Going up to Zion...

"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths..." Isaiah 2:3

Ever sit down to read your Bible and all you can think is, "Shouldn't this feel more like a desire than a duty?" I do. I'm guessing it's a common problem every child of God encounters from time to time. Hectic schedules, family problems, job hassles, and other annoyances often crowd up our day to such an extent that by the time we finally get a chance to sit down, we'd rather watch TV or read a magazine. Studying God's law and learning more about His character doesn't always make it to the top of our to-do lists. And if we do get around to it, we're often too distracted anyway.

The second chapter of Isaiah describes a time in the "last days" where all the nations will gather at the mountain of the house of the Lord. Once they encounter God on this mountain of Zion, their chief concern seems to be learning more about God's laws. They want to become more acquainted with His ways and to "walk in His paths" (verse 3). True, a day of reckoning immediately follows (or perhaps coincides with) this gathering at the mountain, so one might argue that anyone might be more motivated to learn about God's laws in the midst of His terrible judgments. But there are plenty of reasons to study God's Word regardless of what is happening. Here's three of them:

• Learning and obeying God's law brings peace. I don't think it's a coincidence that the next verse in Isaiah describes the aftermath of not only God carrying out His judgment, but also of His people learning about His perfect law: they hammer their weapons into tools and "never again learn war" (verse 4). Knowing who we are in Him is the most peaceful place we can be. It helps us lay down our weapons of distrust and self-pity and to reshape them into tools that can be utilized in His kingdom.
  
• Learning and obeying God's law brings love to others. In fact, under the new covenant set in place by Jesus' death and resurrection, God's law IS all about love! Paul wrote to the Romans that "he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law" (13:8), and in James we learn that if we are obeying God's command to love others, we are "doing well" (2:8). And Jesus told His disciples that people would know that they are His followers if they had love for one another (John 13:35).
• Learning and obeying God's law helps us to work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12). While we are saved by His grace, His law is just as important if we are to know how to carry that salvation out in our daily lives. That's why the people were concerned not only about learning God's law, but also about walking in His paths. God wants us to continually seek Him and to do His will every day of our lives; knowing His laws is pivotal to doing this. That way we know if we're on the right path!

Whether we are reading the Bible, serving others, or just sitting at His feet and listening to Him intently, God can teach us all He wants us to know. We just have to be willing to climb that mountain and make it a priority. Want to climb it with me? :o)