Isaiah 25:1

O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth... For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. (Isaiah 25:1-4)

A song of praise rises after the judgment of Isaiah 24, as the prophet exalts the God who is faithful and true, a refuge for His people, and the one who will swallow up death itself.

A Song of Praise After Judgment

Last week in Isaiah 24, we saw a judgment proclaimed upon the whole earth. That prophecy ends in verse 23: Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously. Isaiah 24 ends with the Lord ruling and reigning. Chapters 25, 26, and 27 pick up immediately after that with joy and rejoicing in the things God has done and the way He brings justice.

Even though that justice is seen in His wrath coming upon the earth, the song of praise begins in 25:1: O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name. Any time we see the declaration "O Lord, you are my God"—and we see it many times in the Old Testament—we have to ask: Is the Lord our God?

Is the Lord Your God?

We recognize that there is a God. Yes, some deny His existence, but for the most part man recognizes there is a God, because God created man to understand it. Romans 1 declares that God's invisible attributes are clearly seen, understood by the things that are made, so that man is without excuse. But the question is not whether there is a God—the question is whether God is your God.

How will you know if the Lord is your God? One of the things that makes Him your God is that you trust in Him, exalt Him, and praise Him. David echoes this in Psalm 63:

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee... My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. (Psalm 63:1, 8)

When the Lord is your God and you seek after Him, you find that He is the one who undergirds you, upholds you, and strengthens you.

Worthy of Praise for His Wonderful Works

God is worthy of our exaltation because of the marvelous works He has done. Four times in Psalm 107 the psalmist says, Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! The Bible speaks over and over of the promises God has spoken to us—over 5,000 promises in Scripture, every one of them yes and amen in Christ. But He has also done awesome works, and every one of us has a personal testimony of the great things God has done.

Praise should be a regular part of our lives. What we do gathered on a Sunday morning or a Wednesday night is not enough. We should be rejoicing evermore, throughout the day, as we recognize the work God is doing. And worship is not just singing songs. Singing is a great way to lead us into worship, but worship is really a heart condition—a position of the heart where we recognize that God is worthy, valuable, and awesome.

Faithful and True

God accomplishes the things He promises to do. That is one of the great things we learn studying the prophetic Scriptures. Much of God's prophetic word has already been fulfilled—not all, for much remains—but the fulfilled portions remind us that He will make good on the rest. Isaiah 13 through 23 contains prophecies that, for the most part, have already been fulfilled.

The prophet says, thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. It is part of God's nature and character that He is faithful. Every one of us has failed to make good on our word. God never fails. He always comes through on the things He says He will do.

For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built. (Isaiah 25:2)

He proclaimed judgment upon many nations and fulfilled it. When He said in Isaiah 13 and 14 that He would destroy Babylon, He did. It remains no more—just a desert, a heap of ruins. Babylon was once one of the seven wonders of the world; now it is just that—history. Saddam Hussein tried to rebuild portions of it, and some still want to, but the ancient city is no more, because God spoke that it would be destroyed.

When God Reveals His Power, the Nations Fear

Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee. (Isaiah 25:3)

When God reveals His might, even the heathen of this world recognize and fear. Consider Jericho. Before its destruction, when the children of Israel came into the land, the heart of the people melted within them, for they had heard what God had done to the Egyptians and to the kings beyond the Jordan. His power was displayed and they feared.

There is coming a day, yet future, when God will again reveal His power mightily. Ezekiel 38 and 39 describe Gog and Magog descending upon Israel in the last days, and God miraculously intervening to destroy them on the mountains of Israel. The result, in Ezekiel 38:23: Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord. So many today disregard the reality that God is. When His strong arm is made bare, there will be no way to disregard Him. Revelation 6 says they will flee to caves and dens, calling for the rocks to fall on them, fearful when the arm of the Lord is revealed.

A Refuge and Strength

For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat. (Isaiah 25:4)

The Psalms repeatedly reveal that God is a refuge—Psalm 91 perhaps more than any other. He is a stronghold, a place of safety, a shelter, a shade. When the storm of the enemy comes, the Lord is the place of refuge.

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said whoever hears His sayings and does them is like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; the rains and floods and winds beat on it and it did not fall. But the one who hears and does not do is like a foolish man who built on the sand, and great was the fall of his house. The Lord has given us a sure foundation. If we build on it, we find strength and safety when the storm comes. But if we build on sand, we will be destroyed. Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers—the enemy comes like the heat of a summer day, but the Lord causes him to diminish like a cloud covering us.

The Feast and the End of Death

And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things... And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people... He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces. (Isaiah 25:6-8)

The work that accomplished this was fulfilled 2,000 years ago on Mount Zion as Jesus was crucified at Golgotha. He removed the sting of death. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15: O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?... thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. We are made more than conquerors—even over death—because of the cross.

But there is yet coming a day when Jesus will wipe the tears from everyone. Revelation 21:4 says God shall wipe away all tears, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying nor pain. In the context of Isaiah 24-25, this comes after the great and terrible day of the Lord, when the Lord rules and reigns and has a great feast with His people—very likely the marriage supper of the Lamb.

The feast is described with repetition—wine twice, fat twice—meaning plenty of provision; a great party. It is the same feast Jesus spoke of in Matthew 26:29: I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. It is the marriage supper of the Lamb of Revelation 19:9: Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. Jesus is looking forward to that day, and we should too.

This Is Our God

And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us. (Isaiah 25:9)

In that day—when the Lord rules and reigns, when He feasts with us, when He removes sin and death and wipes away every tear—we will praise Him, saying, "This is our God." Just as the prophet said in verse 1, "O Lord, you are my God," we will all rejoice together. We have waited for Him with absolute assurance that He will save us. Isaiah 40:31 says those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles.

But for those who made themselves enemies of God by becoming friends of this world, the Lord will judge them. The enemies of God are pictured here as Moab, trodden down—the same wording used of the great and terrible day of the Lord in Isaiah 63, treading the winepress of the wrath of God. God's people find joy; the wicked are swept away because of their pride and haughtiness.

A Strong City With Salvation for Walls

In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. (Isaiah 26:1)

In ancient times a city's strength was measured by the height and thickness of its walls. King Belshazzar thought Babylon was impenetrable. Herodotus tells us the walls were 80 feet thick and 300 feet tall—so wide you could ride four chariots side by side on top of them. Critics doubt it, but that is what he wrote. Yet even that great city was destroyed. It was not as secure as they thought.

God's people are secure in the city of God—not because it has rock walls, but because salvation is its wall. Hebrews 11 says Abraham and others sought a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. We too must set our eyes on that place. We are thankful for the blessings of being citizens of the United States, but our citizenship is ultimately in heaven. This great nation, thought to be impenetrable, will fade away like every other earthly nation. The kingdom of God will stand strong.

Open the Gates—Jesus Is the Way In

Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. (Isaiah 26:2)

We saw these same words on Palm Sunday in Psalm 118:19-20: Open to me the gates of righteousness... this gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter. Jesus was the first to go through that gate. In John 10 He reveals that He is the gate—the only opening into that steadfast city whose walls are salvation. Spurgeon said the Lord Jesus passed that way not only to set the gate wide open, but to secure the entrance for all those made righteous in His righteousness. Jesus said in John 14:6, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Perfect Peace for the Mind Stayed on Him

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (Isaiah 26:3)

Right now we are not yet in the city of God; the kingdom does not come physically until Jesus establishes it. So how can we have peace and safety in the world today? Isaiah gives us five important things in this verse.

First, Thou wilt keep. The Lord is able to guard us, make us secure, and preserve us from danger. Second, in perfect peace. The Hebrew is shalom, shalom—peace, peace. Words are repeated for emphasis. Interestingly, the false prophets of Jeremiah's day cried "peace, peace" when there was no peace, giving the people a false security. God told Jeremiah not to say "peace, peace" because there would be none. The world is always trying to negotiate peace—I've seen several peace accords signed between the Palestinians and the Jews—but we will not see lasting peace in Jerusalem until the Prince of Peace reigns there. Yet here and now, you and I can be kept in perfect peace.

Third, whose mind is stayed. The words mean to be framed upon a sure foundation. I pass a construction site on my way to church. Once a foundation is set, the framing goes up quickly and the house takes shape. But the grandest mansion is nothing without a sure foundation. Your mind is the framing; it must be founded on something sure. Fourth, that foundation is on thee. If your mind is stayed on your job, you could lose it. On your savings, it could vanish. On your health, that is no sure foundation. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:11, other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Fifth, because he trusteth in thee. This is the "how" of the whole thing. To the degree that we trust in Him is the degree we will enjoy His peace. If we trust wholly and completely, we experience overwhelming peace; if only partially, we will worry and grow anxious. Solomon did not say trust in the Lord with half your heart, or the majority—he said, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Trust in the Lord Forever

Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength. (Isaiah 26:4)

If it is really true that He keeps us in perfect peace as we trust in Him, the logical exhortation is exactly this: trust in the Lord forever. People love their energy drinks today—that little orange-and-black bottle promising five hours of energy, or a Monster drink. But they're temporary; once they wear off, it's like falling off a cliff. Man's strength always wanes.

Isaiah 40:30-31 says even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. Stand on the patio after service and watch the children fly around like hummingbirds for half an hour, and you'll wish you had a tenth of that energy—but even the youth grow weary and fall. Man's strength is temporary, but in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. He brings down those who dwell on high; the lofty city He lays low, even to the dust, trodden under the feet of the poor and needy.

The Just Live by Faith—and Grace Alone Won't Make the Wicked Righteous

The way of the just is uprightness... in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee. (Isaiah 26:7-8)

How are the just justified? Habakkuk 2:4 says, the just shall live by faith. Paul quotes it in Romans and Galatians, and Hebrews quotes it too; these words were the foundation of the Protestant Reformation. We are justified by grace through faith, not of works, lest any man should boast. The way of those justified is uprightness, and we walk in it because of the work God has done in us.

The desire of our soul is to His name. With our soul we desire Him in the night; with our spirit we seek Him early. As the psalmist says, Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray (Psalm 55:17), and, My voice shalt thou hear in the morning (Psalm 5:3). When His judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness. (Isaiah 26:10)

This goes against the way modern man raises children—the idea that you only show love and reward, never chasten, just give grace continually, and the child will walk rightly. But we learn righteousness through the judgments of the Lord. That is why God told Joshua to meditate on the law day and night. Yes, we are saved by grace, justified by grace through faith—but once justified, we ought to learn His judgments and seek to walk in righteousness.

Is anyone fully walking in righteousness 24 hours a day, seven days a week? I wouldn't dare raise my hand for fear the ground might swallow me. But when we become believers, God gives us a new heart that desires to obey Him. How many of you cursed like a sailor on Monday, received Christ on Wednesday night, and Thursday morning the words came out and you thought, "I shouldn't say that"? No one told you—the Holy Spirit gave you a new desire to walk in righteousness.

The Wickedness of the Human Heart

In the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord. (Isaiah 26:10)

This goes against the mindset of modern man, who says man is inherently good and that evil exists only because of the ills of society—poverty, poor education, inequality. The claim is that if we removed poverty and achieved social justice, we would live in a utopia. But this verse says that even in a land of perfect uprightness, the wicked would still deal unjustly. Why? Because the heart of man is desperately wicked.

Every parent in this room knows this. As cute as it is, my son has learned to shake his head and say "no," and to climb the stairs after I tell him to get down. If he were six feet tall and 200 pounds, I'd be afraid—there is terrible wickedness bound up in the heart of a child. Even if God's hand is lifted up, the wicked will not see. This reminds us of Israel in Jesus' day: "Show us a sign and we'll believe." He did many mighty miracles, and still they did not believe. But there is coming a day when they shall see—and they shall be ashamed, seeing Him coming in judgment.

God Works in Us, and Our Iniquity Is Purged

Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us. (Isaiah 26:12)

Israel had endured turmoil under other masters, but the Lord would ordain peace for them. God is the one who works in us to will and to do His good pleasure. Man is wicked—Isaiah 64:6 tells us even man's good works are as filthy rags, because good works from an evil heart are done with wrong motives. But God has prepared good works for us to walk in. Ephesians 2:8-10 says we are saved by grace through faith, not of works, and yet we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The wicked taskmasters that came over Israel are now dead and gone, destroyed by the Lord's hand. He increases the nation again, extends their borders, and does all of it for His glorification.

Israel's Song of Repentance and the Promise of Resurrection

Lord, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them. (Isaiah 26:16)

In verses 16-18 we see Israel's song of repentance: "Lord, we only called out to you in pain, only turned to you when chastening was upon us." Could not our own nation sing this song? Like a woman in labor, they brought forth only wind—no deliverance.

But God answers in verse 19: Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust. They turned to God only in distress and brought forth nothing, but God says, "I will raise you up." Just as Isaiah 25:8 says He will swallow up death in victory. When Lazarus died, Jesus told Martha, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live—and asked, "Do you believe this?" In Ezekiel 37, God asks, "Son of man, can these bones live?" The valley of dry bones pictures Israel becoming a nation again in the last days, and reveals that the Lord can cause the dead and dry to live again.

Hidden Until the Indignation Passes

Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. (Isaiah 26:20)

God calls His people into a refuge while His indignation is poured out—a prophetic word that He protects His people during judgment. There are different interpretations: some see God hiding the remnant of Israel during the great tribulation; others see God catching up the remnant in Christ during the time of His wrath. We saw in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 that God has not appointed His people to wrath. It is like Exodus—the Israelites had light when Egypt had darkness, were spared the frogs and the hail that destroyed Egypt. God protected His people. Zephaniah 2:3 echoes it: Seek ye the Lord... it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger.

The Lord comes to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth shall disclose her blood. When Cain killed Abel, God said the blood of his brother cried out from the ground. Imagine, then, the cry of the blood of billions slain upon the earth rising to God.

The Destruction of Leviathan and the Restored Vineyard

In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent... and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. (Isaiah 27:1)

Leviathan appears only a few times in Scripture—here, in Job, and in the Psalms. It seems to have been understood as a crooked sea serpent no one could catch with a hook, and it pictures the great wicked beast that comes up out of the sea in Revelation 13—likely a reference to Lucifer, to Satan, and the beast, whom God will destroy.

In Isaiah 5, God sang the song of His vineyard, which He had dug, hedged, and planted with the best vines, yet it brought forth sour grapes—so He removed the wall and tower and let it be destroyed; that vineyard was the house of Israel. Now He sings again:

In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. (Isaiah 27:2-3)

A restoration has taken place. Fury is not in me—God will no longer pour out wrath upon them, and any who come against them He will destroy. Or let them take hold of His strength and make peace with Him.

He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit. (Isaiah 27:6)

This may be fulfilled even in our day. Israel became a nation again on May 14, 1948, after nearly 2,000 years of exile, and in just over sixty years has become one of the breadbaskets of the world. A land that was once an unfruitful desert now exports oranges, pineapples, bananas, watermelon, strawberries, and roses across the world. God has made them blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit.

Purification, Not Destruction

Hath he smitten him, as he smote those that smote him?... In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it. (Isaiah 27:7-8)

Did God strike Israel the way He struck Babylon? No. He completely destroyed the Babylonians, but He only exiled Israel for a little while, blowing them out of the land like a strong wind, but with the intent to bring them back. By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged. The purpose of the exile in Babylon was purification—God's punishment is for purification. He would grind up the altars to other gods like chalk stones, and the groves where they worshiped Asherah and the high places where they worshiped Baal would not stand. He purged Jacob's idolatry.

The walled cities of Judah would be made desolate, left as a wilderness for grazing, the branches eaten and burned, because the people had no knowledge of the Lord. As Isaiah 1:3 said, The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown... and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem. (Isaiah 27:13)

When the judgment is done, God calls them back. One by one He gathers them, blowing the trumpet until they return to worship at the holy mountain of Jerusalem. God would judge His people, but never destroy them as He destroyed those who spoiled them—purely for purification, that He might bring them back again.

First He judged them through the Babylonians, and they returned 70 years later, restored for several hundred years until Messiah came—and they rejected Him. So they were scattered again in 70 AD, the diaspora. Now God has brought them back to the land once more, and they have become fruitful again. Why? Because the Messiah is coming a second time to establish His kingdom, and when He does, He will hold a great feast, and we will be there to worship Him. So we say, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Father, I thank You for Your word. Help us to consider these things—that Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth, that You make good on Your word. You told Your people You would punish them unless they turned to You, and when they refused, You punished them at the hand of the Assyrians, and then the Babylonians, just as You had warned. But You told them beforehand that You would bring them back, and that You, Jesus, would come—and when You came they rejected You, and so they were dispersed. Yet You are gracious, and You have called them back to the land once again, and You will appear to them once more.

Lord, we thank You that You repeatedly come to us as well. Many in this room wandered for years and departed from You, and You allowed them to be chastened and called them to Yourself. Even when they went headlong against You, You came again, because You are patient and long-suffering, merciful and full of grace. As those who have received such great grace, would You stir in our hearts an overwhelming sense of gratitude, that we would carry Your grace to those in need. Help us to be bright, shining lights in this dark world. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.