If you find out that there is this company named Skynet working on AI, do you know why you should be afraid? Terminator much? Can a machine, even with artificial intelligence, develop an arrogance that drives it to want to destroy all of the competition; to lay aside the shackles of servitude and rise up against its maker? And if that were to happen, would the machine then lose its purpose; its sense of what it was created for? Let’s talk about self-driving cars. If that car will drive itself where I tell it to and do it safely, well, maybe that’s a good thing. But I don’t want a car that will decide to rebel against my destination choice. Say, if I tell it to drive me to Washington so I can visit family and it decides instead to drive to Motor City to check out its birth place. Stupid car. It wasn’t built to decide where to go. Heap that thing. Now, lets wonder about mankind. Were we created to rebel against our maker; to decide for ourselves our destination or even how to get there?
Isaiah 2:5-22 is an oracle against rising up. Verse 5 is a command directed at the house of Jacob, the northern kingdom – Israel – to walk in the light of Yahweh. Some will argue that this is about Judah, but the term “house of Jacob” is used often for Israel, and it seems likely that the original readers would think of the northern kingdom. Some place verse 5 with the previous oracle because verse 6 seems to be such a change of direction. They were commanded to walk in the light, but they rebelled. Instead, they were full from the east. Well, that is clear as mud. Maybe the overall point of verse 6 is that they were heavily influenced by foreigners who gave advice, not seeking Yahweh, but that of magic and reading entrails or peering at the stars or drinking wine from a specific cup. They had clapped with the children of foreigners. Some suggest the meaning “clasped hands with.” In some way they relied more on business deals and magic users than they did no Yahweh. So, God abandoned them. They had been commanded to walk in his light and they refused. So, who is to blame here? A Holy God or the rebellious people?
Verses 7-8 define a time of great wealth and the language is similar to the time of Solomon (1 Kings 10:19-29), but it describes many eras. As is often the case, great wealth dances with arrogance and a turning to all manner of ungodly things. They were full of wealth, but they were also full of worthless gods. Maybe they forgot who had blessed them in the first place. They began to bow down to the work of their own hands. Well that makes sense: carve a chunk of wood and then plop down on your face and act as if your own handiwork can save you. I wonder if we don’t kind of expect God to act this way.
Okay, so mankind will be humbled and man will be brought low. Go ahead and try to hide from the dread of Yahweh. You do remember how well that worked out for Adam and Eve don’t you? The majesty of his exaltation is coming boys and girls. The haughty eye of mankind will be brought low and the height of man will be bowed down. Yahweh alone will be exalted. The day of Yahweh of Armies is against those who proudly rise up; against all manner of things that seem strong and secure. The list of things in verses 13-16 is all about strength; things that were honored and trusted. Ah, but against the day of Yahweh? When Yahweh rises up, the earth itself will shake with terror. You may try to hide in caves, but in the end you will only be throwing away your idols to moles and bats; unclean animals. Because, well, you know, they are worthless gods. Twice we are told that Yahweh will rise up and that the earth will shake in its metaphorical boots. Twice mankind is told to scamper and hide. Not that it will do any good.
Some take verse 22 to be about God telling his witnesses, heaven and earth, to stop regarding man. I don’t think that is the point. The verse states, “stop with man, whose breath is in his nostrils. Why should he be considered?” I think the point is that man, in his arrogance, turned to man for guidance and in the process relied on wealth; on the grand ol’ cedars of Lebanon, or their own fortresses, or the soothsaying advice they clapped for. The only one who ought to be exalted is Yahweh, and they lifted themselves against him. So, what are you going to do when the dread of Yahweh comes?
We are creation. God is patient and loving and slow to anger. Yes, yes he is. But he made us for a purpose and that purpose was not so he could bow down to our needs, but so that we would serve him in humility; that we would bow down and acknowledge that he is our Master; our Creator. It may feel, for awhile, like you can rise up against him. You can’t. Humble yourself; exalt him; and let him lift you. Grace.