PERFECT PEACE FROM THE LORD

Isaiah 26:1-27:1 / Keywords 26:3

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

 

26:1 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts. 2 Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith. 3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal. 5 He humbles those who dwell on high, he lays the lofty city low; he levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust. 6 Feet trample it down-- the feet of the oppressed, the footsteps of the poor. 7 The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth. 8 Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. 9 My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. 10 Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the LORD. 11 O LORD, your hand is lifted high, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame; let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them. 12 LORD, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us. 13 O LORD, our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone do we honour. 14 They are now dead, they live no more; those departed spirits do not rise. You punished them and brought them to ruin; you wiped out all memory of them. 15 You have enlarged the nation, O LORD; you have enlarged the nation. You have gained glory for yourself; you have extended all the borders of the land. 16 LORD, they came to you in their distress; when you disciplined them, they could barely whisper a prayer. 17 As a woman with child and about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain, so were we in your presence, O LORD. 18 We were with child, we writhed in pain, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth; we have not given birth to people of the world. 19 But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. 20 Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. 21 See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer. 27:1 In that day, the LORD will punish with his sword, his fierce, great and powerful sword, Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea.

 

1. Isaiah compares God’s protection of his people to an impregnable city. God’s salvation is like strong walls and ramparts. Those who keep faith may enter into this “city” of protection and experience perfect peace regardless of human circumstances. What an encouraging promise from God in a world marked by sin and death! Isaiah exhorts his people to fix their minds steadfastly on God and to trust in the eternal LORD, our Rock. Will you turn to the LORD and receive the peace that only he can give?

2. God brings down the proud and lofty, but he also makes the way of the righteous smooth. The wicked do not repent even when God shows them his grace. But the LORD establishes peace for his people who seek him morning and evening (9) and who humbly acknowledge what God has done for them (12). God enlarges the community of his people and gains glory for himself. Greater still is the resurrection hope. Though physical death is a reality, the LORD will raise the dead who will awaken and shout for joy (19).

3. One day, the LORD will return to punish sin. Satan, represented by Leviathan the serpent, will be slain. God’s peace and justice will rule over all the earth.

Prayer Father, thank you for your promise of perfect peace. Help me to fix my heart and mind on you and to trust you forever.

One Word Trust in the LORD