Isaiah 26

“In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:  ‘We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.  Open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.  You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.  Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.  For he has humbled the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city.  He lays it low, lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust.  The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy.’”  Isaiah 26:1-6 (ESV)

Isaiah depicts pilgrims coming from far off, arriving at the gates of the city, and calling out in song for the doors to be opened wide to receive them.  Jerusalem’s strength, the peace enjoyed by its inhabitants, comes from the salvation God has caused to make known within its walls.  

The song is not only a testimony of what those who sing it have come to know.  It is also an exhortation to others to put their trust in the Lord and experience the same transformation in their own lives.  For that matter, it should be the passionate cry of all believers!  While we may not all be called to be “evangelists,” per se, we are all called to evangelize.

Several points are worth noting in today’s chapter, distinctive features of those who “occupy the city of God.”

1) They are righteous. (26:2, 7) Those who are righteous have received their righteousness from the Lord.

2) They are blessed. (26:7) The way they travel is level and smooth.  It makes John the Baptist’s message more understandable: “Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight…”  It also clarifies that fire consumes the wicked. (26:11)

3) They long for His presence. (26:8-10) Even in times of judgment, the righteous learn repentance.  The wicked remain in unbelief despite God’s warnings.

4) They enjoy peace. (26:14) Isaiah sees the wicked as being denied resurrection into God’s kingdom.  This does not mean that Isaiah denied the resurrection of the dead as such.  His point was merely that those who trouble the righteous will trouble them no more.  This is especially so in Heaven.  

5) They confess past failure and frustration. (26:16-19) Evidently, Israel had been in such distress that they were barely able to pray.  It reminds me of the silent prayer Hannah prayed in Eli’s presence. (1 Samuel 1:9-20) Now we see the resurrection of the righteous.

6) They wait patiently and quietly for the Lord’s coming. (26:20-21) The exhortation is for us to faithfully believe His Word and promise.  He will deliver!