Isaiah 25: He Will Swallow Up Death

Isaiah 25 (WEB)

1 Yahweh, you are my God. I will exalt you! I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago, in complete faithfulness and truth.

2 For you have made a city into a heap, a fortified city into a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city. It will never be built.

3 Therefore a strong people will glorify you. A city of awesome nations will fear you.

4 For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, when the blast of the dreaded ones is like a storm against the wall.

5 As the heat in a dry place will you bring down the noise of strangers; as the heat by the shade of a cloud, the song of the dreaded ones will be brought low.

6 In this mountain, Yahweh of Armies will make all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of choice wines, of fat things full of marrow, of well refined choice wines.

7 He will destroy in this mountain the surface of the covering that covers all peoples, and the veil that is spread over all nations.

8 He has swallowed up death forever! The Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from off all faces. He will take the reproach of his people away from off all the earth, for Yahweh has spoken it.

9 It shall be said in that day, “Behold, this is our God! We have waited for him, and he will save us! This is Yahweh! We have waited for him. We will be glad and rejoice in his salvation!”

10 For in this mountain the hand of Yahweh will rest. Moab will be trodden down in his place, even like straw is trodden down in the water of the dunghill.

11 He will spread out his hands in its midst, like one who swims spreads out hands to swim, but his pride will be humbled together with the craft of his hands.

12 He has brought the high fortress of your walls down, laid low, and brought to the ground, even to the dust.

Isaiah 25 (KJV)

1 O 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.

2 For 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.

3 Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.

4 For 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.

5 Thou 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.

6 And 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.

7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.

8 He 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.

9 And 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.

10 For 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.

11 And 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.

12 And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.

Isaiah 25 (ASV)

1 O Jehovah, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things, even counsels of old, in faithfulness and truth.

2 For thou hast made of a city a heap, of a fortified city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.

3 Therefore shall a strong people glorify thee; a city of terrible nations shall fear thee.

4 For thou hast been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

5 As the heat in a dry place wilt thou bring down the noise of strangers; as the heat by the shade of a cloud, the song of the terrible ones shall be brought low.

6 And in this mountain will Jehovah of hosts make unto all peoples 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.

7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering that covereth all peoples, and the veil that is spread over all nations.

8 He hath swallowed up death for ever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth: for Jehovah hath spoken it.

9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is Jehovah; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

10 For in this mountain will the hand of Jehovah rest; and Moab shall be trodden down in his place, even as straw is trodden down in the water of the dunghill.

11 And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst thereof, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim; but Jehovah will lay low his pride together with the craft of his hands.

12 And the high fortress of thy walls hath he brought down, laid low, and brought to the ground, even to the dust.

Summary

After the dark vision of worldwide judgment, chapter 25 bursts into praise. The prophet exalts the Lord for doing wonderful things planned long ago in faithfulness and truth, bringing the fortified city of the proud to ruin while proving himself a stronghold to the poor and needy, a refuge from the storm and a shade from the heat. The high point of the whole book then arrives. On his mountain Yahweh of Armies will make for all peoples a rich feast of fat things and well-refined wines. He will destroy the veil of mourning that covers all nations and, gloriously, “he has swallowed up death forever.” The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face and remove the reproach of his people from all the earth. In that day the redeemed will say, “Behold, this is our God! We have waited for him, and he will save us.” The chapter ends by contrasting this salvation with the humbling of proud Moab, trodden down in his place, his arrogance and craft brought low while God's people rejoice in his deliverance. This promise of death swallowed up reaches its fulfillment in Christ, in whom death is finally defeated.

Key Figures

Yahweh of Armies — The Lord praised for his faithful wonders, a refuge for the poor, host of the feast for all peoples, who swallows up death and wipes away every tear.
The poor and needy — Those for whom the Lord has been a stronghold and refuge in distress, sheltered from the storm and the heat of their oppressors.
All peoples / all nations — The gathered nations invited to the mountain feast, from whom the veil of mourning is removed as death itself is defeated.
Moab — The proud nation trodden down in his place, whose arrogance and craft are humbled while God's redeemed rejoice in salvation.

Key Verse

Isaiah 25:8 (WEB)

He has swallowed up death forever! The Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from off all faces. He will take the reproach of his people away from off all the earth, for Yahweh has spoken it.

Lessons Learned

God's judgments and his salvation are both reasons for his people to praise him.
The Lord is a faithful refuge for the poor and needy when storms and oppressors rage.
God's ultimate purpose is a joyful feast gathering all peoples to himself.
Death itself will be swallowed up and every tear wiped away, our deepest hope fulfilled in Christ.

God's faithful plans deserve our praise. “I will exalt you! I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago, in complete faithfulness and truth” (Isaiah 25:1, WEB).
God is the refuge of the weak. “You have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat” (Isaiah 25:4, WEB).
God will defeat death forever. “He has swallowed up death forever! The Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from off all faces” (Isaiah 25:8, WEB), a promise fulfilled in the risen Christ (1 Corinthians 15:54).
Salvation belongs to those who wait. “Behold, this is our God! We have waited for him, and he will save us!” (Isaiah 25:9, WEB). Patient hope in God is not disappointed.

What reasons does the prophet give for praising God in the opening verses?
How has the Lord shown himself a refuge specifically to the poor and needy?
What is pictured by the feast on God's mountain for all peoples?
What does it mean that God will “swallow up death forever” (25:8), and how does Christ fulfill this?
How does the promise of wiped-away tears speak to a sorrow you are carrying right now?

Isaiah praises God for wonderful things planned long ago in faithfulness, for toppling the proud city, and for sheltering the poor (25:1-5). Both God's judgment of arrogance and his protection of the helpless move the prophet to worship.
God is named a stronghold to the poor and needy, a refuge from storm and a shade from heat when oppressors blast like a wall-battering storm (25:4). He is not distant from the vulnerable but their very shelter in distress.
On his mountain God spreads a rich feast of choice food and wine for all peoples and lifts the veil of mourning (25:6-7). It pictures the joyful, inclusive fellowship of the redeemed gathered to God, anticipating the marriage supper of the Lamb.
God promises to swallow up death forever and wipe away every tear (25:8). Paul applies these very words to Christ's resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:54); in Jesus, death is conquered, and the believer's grief is destined to give way to everlasting joy.
This is a personal-application question. Invite members to bring a present grief to God, trusting the promise that he will one day wipe away every tear. As leader, hold space tenderly, point to the risen Christ, and let no one feel rushed.