Welcome to Bible Project podcast. We've been tracing the theme of the mountain in the story of the Bible.

Now, the Bible begins on a mountain. And throughout the story, God again and again invites his people up to mountains to be with him because mountains in the Bible are the place

where heaven and earth are one, the place where you can be in God's divine presence.

Today, we explore the theme of the mountain in the scroll of Isaiah.

The prophet Isaiah lived in Jerusalem, which is also known as Mount Zion, because it's meant

to be the place where God's divine

presence lives amongst his people.

It's described in the poetry of Isaiah as a new Eden as a cosmic mountain through which

God wants to spread divine rule and blessing to all of the nations.

And so to live on Mount Zion means to live in right relationship

with God and others. But in Isaiah's day, Jerusalem was far from that ideal. Many people had abandoned

Yahweh and his instruction, and they practiced pagan sorcery and divination. The rich and powerful,

they exalted themselves at the expense of the poor, making themselves

false mountains.

So in Isaiah chapter 3, Isaiah warns that a day of judgment is coming.

Yahweh is going to raise up his mountain and he's going to bring down every false mountain.

And that's the day that is coming.

Isaiah also promises that a crew of faithful Israelites will remain on Mount Zion,

creating a new Garden of Eden people.

So how can people truly learn to live on the mountain?

The whole point of all these people having crisis moments on the mountain isn't just because

God's out to get people to be more tough.

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