Salvation and Judgment on That Day
1 LORD, you are my God; d
I will exalt you. I will praise your name,
for you have accomplished wonders,
plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.
2 For you have turned the city into a pile of rocks, e
a fortified city, into ruins;
the fortress of barbarians f is no longer a city;
it will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore, a strong people will honor you.
The cities of violent nations will fear you.
4 For you have been a stronghold for the poor person,
a stronghold for the needy g in his distress,
a refuge from storms and a shade from heat. h
When the breath of the violent
is like a storm against a wall,
5 like heat in a dry land,
you will subdue the uproar of barbarians.
As the shade of a cloud cools the heat of the day,
so he will silence the song of the violent.
6 On this mountain, ,i
the LORD of Armies will prepare for all the peoples a feast of choice meat, j
a feast with aged wine, prime cuts of choice meat, fine vintage wine.
7 On this mountain
he will destroy the burial shroud,
the shroud over all the peoples,
the sheet covering all the nations; k
8 he will destroy death forever. l
The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears
from every face m
and remove his people’s disgrace n
from the whole earth,
for the LORD has spoken.
9 On that day it will be said,
“Look, this is our God;
we have waited for him, and he has saved us.
This is the LORD; we have waited for him.
Let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” o
10 For the LORD’S power will rest on this mountain.
But Moab p will be trampled in his place
as straw is trampled in a dung pile.
11 He will spread out his arms in the middle of it,
as a swimmer spreads out his arms to swim.
His pride will be brought low,
along with the trickery of his hands. q
12 The high-walled fortress will be brought down,
thrown to the ground, to the dust. r
B. The redemption of God’s people (25:1–26:6). 25:1–5. The prophet’s song of thanksgiving celebrates God’s victory over the enemies of his people as if it has already taken place (25:1). He is a refuge for his needy people in any age (25:5). Regardless of the exigencies of the present and the uncertainty of the future, the godly hold fast to their faithful God (25:3). The righteous are exhorted to look forward to the downfall of the capitals of the kingdoms of this world, namely, the centers of political and economic power, where ruthless tyrants rule (25:2). Isaiah provides a glimpse into God’s perspective of history as an assurance to the godly that the Lord protects his people regardless of the intensity of their adversities. He will bring down evil and provoke their enemies to jealousy.
25:6–8. The Lord invites all obedient nations (24:14–16; 25:3) together with the Jews to a banquet on Mount Zion (25:6; cf. 24:23). God himself has prepared a rich banquet of the finest food and drink in order to celebrate his goodness. Since it is the godly who have been the helpless and needy (25:4), the eschatological banquet is described in the language of comfort and assurance. The Lord will take care of his people by providing for all their needs, a fact symbolized by the choice food and drink. He will also remove “the shroud” of mourning as he deals with “death” and its causes. The heavenly Father himself will comfort his children by wiping away their tears (25:7–8; cf. Rv 7:17; 21:4).
25:9–10a. Then God’s children will respond with thanksgiving and confidence in God’s saving power. True to character, Isaiah suddenly bursts out in hymns as he reflects on the great salvation and permanent establishment of God’s kingdom (24:21–23; 25:6–8; 26:1–6). God’s children wait for divine deliverance (25:9).
25:10b–12. Moab is symbolic of all of the nations. This may be inferred from the connection between this section and the section that described the ruthless nations and the palaces of the strangers (25:1–5). Though Moab has not been Israel’s greatest enemy, it too will be brought down. It will be trampled like straw being trampled down in manure (25:10b). Though its inhabitants will try to save themselves, they will fail. God has purposed to bring down Moab’s pride (25:11).