Read Isa. 2:11-22
God hates pride. How foolish it must look to him. God made us and knows everything there is to know and yet he looks down on man who thinks he has power and can control his own life. In today's verses God is promising to bring down those who are prideful and haughty. God will share his glory with no one and all will one day see. On that day God is going to judge the cedars fo Lebanon and the oaks of Bashan. He is speaking figuratively about the people who like cedars and oaks have strong roots in idolatry. The Assyrians were beating down on them and instead of repenting and turning to God they were turning more meticulously to their idol worship much like the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' time. Religion is man's way of getting to God through his own works. God's way is through repentance from a humble heart. Verse 14 speaks of the high mountains and the hills which are the sectors of society like politics, education, business, religion, arts, and entertainment. Next he condemns the high towers and the fenced walls which are the individual leaders who have positioned themselves above the people and are inaccessible. Verse 16 condemns the ships of Tarshish which was their means of transportation of goods and people. They got gold and silver from Tarshish so these ships were a symbol of wealth and power. Getting things from these ships was like shopping at Prada - great status symbol. But all this was coming down so that God alone would be honored and esteemed. Their whole religious system was about to be changed because God was rising up to shake the kingdoms of the earth. When he does that the people are going to try to find a place of safety. When they cry out to their gods they will realize that their religion in worthless. Every man will be affected. What a picture of our day.
Lord, when you shake the earth I pray that we will have faith that will remain.
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