A Last-day Song
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Isaiah
25.
An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 26
Remember that the original document of Isaiah, true of
all Scripture, had no chapter or verse divisions. They have been added to
facilitate reading, but often there are thoughts in a particular chapter that
are joined to the ones before and after. At the beginning of chapter 25, we
were reading of cities as the highest work of men’s pride and ambition. We took
the classic example of Nebuchadnezzar, boasting from the rooftop of his palace,
overlooking Babylon. The last verse of the chapter spoke of the walls of Moab,
symbol of its pride and skill.
The
Millennial City
There is a future song to be sung in the land of
Judah, concerning its capital city, which is, in fact, the capital of the
millennial world. “That day”, often
refers to the millennial Day of the Lord. What follows are the lyrics of the
song and it is about a very special city. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob could not settle down in
their earthly inheritance of Canaan, because, as Isaiah, God had given Abraham
a vision of a finer city. He taught his offspring the superiority of the coming
world, to the degree that they lived in their promised land in tents, as
strangers and pilgrims (Heb.11:13). They set the example for us of the proper
mindset of God’s people.
In contrast to the doomed cities of men, God’s city is
the city of salvation, fortified by walls and bulwarks (v.1). Isaiah’s reason
for existence is depicted in his name, “Jehovah is salvation”, and through
Isaiah, the Lord’s salvation is revealed to us.
“All Israel will be saved…” the Apostle Paul taught, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will
banish ungodliness from Jacob; and this will be my covenant with them when I
take away their sins” (Ro.12:26-27, citing Is.59:20,21). Surrounding
Jerusalem will be the righteous nation of Judah. Ungodliness has been banished
and their sins have been taken away.
Jerusalem is safe and its gates are open, because the
salvation of God has come to His people (v.2). The greatest way to preserve
society or a civilization is through the new birth. Missionaries need to catch
this vision anew. The best way to give humanitarian aid to people is by the
preaching of the gospel, bringing in a new creation. I don’t read in the
Gospels of rehabilitation centers for prostitutes, but I do read of them
believing and coming into the Kingdom. I don’t read of seminars about honest
financial practices for publicans, but I do read about calling them to
repentance. The gospel is effective; to repent and believe is all that is
required! “It is the power of God for
salvation to everyone who believes” (Ro.1:16).
Trust
in the Lord
The one way to righteousness in Isaiah’s day, as truly
as in Paul’s, was by faith. Habakkuk, contemporary of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel
and Zephaniah, understood it, as well, and provided the basis for New Testament
doctrine, when he wrote, “The just shall
live by faith” (Hab.2:4). Righteousness through the keeping of the law
always ended in failure. The individual, who becomes righteous through saving
faith, is faithful.
Faith is synonymous with trust, but the word trust
is more commonly used in the Old Testament. Verse three is a wonderful verse,
often quoted: “You keep him in perfect
peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you”, but you have
to invert it to see how it functions: 1) The sequence begins with a heart that
has found in God someone, who is totally trustworthy. 2) The heart links with
the mind and directs the thoughts in the direction of the One that he trusts.
3) The result is that, when the personality is so taken up with God, His peace
forms an impenetrable shield around the trusting soul, which no circumstance or
danger can disturb.
Trust or faith is the one requirement, which satisfies
the Lord, and here is His commandment, “Trust
in the Lord forever.” We are to
place our hand in the Lord’s and allow Him to take full charge over our life,
beginning with our soul’s eternal salvation. Then, it becomes God’s concern to
provide that salvation for us and carry us through life and on to eternity. God
is everything that a rock symbolizes. He is steadfast, unmovable, faithful,
trustworthy, and, as the verse states, this Rock, specifically, is everlasting
(v.4). He will be there for you forever!
A
level plain for the righteous
The song continues, verse after verse, covering God’s
provision. He is a protector, bringing down the most formidable foes. As we
have already read in the last chapter, He attacks their center of concentrated
power, disintegrating it to the dust (v.5). The enemy is humbled, because God
uses the weakest feet to trample over them… “the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy” (v.6). We will just
pause for a moment to remember that this is always His way… He humbles the
mighty through that which is weak… and this principle is repeated throughout
the Bible, but it is especially taught by Paul’s great declarations in 1
Corinthians 1:18-2:5.
In a land of mountains and valleys, a level plain can
be greatly appreciated. A flatlander might not understand it, but I can sing
this stanza with the Jew, because I learned how pleasant it was to stroll
without exertion over level land, after walking up and down the mountains of
Mexico. However, this song is about another way, which is much rougher still: “The way of the transgressor is hard” (Prov.13:15).
He is against God and God is against him. In contrast, “The path of the righteous is level, you make level the way of the
righteous” (v.7).
We must go back continually to the chorus of this song
in verse three. We trust the Lord; our thoughts are taken up with Him and we
wait for Him. We are not interested in the plans and schemes of men; we turn
away from them. They are not in our thoughts, nor in the desire of our hearts: “Your name and remembrance are the desire
of our soul” (v.8). These are people who desire everything to be manifested
that His name signifies, so that He would be brought to people’s attention once
again.
Desire deepens to yearning: “My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly
seeks you” (v.9). These kind of seekers are a necessity in every age,
including our own. There is no hope for godliness, unless the God-loving
saints, intercede with divine jealousy burning in their souls. Separation is
intolerable and during the nights, when vision is darkened by the spirit of the
age and He seems to be at a distance, the heart points in one direction, as the
Shulammite in the Song of Solomon 5:6-8. Very obviously these seeking people
are especially close to the heart of God, who long to please Him and see His
will done in the situation, in which they are involved.
Learning
righteousness by experiencing judgment
It is interesting to see the object that motivates
their search. Let us carefully consider the rest of this verse, as well as
verse 10: “For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the
world learn righteousness. If favor is shown to the wicked, he does not learn
righteousness; in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly and does not see
the majesty of the Lord.” These people are seeking God so that He would
manifest Himself in judgment. They know that when He does this, an erring,
perverted world begins to pay attention and learn righteousness. On the other
hand, if God is favorable to the wicked, they will comfortably go on their way,
committing their evil, corrupted acts without restraint. They not only need to
recognize the Lord, they need something which will show them His might and
power… His majesty. They need to awaken to the reality of a holy God. Is there
a people who pray this way in our times?
The prayer continues: “O Lord, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it.” They will not see judgment coming until it
is too late. The unbelievers are totally insensitive to the invisible God. They
need some point of contact with heaven. How will it happen? It comes when they
see the hand of the Lord and the burning zeal in His heart upon His people. In
the New Testament “your people” translates into “the church”. A move of God
must come to His people. Through them the outsider must see the level path of
the righteous and the majesty of the Lord. When God’s people become the head to
lead the way, instead of the tail that follows the trends of society, then the
world’s inhabitants will be ashamed of their way.
“Let the fire for your adversaries
consume them” (v.11). This
petition is a total reversal of the mentality among God’s people today and it
is so needed. His adversaries must see the fire of His wrath and fear the
judgment that is surely coming. The Ninevites repented, when Jonah cried, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be
overthrown!”
Other
lords and the Lord
We must continue to look very carefully at the text.
The only acceptable work performed by His people are the works that He does: “O Lord, you will ordain peace for us, for
you have indeed done for us all our works” (v.12). They are recognizing the
fact that God’s work can never be accomplished by flesh and blood, but by the
Holy Spirit working for them and through them. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit” (Zech.4:6). It is
His peace, His joy, and His love that represent the gold, silver and precious
stones that will resist the fire of judgment upon the Christian’s service. All
else will go up in smoke.
To draw out the highest form of praise from the
singers, this song briefly speaks of a past when, “other lords besides you have ruled over us.” Paul twice speaks of
turning individuals over to Satan, because they were being careless with
Christianity. Knowing the treatment of “other lords” helps us to surrender to
His kind lordship and to commit our lives entirely and solely to Him (v.13).
The Jews recall the great potentates, who throughout their history ruled over
them and to whom the God of Israel brought to death and destruction. Before
this song will be sung, the antichrist will be included in that number. It is a
bit of a paradox to remember that all
who ruled among men are forgotten. We
must cease from giving men importance, stop fearing them and stop looking for
honor from them (v.14).
Israel sings from an overflowing heart at this time. The
losses are being swallowed up by great growth and prosperity and the nation’s
borders are extending. The glory of God is more evident than ever upon His
land. We are not to look at the present situation, good or bad, but our eyes
must continually be on the end of things. That is what counts. The wicked are
destroyed, the righteous are increased and God’s glory fills the earth (v.15).
“Many are the afflictions of the
righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Ps.34:19), and many are the secret
prayers of the afflicted. I recall the story of a Jewish woman, who was a
secret believer during the Nazi holocaust. Even her family didn’t know that her
prayers went up to Jesus of Nazareth in her distress. Blessed is the one, who
can see the discipline of the Father in the trials of life (v.16). Her husband,
however, went through the same pain without any positive results and after the
war, divorced his wife, when he learned that she was a Christian. Too many
times in Israel’s history, they forgot the Lord and their suffering was in
vain. Their efforts were fruitless and their generation had no significance,
nor did they accomplish God’s purposes. There was much pain, but no profit! That
is a sad commentary of the lives of too many of those who profess to be His
people (v.17-18).
The
finale… national resurrection
Now we come to the finale of this majestic hymn, pointing
to the total restoration of Israel, illustrated by the physical resurrection of
the dead. The doctrine of the physical resurrection must be understood, in
order to be able to grasp the significance for national Israel in this
prophetic song. Isaiah refers clearly to the belief in the reality of a bodily,
physical resurrection. “Your dead shall
live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for
joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead”
(v.19). However, in its context, we have just read two verses that point to
a fruitless existence for Israel. It had promise of life, but it was aborted.
The national resurrection that Ezekiel 37 prophesied is still in the future,
when the dew of heaven falls upon the land and life comes forth.
I see verse 20 and 21 pointing to the second half of
Daniel’s 70th Week, which we see in more detail in Revelation,
chapter 12. A woman (Israel) is persecuted by the devil, but “she has a place prepared by God, in which
she is to be nourished for 1,260 days (3 ½ years)” (Rev.12:6). During this period, the fury of God’s wrath is poured
out upon the earth and it terminates with the Battle of Armageddon.
Though this song is primarily for Israel and receives
its greatest significance in its past and future, yet the nations are included in
the Millennium, as they have been in the gospel… to the Jew first and also to
the Greek.
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