Isaiah 25:1-5

B. JUBILEE BY JUDAH, CHAPTER 25
1. JUBILATION FOR JEHOVAH'S POWER

TEXT: Isaiah 25:1-5

1

O Jehovah, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things, even counsels of old, in faithfulness and truth.

2

For thou hast made of a city a heap, of a fortified city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.

3

Therefore shall a strong people glorify thee; a city of terrible nations shall fear thee.

4

For thou has been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

5

As the heat in a dry place wilt thou bring down the noise of strangers; as the heat by the shade of a cloud, the song of the terrible shall be brought low.

QUERIES

a.

What counsels of old has God done?

b.

Who are the strong people to glorify Jehovah?

c.

Why the figure of storm and shade?

PARAPHRASE

O Covenant-God, Thou art my Lord. I will extol and celebrate with thanksgiving Your Name. You have done wonderful things; Your plans formed long ago have been faithfully and absolutely fulfilled. You turn a mighty city into a heap of rubble. Strong fortresses You make into ruins. The castle of aliens You make to disappear never to be built again. Therefore a people of strength will glorify You; ruthless nations and their cities will fear You. To the weak and powerless You have been a refuge; You have been a refuge to the needy in their distress. You have been a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat when the ruthless nations storm and burn down upon us. As heat in a dry and torrid land is cooled by the shadow of a cloud, so You subdue the shouts of the aliens and put to silence the boasting chants of the ruthless nations.

COMMENTS

Isaiah 25:1-3 SOVEREIGN LORD: Two Hebrew names of God are used in Isaiah 25:1Yaweh and Elohim. According to the best lexicographers Yaweh (Jehovah) denotes God's covenant-keeping nature (faithfulness) while Elohim (Lord) denotes God's Lordship or Almightiness. Chapter 25 is the prophet's song of praise following Chapter 24'S pronouncement of the doom of world power. The Covenant God has promised He will triumph over His enemies and that He shall reign eternally. Based upon the past faithfulness of God, Isaiah begins his song of praise thanking Him for the promises of future covenant fulfillment. The prophet seems to thank Jehovah for future triumph as if it had already been completed. God's sovereign deeds are performed supernaturally in history as He carries out His covenanted plan of redemption. Such supernatural sovereignty and faithfulness causes men to marvel (cf. Psalms 40:5; Psalms 98:1; Ephesians 1:11, etc.). The Hebrew word yodoh is translated praise in Isaiah 25:1, and means literally, celebrate. Isaiah calls all who will to a celebration of praise for the faithfulness of Jehovah to keep His word.

Damascus (Syria), Samaria (Israel), Nineveh (Assyria), Memphis (Egypt) and Ethiopia threatened God's people. But always God warned and promised their doom. Where are they now? They have all been brought low. Now Babylon threatens. What are God's people to do? Trust in His faithfulness to keep His promise of Babylon's doom also. Isaiah 25:2 promises that no city of man shall be strong enough to resist the Faithful and Almighty God. No material device, no political ideology, no philosophical system will ever thwart the Absolute certainty of Jehovah's covenant. World systems may deceive some (even with lying signs and wonders) that they are going to eradicate God's kingdom and His covenant. But they shall never accomplish it. World systems have already been defeated (Colossians 2:15, etc.)their obliteration awaits only the Consummation.

In the meantime (while we await the Consummation), some strong people (Gentiles) will turn to Jehovah glorifying and fearing Him. Isaiah is predicting the conversion of Gentiles as they see the wonderful faithfulness of the God of Israel (cf. our comments Isaiah 19:16 ff).

Isaiah 25:4-5 SHELTERING GOD: The Hebrew word dol is literally exhausted but translated poor in Isaiah 25:4. Another reason for Isaiah's celebration of praise to Jehovah is His being a refuge for the weak and helpless. The Hebrew people had plenty of evidence for this aspect of God's nature. He had taken them as a helpless, infantile people (cf. Ezekiel 16:1 ff) and rescued them, nurtured them, protected them and blessed them. He sheltered them from their enemies century after century as long as they depended upon Him. The metaphors of storm, refuge, heat, and shade should register vividly on the Hebrew mind. Palestine is subject to some violent natural storms and is a land of torrid heat and arid dryness. The prophets used such metaphors of the land frequently to communicate God's nature and His will to their people. Jehovah is The Shadow of a Mighty Rock, within a weary land. The storms of world power (cf. Revelation, the Seals, Trumpets, etc.) rage against God's elect covenant people (cf. Psalms 2:1-11) and, looked at from a human perspective, it appears the city of God will fall. But the Divine Perspective shows refuge and salvation and victory for the city of God.

Just as a cloud can obscure the heat of the sun and give refuge to a dry, dusty traveler, so easily will the Lord bring to nothing the torrid rage of His enemies and save His faithful ones. The supernatural deeds of God done in history and recorded by eyewitnesses testify abundantly that He will do what He has promised. Let all who believe Him celebrate in jubilant praise.

QUIZ

1.

What two names for God are used in this text and what do they signify?

2.

How has God demonstrated in the past that He keeps His word?

3.

Why does Isaiah's audience need to be reminded He keeps His word?

4.

Have world systems already been defeated?

5.

Is God a refuge for people because they are materially poor?

6.

What storms rage against God's elect?