Notes
Isaiah 24-25
David
H. Linden University Presbyterian
Church,
Here
are some of the most delightful words in the Bible. If they were located in the
Psalms, the words would be better known.
It is regrettable that the writings of the prophets are less familiar
than other parts of the Bible. We read
again of two cities; by now we know that
24:1-3 The earth devastated The Lord
lays waste the earth, but this section does not say why. By repeating contrasts like ‘master &
servant,’ it shows everyone is affected in this judgment by the Lord. It is also the earth that suffers, not just
man who lives on it. When man sinned the
ground was cursed (Genesis 3:17-19). The
creation still waits for redemption (Romans 8:18-25), because man’s sin affects
man’s environment. The inhabitants are
scattered, the same word used of the scattering at
24:4-6 The
curse on the earth The earth withers because it is
polluted by man whom God made to be lord over it (Genesis 2:8-20; Psalm
8). Man has defiled the earth 1) by
rejecting truth (God’s torah, i.e. instruction); 2) by altering God laws,
(making his own morality); and 3) breaking covenant. Sadly, moral pollution is not the kind the
world complains about.
Curse vs. Blessing Man
is a covenant breaker. God’s blessing is
to the covenant keeper. In v.6 man receives the curse of a covenant breaker.
(See Deuteronomy 28:15.) This is man’s problem. The gospel is that salvation
came by God sending a covenant keeper, our Lord Jesus Christ. Like Adam Jesus represented
His people. Just as Adam’s sin brought guilt and condemnation, so Christ obeyed
for us and brought justification and life (Romans 5:12-21). On the cross Christ
took our curse so we could have from God the blessing His death and covenant
keeping has merited for us (Galatians 3:10-14).
24:14 A different kind of song In
the midst of this desolation and despair there is music. In the former section the music was chiefly
instrumental. Instruments can play even
if the heart is sad. But here the song
is the human voice! It is even loud
because the heart is in it. There is
joy. This is a tremendous contrast. The background is one of a complete
destruction of the earth and its inhabitants (vv.1-3). In Noah’s day the flood was on all mankind,
yet Noah and his family found grace in the eyes of the Lord. So here judgment on the entire world does
not stop the saving grace of God reaching into all the earth.
24:13-16 Gleaning (v.13) always
follows harvest. The gleaners do not get the harvest, only what is left. Here the gleanings represent a worldwide song
of joy from east and west. In the days
of Solomon they had a fleet of ships which brought from distant places shipments
of ivory, apes and baboons (1 Kings 10:22). They were aware of distant islands,
which they referred to as “the ends of the earth” (NIV) or “coastlands” (ESV).
(See 42:4). One does not naturally expect gleanings to be a large
quantity. But God turns this expectation
around. We find an earth ringing with the praise of God from west to east. From the ends of the earth it can be
heard. Out of a lifeless formless earth
of vv. 1-12 comes a new creation. God has said again, “Let light shine out of darkness” to
give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2
Corinthians 4:6). In Isaiah 24 they sing, “Glory
to the Righteous One”. (It is an
important evangelistic environment that the world should hear Christians sing
glory to the Lord.)
The
Righteous One
Almost every time “the
righteous” is used in the Bible it refers to righteous men. Rarely is it used of God, but when it is, it
usually refers to Christ. It was Jesus
that Paul met on the road to
24:16c-18d Isaiah’s suffering It is good to see again that the man of God
does not take God’s judgment on others lightly.
He too feels the weight of it, even using the same woe language he did
of himself in chapter 6. The first woe
was for his sin, the second he felt for the sins of others. He grieves over one repeated example,
treachery, which results in a judgment from which men cannot escape. (See also
21:3,4 and 22:4.)
24:18e–20 Judgment
from above and below In Noah’s day, the windows of
heaven opened to express God’s wrath. This is coupled with an earthquake. The
combination is deliberate wrath from above and destruction from within. The hut
is blown by external forces; the drunkard stumbles from internal lack of
equilibrium. This is the result of sin. Sins’ effects are internal and lead to
death as in James 1:13-15. Sin’s judgment is also external from the judicial
hand of God; as in Romans 6:23, sin’s wages are meted out by God. The guilt of
sin in v.20 is simply rebellion, so the earth will fall never to rise again.
The end of Jeremiah’s very long oracle against Babylon was that it would sink
to rise no more (Jeremiah 51:64). In chapter 24 Isaiah
will speak of a city without using the word
24:21-23 A new day coming This is
the first time in this section we read of “in that day”. It appears some 7 times in Isaiah 24-27 –
here and 26:1;
27:1,2,6,12,13. The prophecy is moving toward the end, and the end is good. To
reach a true resolution, the spiritual powers of evil in the heavens are put
down. They are the original rebels and
instigators of our rebellion. Never
forget Satan was a rebel who tempted our first parents to become rebels like
him. See Ephesians 2:2; 6:11,12.
The
exact time, as is the case so often, is not specified. It is “in that day” and also “after many
days” in v.22. But God has hidden (Acts 1:7), so we submit. He has spoken, so
it is sure. Even now some wicked angels are bound with everlasting chains for
judgment on the great Day (Jude 6).
Isaiah
does not mind placing the glory of God’s just judgment beside the glory of His
rule over all the earth in
The
rebellion of all those nations that hated
1) The
restoration of everything (Acts 3:21).
2) His
presence among them in
3)
All nations living joyfully under His king in
4)
Christ’s enemies as His footstool (Psalm 110:1) or, to use the language of
v.22, “prisoners”.
5) Never
again will a shameful idol replace the true glory of
In
the New Jerusalem there is no need for the sun; its place will be taken over by
the Lord Himself (Revelation 21:22-27). The sun and moon will hide their face
humbled by the glorious presence. The wicked “will be punished with
everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the
majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and
to be marveled at among all those who have believed (2 Thessalonians 1: 9,10).
Isaiah 25 Rejoicing in Salvation
25:1-5 The section begins
with individual confession and praise of the Lord, “You are my God.” In v.9,
it will be the praise of all in unison.
God’s marvelous wonders are supernatural just as the word “wonders” is
used for miracles in the New Testament (Hebrews 2:4). This power and the
emphasis on God’s faithfulness show that salvation is of the Lord. God sets out a wonderful banquet (v.6), but
the first praise to Him is for deliverance from a foe. The other city is in
ruins. Yet strong and ruthless people in this world, such as
25:6-8 Now for God’s
city – whatever God does is related to this mountain,
The
salvation is not merely from a human enemy, or from the spiritual powers in the
heavens above (24:21); it is also from death. Isaiah looked forward to the time
when our Lord would swallow up death. Isaiah contrasts locales, people and
results. In this text he is not making a prediction as to the place of the
crucifixion. It is still the case that Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection
happened on that same location, on this mountain. There and then, just outside
25:9-12 Each one will say
the same confession, “This is our God.” It is a confession of faith, “We trusted in Him, and He saved us.” Thus
the work of salvation was all God’s. This trust is not turned back to the one
with faith; it looks to the Lord to save. Faith does not look in. This
salvation is the real thing and so there is joy rather than uncertainty. Any
time we add anything to faith for God to accept us, such as our obedience,
there is a serious distraction from and contradiction of the gospel. If anything
other than a receptive faith is made out to be the faith required for
justification, it will bring on doubt and remove joy. A loaded-up faith in
contrast to a simple unassuming faith replaces boasting in the Lord (1
Corinthians 1:31) with boasting of self (Ephesians 2:8,9).
Notice
the hand of the Lord rests on His mountain. His hand is down, at rest, no longer raised
in judgment (10:4). God’s hand was raised against Christ on the cross, and so
for His own it is now at rest (v.10).
Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).
Poor