Isaiah 26

Victory; peace for those minds are on the Lord 1
Righteous vindicated, but wicked do not change 5
Wicked destroyed; resurrection of righteous 12
Righteous protected while wicked punished 20
Text
Comments
.1 ¶ In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
 2  Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.
.3  Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
 4  Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
   1 - That day When God comes to redeem his waiting ones. When His hand rests on the holy mountain is2509.
.5 ¶ For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.
.6  The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.
 7  The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.
 8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
.9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
.10  Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.
 11  LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.

  10 - Will not behold  [or "perceive"] the majesty of the Lord This equivalent to fearing God. The righteous sense His awesome majesty and power.
  11 - Fire of ... devour them That is, the fire that is reserved for them. This fire is not like the flame around ceramic logs in a gas fireplace re2010b-co.
An active volcano illustrates the devouring fire.
Image © Corel
.12 ¶ LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.
 13  O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
.14  They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory [or "remembrance of them"] to perish.
 15  Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth.
 16  LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.
.17  Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.
 18  We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
   13 - Other lords At this time in history, these would include Pharaoh who died in the Red Sea and the Assyrian king Sennacherib. The small letter L indicates a word different from the one usually used for the creator Lord.
   14 - They are dead Since these are bad "lords." Popular ideas would lead us to expect that they would be burning in hell. But such is not the case. They are destroyed — down, not to rise [at the coming of Christ with the "dead in Christ" 2th0415. We will not be troubled by remembering those who are destroyed at the end of the thousand years because they have chosen the way of evil.
   19a - Thy dead men shall live The Lord of heaven is speaking, as we see from the next verse. Just as the coming Messiah would be resurrected, so would be the faithful dead of Israel who were sleeping in the "dust." Jesus Christ is the one who calls the dead jn0528. He gives the call, "Awake" so He is speaking. This prophecy predicts the call of the Life giver in the resurrection at the coming of Christ.
.19b  Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
.20 ¶ Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
 21  For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
  19b - Arise I've heard it argued that this portrays the rapture as well as the resurrection. The context does not support this idea. They arise from the dust. The earth casts them out. We see the situation clearly in 2nd Thessalonians, linked above.
   20 - Come Beautiful promise for the time of trouble at the end of the world is3029. This will be after the close of probation when the final people of God are sealed. They will be protected from the blowing winds in the metaphor of Rev. 7 re0702a, zp0203. Also ps091.
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