Isaiah 25:1-9 (NRSV)
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Chapter 25O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you, I will praise your name; for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. Verse 2For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the palace of aliens is a city no more, it will never be rebuilt. Verse 3Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you. Verse 4For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat. When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm, Verse 5the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place, you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds; the song of the ruthless was stilled.
Verse 6On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. Verse 7And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Verse 8Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
Verse 9It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Devotion
Isaiah 25:1-9 declares the wonderful things God has done. The text describes a heavenly banquet where rich food and well-aged wines will be given to all people. Not only will God host this heavenly feast, God will swallow up death! Finally, the text describes the powerful image of God wiping away the tears from all faces. “This is our God,” the writer proclaims!
The Norwegian hymn, “Who is This Host Arrayed in White,” although often associated with Festival of All Saints, reflects the wonderful promises of this text in the second half of stanza two.
On earth they wept through bitter years;
Now God has wiped away their tears,
Transformed their strife to heav’nly life,
And freed them from their fears.
For now they have the best at last;
They keep their sweet eternal feast.
At God’s right hand our Lord commands;
He is both host and guest.
Text: Hans A Brorson 1694-1764; tr. Gracia Grindal, b. 1943