Mighty achievements?
On that day the Lord Almighty will humble everyone who is powerful, everyone who is proud and conceited. He will destroy the tall cedars of Lebanon and all the oaks in the land of Bashan. He will level the high mountains and hills, every high tower and the walls of every fortress. He will sink even the largest and most beautiful ships. Human pride will be ended, and human arrogance will be destroyed. Idols will completely disappear, and the Lord alone will be exalted on that day. (verses 12-18)
Read Isaiah 2:5-22
No doubt the words of this text epitomised all that was great in the culture of the times. What would this text look like translated into today’s culture? Perhaps something like this:
‘The Lord almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted, and they will be humbled. For all the mighty red gums and towering lofty pines, for ancient mountain ranges and glistening coral seas, for every bustling city with its mountains made of concrete, for satellites and rockets hurtling into worlds unknown.’
While we may not like to think that our monuments of civilisation will some day appear as nothing, the final verses of this selection are a reminder that what we think are mighty achievements will some day be ‘ended, and human arrogance will be destroyed’. The day will come when ‘the Lord alone will be exalted’. The comfort for you is that God’s people do not need to fear this day, for it is his redeemed people who will exalt him.
Remind me, Lord, that the day will come when you are exalted as king. Until that day keep me mindful of your kingship. Amen.
by Anne Maczkowiack in ‘Renewed Hope for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2000)
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