Isaiah 26
Chuck Smith on Isaiah 26
Verse by verse, the C2000 series. Permission granted by The Word For Today.
Verses 1-4
Shall we turn to Isaiah chapter 26 as we begin our study this evening.
Now Isaiah 26:1-21 goes right along with Isaiah 25:1-12 because it declares,
In what day? In the day that the things are transpiring that he wrote about in chapter 25. And what are the things that he was writing about in chapter 25? What are the days that he was writing about? Verse Isaiah 26:8 , "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. 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" ( Isaiah 25:8-9 ). So it is the day that Jesus establishes His kingdom upon the earth. That day for which we've been praying when we pray, "Thy kingdom come" ( Matthew 6:10 ). So in that day when His kingdom is established.
this song will be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for the walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in. For thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength ( Isaiah 26:1-4 ):
Beautiful verses of scripture. I love that promise! "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee." In the New Testament Peter speaks about the peace that passes human understanding. The world cannot understand the peace that we have in Christ Jesus. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" ( John 14:27 ). And the effect of righteousness, the Bible says, is peace. There is one characteristic or quality that we as Christians should possess, and that is the peace of God in our hearts and lives.
Now in order to have the peace of God, it is first of all necessary to have peace with God and this is only possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. For the scripture said, "For He hath made peace through His blood" ( Colossians 1:20 ). He has made a basis for you to have peace with God by the shedding of His blood and thus the forgiveness of our sins. So that is first and basic that you experience peace with God. No longer rebelling against the law of God, but now seeking to submit to God's law. No longer running from God, but yielding to God. And you then have peace with God as you surrender and receive Jesus Christ.
But it is sad that there are many, many Christians who have peace with God that's been established through Jesus Christ, but they have never entered into that experience of knowing the peace of God as it keeps their hearts, their minds, their lives steadfast in Christ. So it is important that you have more than just peace with God; it is important that you experience the peace of God. Now this is a reference to the peace of God, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace." How can I know that perfect peace of God within my heart living in a world that's so filled with chaos, turmoil, strivings? How can I know that peace? "Whose mind is stayed on Thee." Now you can't really experience the peace of God as you're getting, looking constantly at the things of the world. You have to look away from the trials. You have to look away from the madness of this world and looking to Him. Keep your mind steadfast upon Him. How many times the Lord has to bring my mind back to Him. I start getting all upset. I can so excited, in turmoil. "Look what they're doing! They can't do that. I'm not..." The Lord says, "Hey, wait a minute. Who's running this thing?" "You are, Lord." "Then what are you all excited about?" "I don't know. Just like to get excited, I guess." But you learn to turn it. You bring the thoughts into captivity unto the obedience of Jesus Christ. And God so often will stop you. You start getting all disturbed over an issue. And God will stop you and say, "Hey, wait a minute. I'm on the throne. I'm in control." And as your mind is turned then towards Him, then the peace of Christ begins to fill your heart and fill your life. Oh, this is such a glorious experience, the peace of God. That perfect peace, that complete peace as my mind is stayed on Him. I just know He's going to take care. So many, many times the Lord reminds me that this is His church. Problems will come up. I begin to wonder, "Oh, what are we going to do about this? Oh maybe we ought to do this, maybe we ought to do that." And the Lord will speak to me and say, "Whose church is it?" "It's Your church, Lord." He said, "Then just leave it alone. Let me run it. It's My church. Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it." All right! How easy can it be to pastor His church. If I try to pastor my church I'd go absolutely wild. It would be impossible! But it's His church, and as long as I remember that, I'm in good shape. When I forget it, then I really start in a tailspin until the Lord reminds me, "Whose church is it?" And we need to remember that. "Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind..." It's His ministry. It's His work. "Whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusts in the Lord." And then the commandment, "Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord Jehovah is our everlasting strength."
For he brings 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 dust. The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy. The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just. Yea, 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. For with my soul have I desired 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 ( Isaiah 26:5-9 ).
Verses 5-9
So he begins to speak of the judgments of God. Now he looked forward to the Kingdom Age, the glorious day of the Lord. In that day the perfect peace that we will experience. But before that day of the Lord does come, there is coming a day of judgment, God's judgment upon the earth. And when God's judgments are upon the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. God is going to bring down in judgment those that dwell on high. And so he declares,
And this isn't a request. It's actually just saying, "If you show favor to the wicked."
In other words, people, it seems, do not really grow so much in good times as they do in bad times. It seems that when people are blessed, when a nation is blessed, that they forget God. They no longer call upon the Lord. But when hard times begin to come, then people are turning to the Lord. It's so easy to trust in your material prosperity. It's so easy to look at a nation that is strong and prosperous and say, "Well, look at what free enterprise has done for the United States!" And begin to attribute the blessings of God to certain attributes of our nation. Our nation is strong, our nation is powerful, our nation is great because God made it strong and powerful and great; not because we have some superior system to the rest of the world. It isn't a victory of democracy over a dictatorship. And we make a mistake when we look to the characteristics of free enterprise or other things and say, "Well, that's why our nation is strong." Now in the time of favor, in the time of blessing, the wicked really don't think about God. They don't turn to God. But it's in the time of adversity when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. So, "Let favor be showed to the wicked," that doesn't mean... that isn't a prayer. "Let favor be showed." Like that verse of scripture, "Spare the rod and spoil the child." My son thought that was a commandment. And when I started to use the rod, he said, "But the scripture says, 'Spare the rod and spoil the child.'" But that's a statement. If you spare the rod, you're going to spoil the child. It isn't something that... It's not a commandment, something you're supposed to do. It's a statement of what will happen if you spare the rod. And so here, this is just a statement. "If favor is showed to the wicked, he will not learn righteousness."
in the land of uprightness he will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD ( Isaiah 26:10 ).
Verse 10
He will fail to see the glory of God. He won't maintain righteousness.
LORD, when 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. LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us. O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name ( Isaiah 26:11-13 ).
Verses 11-13
Now this is Israel speaking to the Lord concerning God's dealing with Israel when God's judgment came in the land; He taught the people righteousness. In the time of their prosperity they forgot God. They turned their backs on God and they were devoured by their enemies. Now they are saying, "Lord, other lords beside Thee have had dominion over us." They had been ruled over by other nations; other forces had come in. "But by Thee only will we make mention of Thy name."
For these nations [that once ruled over us] are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish ( Isaiah 26:14 ).
Verse 14
That is, the nations that once lorded over Israel. Now there are some people who use this particular verse to teach the annihilation of the wicked, that God is going to ultimately just annihilate them all. There are other scriptures which would seem to indicate otherwise, especially those in the gospels, the references that Jesus Christ made to Gehenna.
Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth. LORD, in trouble have they visited thee; they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them ( Isaiah 26:15-16 ).
Verses 15-16
So in the time that God began to chasten them, they turned to God. They began to pray.
Like as a woman who is in travail, drawing near the time of the delivery of her child, and she cries out of her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD. We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen ( Isaiah 26:17-18 ).
Verses 17-18
Thy dead shall live, 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 her dead ( Isaiah 26:19 ).
Verses 19-21
Now this verse is difficult of understanding and that is why the translators have added some words which are written in the italics. But those words that are in italics are words that the translators have added in order to try to bring some understanding to this particular scripture. As God is responding and saying, "Thy dead," the translators have added men; "shall live," and they've added together with; "my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead."
Now when Jesus died upon the cross, He descended into hell. This is what the scriptures declare to us in Acts the second chapter. For the promise of God was given to Him, "Thou will not leave my soul in hell, neither will you allow the Holy One to see corruption" ( Psalms 16:10 ). When they asked Jesus for a sign, He said, "A wicked and an adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" ( Matthew 12:40 ).