“Yahweh, You are my God; I will exalt You. I will praise Your name, for You have accomplished wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness. For You have turned the city into a pile of rocks, a fortified city, into ruins; the fortress of barbarians is no longer a city; it will never be rebuilt. Therefore, a strong people will honor You. The cities of violent nations will fear You. For You have been a stronghold for the poor, a stronghold for the needy person in his distress, a refuge from the rain, a shade from the heat. When the breath of the violent is like rain against a wall, like heat in a dry land, You subdue the uproar of barbarians. As the shade of a cloud cools the heat of the day, so He silences the song of the violent. The Lord of Hosts will prepare a feast for all the peoples on this mountain — a feast of aged wine, choice meat, finely aged wine. On this mountain He will destroy the burial shroud, the shroud over all the peoples, the sheet covering all the nations; He will destroy death forever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face and remove His people’s disgrace from the whole earth, for the Lord has spoken. On that day it will be said, “Look, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.” For the Lord’s power will rest on this mountain. But Moab will be trampled in his place as straw is trampled in a dung pile. He will spread out his arms in the middle of it, as a swimmer spreads out his arms to swim. His pride will be brought low, along with the trickery of his hands.” (Isaiah 25:1-11 HCSB)
Sometimes it feels like life has been turned upside down. I’m sure all of you have had moments in life when everything seemed to just fall apart. Life was good, then suddenly everything flips and life seems to be falling apart. Everything gets turned upside down. I’ve had my share of those moments and I’m sure you have, too. Being a believer doesn’t make you immune to moments like that. In fact, it actually increases them. But it does give you someone to walk with you in those moments – the LORD God of all creation who loves you more than you’ve ever imagined.
Last week, we looked at Isaiah’s declaration of God’s judgment upon all of creation. As Isaiah stands in the shadow of God’s holy justice and worldwide judgment, he isn’t overwhelmed with sorrow or fear but is in awe of God’s mighty actions, His redemptive plan formed long ago and His perfect faithfulness. But this isn’t just any God, this is the LORD God who has made Himself known to us by telling us His name – Yahweh [YHWH]. There’s something intimate about a calling someone by their name.
When I was young, my mother worked very hard at making sure my brothers and I learned proper manners. We were taught to use “please” and “thank you”, “yes ma’am/sir” and “no ma’am/sir”, and to NEVER call an adult by their given name unless invited to. To be invited to call an adult by their given name only happened in special situations or circumstances where we knew them very, very well. My Sunday School teacher allowed us to call her by her first name, but always preceded by “Miss” or “Mrs”. It was just a matter of respect. In fact, to this day I still refer to certain individuals with their proper title. They’ve earned it and deserve it.
Imagine being given the privilege of knowing and using God’s personal name. God doesn’t call us to just know about Him, He invites us, longs for us to KNOW Him on a personal level. And Isaiah encourages us to let God’s holiness, His justice and His judgment to bring us to the place where we let His presence and power wash over us and we see Him and know Him the way Isaiah saw Him and knew Him. Initially, that may sound a bit odd. How can God’s justice and judgment bring us into intimate knowledge and relationship with Him? Actually, it is all right there in those initial words: “Yahweh, You are my God; I will exalt You. I will praise Your name, for You have accomplished wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.” (Isaiah 25:1 HCSB)
Isaiah calls God by His covenant name and declares his praise of God because of what God has accomplished. What has He accomplished? His wonderful redemption plan, formed in His mind before He spoke the universe into existence and being perfectly and faithfully fulfilled by His will. What is not immediately obvious in the English translation of this verse is the intent of the last phrase: “with perfect faithfulness.” It is faith squared, faith times faith or faithfully faithful. Our God, who invites us to know Him intimately, is to be praised because He is forever faithfully faithful in fulfilling His eternal work of redeeming sinful man.
But this is where things get turned on their heads. God turns the city into a pile of rocks, the fortified city into ruins. Because of this, a strong people will honor Him and the cities of violent nations will fear Him. This is the intended outcome of God’s judgment, the strong will bow down and honor Him and the people (or cities) of violent nations will fear Him. In other words, God is going to turn things upside down. His judgment has purpose and that purpose is to make us humble before Him and to seek Him and His salvation.
Notice the beautiful, poetic way in which Isaiah describes this: “You have been a stronghold for the poor, a stronghold for the needy person in his distress, a refuge from the rain (storm or flood), a shade from the heat. When the breath of the violent is like rain against a wall, like heat in a dry land, You subdue the uproar of the barbarians. As the shade of a cloud cools the heat of the day, so He silences the song of the violent.” In Oklahoma we might say, “when a tornado threatens to destroy everything, you’re my safe place.” Here’s what I know, I have faith because He’s eternally faithful.
“A fierce windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him up and said to Him, “Teacher! Don’t You care that we’re going to die? ” He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still! ” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Then He said to them, “Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith? ” And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (Mark 4:37-41 HCSB)
In reality, this is why God turns things in our lives upside down, too. He wants us to trust Him, to see Him as the One who stills the wind, calms the waves and causes us to step back in awe and wonder. But sometimes our pride keeps us from seeing Him because we’re so focused on ourselves. Sometimes our fear keeps us from trusting Him because it blinds us to His unparalleled power as we look for ways to save ourselves. First responders are those who are running in as everyone else is running out. They’re first on the scene when a call for assistance goes out. Don’t let God be your last resort, let Him be your first responder. Don’t wait until there’s nowhere else to go, go to Him first.
When those in need call out, God doesn’t bring leftovers – He prepares a feast of the best wine and the choicest meat (vs. 6). This is lot like David in Psalm 23, “you prepare a feasting table for me in the presence of my enemies.” But you also need to notice that God does this “for all the peoples on this mountain”. While God invites all people to come to His feast, it is on His mountain – Mount Zion – and on His terms. This is that stumbling block that Isaiah has described to us before and that Jesus references – the rock of offense, stone of stumbling (Is. 8:14, Ps 118:22, Mk 12:10, Matt 21:42, Lk 20:17, 1 Pet 2:8, Rom 9:33).
We often want the blessings and promises of God, but we want them on our terms. We want the riches He promises without the sacrifice He demands. Wait, what sacrifice? I thought Jesus did EVERYTHING and I don’t have to do anything. Jesus did do everything necessary to ensure our salvation and the only thing we bring is our sin. But we must be willing to bring our sin and sacrifice it to Him. We must be willing to die to self so that we can live in Him. “Then He [Jesus] said to them all, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23 HCSB) Honestly, you can’t read the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) and not be confronted by the sacrifice demanded to follow Jesus. You can’t pursue Him while pursuing life on your own terms.
Next, Isaiah tells us the reality of the LORD’s salvation is found not in this life, but in the next. This life is plagued by death but the life God promises is eternal. This passage is probably the clearest statement on the power of Jesus’ resurrection in all of the Old Testament. God’s salvation is the destruction of the burial shroud, the shroud or sheet that hangs over all the peoples, all the nations – He will destroy death forever! God will not only judge and destroy evil, He will destroy death and restore life as He intended for it to be – eternally rooted in Him. That is the essence of God’s judgment on the world that we considered last week. Our sin has so corrupted God’s good creation that God must destroy it and create a new heaven and a new earth. As a part of that, He will destroy death – FOREVER!
We live our lives shrouded in death. From the moment we are born we begin that unavoidable march towards death. We hope and pray for a long, happy, prosperous, and healthy journey but it always ends the same for each of us – this life ends and we stand accountable before our creator staring into eternity. It doesn’t matter how rich, powerful, and popular you are or how poor, weak and socially awkward you are – it ends in the unavoidable, inescapable cessation of physical life. This shroud hangs over every person and this sheet covers every nation (vs. 7). I know, it all sounds depressingly morbid but it is our reality. We live our lives in a desperate attempt to stave off the inevitable.
No, I’m not suggesting we adopt a nihilistic approach to life. Far from it. Life does have meaning, but only when we listen. Oh my people, hear and embrace Isaiah’s next words: “He will destroy death forever. The LORD God will wipe away the tears from every face and remove His people’s disgrace from the whole earth, for the LORD has spoken. On that day it will be said, ‘Look, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us!’” That’s where faith comes into play. We have waited for Him and He has saved us.
We want evidence! We demand proof! God, show yourself and remove our doubt!
When the religious leaders of Israel demanded evidence and proof from Jesus: “He answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (Matthew 12:39 HCSB) Jesus goes on to tell them that the sign of Jonah is that “the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days.” In other words, the evidence and proof of His power over death is His own resurrection. As Isaiah says, “On that day it will be said, ‘Look, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This IS the LORD, we have waited for Him. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation! (Emphasis added)”
But before we end, you need to hear the outcome for those who refuse to believe. It can be found in the closing verses of this chapter: “For the Lord’s power will rest on this mountain. But Moab will be trampled in his place (or: under Him) as straw is trampled in a dung pile. He will spread out his arms in the middle of it, as a swimmer spreads out his arms to swim. His pride will be brought low, along with the trickery of his hands. The high-walled fortress will be brought down, thrown to the ground, to the dust.” (Isaiah 25:10-12 HCSB)
Moab is the ancient enemy of Israel and represents all those who reject the LORD God of Israel and His salvation. The LORD’s power will come to rest in the heavenly city on this mountain, Mount Zion, and all those who reject Him will be trampled under Him, like straw trampled in a dung pile. They will spread out their arms in the middle of it, like a swimmer spreads out his arms to swim, but he will be unable to “swim out” and save himself. His pride will bring him down along with the things (literally, the spoils of his life) that he clings to.
That’s quite a graphic image, isn’t it? The dung or refuse pile is, quite literally, everything we take into our bodies (and by extension, our lives) that has no benefit or value for life and growth. Our body expels everything it cannot process and use for life, energy and growth. Isaiah’s image finds those who reject God and the salvation He brings desperately swimming in the refuse of their lives trying to survive, gasping for breath. They cling to their pride and the spoils or things they clung to in their lives but it drags them down and they are pressed under by God’s powerful judgment. They are literally drowning in their stuff or the refuse of their life, trying to swim but being unable to save themselves.
Last week, like Moses in Deuteronomy, I set before you life and death. I asked you to choose and I urged you to choose life and God’s blessings and to reject death and God’s eternal judgment. This week, I want you to clearly see the results of this choice. If you choose life, you will wait on the LORD and when you die and stand before Him then He will wipe away the tears from your face and He will give you life, eternal life. Life that is found only in Him, for He is the creator and the giver of life. He is the great I AM, the reason for being and the source of real life.
But without Him, you are just swimming in a dung pile of your own creation and, no matter how hard you try, you cannot save yourself. Your pride and the spoils of life pull you down, deeper and deeper into this dung pile of refuse – the things you think you need but that only drag you deeper into despair and death. However, if you’ll simply let go of those things and reach up, calling out in repentance and faith in Him then He will pull you out, wash you off, and give you a place of purpose and calling among His people.
You have to learn to live life upside down. What the world values, is empty and worthless. What the world has rejected, Jesus and a life of sacrificial loving and giving, is life’s real treasure. Won’t you join me, living life in the upside down…
Hilltop Baptist Church - Shawnee, OK 
Leave a comment