16–21). He alone will stand undefeated in that time.

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 5/3/2024 5:28:03 AM