Isaiah 2:2-4 is a familiar Bible passage. I have often commented on it in my teaching of the book of Isaiah. The other day, however, I noticed something I had not seen before, and it relates directly to retreat centres of all kinds. Here is the passage (NIV):
In the last days
the mountain of the Lord‘s temple will be established
as chief among the mountains;
it will be raised above the hills,
and all the nations will stream to it.
Many peoples will 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 his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into ploughshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
The passage describes how the nations of the world turn to the one true God and to what in the Old Testament was the one place of true worship. Two new things stood out to me. First, they themselves take the initiative. No one tells them to go or invites them. There is no brilliant marketing campaign to lure them or persuade them of the benefits.
Second, there is a clear reason for them to make this decision. They come to Zion, because the presence of God is there (it is, after all, his mountain and his house). Not only is it the place where his presence dwells, God actually does something there. In fact, he is doing several things. For one, he is teaching his ways and making his law available. The Hebrew word here is Torah, which probably does not mean the five books of the Pentateuch, but rather carries its more general meaning of instruction. In YWAM terms, this is a global Discipleship Training School, a true University of the Nations.
In addition to teaching and instruction, the Lord also speaks and makes his word available. On top of all this, the Lord also operates as conflict mediator, putting an end to conflicts and war. It all leads to radically changed behaviour as documented in the closing verse.
Our retreat centres, and this includes both the Leadership Retreat Centre and Elijah’s Inn, are to be places like this. People come, not because of superior marketing and advertising, but because they long to meet God. They come to receive from him, because they anticipate that he will be doing something – not because we are brilliant and super competent. And it is God who makes his word and his guidance and his wisdom available to them.
In other words, a retreat centre is a satellite or outpost of what presently only exists as a heavenly reality: the heavenly Mount Zion. It functions as a gateway into that other reality, as God graciously makes his presence available and bends down to speak with us.
[Photo attribution: Office.com, licence free]