Read
Peace That Lasts Forever
1This is the message I was given about Judah and Jerusalem:
2In the future, the mountain
with the Lord's temple
will be the highest of all.
It will reach above the hills;
every nation will rush to it.
3Many people will come and say,
“Let's go to the mountain
of the Lord God of Jacob
and worship in his temple.”
The Lord will teach us his Law
from Jerusalem,
and we will obey him.
4 He will settle arguments
between nations.
They will pound their swords
and their spears
into rakes and shovels;
they will never make war
or attack one another.
5People of Israel, let's live
by the light of the Lord.
Reflect
If metaphorically the Book of Isaiah was a geographic landscape, it would be filled with peaks and valleys. In a single bound the prophet takes us from the valley of desolate gloom and severe judgment to the peak of God’s blessing and his loving embrace.
Today’s reading calls us to the mountain peak of God’s will – his vision for our future – for the future of the world. What a breathtaking view the prophet presents!
Now take a moment to hear his call, “Let’s go to the mountain of the LORD God of Jacob and worship in his temple.” The LORD will teach us his Law from Jerusalem, and we will obey him (Isaiah 2:3).
I went for a walk this morning. I left the house with a destination in mind. In fact, I almost always have a destination in mind when I leave my home. Here in Isaiah, the prophet is calling us to a destination – the highest destination imaginable. This is the Mount Everest of God’s presence and purpose.
Physical Mount Zion is no lofty peak. It’s a rather insignificant rocky knoll in the Judean landscape. But that’s not God’s vision for the future. In God’s future – the future he is calling us to – Mount Zion is the highest place. It’s the place where we hear the word of the LORD and in love and joy we obey it. It’s the place where peace reigns supreme. Strife and war have ceased. Let’s accept his invitation.
People of Israel, let’s live by the light of the LORD (Isaiah 2:5).
Respond
Today LORD God, I want to heed your call. In the Spirit bring me to your Mount Zion, the place where you dwell. Amen.
David Kitz
David Kitz is an actor, an award-winning author, and teacher. For more than thirty years, he has served as an ordained pastor. His love for drama is evident to all who have seen his Bible-based performances. He has toured across Canada and United States with a variety of one man plays for children and adults. Raised in Saskatchewan, David now lives in Ottawa with his wife Karen. Books in print: The Soldier Who Killed a King, Little Froggy Explores the BIG World, Psalms Alive!, Tunks on Tongues