JANUARY 10, 2023 A GREAT LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS #26 ISAIAH 25:1 – 12 GIMME SHELTER!
Praise to the Victorious God (Jeremiah 51:15-19)
O LORD, You are my God! I will exalt You; I will praise Your name. For You have worked wonders—plans formed long ago—in perfect faithfulness. Indeed, You have turned the city into a heap of rubble, the fortified town into a ruin. The fortress of strangers is a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.
Therefore, a strong people will honor You. The cities of ruthless nations will revere You. For You have been a refuge for the poor, a stronghold for the needy in distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like rain against a wall, like heat in a dry land. You subdue the uproar of foreigners. As the shade of a cloud cools the heat, so the song of the ruthless is silenced.
On this mountain the LORD of Hosts will prepare a banquet for all the peoples, a feast of aged wine, of choice meat, of finely aged wine. On this mountain He will swallow up the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; He will swallow up death forever. (He will swallow up death in victory; cited in 1 Corinthians 15:54)
The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face (Revelation 7:17 and Revelation 21:4) and remove the disgrace of His people from the whole earth. For the LORD has spoken. And in that day it will be said, “Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain. But Moab will be trampled in his place as straw is trodden into the dung pile. He will spread out his hands within it, as a swimmer spreads his arms to swim. His pride will be brought low, despite the skill of his hands. The high-walled fortress will be brought down, cast to the ground, into the dust.”
If the 24th chapter of Isaiah appears to offer little apart from gloom and doom, relief comes in Chapter 25. Isaiah praises God who alone can lift up nations or send them to destruction. God’s power is so great that even ruthless nations like the Assyrians will praise and honor Him. God is “a refuge for the poor, a stronghold for the needy in distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat.”
The description of the ruthless is timeless: For the breath of the ruthless is like rain against a wall, like heat in a dry land.” In countries where traditional architecture involves mud bricks, rainstorms can destroy un-plastered walls, either directly or indirectly. Rain can beat directly on the walls, or it can hit the ground, bouncing back up and eroding the lowermost part of the walls. Unless measures are taken to repair the walls and plaster them, these walls can collapse, injuring or killing anyone in the rooms the walls enclose. Further protection is available when the walls are sprayed with a rough cement coating that will help break up the surface tension of the raindrops as they strike the wall. The reference to heat in a dry land is also obvious. Heat in a dry area is unrelenting; no creatures can live without shade and water.
The rest of the chapter concerns the banquet that the Lord will spread for those who love Him from every nation. God is promising to swallow up death and to wipe away every tear from the eyes of those who love Him. These verses are later echoed in the New Testament by St. Paul and St. John; however, Isaiah said it first. What makes Isaiah’s prophecies so wonderful is that Isaiah never knew Jesus the Messiah. John was the disciple closest to Jesus and a first – hand witness to Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Paul knew people who had known Jesus, and Paul had a divine encounter with Jesus. But Isaiah only saw the Messiah in visions. As Isaiah was dying at the hands of wicked King Manasseh, did Isaiah see the Messiah inviting him to join the heavenly banquet?
The chapter ends with a description of the destruction of the nation of Moab. This destruction did take place, leaving very little in its wake. Once more, we are reminded that God is the One who brings nations to prominence and God is the One who reduces nations to nothing.
APPLICATION: There is an old hymn written by Vernon J. Charlesworth and later amended by Ira D. Sankey, song leader for D. L. Moody’s crusades. It’s called “A Shelter in the Time of Storm.” Here are the words. For an excellent recording, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oLkKQp94Qo .
- The Lord’s our Rock, in Him we hide,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
Secure whatever ill betide,
A Shelter in the time of storm.- Refrain:
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A weary land, a weary land;
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A Shelter in the time of storm.
- Refrain:
- A shade by day, defense by night,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
No fears alarm, no foes afright,
A Shelter in the time of storm. - The raging storms may round us beat,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
We’ll never leave our safe Retreat,
A Shelter in the time of storm. - O Rock divine, O Refuge dear,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
Be Thou our Helper ever near,
A Shelter in the time of storm.
Face it, all of us have storms in our lives. Aging, financial reverses, family squabbles, changes at work such as lay – offs, illnesses – the storms may hit without warning at any time. Where can we turn for help? Many of our friends and loved ones may be caught in similar situations, unable to help themselves. We need a Savior, not just to save us from our sins but also to save us from the results of cataclysmic events.
Isaiah 43:1 – 2 assures us: “But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
The important word in these verses is the word “through.” God does not promise to deliver us FROM our problems, but He does promise that we will go THROUGH them successfully. As we proceed into 2023, let us all remember that Jesus can be our shelter in the time of storm and that with Jesus helping us, we can go THROUGH any problem.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help everyone who reads these words to seek Your face and to make You their Rock, their Shelter, and their Savior. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
January 10, 2023 at 5:15 am
Good Words
but He does promise that We will get Through the problems!