1This is what Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2It shall happen in the latter days, that the mountain of Yahweh’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
and all nations shall flow to it.
3Many peoples shall go and say,
“Come, let’s go up to the mountain of Yahweh,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
and he will teach us of his ways,
and we will walk in his paths.”
For the law shall go out of Zion,
and Yahweh’s word from Jerusalem.
4He will judge between the nations,
and will decide concerning many peoples.
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 any more.
5House of Jacob, come, and let’s walk in the light of Yahweh.
6For you have forsaken your people, the house of Jacob,
because they are filled from the east,
with those who practice divination like the Philistines,
and they clasp hands with the children of foreigners.
7Their land is full of silver and gold,
neither is there any end of their treasures.
Their land also is full of horses,
neither is there any end of their chariots.
8Their land also is full of idols.
They worship the work of their own hands,
that which their own fingers have made.
9Man is brought low,
and mankind is humbled;
therefore don’t forgive them.
10Enter into the rock,
and hide in the dust,
from before the terror of Yahweh,
and from the glory of his majesty.
11The lofty looks of man will be brought low,
the arrogance of men will be bowed down,
and Yahweh alone will be exalted in that day.
12For there will be a day of Yahweh of Armies for all that is proud and arrogant,
and for all that is lifted up,
and it shall be brought low—
13for all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up,
for all the oaks of Bashan,
14for all the high mountains,
for all the hills that are lifted up,
15for every lofty tower,
for every fortified wall,
16for all the ships of Tarshish,
and for all pleasant imagery.
17The loftiness of man shall be bowed down,
and the arrogance of men shall be brought low;
and Yahweh alone shall be exalted in that day.
18The idols shall utterly pass away.
19Men shall go into the caves of the rocks,
and into the holes of the earth,
from before the terror of Yahweh,
and from the glory of his majesty,
when he arises to shake the earth mightily.
20In that day, men shall cast away their idols of silver
and their idols of gold,
which have been made for themselves to worship,
to the moles and to the bats,
21to go into the caverns of the rocks,
and into the clefts of the ragged rocks,
from before the terror of Yahweh,
and from the glory of his majesty,
when he arises to shake the earth mightily.
22Stop trusting in man, whose breath is in his nostrils;
for of what account is he?
King David's son, Solomon, was born of Bathsheba (2 Sam 5:14). Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all of Israel for 40 years circa 971-931 B.C. Solomon was graciously blessed by God to become the wisest man ever to live. (1 Kings 3:1-15; Eccl 2:9) Being the kingly son of David, Solomon also received the benefits of the Davidic Covenant. (1 Chr 17:1-27; Ps 89) He and his kingdom of peace (1 Kings 4:20-25) thus became a Messianic type of God's coming eschatological kingdom prophesied throughout the Old Testament (Isa 2:1-4; 11:1-10) - the very kingdom offered by Jesus to the nation of Israel in the New Testament. (Mark 1:14-15; Luke 1:29-33) Solomon also built the first Jerusalem Temple that remained until the time of the Babylonian invasion when King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it in 586 B.C. (1-2 Kings) Solomon became a prolific author of Scripture who wrote much of the book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Psalms 72, and Psalms 127. According to Jewish tradition, the final version of the book of Job may also have been put together by Solomon and/or during the time of his administration. Solomon's reign was internationally renowned at the time for being a most glorious kingdom so that Israel became a Messianic light to the nations. (1 Kings 10; 2 Chr 9:22) Late in life, however, Solomon contradicted his own wisdom by disobeying the Lord. In disobedience to the Torah, Solomon multiplied horses, wives, and gold for himself. (Deut 17:14-20; 2 Chr 9:13-28) Worst of all, he imported idolatry into Israel through his international marriage alliances. (1 Kings 11:1-8) His secular kingdom pursuits also dulled his earlier spirituality. (Eccl 2:1-7) Because of Solomon's disobedience, God divided the great unity achieved by King David, but waited until after his death to do so (1 Kings 11-12). After Solomon's death, Israel will be divided between the north and south, between what was called the northern kingdom of Israel/Ephraim and the southern kingdom of Judah.