Jerusalem Purged by Judgment then Blessed
2:1 to 4:6
The prophecy in Chapters 2 through 4 is in the background during the reigns of the kings Uzziah and Jothan. This section depicts, in the starkest terms, the contrast between what Isra’el was determined to be and what she in fact was. Immediately after the stinging indictment (in the form of a lawsuit) of the nation’s sinful practices (1:2-31), Isaiah introduces a concept that will be central to his prophecy. That is, a time will come when Jerusalem will have the primary position in the world (Micah 4:1-3 is almost identical to Isaiah 2:2-4).
Isaiah described something he saw in a vision. When prophets saw a vision they were either transported to another place at the same time that they lived, or into the future, and describe it as if they were eyewitnesses. The content of this second section is about Judah and Jerusalem. Isaiah starts out with a far eschatological prophecy about the future messianic Kingdom.
This section illustrates a full circle from the ideal to the reality, and back to the ideal again. The importance of this section is that the Isra’el can only fulfill the destiny given to her in 2:2-5 by experiencing the judgment of 2:6 to 4:1, and the purification described in 4:2-6. This reminds us of Chapter 1, and indeed the whole book, where the proud, self-sufficient Isra’el can only witness the greatness of ADONAI when she had been reduced to helplessness by His righteous judgment and then restored to life by His undeserved grace.
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