Isaiah 26
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The wicked, however, do not learn from God’s judgments. Even though grace117 is shown to them (verse 10), they keep on doing evil. They do not see God’s hand of judgment lifted high (verse 11).
12–15 LORD . . . all that we have accomplished you have done for us (verse 12). Here we see the relationship between our human accomplishments and God’s enabling power: ultimately, everything we do is made possible by Him.118
God’s people have been ruled by other lords (foreign kings), but those lords are now dead and will not rise again to trouble God’s people (verses 13–14). Instead, God has enlarged the nation (the restored Israel) and extended all [its] borders119 (verse 15).
16–18 Isaiah continues looking backward from the prophetic future into his own day; here he describes the travails of God’s people. He is speaking particularly about Israel, which had suffered so much throughout its history, but to no avail. Israel had gone through the pains of childbirth but had produced no child! We (Israel) have not brought salvation to the earth, Isaiah says (verse 18). God’s whole purpose in establishing Israel was that it be a blessing to the world (Genesis 12:3), but in Isaiah’s day that had not yet happened; Israel had not given (spiritual) birth to the people of the world (verse 18). Only through Christ, the true seed of Abraham, would God’s original promise to Abraham be fulfilled (Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:16,29).
19 In verses 16–18, Isaiah has lamented Israel’s failure. But here he says that something new is to happen: your dead will live; their bodies will rise. There will be a resurrection of the body; there will be eternal salvation of the SOUL. Even though the Israel of Isaiah’s day had failed, out of Israel would come One who would bring salvation to the earth (verse 18)—Jesus Christ.
20–21 Meanwhile, let the people of Israel await the coming of their Messiah. Let them hide . . . for a little while until God’s judgment has passed120 (verse 20). The LORD is coming to judge the earth, and the earth will disclose the blood shed upon her (verse 21), even as the blood of Abel (the first murder victim) cries out . . . from the ground (Genesis 4:10).