Go up the Mountain of the Lord

Background Scripture: Isaiah 2
Lesson Scripture: Isaiah 2:1–5; 4:2–6

Introduction

John Newton, who wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace,” would characterize himself as the “old African blasphemer” in his later life because of his involvement in the African slave trade earlier in his life. He knew well the depths of depravity the human heart is capable of. Though he was born to a godly mother who tried to instill within him the ways of uprightness and godliness, he strayed far from them after she passed away when he was quite young. He took to the sea and in time became established in the slave trade, living a life of immorality and impiety. By a frightful storm at sea and a tortuous chain of events, he at last arrived at a firm and unshakable faith in God’s grace bestowed upon him as an unworthy but redeemed sinner.

What enables Christians to retain a humble and proper vision of themselves? Surely the answer is found in first recognizing our appalling depravity and then in God’s miraculous grace and salvation. “I feel like a man who has no money in his pocket but is allowed to draw for all he wants upon one infinitely rich. I am, therefore, at once both a beggar and a rich man,” Newton once said.

Seeing our own personal inadequacies is fairly easy to do; we often come face to face with our own incapability and can become quite discouraged with our own performance and position, especially in comparison with others’ capabilities. If we are feeling incapable, seeing others’ inadequacies is even easier—they stick out all over the place.

Seeing our own depravity, however, is quite another matter. This is something very different from seeing our inadequacy. We are brought to utter helplessness and ruin by our own hand through our own sin. Here we receive a right estimation of how we appear before a just and holy God.

As this new quarter of lessons is now before us, let us resolve to study them in light of understanding our outstanding need of redemption. These lessons are taken primarily from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel; the crucifixion and resurrection are also interwoven into this quarter. Let the church of today gain a renewed vision of the foundations of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Go up the Mountain of the Lord

Lesson 1

March 2, 2025

Background Scripture: Isaiah 2

Lesson Scripture: Isaiah 2:1–5; 4:2–6

Introduction

What could be more special than an invitation to meet God in his house on the mountain? When someone receives this call, a great battle may begin. Our evil nature resists, and Satan places thoughts and obstacles in our way to hinder us. The gate leading to this mountain city is called Calvary and is where we first meet our crucified Lord. The flesh must stay behind. Upon reaching the summit, we are ushered into the presence of God our Father. What peace, serenity, and freedom are experienced there! Only from this vantage point can the world below with its darkness, sin, and bondage be seen as it really is.

Key Verse

O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! (Isa. 40:9).

Lesson Scripture

Studying the Lesson

Isaiah prophesied for at least forty years during the reigns of four kings of Judah. His message was one of inviting hope. Isaiah foresaw the establishment of the future kingdom of God as a fortress city set above the surrounding mountains of pagan religion and false Christianity. It would be a beacon to seeking souls who were in darkness. Those who journey up to this mountain city do not go by compulsion but are rather drawn up by something their soul craves. Here God’s law, the Word of life, is found and lived by. As the law is imbedded in the hearts of men, it brings peace, joy, and fellowship together in a bond of love. Revealed in greater depth and clarity later, the blood of Jesus is the source and spring of power and virtue in this exalted city. God’s future gospel plan would also include nonresistance, turning the instruments of conflict into tools of cultivation.

This mountain with its city and temple is built by God and is holy. God’s presence is demonstrated as a cloud by day and flaming fire by night. His people are likewise purged and made holy, becoming both a drawing and a reproof to all nations.

God revealed the scenes of a future, peaceful kingdom to Isaiah. He saw the high mountain with the glorious city, which contained the peace, serenity, and safety of God’s personal presence. Isaiah saw people from many nations stream up the mountain. It must have been a vision of overwhelming beauty, so much so that it invoked his passionate invitation: “O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord!”

Practical Truths for Today

We are naturally fascinated by the towering heights of the mountains. A longing and determined person viewing the highest peaks will accept the enormous effort entailed in reaching the summit. Suffering, hardship, and pain will likely result in the pursuit of such a quest. Once the summit is attained, however, the world is viewed from a different perspective. All the exertion and toil of the climb are momentarily forgotten and are displaced with an overwhelming sense of awe and euphoria. Some comparisons are easily drawn from this and illustrate what going up the mountain of God can mean for us today.

Different men of the Bible met God on the mountain. Noah and his family survived the greatest cataclysm this earth has seen. After the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat, Noah built an altar and worshipped God. God met him there and gave Noah a comforting promise, the sign of a rainbow, which remains with us yet today. After years of waiting for the promised son, Abraham was called by God to the land of Moriah to be shown where to sacrifice his son of promise. On the summit, God, through an angel, intervened and prevented Abraham from slaying Isaac. He was greatly commended for his faith, and God provided another sacrifice. On this mountain, Abraham’s sorrow and dread dissipated before the glory and presence of God as the angel reiterated God’s promise to him. Who can fathom Abraham’s sense of awe, joy, and strengthened faith as he proceeded down the mountain? Around one thousand years later, Solomon built the temple on this mount, and God’s glory again appeared there. Moses experienced God on Mount Sinai as he spoke to Him face to face. Later he viewed the promised land from Mount Pisgah. Peter, James, and John beheld the glory of Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration.

These mountain encounters are significant because here God met and conversed with man, yet none of them quite compare to what Isaiah saw. He envisioned a mountain created by God where people from all over the world would be caught up into a current flowing unto it. Throughout the ages, the needy, destitute, and sin-sick have been drawn to this mount.

A river may begin as a pristine source of water, but as it flows down toward its mouth, dirt, debris, and other impurities make it cloudy. Human nature has the same progression. What begins pure and innocent trends ever downward as sin begins to cloud our souls. The flow toward God’s holy mountain however, defies nature and goes upward, drawn by the heart’s inner cry for peace, purity, and freedom from sin. As the flow into the kingdom of God continues upward, the soul’s restless longing is satisfied, and lives are purified. Here in the Father’s house, the commandments of Jesus and his apostles are taught, lived, and remain unchanged. These commandments are like a structure that provides a shelter of security and peace of mind for those who are inside. All who come through Jesus, the Door (John 10:9), find salvation and are admitted. Here they find a peaceable habitation and a sure dwelling (Isa. 32:18).

An angel carried the apostle John in spirit to a great and high mountain where he saw the holy city as the bride of Christ (Rev. 21:10). Its beauty surpasses any institution or organization known to men of earth. Its walls are built on the foundation of the teachings of Christ and the apostles and form a secure barrier from the evils without. Inside the the church of God, there is no need of an external form of discernment, wisdom, or guidance, because God the Father who dwells here provides the light (Rev. 22:5). As the church gathers together in conferences, counsels, or in smaller groups, we can have confidence that God is present and will give us the light we need. There is no need to search for it elsewhere. The beauty of the bride of Christ may be seen only by revelation from the Holy Spirit.

Questions

1. What causes those who are searching for truth to be drawn to the church?
2. There are many social and spiritual benefits in belonging to the church. Do we nurture a sense of entitlement? How can we feel and portray our unworthiness?
3. What can we do to make the church of God attractive to the world?
4. We believe the doctrines of the church are for our security and protection. Our adversary, the devil, wants us to think the walls are too confining. Is there a way to realize when this wrong thinking is beginning to take root? How can we help someone else who is struggling with this?

Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).