PERFECT PEACE FROM THE LORD

Passage: Isaiah 26:1-27:1

Key verse: 26:3

NIV

A Song of Praise

26 In that day(A) this song will be sung(B) in the land of Judah:

We have a strong city;(C)
    God makes salvation
    its walls(D) and ramparts.(E)
2 Open the gates(F)
    that the righteous(G) nation may enter,
    the nation that keeps faith.
3 You will keep in perfect peace(H)
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust(I) in you.
4 Trust(J) in the Lord forever,(K)
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock(L) eternal.
5 He humbles those who dwell on high,
    he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground(M)
    and casts it down to the dust.(N)
6 Feet trample(O) it down—
    the feet of the oppressed,(P)
    the footsteps of the poor.(Q)

7 The path of the righteous is level;(R)
    you, the Upright One,(S) make the way of the righteous smooth.(T)
8 Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,[a](U)
    we wait(V) for you;
your name(W) and renown
    are the desire of our hearts.
9 My soul yearns for you in the night;(X)
    in the morning my spirit longs(Y) for you.
When your judgments(Z) come upon the earth,
    the people of the world learn righteousness.(AA)
10 But when grace is shown to the wicked,(AB)
    they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil(AC)
    and do not regard(AD) the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, your hand is lifted high,(AE)
    but they do not see(AF) it.
Let them see your zeal(AG) for your people and be put to shame;(AH)
    let the fire(AI) reserved for your enemies consume them.

12 Lord, you establish peace(AJ) for us;
    all that we have accomplished you have done(AK) for us.
13 Lord our God, other lords(AL) besides you have ruled over us,
    but your name(AM) alone do we honor.(AN)
14 They are now dead,(AO) they live no more;
    their spirits(AP) do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;(AQ)
    you wiped out all memory of them.(AR)
15 You have enlarged the nation, Lord;
    you have enlarged the nation.(AS)
You have gained glory for yourself;
    you have extended all the borders(AT) of the land.

16 Lord, they came to you in their distress;(AU)
    when you disciplined(AV) them,
    they could barely whisper(AW) a prayer.[b]
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth(AX)
    writhes and cries out in her pain,
    so were we in your presence, Lord.
18 We were with child, we writhed in labor,
    but we gave birth(AY) to wind.
We have not brought salvation(AZ) to the earth,
    and the people of the world have not come to life.(BA)

19 But your dead(BB) will live, Lord;
    their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dust(BC)
    wake up and shout for joy—
your dew(BD) is like the dew of the morning;
    the earth will give birth to her dead.(BE)

20 Go, my people, enter your rooms
    and shut the doors(BF) behind you;
hide(BG) yourselves for a little while
    until his wrath(BH) has passed by.(BI)
21 See, the Lord is coming(BJ) out of his dwelling(BK)
    to punish(BL) the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood(BM) shed on it;
    the earth will conceal its slain no longer.

Deliverance of Israel

27 In that day,(BN)

the Lord will punish with his sword(BO)—
    his fierce, great and powerful sword—
Leviathan(BP) the gliding serpent,(BQ)
    Leviathan the coiling serpent;
he will slay the monster(BR) of the sea.

Footnotes
  1. Isaiah 26:8 Or judgments
  2. Isaiah 26:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

You Keep Him in Perfect Peace

26 In that day (A)this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a strong city;
    he sets up (B)salvation
    as walls and bulwarks.
2 (C)Open the gates,
    that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.
3 (D)You keep him in perfect peace
    whose mind is stayed on you,
    because he trusts in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
    for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
5 (E)For he has humbled
    the inhabitants of the height,
    the lofty city.
He lays it low, lays it low to the ground,
    casts it to the dust.
6 The foot tramples it,
    the feet of (F)the poor,
    the steps of (G)the needy.”

7 The path of the righteous is level;
    (H)you make level the way of the righteous.
8 In the path of your judgments,
    O Lord, we wait for you;
(I)your name and (J)remembrance
    are the desire of our soul.
9 My soul yearns for you in the night;
    my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
(K)For when your judgments are in the earth,
    the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
10 (L)If favor is shown to the wicked,
    he does not learn righteousness;
in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly
    and does not see the majesty of the Lord.
11 O Lord, (M)your hand is lifted up,
    but (N)they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed.
    Let (O)the fire for your adversaries consume them.
12 O Lord, you will ordain (P)peace for us,
    for you have indeed done for us all our works.
13 O Lord our God,
    (Q)other lords besides you have ruled over us,
    (R)but your name alone we bring to remembrance.
14 They are dead, they will not live;
    they are shades, they will not arise;
to that end you have visited them with destruction
    and wiped out all remembrance of them.
15 (S)But you have increased the nation, O Lord,
    you have increased the nation; you are glorified;
    (T)you have enlarged all the borders of the land.

16 O Lord, (U)in distress they sought you;
    they poured out a whispered prayer
    when your discipline was upon them.
17 (V)Like a pregnant woman
    who writhes and cries out in her pangs
    when she is near to giving birth,
so were we because of you, O Lord;
18     (W)we were pregnant, we writhed,
    but we have given birth to wind.
We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth,
    and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.
19 (X)Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise.
    You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For (Y)your dew is a dew of light,
    and the earth will give birth to the dead.

20 Come, my people, enter your chambers,
    and shut your doors behind you;
hide yourselves (Z)for a little while
    until the fury has passed by.
21 (AA)For behold, the Lord is coming out from his place
    to punish the inhabitants of (AB)the earth for their iniquity,
and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it,
    and will no more cover its slain.

The Redemption of Israel

27 In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong (AC)sword will punish (AD)Leviathan the fleeing serpent, (AE)Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay (AF)the dragon that is in the sea.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

Isaiah compares God’s protection of his people to an impregnable city. God’s salvation is like strong walls and ramparts. Those who keep faith may enter into this “city” of protection and experience perfect peace regardless of human circumstances. What an encouraging promise from God in a world marked by sin and death! Isaiah exhorts his people to fix their minds steadfastly on God and to trust in the eternal LORD, our Rock. Will you turn to the LORD and receive the peace that only he can give?

God brings down the proud and lofty, but he also makes the way of the righteous smooth. The wicked do not repent even when God shows them his grace. But the LORD establishes peace for his people who seek him morning and evening (9) and who humbly acknowledge what God has done for them (12). God enlarges the community of his people and gains glory for himself. Greater still is the resurrection hope. Though physical death is a reality, the LORD will raise the dead who will awaken and shout for joy (19).

One day, the LORD will return to punish sin. Satan, represented by Leviathan the serpent, will be slain. God’s peace and justice will rule over all the earth.

Prayer: Father, thank you for your promise of perfect peace. Help me to fix my heart and mind on you and to trust you forever.

One Word: Trust in the LORD