Text: Isaiah 25:1-12, Genesis 3:17-19, Hebrews 12:22-24
When I was a teenager our house was hit by a tornado. Seeing trees leveled, cars smashed, and our back porch splintered into a million fragments—it was disarming.
Reading through the middle section of Isaiah makes me feel a bit like I did as I surveyed the post-tornado damage. Chapter after chapter, Isaiah prophesied about God’s impending judgment. It was bad news all around. From Babylon to Arabia, Jerusalem to Egypt, then ultimately the whole earth, Isaiah foretells a reckoning so widespread that the entire planet will be “stripped completely bare” (Isaiah 24:3). He describes a time when all celebration will cease (v.8) and how “panic, pit, and trap” await all who dwell on the earth (v.17).
My response to these chapters is to cover my eyes and read them through slightly opened fingers. But that is not how Isaiah reacts.
As chapter 24 wraps, God stops speaking to Isaiah about what’s coming. Isaiah doesn’t grit his teeth or pout or whimper. Faced with the news of the world’s coming woes, Isaiah erupts in praise:
“The Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You. I will praise Your name, for you have accomplished wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.”
– Isaiah 25:1
Because he knows the complete character of God, Isaiah can look past the devastation and see God’s power. He can look beyond the judgment and see God’s faithfulness.
While Isaiah had a front row seat to some very bad news, he was also among the very first to know the good news of the gospel.
He foretold the Messiah, born to a virgin and given the name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14).
He knew our Savior would come from the line of David (Isaiah 9:7).
He even foresaw Jesus’ burial in a tomb purchased by Joseph of Arimathea (Isaiah 53:9).
God gifted Isaiah eyes to see past his moment in history and into the mystery of the gospel. Long before any other human knew that Jesus would die on a hill, be buried in a borrowed tomb, and leave His burial clothes behind to return in a resurrected body, Isaiah saw a reason to celebrate: “On this mountain He will destroy the burial shroud, the shroud over all the peoples, the sheet covering all the nations” (Isaiah 25:7).
Yes, God was going to put an end to certain wicked rulers and pagan practices. He would wipe out evil and sin, but He would also destroy death and sorrow. Isaiah celebrated because he knew that the shroud, or curtain, that separated all of humanity from God would soon be torn in two.
Jesus, give us eyes to see past the devastation to the good news of the gospel. Amen.
Erin Davis is an author, blogger, and speaker who loves to see women of all ages run to the deep well of God’s Word. When she’s not writing, you can find Erin chasing chickens and children on her small farm in the Midwest.
Beautifully put. Amen.
WOW!! Gods word is powerful, as I look at today, I see so much death and destruction and yet in those moments, in the days we are living in we can look to Him or God, King and Jesus our Saviour and say Yes God, let us see beyond all of this and seek you and share your good news.. Please Jesus help us to be a little more like Isaiah not questioning you but praise you instead.
Amen!
I didn’t even acknowledge the fact that Isaiah never once questioned the Lord. Even though God told him of these terrible things that would happen. Still Isaiah praised the Lord. Here I am, wondering why God would do all of this awfulness, when I should take a page from Isaiah’s book (literally) and just rest in the fact that God has a faithful plan. And he will wipe away every tear and destroy death.
How thankful we all can be for Isaiah who brought hope for salvation to those living in his time. And how thankful we can all be that the prediction given to us by one of God’s chosen came true in the form of Jesus, our Savior. Each day is a gift from God, and thanks to the Son of Man, we can all look forward to life eternal.
Earlier this week at a women’s retreat we were going through different passages in Isaiah where Isaiah interacted with three different generations of kings and how the way they lived affected their legacy.We talked about having a positive lasting legacy for the our generation and for next generation to take up and carry. l thought about Isaiah 25 and Isaiah 6 and how one talks of God’s faithfulness and the other about Isaiah seeing God and being confronted with God’s holiness and I was just I awe of how just and holy holy God wants to give me promises and be faithful to a little sinner like me. And not only that but as it says in Isaiah 25 today that He will swallow up death. He did that for us!!!! Thank you Jesus for being willing to come down to this unholy planet and remain faithful to the cross where you paid for our sins.
Truly, we need to commit to seeking the Lord, and learning who He is. We need to realize that this is something that is a lifetime commitment. Praising God this morning for his character! Thank you for this word!
Thank you Jesus that we can grieve with hope. Thank you that you give us the strength to look past our current devastation as we see YOUR glory!
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I feel like we can be like Isaiah when circumstances erupt in our lives or in a loved ones life. We can be that person who, even though has seen devastation or has been warned by God what is coming, can share the faithfulness of God and what it is to have a blind faith. Even when things don’t go a certain way in my life, I glorify God, knowing where there is devastation, there is restoration, and where there are lessons, there are blessings. For those who only see devastation, I want to teach them about having faith. About how their is a God who has a purpose for all things and He is in control always. Whenever I see devastation, it’s almost like it becomes and open door to bigger and better things, with God being on the other side waiting for us to walk through.