Isaiah 2:20-22 - Stop trusting in mere humans

2:20,21

Once again we have the fleeing to the caves. Man living by his own strength, committed to his own autonomy cannot stand the glory of God, for it highlights and exposes the futility of man’s pride. The only way to live in the presence of God is through faith in Christ.

2:22

The chapter closes with Isaiah making another call to the nation. “Stop trusting in mere humans”. How was Judah doing this at the time? It was so much that they trusted in themselves, rather they looked to Egypt and to Assyria at various times, and there was also Edom. They looked to alliances with other nations to see them through, to enable them to endure the dangers they faced. This was a fatal mistake. There number one priority needed to be to get right with God. Why hold mere men in more esteem than the Lord? Now we need to apply this to ourselves, and we should note that Judah could see the strength of threatening armies, and they could see the “help” that various alliances might bring. They could not see the Lord, yet it was only He who could truly help them, and it is He who has all power and authority. Now look at the things that we fear or feel threatened by. The threats are real, and we have a natural tendency to want to rely on something we can see, something we can imagine how it will help us. We find it hard to trust in the Lord who we cannot see. Yet His help is real. In chapters 36-38 we will see how Jerusalem was saved from a very real threat by the divine intervention of the Lord.

Mark 2:18,19 - To fast or not to fast?

2:18

Objections and questions did not just come from “opponents” but also from “friends”. John the Baptist had been preparing the way for Jesus, yet now some of John’s disciples were confused about Jesus and what He was doing, for His ways were very different from those of John. John was austere, yet Jesus enjoyed feasting with people of all backgrounds. They didn’t actually direct the question as being about Jesus, but about His disciples. Maybe they thought they were having a tough time compared with Jesus’ disciples! They also pointed out that the disciples of the Pharisees were big on fasting as well.

2:19

Jesus’ answer is that the situation is different. As it says in Ecclesiastes, there is a time for this and a time for that. We need to understand what things are just temporal, or are sometimes to be done, but are not absolutes. We also need to understand what are absolutes as well! So there is a time for fasting and a time for feasting. Jesus tells them that the bridegroom is here, so it was not a time for fasting.

Isaiah 2:17-19 - Human pride will be humbled

2:17-19

The haughtiness of man shall be humbled. Man will be brought low in his pride. His limitations will be cruelly exposed. On that day it is the greatness of the Lord that shall be made plain to all. He alone will be exalted. All the idols that man has set up will be shown up for what they are, nothing at all. And man who has clung to idols will go and hide in caves and holes in the ground, anything to get away from the truth of the glory of the Lord. You see, when we seek to live as independent, as masters of the universe we are living a lie. For we are not even masters of our own little patch of earth, let alone the universe. We did not bring ourselves into existence, we do not control the essential elements of life. So does this mean that man is nothing at all? No, what it means is that it is only when we acknowledge our true place, that we become truly great. For God does commend people, but they are people who trust in Him. For we are created beings, and when we live as created beings we live as the people we were created to be.

Mark 2:15-17 - Why does He eat with sinners?

2:15

Jesus was the eating with Levi, and many other tax collectors were there, along with Jesus’ disciples. So this would be a learning experience for the tax collectors, and for the disciples. The disciples would see how Jesus interacted with the tax collectors, people whom they may well have considered to be beyond the pale. In the church we all know that Jesus can reach all people, and indeed wants to reach people from all sorts of backgrounds, including the most unsavoury. Sometimes we are made to feel guilty because we do not know how to interact with certain types of people. Well, in those situations it often not prejudice that stops us, but insecurity, a lack of knowledge. So in areas where we are strong we need to be careful about our attitude towards those who are not strong in that area. We must not have an attitude of making those who are weak in that area feel guilty. Instead, it should be one of gently teaching and developing and encouraging

2:16

Some of the scribes would be Pharisees. The Pharisees were the strictest sect of the Jews marked by their dedication to the Law and its interpretation. So when they saw Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners they were appalled. Our first reaction is to think that the Pharisees were just wrong and were really nasty people. Now, of course, in a sense they were, and Jesus had many hard things to say about them, but it is worth considering why they were so wrong. This comes down to a fundamental difference between they way that they saw the Law, and the way that Jesus (ie God!) saw the Law. Under the Law there was indeed a strong case for not consorting with tax collectors and sinners. It could make you unclean, and could be seen as having communion with unrighteousness. However, Jesus (ie God) had no such problem. The fundamental difference is that the Pharisees so the Law as a way of life. Jesus saw it as showing what perfection is, the way that things should be, but is pointed out how far short of God’s standards, God’s glory, we have fallen. So people who had failed the Law (and that means everyone) needed to be helped, not rejected.

2:17

Jesus then pointed out to the Pharisees the fundamental point. “It is not the well but the sick who need a physician”. Jesus came to save sinners, not the righteous. The truth, of course, is that we are all sinners, and the Pharisees were sinners just as much as the tax collectors. The grounds for knowing Jesus are not how good we are, but how willing to admit our sin and how willing to receive help from Jesus we are.

Isaiah 2:12-16 - The Lord has a day in store for the proud

2:12

Nothing that is “proud and lofty” shall be allowed to stand forever. For a time they may seem to be lifted up, but this will only last for a time. Then they shall be brought low. We need to understand that judgement is essential to understanding God. We have such a liking for seeking to do away with judgement, we may even try and argue that judgement was just Old Testament, and that Jesus has done away with all that. Nothing could be further from the truth. Look at any book in the Old Testament, look at any book in the New Testament, including (indeed, especially) the gospels, and we see that judgement is an essential element of God’s dealings with the world, and is essential for our having a right understanding of the God and the world.

2:13-16

The wood mentioned here was high quality and represents the pride of man. Man builds high towers and fortified walls, thinking he is great and can protect himself against anything. He builds ships for trading and develops many beautiful crafts. There is nothing wrong in the trading or building itself, it is the heart that lies behind it, it is what man thinks it represents. Man thinks he is god, he thinks he is great in his own right, he thinks he is independent and in control. But the Lord has a day that is against all this pride.

Mark 2:9-14 - Pick up your bed and walk

2:9-12

Jesus responds by asking “which is easier to say, “your sin are forgiven, or take up your bed and walk”. Jesus then tells the man to get up. He is doing this to demonstrate that He does have the authority to forgive sins. It is perhaps interesting that Jesus pronounced forgiveness first. I noted earlier that part of the reason for this may have been to help the man believe. Another possible reason is that forgiving sins is the primary reason that Jesus came. Having our sins dealt with is actually the greatest need of all men. Jesus came so that our sins could be forgiven. But how do we know that they actually have been forgiven? The resurrection is the proof (1 Cor 15:17).

So the man duly got up, picked up his bed and walked. Naturally, everyone was amazed at what happened, and they glorified God. We should also note that Jesus spoke and it was.

2:13,14

Jesus went out by the sea and the crowds continued to follow Him. “And He was teaching them”. One cannot read Mark without coming to the conclusion that Jesus did a lot of teaching and saw teaching is highly important. So far we have seen Jesus call four fishermen. Now He calls Levi, a tax collector, also called Matthew. Tax collectors were not loved!. One, because no one is particularly keen on paying taxes, then they were collecting taxes for the hated Roman Empire, and thirdly because they could be dishonest and intrusive. Even so, Jesus called Levi to follow Him. Jesus calls people from all walks of life, our background is of no advantage or hindrance. If we are called by Jesus we must follow and He is well able to sort us out.

Isaiah 2:7-11 - Go into the rocks and hide in the ground

2:7-9

The land seemed to be rich. It had plenty of silver and gold, it had horses and chariots. But it was also full of idols, and people bowed down to the things that they had made. The result would be that God would bring them low. And Isaiah calls on God not to forgive them. We might think that that is not a very Christian attitude to have, but let’s put it another way. “Do not overlook their sin”. We are all too ready to overlook someone’s sin, and all too ready to expect God to overlook our sin. The gospel is not a matter of overlooking sin, but of dealing with sin. This above all else involved the cross, but it also involves the work of God in our lives. So if God is being merciful towards me then part of this will be that He deals with the sin in my life. And if you or I know someone who is not a Christian and we want God to show mercy to that person, then part of that showing mercy will involve God confronting them with their sin.

2:10,11

Revelation 6:15,16 also speaks of men hiding in rocks at the opening of the sixth seal. In order to have any chance of understanding Revelation it is essential to appreciate its Old Testament roots and imagery. Both here and in Revelation the key message is that ultimately me cannot escape the glory of God. For a time men may strut the earth, seeming to be dominant and getting their own way, and blaspheming God in the process, but there comes a point when they are brought face to face with reality. The glory of the Lord will overwhelm them, and all of us need to know this. In looking at the world we always need to be aware that the Lord is God, He alone has all power and authority.Man, for all his strutting about, boasting of his so-called wisdom and power, will be humbled. On that day the Lord alone shall be exalted.