Please read the passage before reading the commentary.
It is the beginning of a religious season called Advent. This is how some Christians prepare for Christmas. The economic world prepares for Christmas by celebrating Black Friday, Cyber Monda, and
a large shopping season. For the economic world, Christmas ends December 25, while the religious holiday lasts into the second week of January.
Isaiah starts the season of Advent for us. He sees all nations as streaming towards the Lord’s city and mountain. This gathering of nations shall inaugurate a lasting peace and a fulness of instruction. While the prophet sees a movement of peoples toward the Lord, the Gospel writers see a movement of God towards the people of God. Jesus moved towards a pagan centurion’s house to heal his servant (Cf Matthew 8:5-11). Isaiah sees a conversion to the Lord while the Gospel writers God as coming to save humans.
Every movement we make towards God is a response to God’s movement towards us. God initiates movement to us, calls us, and wants us before we even think about God. God is the author of our salvation; we are recipients of God’s mercy. We depend on God.
Isaiah was a prophet, a spokesman for God. He was commissioned to speak in God’s name, not in his own name. He was dependent on God for the message he preached.
In this Advent season, we are encouraged to climb the Lord’s mountain to the house of the Lord. We are encouraged to beat our tanks into tractors and our guns into traffic lights. We are to train for war no more. We must walk in the light of peace not in the darkness of war and death. This is the Christmas shopping that we have to do this season. Let us walk in the light of the Lord
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