Isaiah 2:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made.

NIV: Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.

NASB: Their land has also been filled with idols; They worship the work of their hands, That which their fingers have made.

CSB: Their land is full of worthless idols; they worship the work of their hands, what their fingers have made.

NLT: Their land is full of idols; the people worship things they have made with their own hands.

KJV: Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:

NKJV: Their land is also full of idols; They worship the work of their own hands, That which their own fingers have made.

Isaiah is making a long list (Isaiah 2:6–8) explaining why God has rejected His people, including those living in the land of Judah. The Israelites are heavily influenced by the spiritual beliefs of their neighboring nations, including participating in fortune-telling (Isaiah 2:6).

Their deal-making with foreigners has made the Israelites extremely wealthy in gold, silver, treasure, horses, and chariots (Isaiah 2:7). Do they believe the false gods they serve have provided this wealth to them? The number of idols in Judah suggests that's exactly what they believe.

Isaiah adds here that the land is filled with idols they have made with their own hands. He is mocking the fact that his countrymen bow down to what they themselves have crafted, believing it could provide something for them (Psalm 115:4–8; Habakkuk 2:18–19). It makes no sense to believe idols made by human hands could have any power to provide wealth and security.

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 4:18:32 AM