| God wants us to put on the garment of praise and deck ourselves with the ornament of righteousness. We praise him for our redemption by the blood of Jesus who has now made us kings and priests. This chapter informs us that the enemies of Israel will lick the dust. God is our refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat when the storms of life approach. No weapon that is formed against God’s people shall prevail. This chapter promises that death will be swallowed up in victory and tears will disappear. The prophet forecasts that the long awaited messiah will come. This chapter is waiting for you to digest. |
1O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
We should celebrate and extol our God for the wonderful miracle wonders that he has preformed. So certain and sure are his plans of old—plans formed long ago.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT MAKE THE CASE:
Isa 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. Read: Rev 5:9-14; Isa 46:10
2For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.
Palaces now being lived in by animals—defenced citys turned into a pile of rubble—BIG CITY is now a non-city never to be rebuilt or lived in again.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT ILLUMINATE THE TEXT:
Isa 14:23 I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts. Read: Deu 13:16; Rev 18:2
3Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.
Fierce and barbarous people will fear and revere thee while strong people will be glorifying thee.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT INDORSE THE TEXT:
Isa 49:23-26 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
4For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
Our God has been a shelter from the storms and a shade from the heat in troublous times. Our God takes care of the poor and provides a warm and dry place for them.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT LEND EVIDENCE TO THE TEXT:
Psa 35:10 All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?
Psa 72:4 He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
Jas 2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
5Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.
God is going to silence the noise of strangers like a driving rain that melts down a wall made of mud. He will silence their shouts of victory and quell the songs of the proud and cruel. Their branches will be bent over till they touch the earth. God is going to shut-em-up!
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT DEMONSTRATE THE TEXT:
Isa 13:11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible
Isa 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
6And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
God is going to throw a feast—gourmet desserts—a seven course dinner of rich food—with goblets filled with wine.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT AUTHENTICATE THE TEXT:
Isa 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Read: Isa 2:1-4; Pro 9:1-5
7And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.
The shadow of doom that was covering the face of his people will be lifted like a vail is lifted at the wedding feast.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES THAT
ESTABLISH THE CERTAINTY OF THE TEXT:
Isa 60:1-3 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Luk 2:32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
8He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
God is going to remove the mourning veil and the shroud of death covering his people like a mantle—he has sent the messiah to take away all tears and bring life and immortality to light through the gospel.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES THAT
PRESENT OVERWHELMING PROOF OF THE TEXT:
2Ti 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
9And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
We exult and we rejoice that he has redeemed us and been our rock in the storm—This God of ours has arrived to save us—the one we’ve waited for—it’s celebration time!
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT ATTEST TO THE TEXT:
Zep 3:14-20 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden. Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD. Read: Rev 19:1-9; Isa 30:18-19
10For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.
God’s hand of rest will rest in this mountain because he had chosen Zion as his resting place. Moab will be treated like straw tromped in the manure pile.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT ARE CONCLUSIVE AND FINAL:
Psa 132:13-14 For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it. Read: Num 24:17; Zec 9:9-10; Zec 9:9-10
11And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands.
Moab may spread its hands and arms wide like a swimmer but he is going to sink—he will try to stay afloat but God is going to bring down his pride and haughtiness.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT RATIFY THE TEXT:
Isa 16:6 We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so.
Jer 48:29 We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart. Read: Jer 50:31-32
12And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.
Their fortifications will crumble—their mighty walls will come tumbling down—everything they have will be reduced to dust.
CROSS REFERENCE SCRIPTURES
THAT BEAR OUT THE TEXT:
Isa 26:5 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.
