Isaiah 25:1

A PROLEPTIC SONG OF THE REDEEMED

This chapter is a prolepsis, that is, an anticipation of the rejoicing and praise of God which the redeemed of all ages will sing. However, the song of exultation contains other tremendously significant prophecies which seem to break into the song itself, as in Isaiah 25:6-12. The three paragraphs of the chapter are: praise of God for the great things he has done (Isaiah 25:1-5), the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and the prophecy of the end of death (Isaiah 25:6-8), and the ultimate triumph of God over all his enemies (Isaiah 25:9-12).

Isaiah 25:1-5

THE SONG

"O Jehovah, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things, even counsels of old in faithfulness and truth. For thou hast made of a city a heap, of a fortified city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built. Therefore shall a strong people glorify thee; a city of terrible nations shall fear thee. For thou hast been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. As the heat in a dry place wilt thou bring down the noise of strangers; as the heat by the shade of a cloud, the song of the terrible ones shall be brought low."

Peake has a perfect summary of these verses:

"The deliverance still lies in the future; the song is written from the standpoint of the redeemed community, and expresses its exultation over its salvation. God has overthrown the city; its inhabitants shall stand in awe of him. He has been a shelter to his distressed people when the blast of the violent has beaten on them like a winter storm. He has assuaged the oppression of the enemy, as the sun's scorching heat in a parched land is ameliorated by clouds."[1]

Rawlinson believed that the exultation expressed was made by Isaiah in his own person, and "not in the person of the Church,"[2] but we believe Peake's view is preferable.

"Counsels of old ..." (Isaiah 25:1). "The wonders for which God is praised were decreed in his counsels from all eternity; their accomplishment shows forth God's `faithfulness and truth.'"[3] Paul stressed this fact repeatedly. God's counsels were made "before the worlds" (1 Corinthians 2:8); they were "kept in silence through times eternal" (Romans 16:25); the mystery of salvation was hidden "for ages and generations" (Colossians 1:26), etc.

Isaiah 25:2 mentions "a city"; but this is not any particular city. The great cities that existed in Isaiah's day were Thebes (Egypt), Babylon, and Nineveh all three of which were destroyed within about a century after Isaiah's times; but no definite city is identified here. For ages, it has been understood that there is a connection here with "Mystery Babylon the Great" (Revelation 18), standing in the scripture as a symbol of the greedy and sinful cities of the world in all ages. A Methodist scholar, E. Stanley Jones, stated that, "A city is where greed is entrenched." Jamieson was sure, however, that "the city" is not Babylon, but "collectively stands for the cities of surrounding nations."[4]

God's making cities into "heaps" refers to the same event mentioned in Revelation 16:19, where it is related that "The cities of the Gentiles fell." "`Heaps' is a graphic picture of Babylon and Nineveh as they are this very day."[5] God's opposition to "the city" is a reference to God's hatred and ultimate destruction of the great urban cities of the earth, representing, as Leon Morris stated it, "The cities of civilization, the achievement of man's demon-driven pride; and they will collapse."[6]

"A city of terrible nations shall fear thee ..." (Isaiah 25:3). This shows that people of all nations, not Jews alone, will participate in the festivities of the Messianic banquet and joys of God's kingdom in Christ.

"The storm and the heat ..." (Isaiah 25:4-5). These are symbols that speak of God's enemies and of, "Their vain attempts to subdue the poor and the needy. In the end, they themselves will be subdued. In that day, only the Lord's people will be heard celebrating his mighty deeds."[7]

Peake pointed out that the word rendered "strangers" in Isaiah 25:2,5, should be read as "insolent."[8]