Passage: Go into the rocks, hide in the ground from dread of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty! The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled), for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty, and all the oaks of Bashan, for all the towering mountains and all the high hills, for every lofty tower and every fortified wall, for every trading ship and every stately vessel. The arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of men humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will totally disappear.
Journal: Isaiah moves from Judah's sin of idolatry (Isaiah 2:6-9) to the sin of pride (Isaiah 2:10-18), though the two are inextricably related. It is interesting that the same root word is used to describe both the majesty of God and the pride of men. This is both a similarity and a contrast. God demands that His creation live for His own glory. Yet, this is not a prideful demand of God. To the contrary, this is a loving act of God. It is loving because God knows that the joy of His creation is maximized when His creation lives for the glory of the creator. This explains the first catechism of most any Christian creed -- "The chief end of man is to give glory to God and enjoy to Him forever." (Or, as John Piper notes -- "The chief end of man is to give glory to God by enjoying Him forever.")
Yet, when this majesty is turned inward, it becomes the pride of men (or the pride of angels, as the account of Lucifer's fall from grace indicates). Pride is no more than self glory, and hijacks the catechism as follows -- "The chief end of man is to give glory to self and to pursue self forever." This prideful pursuit takes man to the very gate of Hell and beyond. God shares His love. God shares His Son. God even shares His eternity. Yet, God will never share His glory, for it is uniquely His. ("Go into the rocks, hide in the ground from dread of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty! The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.")
John Dee Spicer
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About Me
I started the Daily Journal in 2000. I sent it as an email to a few friends (it was a round number, either 10 or 20, I can't remember exactly). It has grown over the years, primarily due to those original few forwarding it to others. During this time, I have journaled through Genesis, selected Psalms, the Gospel of John, Acts, Romans, Galatians, Hebrews, and Peter's letters. (These are the books I can remember for sure this morning, anyway.) I don't have seminary training and don't claim to have special wisdom. Rather, I simply desire that others develop a love for God's word. There is only one interpretation for any Bible passage, and I will rely on the wisdom of scholars through the ages (at least those at my disposal) to help with that one interpretation. I will also attempt some practical application. Somewhere along the way I started sharing some funny things my kids would say, and this became known as "Heard 'Round the House." I will continue to share these priceless nuggets as my kids provide material. The "Daily" Journal is a bit of a misnomer, since I only do it Monday through Thursday. I don't do it on Friday because I attend a 6 am Bible Study. I don't do it on the weekends because so many received it at work (I may revise this approach since I have gone to the "Blog" format). I do read my Bible on a daily basis, and strongly recommend a chronilogical daily Bible - you will read the Bible completely each year, and the events unfold in a historical fashion.
