Isaiah 25:6-12: a reflection

6In this mountain, the LORD of Armies will make all peoples a feast of choice meat, a feast of choice wines, of choice meat full of marrow, of well refined choice wines. 7He will destroy in this mountain the surface of the covering that covers all peoples, and the veil that is spread over all nations. 8He has swallowed up death forever! The Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces. He will take the reproach of his people away from off all the earth, for the LORD has spoken it. 9It shall be said in that day, “Behold, 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!” 10For the LORD’s hand will rest in this mountain. Moab will be trodden down in his place, even like straw is trodden down in the water of the dunghill. 11He will spread out his hands in the middle of it, like one who swims spreads out hands to swim, but his pride will be humbled together with the craft of his hands. 12He has brought the high fortress of your walls down, laid low, and brought to the ground, even to the dust.

In the midst of Isaiah's prophecies comes a vision of glorious hope. On this mountain, God says, he will make for all peoples a rich feast; and there he will do something wonderful: He will swallow up death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces. And the response of his people will be joy: Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us; we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. Death defeated, tears wiped away, God's people rejoicing in the salvation they had waited for.

Notice the two great promises here: God will swallow up death forever, and he will wipe away the tears from every face. Death, the last and greatest enemy, will be not merely delayed but swallowed up, ended forever. And the tears, all the sorrows and griefs of his people, will be wiped away by God's own hand. This is the hope toward which all of Scripture moves, the day when death and sorrow are ended and God's people feast in his presence.

And this hope is fulfilled, and yet to be completed, in Christ. By his death and resurrection, Christ has broken the power of death; and at the last, he will complete what he began, ending death forever and wiping away every tear. When you are weighed down by death and by sorrow, by grief and tears, hold onto this promise: God will swallow up death forever, and wipe away the tears from your face. The sorrows of this life are not the end; a day is coming when death is defeated and every tear is wiped away. Wait for the God who will do this, as his people waited, and rejoice in the salvation he has promised and will surely bring.

Lord, Isaiah foresaw the day when you will make a rich feast for all peoples, swallow up death forever, and wipe away the tears from every face, and your people will say, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us. Thank you for that glorious hope. Death, the last and greatest enemy, will be not merely delayed but swallowed up forever; and all the sorrows and griefs of your people will be wiped away by your own hand. And thank you that this hope is fulfilled, and yet to be completed, in Christ, who by his death and resurrection has broken death's power, and will at the last end it forever and wipe away every tear. When I am weighed down by death and sorrow, by grief and tears, help me hold onto this promise. The sorrows of this life are not the end; a day is coming when death is defeated and every tear is wiped away. Help me wait for you, as your people waited, and rejoice in the salvation you have promised and will surely bring.