Isaiah 25:12

Moab’s powerful defences are completely hopeless.

Lord ~ God’s name in the Bible. In the original language, it means ‘head over all’ and ‘God always’.'Mount Zion ~ the mountain in Jerusalem where God’s holy Temple was.
Jerusalem ~ at the time of David and Solomon, the capital of the country called Israel. During the time of Isaiah, Jerusalem was the capital of the country called Judah. But the ‘New Jerusalem’ is God’s future, perfect home for his people.
Temple ~ special building in Jerusalem where Jews praised God and offered him prayers and gifts.
Jews ~ people who belong to the countries called Judah and Israel; people who belong to the 12 tribes (large families) of Israel.
shroud ~ a cloth to wrap a dead body.
Jerusalem ~ at the time of David and Solomon, the capital of the country called Israel. During the time of Isaiah, Jerusalem was the capital of the country called Judah. But the ‘New Jerusalem’ is God’s future, perfect home for his people.
Temple ~ special building in Jerusalem where Jews praised God and offered him prayers and gifts.
Jerusalem ~ at the time of David and Solomon, the capital of the country called Israel. During the time of Isaiah, Jerusalem was the capital of the country called Judah. But the ‘New Jerusalem’ is God’s future, perfect home for his people.
Jews ~ people who belong to the countries called Judah and Israel; people who belong to the 12 tribes (large families) of Israel.
covenant ~ special agreement that God made with Israel (see Exodus chapter 24).

Isaiah: New *Heavens and a New Earth

The Little *Apocalypse

Isaiah Chapter s 24 to 27

Gordon Churchyard

The words in brackets, […], are not in the *Hebrew Bible. They make the book easier to understand in English. Isaiah wrote his book in the *Hebrew language.

Chapter 25

v1 *LORD, you are the God that I serve. I will give honour to you and I will praise your name. [I praise you] because you have done wonderful things. You have carried out the plans that you made long ago. [You were] loyal and true [to them].

v2 And you have made the city into a heap [of stones]. [You have] ruined the strong city. The strong city in a foreign [country] has gone. Nobody will build it again.

v3 Therefore a strong nation will give honour to you. The [people in the] city will be afraid of you. [The city is] in [a country where there is] a cruel nation.

v4 For you, [*LORD], have protected the poor people. [You have] protected the people that needed [help] in their trouble. [You are like] a shelter from the storm [and you are like] a shade from the heat. The attack by the cruel people was like a storm. [It was like a storm] that beat against a wall.

v5 [And it was like] heat in a desert. You, [*LORD], stopped the noise of the foreigners. As the shade of a cloud reduces the [sun’s] heat, so you took away the songs of the victors (people that won the war).

Notes

Verse 1 This chapter is like a psalm. A ‘psalm’ is a song that people sing to praise God. ‘Praise your name’ really means ‘praise you, God’. God did not change the plans that he had made a long time ago. He did what he had promised to do. That is what ‘loyal and true’ means.

Verse 2 Isaiah did not name the city. There were many cities that various enemies destroyed. That was part of God’s plan to punish people. Isaiah used the past tense. He was very sure that God would act!

Verse 3 Again, Isaiah did not name the city. It was an important city in a foreign country. The people in that country were very cruel. But they would have to agree that God ruined their city (verse 2). Also, they would have to give honour to him (verse 3). The city is probably Babylon.

Verse 4 In this passage, Isaiah gives these three reasons to praise God:

• God did what he promised to do (verse 2).

• Foreign people were afraid of God and they gave honour to him (verse 3).
• God protected the poor people that needed help (verses 4-5).

Here in verse 4, God gives the third reason.

Verses 4-5 Isaiah gives two descriptions of the foreign army that attacked Judah. They were like a great storm and they were like a fierce heat. But God was like a cloud that hid the poor people from the heat. The ‘victors’ were the army that won the war. They probably sang happy songs after they had won. But now they had no songs to sing!

v6 The *LORD of Everything will make a special splendid meal for all people. [It will be] upon this mountain. It will be a special meal of the very best meat, a splendid meal with the very best wine. [It will be a meal] of the best meat with marrow (soft substance from inside the bones). And [it will be a meal] with mature wine.

v7 And on this mountain [the *LORD] will destroy the cover that covers all people. It is a shroud (cover for a dead body) over all the nations.

v8 He will destroy death for always. The *LORD, my master, will wipe away the tears from everyone’s faces. He will take away the shame that his people feel. [They feel it] in front of everybody on the Earth. That is what the *LORD has promised.

v9 On that day they will say, ‘Look! This is our God! We have waited for him to come so that he could save us. This is the *LORD! We have waited for him. So let us be glad and happy, because he has saved us.’

v10 [This is] because the hand of the *LORD will protect this mountain. And he will walk on the people from Moab. [He will walk on them] as people walk on straw. [And that straw will be] in a heap of dung (solid waste material from an animal).

v11 And [the people from Moab] will spread out their hands in it. [They will be] like someone that spreads out [his hands] to swim. But those people will sink, although they have the skill [to swim] with their hands.

v12 And [the *LORD] will bring down their high, strong walls. He will throw them down. He will make them low. And he will turn them into dust on the ground.

Notes

Verse 6 The mountain is probably the one called Zion, which is in Jerusalem. The special splendid meal would be like a big party. The meat would be the best meat, with plenty of fat and marrow (soft stuff from inside the bones). Also the wine would be the very best wine. It would be really mature.

Verse 7 In verse 8, we can see that the cover and shroud mean death. A ‘shroud’ is a cloth that people use to cover a dead body. Here and in verse 8, the *Hebrew word for ‘destroy’ really means ‘swallow’. So in 1 Corinthians 15:54, Paul says, ‘Victory will swallow death’! When you swallow something, you cannot see it any more. ‘Victory’ is another word for success, for example, when you win a war. Paul means God’s victory (success) when he defeats his last enemy, death.

Verse 8 John, too, uses Isaiah’s words. In Revelation 7:17, John writes, ‘God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.’ The same *Hebrew word means ‘faces’ here and it means ‘cover’ in verse 7. The ‘cover’ refers to death. So if there is no cover, there will be no tears. That is because there will be no more death! The people that felt shame are God’s people. If we want God to wipe away our tears, we must love him. And we must obey him. We must be part of his people.

Verse 9 ‘That day’ means the day when God does something special. Everybody will see it. Here, ‘Look!’ does not mean ‘See!’ It means ‘Hey!’, which is a happy shout to get people’s attention. Here the people who are speaking are again God’s people. ‘Save’ in this verse means ‘rescue from our enemies’.

Verse 10 Bible students do not know why Isaiah mentions Moab here. Moab was a country that was east from Judah. Sometimes Moab’s people were enemies of Judah’s people. Here, Moab’s people were God’s enemies; they were fighting against God. We know that because he punished them. ‘Dung’ here is the dirt that an animal leaves behind it.

Verse 11 From this verse, we learn this. The heap of dung (solid waste material from an animal) has much liquid in it! It is a very nasty place. ‘Spread the hands’ probably means ‘lift up the hands’. People did that when they prayed. But this time God would not answer. The *Hebrew words for ‘they will sink’ mean ‘their proud attitude will go down’. This translation keeps the special description of someone that is trying to swim. But that person fails.

Verse 12 The towns in Moab had strong walls. The towns were on high hills. They made the people safe. But God would destroy the walls so that they would become dust on the ground. Isaiah did not say whom God would use to do that. Isaiah used several different words to describe what God would do.

This publication is in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

Heaven ~ the home of God.
Apocalypse ~ another name for the last book in the Bible, called Revelation. The Little Apocalypse (Isaiah Chapter s 24 to 27) is like Revelation. It is about the end of time.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke when Isaiah wrote his book.
Jews ~ God’s people that lived in Judah and Israel.
lord ~ someone with authority. With a capital L, it can be a name for God.
LORD ~ the covenant name for God. It probably means ‘always alive’.
covenant ~ people make a covenant when they agree together. God agreed to protect his people called the Jews. They agreed to be his servants.
Jews ~ God’s people that lived in Judah and Israel.