What does "Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?" mean?
What does "Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?" mean?
I agree with the other answers, but I thought I would add some historical context for Isa 2:22...
Isaiah was sharing God's message of pending judgment against Israel in the Book of Isaiah. Why was God judging Israel? Because Israel had a long history of abandoning worship of God in favor of earthly things. A few examples of many to choose from:
Num 14:2-4 After Caleb and the other eleven spies returned from scouting across the Jordan River, ten of the spies said the people of the land were too powerful. So, the Israelites lost confidence in God's protection / provision for them and longed to return to Egyptian bondage. (circa 1300 - 1200 B.C.)
1 Sam 8:7 - Israel demanded a King from the prophet, Samuel. God says this to Samuel: "they have rejected me as their king." (circa 930 B.C)
Instead of fully trusting God, Israel's King Hezekiah had recently formed an alliance with pagan Egypt for protection against Assyria 2 Kings 18:19-21 (circa 701 B.C.)
God's ultimate point behind Isa 2:22, is that He is asserting Himself as Israel's rightful king (cf Isa 44:6), instead of all these human distractions.