Bible Studies

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The Scriptures
Isaiah 2:1-5 - Walking in the Light of Hope
Key Verses: (NRSV)

• 2: "In the days to come the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it." - This vision of God's glory that Isaiah depicts provides hope, not only for the Israelites but for everyone. As life's burdens weigh in, the promise of God's glory shines brightly.
  
  
• 3: "Many peoples shall come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths.'" - We are instilled with the desire to seek God's righteousness.
  
  
• 4: "He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." - There will be no such thing as a justified war. There is no talk of right versus the forces of evil. Peace shall prevail.
  
  
• 5: "O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!" - It is a conscious choice.
  

Points to Contemplate:

• Are you hope-filled? Or, are you trudging through life, entering yet another Advent and Christmas season, wondering why life is so difficult? Do you feel burdened and weighed down with the issues of life? Is your heart heavy and your soul weak? When you read the words of Isaiah do you open your eyes and say yes, the Lord's time is coming. Hallelujah? Or, are you resolved that, somehow, you will survive yet another Christmas and nothing ever changes? If you are not filled with hope and if your heart does not burst with joy for the coming of Christ's birth, is it possible that you have become too focused on your self and have set God and His kingdom aside? Is this Christmas a time to re-center God in your life so He can fill your heart with the hope that belongs there?
  
  
• Will God's kingdom ever come? People since before the time of Isaiah have been looking forward to a time when God's kingdom will rule the earth. Expectations have run high but life just keeps on as before? What will it take for God's kingdom to come? Are you satisfied that it will happen in God's time and if that means another 10,000 years, then so be it? Or, is He waiting for something to happen in our lives first? Is it possible that He is simply waiting until we all turn to Him at one time and sing "Hallelujah, Praise God on High?" If He is waiting until all nations stream to His house, does that not place more importance on the Great Commission? Is this why Jesus told us to go forth and make disciples of all nations?
  
  
• Do you wage peace? Isaiah's vision is quite clear on the issue of war; God's kingdom will arrive at a time when there is no more war. Is war anything more than extreme self-righteousness? Is there anything in these verses regarding justified wars against evil or the powers of darkness? If you are a kingdom-builder, if you pray daily for God's kingdom to come and that His will prevail, what steps towards peace are you taking? What swords in your life have you beaten into plowshares? Do you see that this image of peace that Isaiah portrays is not some idealistic utopia that will never come? This is God's kingdom and we are being called to end conflict and to "walk in the light of the LORD!" Are you ready to wage peace?
  

Promises of the Gospel:

The first Sunday of Advent is upon us and we now begin to turn our sights on the celebration of that glorious Christmas day when God sent His only Son into the world. It is an exciting time. A time filled with hope, love, peace, and joy. Or is it? If we do not first allow our hearts to be filled with the hope that God's kingdom will come and that it is a realistic dream that is achievable in our lives, then what is the point of Christmas? If there is no reason to dream about peace and work towards a time when all people can sing hallelujah as a single and glorious choir, then why go through the motions of Christmas at all? We do so because God has faithfully promised that His kingdom will come and these unrealistic dreams are exactly what we can hope for. As we light the Candle of Hope this Advent we do so with the understanding that we are "walk(ing) in the light of the Lord." Hallelujah.

FUMC Devotionals

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