Isa 25:9

Isa 25:9  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. Isaiah 25 is a song of victory. It is a song of thanksgiving at the fall of Babylon and the deliverance of God’s chosen people. When Babylon fell, a sigh of relief passed over the whole world.  The deliverance of the Jews and the destruction of Babylon would be such striking events that they would lead the surrounding nations to acknowledge that it was the hand of God: “Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee” (v.3). The song contains a prophecy of the Messianic time when the gospel would be preached and the Jews and Gentiles admitted into the kingdom of God (v.6-12). The prophet prophesied the day of salvation: “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” (v.9). The prophecy was fulfilled when Christ rode into Jerusalem on an ass. The Jews were rejoicing. They had waited this day for the Messiah for a very long time. They were glad when they saw Him: “And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest” (Matthew 21:9). We have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation - God wants joy to characterize our salvation and relationship with Him: “Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified” (Psalm 40:16). We read of a eunuch from Ethiopia who went on his way rejoicing that he was saved (Acts 8:39). Amidst the trials, persecutions, and calamities, we will rejoice in the salvation that He has promised us: “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). Paul was in prison when he wrote that epistle of joy. He was exhorting the first century Christians who were facing similar persecutions to rejoice in the LORD. What can be worse than facing persecutions in those days? Our troubles are nothing compared to the persecutions the apostle Paul and the early converts faced. The reason they could endure to the end was because they had hope in their salvation. Paul was filled with victory when he penned these words: “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day” (2 Timothy 4:8). We can feel his joy when he said: “I am now ready to be offered” (2 Timothy 4:6). He was ready. He was looking forward to meet his Lord. He was happy he would be seeing Jesus soon.  No matter what troubles or danger we face, we can rejoice in the God of our salvation. We may grieve over a brother or a sister that has lost his/her fight against cancer. We must also not forget that God has said: “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them” (Revelation 14:13). The death of a saint is precious in the sight of God (Psalm 116:15). With God, we overcome death itself. In death, we receive our salvation in full; we receive the crown of life. The hope of Israel lies in seeing the day the Christ came into the world. Our hope lies in that day when we will see Christ again face to face. That is the day when our salvation is come full. That is the day we receive the crown of life (Revelation 2:10). Are you glad to see that day? Are you easily discouraged by the struggles in your life? Read through Isaiah 25 today. Don’t let the struggles of life rob you of the joy of salvation.