Isaiah 2:3-5

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 2:3

Many people ; rather, many peoples . Shall go ; or, set forth . The prophet means to represent the nations as encouraging one another on the way. There is no jealousy among them, for the "mountain" can hold them all. He will teach us . The nations feel their ignorance of God, and their need of "teaching." God alone can teach them concerning himself ( Romans 11:33 , Romans 11:34 ; 1 Corinthians 2:10 , 1 Corinthians 2:11 ); and "he will teach" them, either directly, as the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 2:3

Real religious revival "Many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob." Here is the tide of national feeling, no longer on the ebb, but on the flow. God is "to teach them his ways, and they are to walk in his paths;" for they have found out that pleasure gained by sin is peace bartered. Elevation of the truest kind is to be theirs now. This is the image of their uplifted state. They are to go up to the mountain of the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 2:3

The attractions of the gospel Church. The earthly Jerusalem, which was thought of as a mountain surrounded by mountains, but superior to them all, is in the prophet's mind, and it gives form to his thought of the Gospel times—the setting up of the Christian Church, and the planting of the Christian religion in the world. Christianity shall then be the "mountain of the Lord's house," or the "Lord's mountain house," exalted above all other religions, and made the rendezvous of all the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 2:4

He shall judge among the nations . This is clearly not yet fulfilled. How God shall ultimately "judge among the nations," or rather "between nation and nation," is a mystery which only the future can reveal. It has been supposed that "by his providential retributions he will decide those international questions out of which war ordinarily springs" (Kay). But it would seem to be at least as likely that he will bring the nations to such a pitch of wisdom and moderation, that they will... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 2:4

War no more. It seems that the reign of Uzziah was famous for the invention of new weapons of war ( 2 Chronicles 26:11-15 ). Isaiah, observing this, contrasts with it the good time coming, when righteousness rules the relations of kings and kingdoms; and when Messiah, the Prince of righteousness, and therefore Prince of peace, judges among the nations. If Christ really reigned, and held the allegiance of every man and of every nation, all disputes could be settled by arbitration; if each... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 2:5

O house of Jacob . "House of Jacob" is the common expression in Isaiah, instead of "house of Israel" (see Isaiah 8:17 ; Isaiah 10:20 ; Isaiah 14:1 ; Isaiah 29:22 ; Isaiah 46:3 ; Isaiah 48:1 ; Isaiah 58:1 ). It has no particular force, merely signifying "Israelites." Come ye, and let us walk. The same words as those of the "nations" in verse 3, "Come ye, and let us go up." As the nations will invite each other "in the last days," so the prophet now invites his countrymen to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 2:5

The wisdom of walking in the light. The prophet inserts a parenthesis which evidently expresses the deepest and strongest feelings of his heart. He is oppressed with a sense of the folly of those who deliberately go astray in the darkness, when they might walk on in the light of Divine truth toward the goal of human blessedness; hence his fervent exclamation, "O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us," etc. I. THE TRUTH OF GOD THE LIGHT OF THE HUMAN SOUL . Light is "that... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 2:5

Walking in the light. That is in the path of present duty on which the light of revelation shines. The text is part of a spirited address to the Jews to avail themselves of the privileges they had. The prospects of a glorious peace-time must not keep them from fixing their thoughts on their immediate and pressing duty. It is right for us to cheer our souls by the look away to rest and heaven; but we must not lose the present opportunity in idle dreamings. The real way to win the heavenly is... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 2:5-10

Purgation by judgment. The blessed age cannot yet come in. If we suppose the prophet to have been reading the previous oracle as a sabbath lesson out of the elder prophet Joel's scroll, he adds the exhortation, "Let us walk in the light of Jehovah!" Then a sudden pause. For he calls to mind the present corrupt condition of the nation. They cannot pass over to that new and happy condition of things as they now are. Peace can only be the fruit of righteousness. God cannot impart blessings for... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 2:5-11

THE CONTRAST OF THE PRESENT WITH THE FUTURE . Having shown to Israel the vision of a far-distant future, when holiness and peace would reign upon the earth, and "the mountain of the Lord's house" would draw all men into it, the prophet returns to things as they are—first exhorting Israel to "walk in the light of Jehovah' ( Isaiah 2:5 ), and then showing how far they have withdrawn from the light; Such being the case, punishment must come—mean and great must be equally... read more

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