(Isaiah 26:1-21)
1 On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city;
He sets up walls and ramparts for security.
2 Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter,
The one that remains faithful.
3 The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace,
Because he trusts in You.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.
5 For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the unassailable city;
He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust.
6 The foot will trample it,
The feet of the poor, the steps of the helpless.”
7 The way of the righteous is smooth;
O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level.
8 Indeed, while following the way of Your judgments, Lord,
We have waited for You eagerly;
Your name, and remembering You, is the desire of our souls.
9 At night my soul longs for You,
Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently;
For when the earth experiences Your judgments,
The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
10 Though the wicked person is shown compassion,
He does not learn righteousness;
He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness,
And does not perceive the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, Your hand is lifted up, yet they do not see it.
They see Your zeal for the people and are put to shame;
Indeed, fire will devour Your enemies.
12 Lord, You will establish peace for us,
Since You have also performed for us all our works.
13 Lord, our God, other masters besides You have ruled us;
But through You alone we confess Your name.
14 The dead will not live, the departed spirits will not rise;
Therefore You have punished and destroyed them,
And You have eliminated all remembrance of them.
15 You have increased the nation, Lord,
You have increased the nation, You are glorified;
You have extended all the borders of the land.
16 Lord, they sought You in distress;
They could only whisper a prayer,
Your discipline was upon them.
17 As the pregnant woman approaches the time to give birth,
She writhes and cries out in her labor pains;
This is how we were before You, Lord.
18 We were pregnant, we writhed in labor,
We gave birth, as it seems, only to wind.
We could not accomplish deliverance for the earth,
Nor were inhabitants of the world born.
19 Your dead will live;
Their corpses will rise.
You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy,
For your dew is as the dew of the dawn,
And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.
20 Come, my people, enter your rooms
And close your doors behind you;
Hide for a little while
Until indignation runs its course.
21 For behold, the Lord is about to come out from His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their wrongdoing;
And the earth will reveal her bloodshed
And will no longer cover her slain.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
“We have a strong city;
He sets up walls and ramparts for security.
2 Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter,
The one that remains faithful.
3 The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace,
Because he trusts in You.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.
5 For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the unassailable city;
He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust.
6 The foot will trample it,
The feet of the poor, the steps of the helpless.”
7 The way of the righteous is smooth;
O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level.
8 Indeed, while following the way of Your judgments, Lord,
We have waited for You eagerly;
Your name, and remembering You, is the desire of our souls.
9 At night my soul longs for You,
Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently;
For when the earth experiences Your judgments,
The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
10 Though the wicked person is shown compassion,
He does not learn righteousness;
He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness,
And does not perceive the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, Your hand is lifted up, yet they do not see it.
They see Your zeal for the people and are put to shame;
Indeed, fire will devour Your enemies.
12 Lord, You will establish peace for us,
Since You have also performed for us all our works.
13 Lord, our God, other masters besides You have ruled us;
But through You alone we confess Your name.
14 The dead will not live, the departed spirits will not rise;
Therefore You have punished and destroyed them,
And You have eliminated all remembrance of them.
15 You have increased the nation, Lord,
You have increased the nation, You are glorified;
You have extended all the borders of the land.
16 Lord, they sought You in distress;
They could only whisper a prayer,
Your discipline was upon them.
17 As the pregnant woman approaches the time to give birth,
She writhes and cries out in her labor pains;
This is how we were before You, Lord.
18 We were pregnant, we writhed in labor,
We gave birth, as it seems, only to wind.
We could not accomplish deliverance for the earth,
Nor were inhabitants of the world born.
19 Your dead will live;
Their corpses will rise.
You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy,
For your dew is as the dew of the dawn,
And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.
20 Come, my people, enter your rooms
And close your doors behind you;
Hide for a little while
Until indignation runs its course.
21 For behold, the Lord is about to come out from His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their wrongdoing;
And the earth will reveal her bloodshed
And will no longer cover her slain.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Trying to please people can be a very bumpy and twisty path which will lead us astray, and even towards destruction, especially when their moral compass is not set on the Lord! Their ideas and directions are based on their own thinking and the desires of their flesh, which can change in an instant. With unbelievers, it's obvious that their worldviews are not only "all over the place", but they contradict themselves. Their beliefs will bend, shift and change based on whims, feelings and trying to please others who might be of use to them in some way. Or if they do hold on tight to some manmade religion, the path will be a very empty, bumpy descent.
We cannot rely on ourselves or others, because our knowledge is very limited, our power is very feeble, our influence is only temporary, our personal desires are extremely selfish, and our feelings are ever so fickle. As verse 18 says, we cannot save ourselves! Salvation is only possible in the Lord! So with that, as believers, we can then see the importance of having steadfast believers as our closest friends and allies, and most especially, as a spouse; because we can encourage each other to remain focused on the Lord!
Our most important relationship is with the Lord Jesus, who is sovereign, eternal, and unchanging! Our path with Him will be made smooth because His word is truth, and is always relevant, helpful and fulfilling! Living according to the Lord's desires, and living to please the Lord in His strength and wisdom will bring us peace. Because we have put our faith and trust in the Lord, and as we ask Him to work for us, in us and through us, the Lord does it FOR us and works things out for good!
Looking at verse 12 again, Jesus' requests are practical and "easy" because He wants to do everything for us. So Jesus is our protection and our eternal security. Jesus is not prejudiced because He desires that all come to know Him and trust in Him. The Lord Jesus loves and is even compassionate to the unbeliever, but will never force anyone to obey and love Him back. And when a person humbly chooses to embrace the Lord and trust in His will, it is Jesus who keeps us in perfect peace. He is our life, our joy, our glory, and our Rock, who doesn't shift, but is everlasting.
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