"Verily You have abandoned your people, the house of Jacob; Because they are filled with diviners from the East; And with soothsayers like the Philistines; And they multiply a spurious brood of strange children. And his land is filled with silver and gold; And there is no end to his treasures; And his land is filled with horses; Neither is there any end to his chariots. And his land is filled with idols; He bows himself down to the work of his hands; To that which his fingers have made; Therefore shall the mean man be bowed down, and the mighty man shall be humbled; And you will not forgive them. Go into the rock, and hide yourself in the dust; From the fear of Jehovah, and from the glory of His majesty, When He arises to strike the world with terror. The lofty eyes of men shall be humbled; The height of mortals shall bow down; And Jehovah alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of Jehovah God of hosts is against every thing great and lofty; And against every thing that is exalted, and it shall be humbled. Even against all the cedars of Lebanon, the high and the exalted; And against all the oaks of Bashan; And against all the mountains, the high ones; And against all the hills, the exalted ones; And against every tower, high raised; And against every mount, strongly fortified. And against all the ships of Tarshish; And against every lovely work of art. And the pride of man shall bow down; And the height of mortals shall be humbled; And Jehovah alone shall be exalted in that day: And the idols shall totally disappear. And they shall go into caverns of rocks, and into holes of the dust; From the fear of Jehovah and from the glory of His majesty, When He arises to strike the earth with terror. In that day shall a man cast away his idols of silver, And his idols of gold, which they have made to worship; To the moles and to the bats; To go into the caves of the rocks, and into the clefts of the craggy rocks; From the fear of Jehovah, and from the glory of His majesty, When He arises to strike the earth with terror. Trust no more in man, whose breath is in his nostrils; For of what account is he to be made?" (Isaiah 2:6-22,Lowth)
In verse 6 there is nothing in the original text to indicate with what the people are filled from the East. The text, literally rendered, reads, "because they are filled from the East." This is indicated in the Revised Version, as well as in our common version.
Filled with Idols
That with which they are filled is not limited to diviners or any other one thing. The idea is that whatever the people have comes from the East. The expression that is used, however, is the ordinary Hebrew idiom to express comparison, so that it might be read, "because they are filled more than the East," which is still more emphatic. In the East idolatry has been practiced the longest of any place on earth. "They are ... soothsayers, like the Philistines." (Isaiah 2:6)
The Philistines were people of Canaan, whom God commanded to be cast out for their abominations, among which was witchcraft--pretended communication with the dead. The word rendered "soothsayer" is from the word meaning "cloud," indicating that those who practice that art act secretly, under cover. "They please themselves with the children of strangers." (Isaiah 2:6)
Literally, "they strike hands with the children of strangers."
The people of Israel were forbidden to make any league with the people of the land. They were to be separate from all the people on earth. "For wherein shall it be known here that I and your people have found grace in your sight? is it not in that You go with us? so shall we be separated, I and your people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth." (Exodus 33:16)
They were not to be reckoned among the nations, nor to be like them. "Lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations." (Numbers 23:9)
They were to depend on the Lord alone for defense, consequently they did not need any alliance with other people, however numerous.
God's people must not enter into any covenant, except with Him. To form any alliance in partnerships, or to be in any way whatever entangled or identified in interests with other people, is to be false to God. It is those who are "rich and increased with goods," (Revelation 3:17) who are spewed out of the Lord's mouth. "He has filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He has sent empty away." (Luke 1:53)
Note the place whence real fullness comes. In Christ all fullness dwells: "For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell." (Colossians 1:19)
And we are "made full" in Him: "And in Him you are made full, who is the head of all principality and power." (Colossians 2:10,RV)
He says, "Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it." (Psalm 81:10)
But when the fullness that people have is not from Him, it is really nothing but emptiness; they are puffed up, not filled. "Their land is also full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made." (Isaiah 2:8)
What a terrible fall from the high place for which God created man. "You have made him but little lower than God, and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him to have dominion over the works of your hands; You have put all things under his feet." (Psalm 8:5-6,RV)
Yet, "What is man?" (Psalm 144:3) "At his best state [he] is altogether vanity." (Psalm 39:5)
Of himself he is nothing at all; but with God dwelling in him in all His fullness, He is lord of the works of God's hands. And from this high estate men have fallen so low as to worship--acknowledge themselves inferior to--the works of their own hands. From having dominion over the work of God's fingers, they abase themselves before the works of their own fingers! Could a fall ever be greater? That is what idolatry is.
But all idolaters do not set up images of wood or stone or some metal in a temple, and fall down before them. It is not necessary that one should do obeisance to a carved image, in order to be an idolater. All that is necessary to constitute one an idolater is that he worship his own works.
Now people worship that in which they put their trust for salvation. Whoever therefore depends upon anything that he has done, as a means of salvation, is an idolater. Then have you never seen idolaters? Do you not know any? Would you need to go out of your own house to find one? Notice that just before the statement that their land is full of idols, we read: "Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures." (Isaiah 2:7)
Is there any land to which that would apply more truly than to this? Does it make any difference whether the silver and gold that men worship be made into an image, or simply bear the stamp of the Government? There is no land on earth that is not full of idols.
The Gospel and the Day of Judgment
Then let us say these words to the Lord: "Take away iniquity, and receive us graciously. ... Asshur shall not say to us; we will not ride upon horses; neitherwill we say any more to the wood of our hands, You are our gods; for in You the fatherless finds mercy." (Hosea 14:2-3)
Of all who thus acknowledge their sin, God says: "I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely." (Hosea 14:4)
God is no respecter of persons; therefore "the mean man"--the man of low degree--and "the mighty man"--the hero in the world's estimation--shall alike be bowed down and humbled, if they persist in exalting themselves above God. "For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon everyone that is proud and lofty, and upon everyone that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low. ... The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day." (Isaiah 2:12,11)
The Judgment will reveal everything just as it is, and then it will be seen that God alone is great. None of the men of the earth who claim to be great will be able to make their claim good in that day. That will be a terrible day. "The kings of the earth, and the great men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman" (Revelation 6:15) "shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake terribly the earth," (Isaiah 2:20-21) and shall say to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:16-17)
Yet to behold that same face will be the reward and the highest delight of those who have been humble before God. "As for me, I will behold your face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with your likeness." (Psalm 17:15) "And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads." (Revelation 22:4)
The Gospel is now seeking to prepare men for that great and terrible day. "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; Casting down imaginations, and every high things that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
The Gospel does the very thing that the great day of God does, only it is better to submit to the process now, willingly, than to wait till then. God only is "high and lifted up." (Isaiah 6:1)
He has not exalted himself at the expense of others, as men do; but He cannot be other than He is. The Creator is by the very nature of things infinitely greater than all created things. Only by His greatness can anything exist; and whoever gladly recognizes and acknowledges that greatness, is by it exalted.
When men exalt themselves, everything is reversed and in disorder. It is necessary that God's rightful place in the universe should be recognized; otherwise confusion would always reign. The Gospel is working to this end, and the great day of the Lord will complete the work, by the destruction of those whose high pretensions have made them ignore God. They will simply be left to the full trial of their claims, and as a consequence will "be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passes away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind, and as the smoke out of the chimney." (Hosea 13:3)
When put to the test of trying to exist separate from God, they will be "found wanting." (Daniel 5:27)
Like the idols which they have made, they will simply "pass away," (James 1:10; Psalm 58:8) because when the support of God, which they have despised and rejected, is withdrawn, there is nothing left. The conclusion of the matter is, "Cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?" (Isaiah 2:22) "Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the Lord." (Jeremiah 17:5)
This is not a curse put upon those who trust in men,--in themselves,--as a punishment. It is not at all because they have offended the dignity of God: God is not a man, that He should feel offended because His rank is not recognized; He is meek and lowly in heart. The curse is simply a statement of fact.
Suppose a man suspends himself over the bottomless pit, on nothing; what else but his utter destruction can result? Man is nothing, and whoever trusts in man, even in himself, must inevitably come to nothing. The Judgment will do nothing more than reveal things as they are, and leave every man to the result of his own choice, and God will be clear from the blood of the wicked who are destroyed. "And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them." (Isaiah 1:31)
The lesson that we should not fail to learn, is the power of the Gospel. Its power is equal to the power manifested in the great and terrible day of the Lord. God's power to save--to make something for eternity out of men who are nothing--is the mighty power that will shake the heavens and the earth.
When the Lord comes, it is to save His people. The prophet Habakkuk saw a vision of God going forth for the salvation of His people, and: "His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. And His brightness was as the light; He had bright beams coming out of His side; and there was the hiding of His power. Before Him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at His feet. He stood, and measured the earth; He beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow. ... The sun and moon stood still in their habitation." (Habakkuk 3:3-6,11)
All that power is even now exerted to save people, and will save them, if they but trust it. Only two things are necessary for anybody to know, namely, that:
Man is nothing, and God everything
He who has learned this, has eternity with all its riches and wisdom in his grasp.--Present Truth, January 26, 1899--Isaiah 2:6-22.