Isaiah 25

Isaiah 25:1-5

After the threatening of wrath in the foregoing chapter, we have,

1. Transpose prays for what God had done, ver. 1—9. 2. Previous promises of what God would yet further do for his church, ver. 6, 7, 8. 3. The church’s triumph in God over her enemies thereupon, ver. 9—12.

Rev. xix.

1. 1. O LORD, thou art my God, I will exalt thee, ‘I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. 2. For thou hast made of a city, as breezy of a defenced city, a ruin: a palace of strangers, to be no city, it shall never be built. 3. Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee. 4. For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. 5. Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; rove the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.

We have here the triumphant song of God’s people for their deliverance; whether of the Jews, for the ruin of Babylon, or of the redeemed at the last day, for the fall of spiritual Babylon; or of both, the former being typical of the latter.

1. The prophet in the person of the redeemed resolves to praise and exalt the name of God, for all his wondrous works of mercy to his people, and judgment on their enemies, according to his eternal counsels, and according to his faithfulness in the never-failing promises of his word. And nothing would engage him to this honourable work to heartily, as the consciousness of an interest in the favour of this faithful and exalted Jehovah, thus art my God, and I will prayle thee. Note, (1.) They who can say, My God, are bound to praise him evermore. (2.) The wonders of providence and creation are marvellous, but those of redemption greater still, and will be the everlasting subject of the Songs in glory.

2. He particularly mentions two instances of God’s faithfulness and truth, for which he would exalt him. (1.) For the destruction of the oppressor, thou hast made of a city, as breezy, &c. v. 2. As Babylon now is, Rome will be; the former was a palace of strangers, chap. xxiii. 13. So is the latter, succeeding to the former Pagan inhabitants; and though probably Christianity, strangers to the covenants of promise: the one now loth in ruins, and such will the fate of the other be, to perish for ever, and be never built again. (2.) For the protection of the poor, v. 4. whose strength God is in every time of trial, covering them as with a cloud, from the scorching heat of temptation, and preserving them from the storm of the terrible ones, interposing as a wall, to ward off the tempel. Thus God preserved his people in Babylon, and brought them out safely, and so will do under all the persecutions of Antechrift; and in general, under every distress, his people who fly to him will find him a very present help in trouble.

3. The effect of God’s interposition would be either the humiliation and conviction, or the utter ruin of his foes. They are called strong people, terrible nations, terrible men; but however dreadful they may appear to others, they must stoop before God, and bow in fear before his rod of correction; repenting and glorifying his mercy, or breaking under the rod of his judgments, and glorifying his justice: their branch, or their song, brought low; either in the duft of abatement, or in the place of moment; where, as a branch cast out, they would be burned, and their mirth be changed into eternal mourning. Note, (1.) The formidable appearance of our foes is often ready to intimidate us; but if the Almighty God be for us, the terrible shall be brought low, and even death, the king of arrows, be baldued. (2.) When the judgments of God, however heavy, lead men to fear before him, and do no more wickedly, they become the chokeeth blethings; and judgment, as well as mercy, shall then furnish matter for a song.

4. ¶ And in this mountain ‘shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines + on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. 7. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering call over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. 8. He will swallow up death in victory, and the LORD God will wipe away tears from off all faces, and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth; for the LORD hath spoken it. 9. ¶ And it shall be said in that day, Lo, ’this is our God,’ we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD, we have waited for him, ‘we will be glad, and rejoice in his salvation. 10. For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, ‘and Moab shall be troden down under him, even as straw as troden down for the dreadful. 11. And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swarmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down ’their pride together with the spoils of their hands. 12. And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, rove to the dust.

Isaiah 25:5-11

1. Jer. 1. 45. Or the way of the Lord to the Jaff is committen. PC. vi. 4. Chap. here. v. Chap. 16.

2. ¶ For he bringeth down them that dwell on high, the lofty city he layeth it low, he layeth it low, even to the ground, he bringeth it even to the dark. 6. The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy. 7. The way of the jaft is uprightness: thou most upright doft weigh the path of the jaft. 8. Yes, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. 9. ¶ With my soul have I defired thee in the night, yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for

when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. 10. Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD. 11. LORD, under thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people, yea the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.

We have here,

1. The humiliation of the proud, and the destruction of the lofty city, Babylon, now trod upon by those, who before were oppressed by her, or of spiritual Babylon, on which the poor persecuted saints of the most high shall trample, when utterly laid wafts before the Lord in the latter day, v. 5, 6.

2. The regard God shews his people. The way of the jaft is uprightness, or evenness, a strait path of uniform and steady obedience; or the way of the Lord to the jaft is evenness, agreeable to his own perfections of wisdom, goodness, truth, and equity; so that they have ever cause to address him as thou most upright, whose ways of providence and grace are perfectly pure, and transcendently excellent; thou doft weigh, or make men the path of the jaft, consider and approve it as good, or removing every obstacle, enable him to walk in the paths of holiness.

3. The people of God proffer their attendance on him, and desires after him. In the way of thy judgments, thy word, and ordinances, or thy shall/donents which we have restored, we have waited for thee, patiently expecting to see thy salvation: the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee; in the midst of our heaviest afflictions, to thee our affections go forth; we think upon thee, and derive support from the remembrance of thy grace, power, love, and faithfulness. While my soul ardently have I defired thee in the night, literally waking when others sleep, or under the darkest dispensations of providence; yea, with my spirit within me will I feel thee early, not forgetting him in prosperity; but when the day returned, with the dawn meeting him with prayer and praise: for when thy judgments are in the earth, those that shall be laid upon the sinners, and followers of Antichrist, the inhabitants of the world, some of them, the faithful, who are called and chosen, will learn righteousness; the justice of God in his judgments on others, and his afflictions on themselves, and profiling under them, bring forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness, in patience, patience, and perseverance. Note, (1.) They who wait for God in his ways, shall affiantly meet him to their comfort. (2.) If our affections are not warm towards God, we need to reabuse hath there is a rival in our hearts. (3.) The earlier in life we begin to seek God, the pleasanter shall we find his ways. (4.) Under our own corrections we must humble our souls, and from his visitations on others take warning; then however heavy the stroke, the issue will be to us righteousness and peace.

4. The impenitence of the wicked is observed as the prelude to their ruin. Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness, providential mercies are no more effectual to lead him to repentance, than judgments to drive him: in the land of uprightness, where the most plentiful knowledge of gospel-truth is diffused, and the power of gospel grace most eminently displayed, he will deal unjustly, perish in his iniquities, in opposition to every warning of God’s word and ministers, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord, acknowledge his power, providence, and goodness; nor worship, serve, and obey him, as in duty bound. Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, or thy high hand, they will not see God’s hand in their mercies, or in the judgments visible in the earth, and hanging over their own heads, obstinately hardened, and wilfully shutting their eyes against conviction. Note, (1.) To dwell in a land of uprightness is an ineffimable mercy; and there to dwell in sin and darkness, where light and grace plentifully abound, will be aggravated guilt. (2.) Forgetfulness of God, and inattention to his word and works, are the ruin of men’s souls. (3.) They who will not see, are justly given up to judicial blindness.

5. Their destruction is near and sure. The judgments they would not fear, they must feel. They shall see the prosperity of God’s people, and be ashamed for their envy, or the need towards the people; the Lord’s regard for them, and his care to vindicate their wrongs; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them, or the fire shall devour these thine enemies; the fire of present judgments, or the unquenchable fire that shall torment their bodies and souls in hell. Let the enemies of God’s people hear and tremble!

6. ¶ LORD, thou wilt certain peace for us; for thou also hath wrongful all our works? in us. 13. O LORD our God, either lords besides thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name. 14. They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise; a character hath thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory

Johns, 1. 15. The whole will. 10. Rom. 11. 4. The child. 12. PC. 13. 1. 15. Or thy and towards the people. Chap. vi. 3. Or shall devour shall take committen. Chap. 16ff. 14. John xvi. 15. Or for me. 1. 1. 15. PC. xxvii. 14. Or hereafter Prov. v. 7.

memory as perils. 15. Thou had increased the nation, O LORD, thou had increased the nation, thou art glorified; thou had removed it far unto all the ends of the earth: 16. LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them. 17. Like as a woman with child and draweth dear the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD. 18. We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind, we have not wrongly any deliverance in the earth, neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen. 19. ‘Thy dead was shall live, ye abysser with my dead body shall they arise: ‘awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.’

19. 22-19. We have here,

20. The church’s dependence on God, ascribing to his grace alone all the good that was found in her, v. 12. Lord, thou wilt ergeis peace for us, whatever enemy without or within, forks to trouble our people, and wilt at fall being as to the eternal red, which represents for the people of God: for thou also hast wrought all our earth in us, or for us; whatever good is in our souls, thou, Lord, art alone the author of it; whatever good we are the instruments of communicating to others, thy grace is alone to be acknowledged, whatever blessings or comforts we receive, from thy hand alone they come.

21. The humbling confession and gracious purpose of God’s people, v. 13. O Lord our God, who is we are, and whom we ought and desire to serve, yet with shame acknowledged other than before the house had dominion ever as; either this is the confession of the Jews, bewailing their captivity and idolatrics, or of the church, oppressed by the persecuting powers of Antiochists; or more generally of every faithful soul, who laments the bondage of corruption, every vile affection being a tyrant, and fiasco, in a state of nature, having led us captive at his will. But now recovered by grace, we shall be enabled to say, by this only, by thy grace supported, and by thy power delivered, will our male mention of thy name, cleave alone to thee as our God and guide, and ascribe to thee the praise of all our fallers.

22. They triumph over their oppressors, v. 14. They are dead, they shall not live; they are decreed, they shall not rise; either the Balytonish monarchs, whose kingdom never rose from its ruins, or the enemies of the church in general, whether Pagan, Papal, or Mahomedan, who will be finally destroyed, and no more oppress the redeemed; therefore, or hearseth thou hast visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish, consigned them to eternal shame in the place of torment.

23. The great increase of the church is declared. Then hast increased the nation, O Lord, thou hast increased the nation, either the Jewish nation by preselytes, or rather the Christian church, called the righteous nation, v. 2. By numerous moments of Jews and Gnostics: and this is spoken as already done, because such is God’s purpose at the latter day, who calleth the things that are not, as though they were: thou art glorified in the salvation of thy people, and the ruin of their enemies: thou hast removed it far unto all the ends of the earth, in a state of dislocation, from whence they are now delivered; or he had spread into every land the knowledge of his grace, and gathered a people for himself out of all nations.

24. Before their restoration, a state of great trouble is foreseen and lamented; either of the Jews groaning under their captivity, or the church, under the perilous times that precede the destruction of Antiochists, v. 16-18. Lord, in trouble have they visited thee; this being the great isle and benefit of afflictions, to bring us nearer to God, from whom prosperity is too apt to alienate our hearts: they passed out a prayer when thy daylong was upon them; for this is the constant method of all God’s people, in prayer and supplications to make their requests known unto him: nor shall we ever be so earnest and impenetrable, as when we see his chastelessness bringing to remembrance our sin. Like as a woman with child that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs, which are the most acute and bitter, so have we been in thy sight, O Lord, in deep distress, and crying for deliverance: we have been with child, big with hopes; we have been in pain, transiting in prayers and tears, yet disappointed, and one hopes a shorten, so long is our salvation delayed: we have brought forth wind, our prayers ineffectual and unanswered; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth, so as to regain our liberty, or felonities have not been wrought in the earth, so deliver us from our enemies; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen, but continue to oppress the cause of godliness and truth. Now, (1.) God may for wise ends long faller his own cause and people to be oppressed by wicked men. (2.) However long or fore our trials, we must continue to pray, and not faint. (3.) If we do so, we shall assuredly not be disappointed at the fall. For,

25. Christ answers his people’s prayers. Thy dead men shall

him; spiritually, by the power of Jesus, the dead in sin shall be quickened, and in the latter day vast additions of living souls be made to the church; or it refers to the resurrection, when the dead in Christ shall rise forth, and reign with him, together with my dead body shall they arise, as the bodies of many human sin, when Jesus himself arose, Most. xxvii. 21. 23. or as my dead body shall they arise, certainly, and as gloriously: awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust, awake at the gospel wall, ye dead in sin; or awake from the dust of death, ye sleeping sinners; arise in many years! Lord in the air, and join in thought praise that never will have an end: for thy dear is as the dear of herbs, they spirit as effectual to quicken the souls and bodies of the spiritually and naturally dead, as the dear exults the herb to shoot that seemed dead in the ground, during the deep of winter, and the earth shall get out the dead; when, at the worst of Jesus, they that are in their graves, shall hear and live. Now, What ever our afflictions have may be, we have but a part in the resurrection of the just, we must not ask or wish for more.

20. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself at it were: for a little moment, until the indignation be over-puff. 21. For behold, the LORD’s cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her sin.

v. 20, 21. These veries are either the conclusion of the former song, or the introduction of the next chapter, to which they are usually referred.

1. Christ calls his people to a place of safety, when he is about to execute his wrath on the wicked. Came, my people, the endearing title of property and children, and the assurance of safety; for if we are his, none shall pluck us out of his hand; enter thou into thy chamber, where thou may be safe; as Rabbi, whom Jericho was taken; or the Israelites, whom the destroying angel passed through the land, and shut thy doors about thee, to be secure and private, to pour out the voice of prayer when danger threatens: hide thyself from the impending storm, under the shadow of Almighty grace, as it there for a little moment, until the indignation be over-puff; the time will be momentary, for a short work will God make on the earth; his wrath, when it begins to conform the wicked, will quickly make an end of them, Rev. ii. 10. xi. 7-11.

2. He goes forth to execute his judgments. For behold, to the astonishment of the surprised world, the Lord remeth out of his place, with clouds descending, in terrible majesty to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: be they never so great, never so numerous, their iniquity will receive a just recompense of reward: the earth also shall dislobe her blood, and shall no more cover her sin; the blood of Saints and martyrs, from Abel to the last persecuted believer, shall then be brought to light, and however formerly murders may have been committed, blood will cry for vengeance; or it may signify the immense carnage to be made in the battle of Armageddon, so that the earth shall not be able to drink up the blood, nor suffice for graves to the sin, Rev. xi. 13. xiv. 20. xix. 17, 18. Now, The day is none when God will bring every secret thing into judgment. Let the guilty tremble.

Isaiah 25:6-12

We have a key to open this Scripture, 1 Cor. xv. 54. and see therein some of the great and precious promises of life and immortality brought to light by the gospel.

1. Under the image of a royal laity, Matt. xxii. 1. a view is presented to us of the gospel-disjunction. The Lord of faith, the Lord Jesus, the great master of the feast in this mountain, the church of his redeemed, makes unto all people a feast, some of all nations will partake of it, Gentiles as well as Jews, and the invitation thereto is general, undefence will, let him come; there is here enough and to spare; for it is a feast of fat things, full of marrow, and of wines on the lees well refined, plenty, and of the best fort, is provided; there is nothing weaning that a soul hungring and thirling after righteousness can need; pardon, peace, grace, strength, confidation, glory; all are ready, and a more refreshing provision to the soul, than the best spread table to the famished; or than the strongest wines to the faint. Blessed and happy are they, who are called to this feast!

2. The Lord Jesus will also destroy in this mountain the glare of the covering cast over all people: as undefections led to execution with their faces covered, so had the sons of men by sin forfeited their lives to divine justice; or as the dead wrapped in grave cloaths, so were we dead in trespasses and sins, till Christ came to redeem us from going down to the pit, by paying the ransom for us, and to rescue us from the death of sin by his quickening spirit: and the will which is spread over all nations of gross darkness and spiritual ignorance, now dispelled before him the light of life, like the shadows of the might before the rising sun.

3. Even death itself shall be a vanquished foe. He will fondless up death in victory; not only by his own resurrection leading captivity captive, and quickening his people dead in trespasses and sins, but by the final destruction of death, when all the bodies that sleep in dust shall rise at the great day of Jesus’ appearing and glory, and especially those of his death he called to glory and honour, and mortality be thus swallowed up of life. Note, (1.) What joy and confidation doubt the faith of Jesus impart, that thus enables us to triumph over the king of terror, and cry, O death, where is thy frog? (2.) Whatever burdens this corruptible body feels now, we may well say they are light afflictions, but for a moment, and may patiently and cheerfully endure them, because their hope in the end of a glorious resurrection.

4. All grief and shame will then be done away. As a tender parent, our divine Lord shall dry up his children’s tears; no sins will then awaken their sorrows, or afflictions disturb their repose; no reproach blacken their character, or oppressor vex and grieve them, but everlasting joy be upon their heads; their beauty of holiness without spot, and clothed with glory, their enemies will behold them, and wonder and perish. How light then should every sorrow sit, how easy ought we to be under the malignant aforesions, or perverse unkindness of men, when we shall in a moment come to endless bliss, and shine as stars in the firmament for ever and ever!

5. Great will be the joy of the redeemed in that day. By faith and hope, they often triumphed here below; but the consummation of their bliss in glory they waited and devoutly wished for. And lo! glad tidings of great joy; He is come! he is come! this is our God, our Jesus, our salvation, our joy, eternity shall bear his praise, v. 9. Note, (1.) They who by faith wait in hope, shall not be disappointed. (2.) In glory all the praise will be ascribed to Jesus, and every crown be laid at his blessed feet.

6. The perpetuity of this blessedness is enforced by the Lord’s dwelling in the midst of his people. In this mountain his hand shall rest, his presence be ever manifested, his power engaged to

pretence 39. perferre them, and all his goodness to make them eternally happy.

7. The enemy shall be utterly destroyed. Much, the representative of all the foes of God’s church and people, spiritual and temporal, shall be trodden down, as mire in the fire, v. 10. As the swimmer spreads his hands, so will the Lord stretch forth his arm of vengeance, executing his judgment on the proud, and spoiling the spoiler, v. 11. All the fortresses of Monk shall fall, and their utter destruction be certain, sudden, and irrecoverable, v. 12. And thus shall all the Antichristian powers perish at hell, and Satan, Death, and Hell, be cast together into the burning lake, Rev. xix. 20. xx. 14, 15.