Isaiah 2:1-5

“They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”  Those words are inscribed on the wall of the United Nations building in New York.  In the plaza a statue by Russian sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich depicts a figure holding the hilt of a sword in his left hand while his right hand grips a sledge hammer poised to strike another blow in turning the weapon into a plowshare.

Isaiah 2, begins, “The word that Isaiah…saw.” What Isaiah sees is not humanity’s efforts, but God’s work completed in Christ. The Lord assures us, that our warfare with him is over.  Our sins are pardoned. God has given us double grace for all our sins. Isaiah sees “all the nations” flowing to Zion, a vision which finds its fulfillment when, in Jesus words, “I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.”

Prayer:  Lord, through the eyes of my faith let me see the Word of the Lord that I might walk by His light and evermore learn to walk in your peaceful paths, through Jesus Christ, Your Son Our Savior. Amen.