Scripture:
On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.
Isaiah 25:7-8
Observation: Again as Isaiah continues to discuss the future of Israel and Judah, he declares the future actions of the Messiah. On that very mountain of Jerusalem, the Lord will completely defeat death forever. This - the possibility of eternal darkness through death - is the despair of all nations. The Lord will eliminate that! He will wipe away the tears of those who weep, remove the disgrace of sin from all the people on all the earth, and destroy that shroud between himself and those who love him. This, again, is for ALL people ... four times he says this is for all people, all nations, all faces, on all the earth. And forever.
Application: If there is ever a thought that prophesy about Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem is just for the Jews, it is these verses about the Messiah that should correct those thoughts. God provides this message of hope for everyone. The Lord promises to defeat death, provide for an eternity where those who love him can be near to him and receive his love, and this is for everyone, everywhere, forever.
Jesus redeemed all of us. We weep at the thought of his pain, and sometimes at the thought of our failures. But the Lord wipes away those tears by his love, and restores us because he himself has swallowed up death forever. He removes our disgrace, and destroys the shroud.
The Lord has spoken.
Prayer: Lord, I praise you with my love and my singing and my prayer and my thoughts this day and every day. Thank you for your great grace and redemption. May I better follow you through deeds and words, as in my heart I truly believe in you as my father and my God, and in Jesus as my savior and Lord, and in your Holy Spirit as my guide and my strength. Amen.
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