Why I Can Rejoice in God’s Salvation (Isaiah 13-27)
What if salvation is not just something you wait for in heaven but something you can rejoice in right now, even in the middle of your pain?
Isaiah 13-27
Today's Scripture Passage
A Few Thoughts to Consider
Why does God’s salvation give us reason to rejoice?
The average Christian might think the idea of rejoicing in God’s salvation seems strange. But not Isaiah. Isaiah 13 to 27 delivers a series of powerful messages against various nations, showcasing God's authority and judgment across the globe. It starts with a stern warning to Babylon, forecasting its fall and the eventual freedom of the Israelites from their captivity. This theme of divine judgment continues, targeting other nations like Assyria, Egypt, and Tyre, illustrating their upcoming declines due to their pride and wrongdoing.
Amid these gloomy prophecies, there are glimmers of hope and promises of a brighter future for the faithful, particularly Israel, which is foreseen to enjoy peace and prosperity under God’s just reign. One such passage is Isaiah 25, which says:
1 Lord, 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.
2 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.
3 Therefore, a strong people will honor you.
The cities of violent nations will fear you.
4 For you have been a stronghold for the poor person,
a stronghold for the needy in his distress,
a refuge from storms and a shade from heat.
When the breath of the violent
is like a storm against a wall,
5 like heat in a dry land,
you will subdue the uproar of barbarians.
As the shade of a cloud cools the heat of the day,
so he will silence the song of the violent.
Several points make this passage especially meaningful. As John Oswalt notes, “This intensely personal affirmation sets the tone for the whole song. In place of the raucous drinking songs whose purpose was forgetfulness and the loosening of inhibitions with the result that the worst side of humanity was revealed, this is a song of heightened awareness and true freedom in commitment.”[1] Oswalt goes on to note that, “The personal note here is a helpful reminder that although God did deal with his people as a group, every individual in that group counted because God related to the group as to an individual.”[2]
The reason Isaiah can worship is because God is completely faithful. Alec Motyer writes, “Perfect faithfulness is expressed in the Hebrew by two related nouns (ʾĕmûnâ and ʾōmen) both from ʾāmēn, ‘to be reliable.’ The idiom of the two nouns together means ‘every imaginable faithfulness, perfect, quintessential faithfulness.’”[3] Because of God’s faithfulness, we can trust that even death itself is not a match for God’s salvation. Verse 8-9 state,
8 When he has swallowed up death once and for all,
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.
9 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’s rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”
Isaiah 25 ends with a warning that “final judgment is just as much an aspect of gospel truth as final salvation.”[4] Those who hope in God can rejoice in his salvation, knowing he will redeem even the toughest situations. But for those who do not, there is judgment. To rejoice in God’s salvation is both a present and future reality. God is actively saving, even in a world of suffering, but any deliverance we experience in this life pales compared to the deliverance we will one day experience.
