CHAPTER 26 Jun. 3 
God Gives Victory for His People
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. 2Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter: the one which keeps faith. 3You will keep whoever’s mind is steadfast in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. 4Trust in Yahweh forever; for in Yah, Yahweh, is an everlasting Rock. 5For 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. 6The foot shall tread it down; even the feet of the poor, and the footsteps of the needy. 7The way of the just is uprightness; You who are upright make the path of the righteous level. 8Yes, in the way of Your judgements, Yahweh, have we waited for You. Your name and Your renown are the desire of our soul. 9With 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. 10Let 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. 11Yahweh, 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. 12Yahweh, You will ordain peace for us, for You have also worked all our works for us. 13Yahweh our God, other lords besides You have had dominion over us, but by You only will we make mention of Your name. 14Their dead shall not live, their deceased shall not rise. Therefore have You visited and destroyed them, and caused all memory of them to perish. 15You have increased the nation, O Yahweh, You have increased the nation! You are glorified! You have enlarged all the borders of the land. 16Yahweh, in trouble they have come to You; they poured out a prayer when Your chastening was on them. 17Like 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. 18We 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. 19Your 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.
Judgement on the Earth
20Come, My people, enter into your rooms, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself for a little moment, until the indignation is past. 21For behold, Yahweh comes forth out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth also will disclose her blood, and will no longer cover her slain.

Commentary

26:1 In that day- See notes on 25:6,8,9. This day is the day of Christ’s return and the establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth.
26:10 This seems to be saying that it would be pointless to allow wicked people into God’s Kingdom because even there they would not wish to be righteous. If we wish above all things to be eternally righteous, then the Kingdom of God will be for us.
26:14 The Gentile nations not in saving covenant relationship with God will not be resurrected. Human beings have no inherent ‘immortal soul’; immortality is revealed only to God’s people (2 Tim. 1:10). Those who don’t know the Gospel will not be resurrected to judgment, nor will they be punished after death; they return to dust as the animals (Ps. 49:20). Knowledge is the basis of responsibility to God (Lk. 12:47,48).
26:20,21 These verses are speaking of the situation around the time of the resurrection at Christ’s return (:19). It seems God’s people will be somehow hidden from the effects of the final judgments which will come upon the earth, in the same way as the Israelites in Egypt were untouched by the plagues which came on the rest of their surrounding world.