First Advent | Global peace in sight
Series: EIFACH muetig – with Jesus as a role model | Bible text: Isaiah 2:2–5, 12–18, 22
30The Advent season commemorates Jesus» first coming and focuses on his return. God’s kingdom of peace, which will one day be completed, begins with Him. Isaiah promises a global peace that arises in hearts that open themselves to God’s word. But pride and self-importance prevent it. God judges in order to heal and calls us to live in the light of the Lord. True humility exalts God and makes us ambassadors of his peace.
The Advent season begins today. Advent literally means «arrival». We are waiting for Christmas – the day on which we joyfully commemorate the arrival of the Messiah around 2000 years ago. At the same time, we look forward to his second coming – the return of the Jewish king. The arrival of the Messiah is associated with the longing for a kingdom of peace. Politically speaking, we are still a long way from this. There may be a temporary ceasefire in Israel, but true peace is not in sight. In his vision, however, the prophet Isaiah paints a picture of peace not only for Israel, but for the whole world. Global peace is in sight.
God’s peace – it comes from above (vv. 1–4)
«In the last days, the mountain on which the house of the LORD stands will become the most important peak and will rise above all other mountains. All nations will flock to it» (Isaiah 2:2 NLB).
Isaiah shows us a powerful picture of the future here: God himself will be the centre of the world. Life will no longer be determined by power, wealth or war, but by God’s word and his presence. The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is only 743 metres above sea level (in comparison: the Gislifluh is 772 metres), and yet – symbolically speaking – it will be higher than the Alps. Isaiah thus says: God’s kingdom surpasses all earthly things.
Jerusalem, the city in which God dwelt with people in the temple, is a symbol of his presence, his rule and his peace. In the new Jerusalem, it will be the place of perfect communion between God and man. In the Hebrew word Yerushalayim stuck Shalom – Peace. But Shalom means far more than just the absence of war. It describes completeness, wholeness, well-being, divine abundance, justice and joy.
The foundation of this glorious kingdom of peace is the government of King Jesus Christ: «Many nations will go and say, «Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths. For instruction will go out from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem» (Isaiah 2:3 LUT). Whenever people hear God’s word and take it seriously, the kingdom of God happens. His word nourishes and creates a new reality. It brings forth life that goes far beyond our wildest imagination.
«Swords will be forged into ploughshares and spearheads into vintner’s knives» (Isaiah 2:4 NLB). This is more than a symbol of peace – it is an image of inner transformation. Where God’s word touches a person’s heart, that which destroys is transformed into that which brings life. The sword that kills becomes the plough that prepares the ground for fruit. A weapon becomes an instrument of life. So peace does not begin on the outside, but on the inside – where people allow themselves to be led by God.
Isaiah also gives us a time frame: «In the last few days» (V.2). For the Israelites of that time, this was a clear allusion to the future time of salvation – the kingdom of peace of the Messiah, who will reign over all nations. Most Jews are still waiting for this day today. For us as followers of Jesus, this time has already begun with Christ – and it will be completed with his return. We therefore live in the area of tension between «already» and «not yet»: the kingdom of God has begun, but is not yet complete. With the return of Jesus Christ, God’s plan of salvation will finally be fulfilled in the new Jerusalem.
The temple in Jerusalem has always been the place where heaven and earth meet – where the visible is permeated by the invisible. In the New Jerusalem, which is modelled on the heavenly temple, God will dwell with mankind forever. There, peace, joy and justice will be complete.
God’s judgement – it judges our pride (vv. 12–18.22)
Isaiah’s prophecy contains a razor-sharp analysis of why peace is not yet fully visible: the pride of man – stubbornness, egoism, self-importance.
«For at a time appointed by him («the day of the Lord»), the LORD Almighty will humble all that is arrogant, proud and exalted» (Isaiah 12:12 NLB).
The «Day of the Lord» is God’s decisive intervention in history and eternity – the day of his judgement on human arrogance, but at the same time the day on which his glory and his final peace will be revealed. This happens at the time of Jesus» return and ends the current chapter of human history.
God’s judgement does not mean destruction, but alignment with God. He removes everything that separates us from him. He destroys pride in order to set us free. He breaks the false in order to raise up the true. Only when man no longer exalts himself can God dwell in him. Only when we let go of our own greatness can God show his greatness.
The arrogance of man is the root of all evil. The disaster began in paradise when man believed he could find happiness independently of God.
Pride manifests itself in many forms:
- Self-important pride: «I know better.» This is the pride that exalts itself above God, in that man himself becomes the standard. He no longer trusts in God’s word, but in his own understanding.
- Religious pride: «I am better than others.» This is the pride that looks pious but does not understand grace. It thrives on comparison, performance and outward piety.
- Pride of power: «I control – I rule.» This pride manifests itself in the search for influence and control. He wants to have power, not to serve.
- Pride of ownership: «I am what I have.» This pride defines the value of a person through possessions, success and status. It sees material things as confirmation of one’s own worth.
- Intellectual pride: «I understand it better than others.» This pride thrives on knowledge and places wisdom above humility. It loves to be right and despises the «simple».
- Pride of sacrifice: «Nobody understands me – I’m the poorest.» That doesn’t sound like pride at first – and yet self-pity can be a hidden form of pride. It centres on our own suffering, not on God’s faithfulness.
- False humility: «At least I’m modest.» This is the pride that imitates humility but seeks recognition for its modesty. It manifests itself in false self-diminishment, which in truth hopes for affirmation. False humility constantly talks about itself, real humility talks about God. Genuine humility forgets itself.
All forms of pride have one thing in common: man is at the centre. Genuine humility, on the other hand, places God at the centre. C.S. Lewis: «Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself, but thinking less of yourself.» The way out of pride is therefore not through self-condemnation, but through an encounter with God’s holiness and love.
«[…] God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble» (James 4:6 NLB).
Isaiah uses images of tall trees, towers, mountains and walls as symbols of human self-exaltation – thinking: «I can master my life on my own. I don’t need God.» But the prophet says: «The arrogance of man will be humbled and the pride of men will be humiliated. Then the LORD alone will be exalted!» (Isaiah 2:17 NLB).
God’s call – let us live in the light of the Lord (v.5)
Christians are often accused of living in a state of mere consolation: Always Advent, never Christmas. But that’s fundamentally wrong. «Whatever promises God has made – they all find their fulfilment in his person» (2 Corinthians 1:20 New Testament). With his first coming, Jesus Christ ushered in the era of the kingdom of peace; its fulfilment will come with his return. So we are living Advent and Christmas at the same time.
This is why Paul calls the community of Jesus followers – indeed each individual – a temple of the Holy Spirit. Heaven and earth meet: the divine meets the earthly.
God’s chosen people have the calling to make his good rule, his justice and his peace visible in the whole world. That is why Isaiah cries out: «Come, people of Israel, let us live in the light of the Lord!» (Isaiah 2:5 NLB).
In the people of God, what will one day apply globally will already become visible now. In the new Jerusalem, Jesus will be the only light: «And the city does not need the sun or the moon to give it light, for the glory of God illuminates the city and the Lamb is its light» (Revelation 21:23 NLB).
So we don’t have to wait for global peace – we can already live in its light, with peace in our hearts, even if the world (still) remains troubled. The lights of Advent should remind us that we are already witnesses and harbingers of the coming kingdom of peace.
If you have accepted Jesus Christ into your life, you are a temple of the Holy Spirit – a foretaste of what the whole world will be when Christ returns.
But the biggest obstacle remains our pride, our stubbornness, our selfishness. They prevent God’s peace from taking shape in our environment. Our pride reacts to attacks with counterattacks, our false humility resists God’s influence. That is why the second invitation applies: The Advent lights should remind us to confess our pride to Jesus and to learn humility from him – to descend with Christ to greatness. Johann Seitz: «Let the Lord make you grow, downward like a cow’s tail!»
True humility leads to a liberating identity in Christ that lets us rest so firmly and securely that we can forget ourselves.
That is why Isaiah calls out again: «Come, people of Israel, let us live in the light of the Lord!» (Isaiah 2:5 NLB). During this Advent season, Jesus Christ invites you to live in his light right now – and to let him level the high trees, towers, mountains and walls of your life. The Lord alone shall be exalted in our lives.
Possible questions for the small groups
Bible text: Isaiah 2:2–5.12–18.22
- What does «peace» mean to you personally in the biblical sense?
Isaiah describes shalom as wholeness, joy, justice and divine abundance. – Where are you already experiencing some of this, and where are you still lacking this peace?
- Isaiah speaks of swords becoming ploughshares.
What could this mean in your everyday life? Where do you need a «transformation from weapon to tool» – i.e. from something that hurts to something that promotes life?
- Pride is cited as the greatest obstacle to peace.
In what way do you experience pride or self-centredness in yourself? And how can true humility – in the sense of «thinking more about God than about yourself» – lead to new peace?
- Isaiah calls: «Let us live in the light of the Lord!»
What can this «living in the light» look like in everyday life – in dealing with family, conflicts, possessions, power or self-image?
- Advent means waiting – but at the same time already living in the kingdom of God that has begun.
How can you consciously live as a «demonstrator of the future kingdom of peace» during this Advent season? What signs of the coming peace do you want to set?
