To Christians, it should seem an elementary truth to say that we should regard Christ over man. We all know that the world competes for our attention and loyalty, and we all know that Christ must be our first regard in all things. The question that Christians need to honestly ask ourselves is whether our attention is so encompassed by the world and the fear and enticements of man that we are missing the wonder of living for the glory of Christ.
God called Isaiah as a prophet to Judah and Jerusalem to warn them of exactly this problem. Rather than simply tell God's people that God's glory is greater than anything on offer in this temporal world, God described the ultimate glory that a faithful people of God could expect.
Isaiah 2:2-3 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, 3 and 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, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
In language that they could comprehend, Judah and Jerusalem heard a description of the latter days when all the nations would see the glory of the Lord and seek to honor and worship Him. God's glory will come in such a spectacular way that it will fill the earth with worship. If this would be the future for the people of God, surely they should live in the present in a way that anticipates that glorious future. This is the appeal that God made to them. Isaiah 2:5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Sadly, it seemed that God's people were more interested in the idolatry of the nations than worship of the one true living God. The desire to see the future glory of God on such majestic display was not found to be as enticing as the benefits of the temporal world. In three repetitive statements, God tells them what will happen to people on that glorious future day if they have lived with no concern for his glory in the present day.
Isaiah 2:10, 19, 21 Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty. ... 19 And people shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth. ... 21 to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth.
Rather than live now in anticipation of God's glory, they will one day hide from his majesty and come under his terrifying wrath. The verse at the very end of Isaiah 2 gives us the entire reason why they would forsake such future glory. Isaiah 2:22 Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he? In regarding man, Israel had disregarded the glory of God. They had forsaken eternal glory for temporal regard and would find themselves under greater judgment.
Likewise, today we are warned. If you claim to be in Christ and claim to have a greater and glorious eternity in Jesus, you will not find yourself looking for Christ's glory on the day of his return if you are not regarding it as greatest in your life today. If you believe you will one day experience the glory of the consummation, your life will be defined by the way you live for the desire to see the glorious beauty of Christ and worship him every day until he comes. The reason you may not be doing that is because you need to stop regarding man. We all need to regard Jesus most and delight in the expectation of his returning glory.