Total Pageviews

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Isaiah 25: Encouraging Confidence in God's Judgement and Promises

      In this song of praise, Isaiah praises God because he has realised that God fulfils His promises. The important thing is for us to come to the same realisation as well, and be certain that God fulfils His promises just as much to us today, and so we should also praise Him for His faithfulness and goodness. 
      The message that we learn is that God weakens the proud and the strong, and strengthens the humble and meek, looking after His people at all times and under all conditions. Just as it applied when Isaiah uttered his prophetic words, so it applies today, for God is unchanging, the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
      Isaiah prophecies the ultimate togetherness of both Jews and Gentiles at God's Messianic feast, which will celebrate the final overthrow of evil, and emphasise the joy of an eternity spent in God's presence. At that time death will come to an end forever. Those who participate in this great feast will be the ones who have been living by faith.
   Verse 10 refers to Moab being trampled underfoot by the Lord, and in this context Moab is used to symbolise all who oppose God and remain rebellious to the very end.
1 LORD, you are my God; 
   I will exalt you and praise your name, 
for in perfect faithfulness 
   you have done wonderful things, 
   things planned long ago. 
2 You have made the city a heap of rubble, 
   the fortified town a ruin, 
the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more; 
   it will never be rebuilt. 
3 Therefore strong peoples will honor you; 
   cities of ruthless nations will revere you. 
4 You have been a refuge for the poor, 
   a refuge for the needy in their distress, 
a shelter from the storm 
   and a shade from the heat. 
For the breath of the ruthless 
   is like a storm driving against a wall 
 5 and like the heat of the desert. 
You silence the uproar of foreigners; 
   as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, 
   so the song of the ruthless is stilled.

 6 On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare
   a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
   the best of meats and the finest of wines.
7 On this mountain he will destroy
   the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
 8 he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears
   from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
   from all the earth.
            The LORD has spoken.
 9 In that day they will say,
   “Surely this is our God;
   we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the LORD, we trusted in him;
   let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”
 10 The hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain;
   but Moab will be trampled in their land
   as straw is trampled down in the manure.
11 They will stretch out their hands in it,
   as swimmers stretch out their hands to swim.
God will bring down their pride
   despite the cleverness of their hands.
12 He will bring down your high fortified walls
   and lay them low;
he will bring them down to the ground,
   to the very dust.

No comments: