#987 Isaiah 25 Plans Formed

 

O Lord, you are my God;

I will exalt you; I will praise your name,

for you have done wonderful things,

plans formed of old, faithful and sure.

2 For you have made the city a heap,

the fortified city a ruin;

the foreigners' palace is a city no more;

it will never be rebuilt.

3 Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;

cities of ruthless nations will fear you.

4 For you have been a stronghold to the poor,

a stronghold to the needy in his distress,

a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat;

for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,

5 like heat in a dry place.

You subdue the noise of the foreigners;

as heat by the shade of a cloud,

so the song of the ruthless is put down.

6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples

a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,

of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.

7 And he will swallow up on this mountain

the covering that is cast over all peoples,

the veil that is spread over all nations.

8 He will swallow up death forever;

and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,

and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,

for the Lord has spoken.

9 It will be said on that day,

“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.

This is the Lord; we have waited for him;

let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

10 For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain,

and Moab shall be trampled down in his place,

as straw is trampled down in a dunghill.

11 And he will spread out his hands in the midst of it

as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim,

but the Lord will lay low his pompous pride together with the skill of his hands.

12 And the high fortifications of his walls he will bring down,

lay low, and cast to the ground, to the dust. Isaiah 25 ESV

Isaiah 25 God Will Swallow Up Death

1-5. Plans formed of old, faithful and sure - God' sovereignty can be seen in His providence. He has not abandoned His everlasting covenants with Israel or the Church. The sureness comes in that He has decreed it from before the beginning, before men's ears have heard, it was known and purposed by God.

True faith simply credits the Lord's testimony, and relies on his truth to perform his promises. As God weakens the strong who are proud and secure, so he strengthens the weak that are humble, and stay themselves upon him. God protects his people in all weathers. The Lord shelters those who trust in him from the insolence of oppressors. Their insolence is but the noise of strangers; it is like the heat of the sun scorching in the middle of the day; but where is it when the sun is set? The Lord ever was, and ever will be, the Refuge of distressed believers. Having provided them a shelter, he teaches them to flee unto it. - Matthew Henry

6-8. A feast of rich food - What a reception for those who have been oppressed both by the world and have known the torment of their own sin. Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. 

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,


“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” Revelation 19: 6-9

The veil that is spread over all nations - When Christ was on the cross, He said, "it is finished", the veil in the temple was torn in two. His sacrifice makes the access to the Holy of Holies possible for all those who trust in Him. The world lives in spiritual darkness, but we know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. 

…7But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me;… John 16: 7-9

…12in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory. 13And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth— the gospel of your salvation— you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.… Ephesians 1: 12-14

He will swallow up death forever - 

…55“Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!… 1 Corinthians 15: 55-57

9-12. We have waited for Him - 

…30Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. 31But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40: 30-31

And Moab shall be trampled down - The proud of the earth will be brought low. God is not mocked and those that put their trust in Him shall see His salvation.

To the dust - Men take pride in their walls and fortifications, both physically and spiritually, thinking themselves prepared in themselves, by their own works. Walls made of material that God created, using the abilities God gave them. Their every assurance in self comes to delusion, protecting their ego, chasing after glory, hating to be shown their error more than hating the error itself. From dust you came, to dust you shall return, the shaking fist will crumble and the vile mouth will be heard no more.