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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Isaiah 26:1 - 26:10
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The Church's Song of Praise
v. 1. In that day, at the time of the final deliverance of the ransomed of God, shall this song be sung in the land of Judah, by the believers who have been preserved by the power of the Lord: We have a strong city, namely, the city of God, Psa_46:4, His holy Church; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks, His redemption is established as a strong wall of exterior and interior defense, so that no enemy is able to penetrate inside and take away the blessings of the redeemed.
v. 2. Open ye the gates, so the cry sounds down from the heavenly host, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth, which was faithful to the Lord and His Word to the end, may enter in. All those who keep the covenant of faith are welcomed in the heavenly mansions.
v. 3. Thou, namely, Jehovah, wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, the peace of God which passeth all understanding resting upon all those who belong to the spiritual Israel and cling to Him in true faith, because he trusteth in Thee; and the Lord rewards such trust with a double measure of peace.
v. 4. Trust ye in the Lord forever, thus the chorus from heaven once more admonishes; for in the Lord JEHOVAH, the God of salvation, is everlasting strength, He is the Rock of Ages, whose strength overcomes all enemies;
v. 5. for He bringeth down them that dwell on high, casting down even the world-powers which presume to oppose Him; the lofty city, representing the wickedness of the unbelievers everywhere, He layeth it low, as shown in chapter 21; He layeth it low, even to the ground; He bringeth it even to the dust, 25:12.
v. 6. The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy, the very ones who formerly were trodden down by the tyrants of this world.
v. 7. The way of the just is uprightness, that being the basis of his entire conduct; Thou, Most Upright, namely, God, dost weigh the path of the just, literally, "dost roll his path," thereby making it possible for him to conduct himself uprightly. Thus all glory for the believer's life of sanctification is given to God alone.
v. 8. Yea, in the way of Thy judgments, so the new strophe of the hymn begins, O Lord, have we waited for Thee, expecting Him to give proof of His justice over against all enemies; the desire of our soul is to Thy name and to the remembrance of Thee, namely, that He would reveal Himself in a deed which would cause men to call Him by His right name and to spread the right knowledge of Him. So deeply does this matter affect the prophet that he continues his hymn in the name of every individual believer.
v. 9. With my soul have I desired Thee in the night, in the time of affliction, which deprived him of rest; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek Thee early, confident that the morning would bring a happy deliverance; for when Thy judgments are in the earth, His punishments being intended to call sinners to repentance, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness, that conduct which is in agreement with the Word of God, the life of sanctification. Only the enemies of God, by a deliberate rejection of His grace, are excluded from this course.
v. 10. Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness, a righteous, God-pleasing conduct; in the land of uprightness, where everything is done in harmony with the will of God, will he deal unjustly, being in no way in sympathy with the ideals of the just and good, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord, namely, in consequence of his willful rejection of God's grace, on account of the perversity of his mind, which despises the goodness of God. If a man is lost, he has only himself to blame.