March 22 - Praise the Lord

March 22 - Praise the Lord - Isaiah 25:1-26:21

Do you ever wish you had words that were profound enough to lift your praises to the Lord? After the destruction of the earth is prophesied, Isaiah found those words. This is as beautiful as any of David's Psalms. He begins by affirming that the Lord's plans have been in process since long ago and describes the power of the Lord. (Isaiah 25:1-5)

The great banquet that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 22:1-14 is told of by Isaiah in this chapter and verse 8 is quoted twice in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 15:54 and Revelations 21:4). (Isaiah 25:6-8)

God's people will cry out with praises while His enemies will be ground to dust. (Isaiah 25:9-12)

The great Song of Praise will be sung in Judah. The redeemed will sing this when the Messiah's Kingdom comes into existence. Can you imagine standing in the new Jerusalem ... the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple and give off so much light that there is no need for sun nor moon. (Revelation 21:22)

There is so much within the verses of Isaiah 26 and there is no way that I have the time to lift each point up ... maybe someday I will just take these two chapters apart verse by verse, but for now ... take your time to read through this and allow your memory to lead you through scriptures all through the Bible. God's Word threads from Genesis to Revelation.

Go on through this passage in Isaiah 26:1-5 and compare it to the verses in Revelation 21:22-26. The gates will be ever open and the nations will walk in the light of the city! Oh, how I love God's Word. He consistently draws things together and shows us over and over how He was working through His prophets and then the New Testament disciples to give us a cohesive, living Word!

The Lord is the rock eternal! Deuteronomy 32:3-4 proclaims that.

Righteousness and Peace are the watchwords of this Song of Praise. What does Psalm 85:10 say? Psalm 85 is a psalm of prophecy, but the words in that verse are gorgeous, "...righteousness and peace kiss each other." These two will come to us - together.

The path of the righteous is level ... but it is by walking in the way of His laws ... or by following the Word of God that we find ourselves walking on that level path. Why did John the Baptist come? He was sent to prepare the way of the Messiah ... to make straight the paths (Mark 1:2-3).

God wants His world to learn righteousness. He has done everything He can to draw His people, but the world just doesn't learn. (Isaiah 26:9-11)

Paul also uses the imagery of the woman laboring in birth in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3. The day of the Lord will come swiftly and will bring great pain. (Isaiah 26:12-18)

The final words of this song promise safety for the people of the Lord. He will protect them as He punishes the sinful. (Isaiah 26:19-21)

Much of this imagery is similar to that given to John in the Revelation. God's Word is exciting!