Isaiah 25:1-12 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Isaiah 25:1-12. Let’s go!
Isaiah 25:1-5 (NIV)
1 O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous 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 his 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.
On verses 1-5: Isaiah 25 begins with this beautiful exclamation of praise to God. But then in verse 2 you may be wondering why Isaiah is praising God for turning “a city into a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin, the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more” (v2), never to be rebuilt. What city is Isaiah referring to? This city, which is also mentioned in Isaiah 24:10, represents those all over the world who pridefully live for themselves and their own glory rather than trusting in and living for the Lord. You could call this city, as the early church father Augustine did, the “city of man”. Even to this day, many people around the world still live in the “city of man”, building kingdoms that are for their own glory and fame. This city is ruled by “foreigners” (v2, 5), that is, people who are foreign to the kingdom of God.
Fueled by pride, ruthlessness and oppression, the city of man makes victims of the poor and helpless. However, when the city of man is brought down, those who lived as victims of that city are able to thrive. That is why verse 3 says that “strong peoples will honor you; cities of ruthless nations will revere you.” Isaiah is praising God for how in the end times God will put an end to the city of man and in so doing silence the ruthless (v5) and protect the poor and needy (v4).
Later Isaiah will call this city “Moab”, although this spiritual city of man and Moab the political nation described in Isaiah 15-16 are not the same thing.
Isaiah 25:6-12 (NIV)
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 the disgrace of his people 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 under him as straw is trampled down in the manure.
11 They will spread out their hands in it, as a swimmer spreads out his 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.
On verses 6-12: In contrast to the prideful city of man where God and God’s people have no place, there is the mountain of God where God will prepare a lavish feast for people from all nations (v6). On that mountain there is no more death, only life (“he will swallow up death forever” – v8). Death, that shroud which covered all of creation, will be removed like a dirty bedsheet (v7). Pain, disgrace and grief will give way to healing and comfort (v8). In this “city of God”, this mountain, people will rejoice in God’s salvation (v9) and the hand of God’s presence and blessing will be there (v10).
Whereas the city of man (here called “Moab”) will be destroyed (v10-12), the mountain of God will be forever.
Because God wants every single one of us to live on His mountain with Him, He sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins, so that we could be forgiven and be part of His eternal family. So now you and I have a choice: we can either live in the city of man or live on the mountain of God. Trusting the Lord is what makes all the difference. If you have trusted Jesus as your Saviour, you’re on the mountain with God. If you have not trusted Jesus as your Saviour, you’re in the city of man no matter how spiritual you think you are.
How much better it is to live on the mountain of God than in the city of man.
Father, thank You that by Your undeserved kindness expressed through Jesus Christ, I get to live on the mountain with You forever. Thank You that in the end death is defeated and swallowed up by life. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
