As previously noted, Isaiah chapters 24 – 27 are known as the “Little Apocalypse of Judgment and Restoration”. Chapter 25 is headed “Praise to God; a song of praise for kingdom blessings”.
Verses 1 – 5.
A hymn of praise. The restored Jewish remnant praises the Lord for its deliverance from the Great Tribulation. Every city has been pulverised causing the surviving Gentiles to acknowledge Adonai’s power. He has been all that they had needed.
Verses 6 – 8.
The Lord’s feast on Mount Zion celebrating the destruction of death; a feast of fine spiritual delights. Adonai removes the covering of ignorance, the veil of blindness by Satan, that has shrouded all nations. He conquers death (by raising the Tribulation saints who had died). He abolishes sorrow. He removes the stigma from the Jewish people. He will swallow up death forever.
Verses 9 – 12.
A hymn of praise by the congregation. Israel’s enemies, of whom Moab is quoted as a representative will be shamefully trampled. In verse 11 Adonai is compared to a swimmer, spreading out His hands in judgment among the Moabites.
Chapter 25 verse 1.
“O Lord, You are my God. I will praise You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.”
The prophet here refers to the “wonderful things” which Adonai has done and only He can do. This is the praise of the people who have come through the Great Tribulation, and they have seen the long-held purposes and plans of Adonai be fulfilled, proving the absolute truth of His word. He has been everything that His people have needed.
Compare with these scriptures.
Exodus 15:2.
“The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”
Psalm 98:1.
“Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvellous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.”
Numbers 23:19.
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
Chapter 25 verse 2.
“For You have made a city a ruin, a fortified city a ruin, a palace of foreigners to be a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.”
The people responding to Adonai’s final judgment praise Him for His actions. No particular city is identified. Any proud city could be seen here but it is difficult to ignore the fate of Babylon.
Isaiah 21:9.
“… Babylon is fallen, is fallen! And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground.”
Jeremiah 51:37.
“Babylon shall become a heap, a dwelling place for jackals, an astonishment and a hissing, without an inhabitant.”
Every enemy city will have been pulverised, causing the Gentile survivors to acknowledge Adonai’s power.
Chapter 25 verse 3.
“Therefore the strong people will glorify You; the city of the terrible nations will fear You.”
The “terrible nations” are those addressed in chapters 13 – 23, where their judgment is described. The result of Adonai’s actions will be the absolute submission of the people who survive.
Compare these scriptures: –
Philippians 2:10,11.
“… at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Isaiah 24:15.
“Therefore glorify the Lord in the dawning light, the name of the Lord God of Israel in the coastlands of the sea.”
Revelation 11:13.
“… In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.”
When Messiah rules on earth, all the nations of the world will fear and glorify Him.
Chapter 25 verse 4.
“For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; for the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.”
In this song of praise, there is the acknowledgment that in all the troubles of His people, Adonai had been all that they needed. The repetition of the word “strength” and the use of the terms, “refuge” and “shade”, is like the listing of terms of protection in Psalm 91:1 – 3.
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.”
Similarly: –
Isaiah 4:6.
“And there will be a tabernacle of shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from the storm and rain.”
In this verse 4, the reference to the “poor” and “needy”, we see another indication of Adonai’s worthiness to be glorified in His upholding of the oppressed, “But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.”(Isaiah 11:4).
Chapter 25:5.
“You will reduce the noise of aliens, as heat in a dry place; as heat in the shadow of a cloud, the song of the terrible ones shall be diminished.”
As when a cloud blocks out the sun temporarily in a hot climate reducing the heat, so jubilation and noise from Israel’s enemies will be halted. This is the impact of the judgment on the “terrible ones” i.e., the nations whose fate is outlined in chapters 13 – 23.
Chapter 25:6.
“And in this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all people a feast of choice pieces, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of well-refined wines on the lees.”
This is a banquet for all the faithful remnant. It is apparent that “this mountain” will be Mount Zion. This seems likely to be symbolic of the Lord Yeshua’s coronation festival, inaugurating His reign on earth in the millennial kingdom. After the terror, gloom and judgment of the Tribulation comes this feast, which has both the finest food and wine, but also the fines spiritual delights with the fulfilment of the gospel.
Compare these scriptures: –
Isaiah 2:2.
“Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it.”
Isaiah 56:7.
“Even them (the Gentiles) I will bring to My holy mountain. And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
Daniel 7:14.
“Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.”
Chapter 25 verse 7.
“And He will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations.”
The reference to the “covering and the “veil” suggest a shroud and mourning. By the removal of these is indicated an end to sorrow and profound wretchedness. He removes the covering of ignorance upheld by the blindness imposed on humanity by Satan. This is the first blessing from the banquet on Mount Zion.
Chapter 25 verse 8.
“He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people he will take away from the earth; for the Lord has spoken.”
When we see the phrase “the Lord has spoken”, there can be no doubt that what has been described will happen. His promises are as sure as the eternal character of Adonai.
There are, not surprisingly, a number of scriptures which confirm the promise of Adonai to abolish death.
1 Corinthians 15:26.
“The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.”
Hosea 13:14,
“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction… “
Revelation 20:14.
“Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire …”
Sorrow will also disappear along with death.
Revelation 21:4.
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
And there will be an end to anti-Semitism: “the rebuke of His people He will take away from the earth”.
Israel will be the head of the nations.
Deuteronomy 28:13.
“And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not beneath … “
Chapter 25 verse 9.
“And it shall be said in that day; “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we shall be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”
It is interesting to note here the change of phrase from “my God” to “our God”. The faithful remnant recognises its unity in the Lord and will sing a song of praise together being exceedingly glad.
They have “waited for Him”. To wait for Adonai entails an ultimate trust in Him; never becoming impatient when His timetable for final salvation differs from our expectations.
To “wait” on the Lord entails an ultimate trust in Him and active hope in the Lord. It does not imply passivity.
Titus 2:12,13.
“… we should live soberly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
Chapter 25 verse 10.
“For on this mountain the hand of the Lord will rest, and Moab shall be trampled down under Him, as straw is trampled down for the refuse heap”
Moab is used here to represent the rest of the nations, particularly Israel’s fiercest enemies. Elsewhere Edom is referred to in a similar manner.
Moab, however, was particularly judged for its pride and arrogance.
Isaiah 16:6.
“We have heard of the pride of Moab – He is very proud – of his haughtiness and his pride and his wrath …”
Isaiah 16:14.
“… the glory of Moab will be despised with all that great multitude, and the remnant will be very small and feeble.”
There are similar descriptions in Jeremiah Chapter 48 and Ezekiel Chapter 25.
Moab is to be “trampled down for the refuse heap” (water mixed with animal dung).
Zephaniah 2:9.
“Therefore as I live”, says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “surely Moab shall be like Sodom, and the people of Ammon like Gomorrah – overrun with weeds and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation. The residue of My people shall plunder them, and a remnant of My people shall possess them.”
Isaiah 25: 11,12.
“And He will spread out His hands in their midst as a swimmer reaches out to swim, and He will bring down their pride together with the trickery of their hands. The fortress of the high fort of your walls He will bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, down to the dust.”
Adonai is compared to a swimmer spreading out His hands in judgment in the midst of Moab. This is the judgment they have brought on themselves because of their pride and deceitfulness.
The cities of Moab had high, fortified and elevated walls. But nothing can withstand the wrath of Adonai.