Deeper Commentary
Isaiah 26:1 In that day this song will be sung
in the land of Judah: We have a strong city. God appoints salvation for
walls and defences- The day in view is the time after the projected
judgments on the entire eretz in Is. 24 which have left most
dead, but the repentant remnants of the Gentiles and Jews will have come
to Zion for salvation. The restored Kingdom of God is likewise described
in Revelation in terms of a city, the new Zion with walls and defences
which are not so much literal as spiritual. The Jews are condemned in the
prophets for trusting in the physical defences of Jerusalem; Yahweh's
salvation will then be perceived as their defence and strength. The
physical "walls and defences" will have been destroyed, as they were by
the Babylonians (s.w. Lam. 2:8)- so that they might now trust in Yahweh's
salvation. This could have happened at the restoration; but the walls were
rebuilt in human strength and without this faith in Yahweh. The final
fulfilment therefore will be in latter day faith in Jesus, 'Yah's
salvation'.
Isaiah 26:2 Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter: the one
which keeps faith- The idea is that although the physical walls and
defences are destroyed (see on :1), the gates of salvation of the city
will open to the returning exiles, who are described as "righteous...
[keeping] faith"; see on :7. The exiles would only be described like that
because their faith had led to righteousness being imputed to them (Is.
60:21) through the work of the suffering servant (Is. 53:11), "the
righteous branch" (Jer. 23:5). The gates are opened by the same Messianic
figure who opens and nobody shuts (see on Is. 22:22 for a possible primary
application in Eliakim). "Keeps faith" is literally "keeps truth" and may
be a reference to how they have held on to their faith in the covenant
based upon the promises to Abraham, which imply this imputed
righteousness.
Isaiah 26:3 You will keep whoever’s mind is steadfast in perfect peace,
because he trusts in You- The LXX understands this to be a
description of the "righteous nation" of :2. They are saved from their
traumas by the state of their mind. And Yahweh will respond to this
through the work of His Spirit on the human spirit, to keep their mind in
perfect peace. This is the peace which comes from knowing sin is forgiven.
"Mind" here is literally 'imagination'. We must ask what are our
fantasies, our hopes, according to which we live, think and feel day by
day. If they are above all for the Kingdom, then we will be 'kept' in
this. "Steadfast" is literally to lean, and in Isaiah's immediate context
this was in contrast to leaning upon Egypt for salvation (s.w. Is. 36:6).
The great salvation of the restored Kingdom could have come apart at that
time, but it was precluded by a lack of real faith and focus on the
Kingdom in the majority of Israel.
Isaiah 26:4 Trust in Yahweh forever; for in Yah, Yahweh, is an everlasting
Rock- The "eternal / forever age" of the Kingdom of peace could have come at
that time, with the Messianic son of Isaiah as the father of that eternal
age (see on Is. 9:6). But it didn't. An eternal Messianic kingdom could
then have been established; here, Judah were urged to repent and believe
/ trust in order to allow it to
happen. And the same potential was there for the exiles who
returned from Babylon (Is. 45:17; 65:18). And the "father" of that could
have been a Messianic figure who arose in Jerusalem. But they preferred to
look to Egypt as their rock (see on :3). But these potentials
have been reapplied and rescheduled to the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus to be
established in Zion in the last days.
Isaiah 26:5 For He has brought down those who dwell on high, the lofty
city. He lays it low, He lays it low even to the ground, He brings it even
to the dust- This refers to the city dominating Jerusalem; it had
short term reference to Nineveh (Assyria) and Babylon. The Jews in Zion
surrounded by the Assyrians were to imagine Nineveh as already ruined, and
downtrodden by themselves (:6). This was the significance of Nahum's
prophecy of the destruction of Nineveh, and Isaiah's earlier prophecies of
the fall of Babylon. The language here and in :6 repeats the grand
prophetic theme with which Isaiah began his prophecies- that the purpose
of judgment is to bring down human pride and to exalt the humble.
Isaiah 26:6 The foot shall tread it down; even the feet of the poor, and
the footsteps of the needy- See on :5. As Zion had been trodden down
by Babylon and others (s.w. Is. 16:4; Dan. 8:10), so the righteous remnant
would tread down Babylon and the nations (s.w. Mic. 5:8). It was the poor
and needy who were trodden down by the Jewish leadership; and they finally
were to be exalted.
Isaiah 26:7 The way of the just is uprightness; You who are upright make
the path of the righteous level- LXX "The way of the godly is made straight: the way
of the godly is also prepared". This is the language of Is. 40. The way
was open for the exiles to return as righteous, justified by faith, to a
restored Zion; and if they made that journey, Zion's gates were open to
them (see on :2). That way was potentially prepared at the restoration,
but the exiles chose to remain in Babylon and Assyria, and those who did
return did so without accepting the call to repentance which is part of
the making straight of the path to Zion. But it was all potentially
prepared. It is for us now to walk in that path likewise to Zion. In the
future it seems there may be literal highways prepared leading to Zion for
the repentant remnants of the nations (see on Is. 11:16; 19:23;
35:8; 62:10; Jer. 31:21).
Isaiah 26:8 Yes, in the way of Your judgement, Yahweh, have we waited for
You. Your name and Your renown are the desire of our soul- The
faithful live now according to the principles which will be openly
articulated at judgment day; hence LXX "For the way of the Lord is judgment". In the final glory of salvation revealed upon Zion,
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Isaiah 26:9 With my soul have I desired You in the night. Yes, with my
spirit within me will I seek You earnestly; for when Your judgements are
in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness-
Isaiah personally is speaking here. As noted on :8, Isaiah and his family
were the parade examples of waiting for the Lord. Continually we see the
importance of spiritual mindedness, where the imagination of our innermost
heart is set; see on :3.
The Kingdom, 99.99% of our future, will be purely spiritual, and therefore the Hope of the Kingdom must be the center of our present existence. Isaiah realized this when he said that the total devotion of the righteous now is because ultimately, devotion to God's ways will be what eternity is all about. We must come to appreciate this; that in real terms, the Lord can't be only part of our lives. And as we do, He will become, quite artlessly and naturally, the master passion of our souls.
God's judgments lead to the nations learning righteousness, or 'being taught righteousness'. The practical outcome of that judgment will be that therefore they will beat their swords into plough shares; and devote themselves to learning of God (Is. 2:2-4) rather than of war. His judgments are always ultimately creative in spiritual terms. But the LXX sees this as an appeal to the nations: "for thy commandments are a light on the earth: learn righteousness, ye that dwell upon the earth".
Isaiah 26:10 Let grace be shown to the wicked, yet he will not learn
righteousness; in the land of uprightness he will deal wrongfully, and
will not perceive Yahweh’s majesty- LXX offers: "For the ungodly one
is put down: no one who will not learn righteousness on the earth, shall
be able to do the truth: let the ungodly be taken away, that he see not
the glory of the Lord".
To know God is to love Him, and to want to be like Him; there is something compulsive and magnetic about who He is. The knowledge of God elicits quite naturally a merciful spirit (Hos. 6:6). To “learn righteousness” is the result of beholding [after the pattern of Moses] the majesty of the Name (Is. 26:10). And so Is. 46:5-9 appeals for Israel to repent simply because God really is God; they were to “remember this” that they already knew, and “bring it again to mind” that God is really the great eternal, and His Name is as it is. And they that know His Name will put their trust in Him, day by day, as we cough and hack our way through these few years towards His eternal Kingdom.
To commit violence to others' persons is to live a lie (Hos. 12:1).
Truth is not therefore merely a set of doctrines; it refers to an obedient
life. The LXX uses the phrase 'to do truth', which John uses, in passages
like 2 Chron. 31:20 (about Hezekiah's obedience to commandments), or in
Gen. 47:29; Is. 26:10 to describe simply doing and living what is right.
The fact truth must be done indicates it is not merely
correct academic interpretation of doctrine.
Isaiah 26:11 Yahweh, Your hand is lifted up, yet they don’t see; but they
will see Your zeal for the people, and be disappointed; yes, fire will
consume Your adversaries- The idea is that they don't see / know it
when they could, so they will see / know it too late, in the day of
condemnation. Yahweh's lifted up hand could refer to His offer of a new
covenant, by grace (:10; Dt. 32:40) which was also offered to the Gentiles
at the restoration (Is. 49:22), and His offer of the Kingdom (Ez. 20:6,28;
Neh. 9:15 s.w.). This uplifted hand of Yahweh in offering covenant
relationship was seen but not seen; only too late will it be perceived.
The Lord Jesus died with uplifted hands, beckoning all men to accept the
new covenant offered; but it is seen but not seen.
Isaiah 26:12 Yahweh, You will ordain peace for us, for You have also
worked all our works for us- This is a significant statement of
humility. For trust in human works is the epitome of pride. Idols are so
often called the work of men's' hands, and this is the abiding idolatry of
our age. Only a complete trust in Yahweh's peace which comes by grace will
empower us to never trust our own works. And we will realize that any
works we do are His working through us. But "the works" in view here are
of salvation and the gift of eternal peace.
Isaiah 26:13 Yahweh our God, other lords besides You have had dominion
over us, but by You only will we make mention of Your name- This
could be read as a statement and admission of their historical submission
to other gods. Or it could mean that despite the remnant's domination by
others, the remnant had refused to accept their gods but had retained
Yahweh as "our God" and unlike the majority of God's people, they had only
made mention of Yahweh's Name.
Isaiah 26:14 Their dead shall not live, their deceased shall not rise.
Therefore have You visited and destroyed them, and caused all memory of
them to perish- "Deceased" is the word used in Is. 14:9 of the dead
people of the nations within the eretz. The context is their
praising the God who has resurrected the faithful dead (Is. 25:7,8). At
that glorious day it will be so apparent that Yahweh alone is the God of
life and resurrection. "Memory" is the word just used in :8 of how God's
Name has been the memory or "renown" of the faithful. And likewise they
abide in His memory. The perishing of their memory may refer to the memory
of God, as well as their being left without any human memorial on the
earth.
Isaiah 26:15 You have increased the nation, O Yahweh, You have increased
the nation! You are glorified! You have enlarged all the borders of the
land- As explained on Is. 24:1, this section of Isaiah envisages
supernatural Divine judgments upon the entire eretz promised to
Abraham; and then the repentant remnants of the Gentile nations there
would join with those of God's people in a reestablished Kingdom of God
based in Zion. God's nation would no longer live just in the coastal strip
of that eretz; rather the nation would be enlarged to its
original borders, so that Yahweh's multiethnic people were to live in the
entire eretz.
Earlier, God had redefined the boundaries of the land in accordance to what
Israel had the strength to subdue; He made account for their weakness.
Thus Ephraim were given some cities within the inheritance of Manasseh
(Josh. 16:9), presumably because Manasseh wouldn’t drive out the tribes
living there. And the Lord seems to have alluded to this by saying that
we will be given cities, the number of which depends upon our
zeal to possess them. God had clearly promised: “Your God, he shall expel
them from before you… and ye shall possess their land, as the Lord
your God hath promised unto you” (Josh. 23:5). But this promise was
conditional upon them making the effort, even though that condition is not
specifically mentioned. Ultimately, God will “enlarge all the borders of
the land” because Israel will finally rise up to the spiritual ambition He
desires of them.
Isaiah 26:16 Yahweh, in trouble they have come to You; they poured out a
prayer when Your chastening was on them- The terrible judgments upon
the eretz of Is. 24 are this "trouble" which brought a remnant of
the Gentiles, as well as of God's people, to pray to Him and come to Him;
"trouble" is the same word used in Is. 25:4 of how the remnants find
refuge from "trouble" in Zion alone. The time of Jacob's trouble which
will lead them back to Him is going to be experienced by all the nations
around them. This could have come true at the time of the Assyrians, but
only a minority poured out their prayers; and these resulted in the
destruction of Jerusalem being averted, but the Kingdom was still not then
reestablished because the remnant was so tiny. Nehemiah grasped the spirit
of all this when he pours out a prayer to God in response to all the
"trouble" of the Babylonian invasion (Neh. 9:27,32). But again, the
majority of Judah didn't have that spirit. And so these things are
reapplied to the holocaust to come upon the eretz in the last
days.
The LXX applies this to Isaiah personally; see on :8,9 : "Lord, in affliction I remembered thee; thy chastening was to us with small affliction". The last phrase was perhaps perceived by Ezra when he acknowledged that the sufferings in Babylon had been less than their iniquities deserved.
Isaiah 26:17 Like as a woman with child who draws near the time of her
delivery and is in pain and cries out in her pangs; so we have been before
You, Yahweh- Again we see the creative power and intention in all the
judgments. They were to bring forth new life. This was "before You", in
the sense that all the travail was under His control and direction, and
the fruit brought forth was "to Him". The "we" may refer to Isaiah and his
family; see on :18.
Isaiah 26:18 We have been with child, we have been in pain, we gave birth,
it seems, only to wind. We have not worked any deliverance in the earth;
neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen- In Isaiah's
immediate context, the application would have been to the sense that the
remnant had come to the birth but there was not strength to bring forth
(Is. 37:3); apart from a few individuals, there was no bringing forth of a
significant repentant remnant who would be the basis for the restored
Kingdom. It felt like they were still under the curse of bringing forth in
pain but in vain. Isaiah and his personal family may also be in view here
(see on :8,9,16). They perhaps felt that the child of sign born had not in
fact been the signal that Judah's sufferings were over, and didn't come to
be the expected Messianic seed (see on Is. 8:1,18; 9:6). Isaiah has used
the same words of his own personal travail in pain in his ministry (Is.
21:3). Judah generally were to conceive in vain due to their impenitence
(Is. 33:11; 59:4); and so did Hezekiah, in that he and his children turned
away from true faith (Is. 39:7). The pain in vain at the time of the
Assyrian invasion led to Micah offering a reworked version of all this;
they were to be in pain at the hands of the Babylonians, but would bring
forth in Babylon in that they would there repent, and the spiritually
reborn remnant would emerge and their captors therefore judged (Mic.
4:10). But that possibility also didn't work out. And so this idea
of bringing forth but not in vain, but rather finding meaning in the
resurrection of Messiah and all in Him, came to be reapplied to the birth
of the Lord Jesus from the grave in resurrection; and it would
characterize the establishment of the Kingdom age in Zion (Is. 65:24).
The LXX however changes the sense entirely, as if the righteous remnant have brought forth in pain but not in vain, in that their tribulation has achieved spiritual rebirth: " We have conceived, O Lord, because of thy fear, and have been in pain, and have brought forth the breath of thy salvation, which we have wrought upon the earth: we shall not fall, but all that dwell upon the land shall fall".
Isaiah 26:19 Your dead shall live; my dead body also shall arise. Awake
and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of
herbs, and the earth will cast forth her dead- "My dead body"
suggests Isaiah and his personal family may also be in view here (see on
:8,9,16,19). He sees himself as representative of the remnant which will
eventually be resurrected; his resurrection is paralleled with theirs.
"Cast forth" is the language of child birth; all the pain of travail at
the hands of the invaders (:17,18) would come to term in resurrection from
the dead of those who perished in the eretz under their
domination. There are similar teachings in Revelation. The idea is that
dew would descend upon their graves and cause new life to come forth from
the grave; and this is the picture of the Messianic Kingdom in 2 Sam.
23:4; Ps. 110:3. But it would come about because of their faith and
endurance. However LXX has "but the land of the ungodly shall perish".
Isaiah 26:20 Come, My people, enter into your rooms, and shut your doors
behind you. Hide yourself for a little moment, until the indignation is
past-
Isaiah 26:21 For behold, Yahweh comes forth out of His place- This is
the coming forth of the bride in response to Judah's repentance (Joel
2:16). This didn't happen, and so it comes to be reapplied to the
emergence of the Lord Jesus in the last days. "His place" may refer to
Zion rather than Heaven, in that He returns to Zion. However the similar
language in Mic. 1:3 seems to have Heaven in view. The Lord's visible
return from Heaven to earth would fulfill this.
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth also will disclose her blood, and will no longer cover her slain- The blood of the faithful who would now be resurrected (:19) was not only shed by the Gentiles; but also by Manasseh and other Jewish leaders (Is. 1:27). The earth would disclose that blood in the sense that vengeance will now be taken for it (as in Gen. 4:10). This didn't happen at the time, but is the time when the blood under the altar calls for judgment in the last days at the Lord's return (Rev. 6:9,10). If they are to be punished at this final judgment, then they will be resurrected to this judgment. The final destruction of all those left alive in the eretz along with this large class of people will take place whilst the faithful resurrected ones are somehow screened from it (:20); for they like God will have no pleasure in seeing the death of the wicked.
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