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Scripture Reading: Isa. 24; Isa. 25; Isa. 26; Isa. 27
In the previous message we covered the matters of Jehovah's reaction to Israel's degradation and His reaction to the nations' excessive action on Israel. In this message we will see that this reaction issues in Israel's turn to Jehovah and their return to the Holy Land for restoration.
The first issue of Jehovah's reaction is Israel's return to Jehovah.
In distress they sought Jehovah; they whispered out a prayer, for His chastening was upon them (26:16). As a pregnant woman draws near to giving birth, she writhes and cries out in her pain; so they have been before Jehovah (v. 17). Just as Israel turned to Jehovah after God's chastening, we need to repent and whisper out a prayer and have a talk with the Lord when we are suffering in our distress.
In 25:1, 4 and 5 we are told what Israel said in their prayer to Jehovah. Verse 1 says, "O Jehovah, You are my God; /I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name,/For You have done wonderful things — /Counsels of old, in faithfulness, perfect faithfulness." In words that remind us of 4:6, verse 4 goes on to say, "For You have been a stronghold to the weak,/A stronghold to the needy in his distress,/A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat;/For the breath of those who terrify is like a tempest against a wall." Then verse 5 continues, "Like the heat in a drought,/You will subdue the uproar of strangers;/Like the heat through the shadow of a cloud,/The song of those who terrify will be brought low." Their haughtiness and even their singing will be subdued.
According to 25:9, in that day Israel will say, "Behold, this is our God;/We have waited that He may save us./This is Jehovah, for whom we have waited;/Let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation."
"Indeed, in the path of Your judgments,/O Jehovah, we have waited for You" (26:8a). This indicates that while the Lord is judging, we should wait for Him in the path of His judging. While the Lord is chastening us, we need to learn something of Him and find out the lesson that the Lord would give us. However, some saints, after being chastened by the Lord, seem to learn nothing. They waste both their time and the Lord's chastening. Whenever we are chastened by the Lord, we need to learn something of Him. This is to wait for Him in the path of His judgment.
Verses 8b and 9 continue, "Your name, that is, Your memorial,/Is the desire of our soul./My soul desires You in the night;/Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You at the dawn;/For when Your judgments are in the earth,/The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness." God's judgment always teaches us lessons in righteousness.
Verse 10 says, "Though the wicked is shown grace,/He does not learn righteousness;/In the land of the straight-forwardness he deals unjustly/And does not perceive the majesty of Jehovah." Sometimes when God shows grace to us, we do not learn any lessons. So at times He has to be severe with us and chastise us that we may learn something of Him and perceive His majesty.
In 26:11 Jehovah's hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. Instead, they will see Jehovah's zeal for the people and will be put to shame. Fire will devour His adversaries. In verses 12 and 13 Israel continues to pray, saying, "O Jehovah, You will ordain peace for us,/For You have also performed all our works for us./O Jehovah our God, other lords besides You have been master to us,/But through You alone do we mention Your name." Even though others would be lords over them, they do not mention their name. Rather, they mention only the name of Jehovah, recognizing that He alone is their Master.
Finally, in turning to Jehovah, Israel will lift up their voice; they will give a ringing shout (24:14a). Because of the majesty of Jehovah, they will cry out from the west, from the sea (v. 14b). Verses 15 and 16 go on to say, "Therefore in the east glorify Jehovah,/Even the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel, in the coastlands of the sea./From the ends of the earth we hear songs:/Glory to the righteous One!"
Now we come to the matter of Israel's return to the Holy Land for restoration.
Isaiah 27:12 and 13 say, "In that day Jehovah will beat out the grain from the flowing stream of the River/Unto the brook of Egypt;/And you will be gathered/One by one, O you children of Israel./And in that day a great trumpet will be blown,/And the ones lost in the land of Assyria will come,/As well as the outcasts in the land of Egypt, / And they will worship Jehovah/On the holy mountain in Jerusalem." The expression the River in verse 12 refers to the Euphrates, and the grain denotes the scattered people of Israel. According to these verses, all the outcast, lost, and scattered Israelites will be gathered back to the good land. The fulfillment of this prophecy began with the return of the captives from Babylon, it is continuing today, and it will be fully accomplished at the time of the Lord's second coming.
In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: "We have a strong city;/He will set up salvation as walls and a rampart./Open the gates/So that the righteous nation may enter,/They who maintain faithfulness./You will keep the steadfast of mind/In perfect peace/Because he trusts in You./Trust in Jehovah forever and ever,/For in Jah Jehovah we have an eternal rock" (26:1-4). Whereas in the opening chapters of Isaiah the children of Israel were not faithful, here we are told that Israel is a nation which maintains faithfulness.
Isaiah 27:2-9 speaks of singing of a vineyard of wine. In these verses it is sometimes difficult to determine whether the one speaking is Israel or Isaiah. Verse 2 says, "In that day:/A vineyard of wine, sing of it!" Jehovah is the keeper of this vine. He waters it every moment, and lest harm come to it, He guards it day and night (v. 3). The Lord says that He has no wrath toward Israel (v. 4a). Then He continues by saying, "O, that I had thorns and thistles/In battle I would march against them;/I would burn them completely. / Or let him grasp at My strength;/Let him make peace with Me" (vv. 4b-5). In the next verse, the thought leaps to Jacob, who will be blessed. "In the days to come Jacob will take root;/Israel will blossom and bud;/And they will fill the face of the earth with their produce" (v. 6). Verse 7 continues by asking if Jehovah has stricken them like those who struck them, if they have been slain like those slain by Him. Then verses 8 and 9 go on to say, "By expulsion and by banishing them, You contended with them;/He sent them away with His harsh wind in the day of the east wind./Thus by this the iniquity of Jacob will be expiated,/And this is all the fruit of the removal of their sin;/When they make all the stones of their altar/Like chalk stones beaten to powder — /Asherim and incense altars will not stand." Here we see that Israel will be redeemed. Their Asherim, their sun images, will be no more, for all idols and false altars will be destroyed.
In 26:19 there is a word concerning the resurrection of the dead. "Your dead will live; my corpses will rise./Awake and give a ringing shout, you who dwell in dust,/For your dew is like the dew of the dawn,/And the earth will bring forth the deceased." The dead ones, who dwell in the dust, will awake and give a ringing shout.
Isaiah 26:15 says, "You have increased the nation, O Jehovah;/You have increased the nation — You are glorified;/ You have far extended all the edges of the land." To increase the nation is to increase the people, and to extend the edges is to enlarge the territory. In this restoration the Holy Land will extend from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates (cf. Deut. 11:24).
The light of the sun and the moon will fade because of God's shining glory. According to Isaiah 24:23, the moon will be abashed, and the sun will be ashamed, for Jehovah of hosts will reign in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and His glory will be before His elders.
"Jehovah of hosts will make on the mountains/For all these peoples/A feast of fat things,/A feast of wine matured on the lees,/Of fat things full of marrow,/And of filtered wine matured on the lees" (25:6). Here the word peoples refers to the nations. In the restoration God will make a satisfying feast for the nations. I believe that in the restoration Jerusalem with Mount Zion will be the most joyful place on earth. It will be a center in which all the peoples of the earth will find enjoyment and satisfaction. From throughout the earth, people will come to Jerusalem to enjoy the feast.
"On this mountain He will swallow up/The covering that covers up all the peoples,/Even the veil that veils all the nations" (v. 7). Today the people on earth are covered with a veil that keeps them from seeing God's economy, but in the restoration God will take away this covering. Then all the people will see something concerning God's eternal economy. Furthermore, God will swallow up death forever, and He will wipe away the tears from all faces. Also, He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth (v. 8).
