Verse 3: “Many peoples shall come and say, ‘Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us from His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’ For from Zion the law shall go forth, from Jerusalem the Word of the Lord.”

Many peoples: Referring to those in the nations.

Mountain: Government

Jacob: The name ‘Jacob’ has great significance. In English we have been taught that it means ‘deceiver’ or ‘supplanter’, ‘one who behaves incorrectly’. However, in Hebrew this is not the understanding of the name Jacob. In Hebrew this is a word that means to follow after, to
pursue (eg a reward) relentlessly/without giving up – taking hold of something and not letting go until the desired outcome has been achieved. This is confirmed in Jacob’s behaviour – Genesis 25:26, Genesis 32:24-31. Jacob is an example of how we need to whole-heartedly pursue the Lord.
God rewards those who pursue His purposes and will like Jacob did. That is why God said of Jacob: “Jacob I have loved” (Malachi 1:2). Jacob was a man who followed hard after the will and purposes of God.

Zion: Jerusalem in its redemptive state – ie after Messiah returns.

The law… the Word: Another example of parallelism. This teaches us that there is a relationship between the Word of the Lord and the law. The law does not save us, but it defines what is right and what is wrong, what is righteousness and unrighteousness. The constitution in Messiah’s government will be His law.

Jerusalem: Jerusalem is important – not only in the past but also in the future. It is going to be God’s capital city when Yeshua reigns on earth for those 1000 years.

Verse 4: “He will judge between nations, and He will reprove many peoples; they will beat their swords into shovels, and their spears they will beat into pruning shears. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, and they will no longer teach warfare anymore.”

Nations: There will be Gentile people alive on earth during the Millennial reign of Messiah.

The purpose of God has always been to bless the nations (Genesis 12:3).

Shovels… pruning shears: Tools to produce fruitfulness. There will be no need for weapons in this millennial kingdom. War will be a thing of the past because the Torah (the law) is going to establish justice and bring about a righteous Kingdom where there will be
fruitfulness.

Verse 5: “O house of Jacob, let us go and walk in the light of the Lord.”

Light: We need to have revelation (light, illumination). Revelation is the basis for how we behave, our walk, our lifestyle.

Verse 6: “For Your people, the house of Jacob, You have abandoned, for they are full from the East with sorceries like the Philistines, and with foreign children they doubt.”

Abandoned: Israel, the house of Jacob, was far removed from the call of God. Because of that they were going to go through a period of hardship or judgment. In Israel’s history there have been many times of hardship, but the most difficult period for them is yet future
(Jeremiah 30:4-9, Zechariah 13:8 – 9).

Full from the East: Instead of filling themselves up with the Word of God they had filled themselves up with Eastern influences and practices – the occult and idolatry.

Doubt: They have no assurance and therefore no confidence.

Verse 7: “His land has been filled with silver and gold, there is no end of his treasures. He has filled his land with horses, there is no end of his chariots.”

His land has been filled with silver and gold: Wealth and propserity are no assurance, they are not proof, that a person has a lifestyle that is pleasing to God. At that time the Jewish people were exceedingly wealthy and powerful. However, this was temporary. God was
going to bring about a change – He was going to abandon them to the nations so that the nations could deal with them (be instrumental in their discipline) as a consequence of them forsaking the Word of God.