The Road to Jesus Leads to a Banquet

As Isaiah’s fellow Israelites were contemplating forming an alliance with Egypt against the encroaching Assyrians, Isaiah spends eleven chapters (13-23) critiquing both Egypt and other nations. Why trust an alliance with them when God is going to destroy them?

Following those chapters, Isaiah takes four chapters to view God’s work from a cosmic perspective (what we call an “apocalyptic” view). God will destroy the world for its sin (chapter 24). But there is always a message of hope. We saw in in 24:6 when Isaiah promises that a “few” will remain faithful.

Isaiah has promised that people from foreign nations like Egypt (19:19-25) and Tyre (23:18) will join God’s people on the mountain, in the house of the Lord (promised in 2:1-4).

In chapter 25, Isaiah foresees a time when all these nations will join together in a massive banquet, celebrating their relationship with God. Chapter 25 is a song of praise for the grace of God. This song is a song of praise from both Isaiah and all the faithful remnant who have survived the destruction of the world that has come. Why praise God? Isaiah gives five reasons. We’ll focus on the third and fourth reasons: God has established a relationship with His people.

#1 GOD IS FAITHFUL – 25:1-3:
God has a plan and He has worked wonders. This wicked world, viewed as one big “city,” He has made into a heap, a ruin. The result is that some people will glorify God and revere Him.

#2 – GOD PROTECTS – 25:4-5:
In verse 4, Isaiah pictures God as a defense, a refuge, and a shade and those images are elaborated in verse 5.
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#3 – GOD WILL ESTABLISH FELLOWSHIP – 25:6-7:
Here we find the banquet of the Messiah pictured; the Lord enjoying fellowship with His people. All people, all nations will be invited to enjoy this banquet of the Lord of hosts. Young writes: “so also is the banquet to be understood figuratively, as signifying the spiritual blessings that God brings to mankind through His kingdom” (192). There is no single mountain large enough to hold the multitudes who serve Jesus Christ and enjoy His banquet. We are not looking at a literal banquet on a literal mountain.

Instead, if we have understood the reference from 2:1-4 correctly, that the “mountain of the house of the Lord” refers to the holy spiritual temple of Jesus Christ, then that kingdom is large enough because that banquet hall covers the world, wherever disciples of Christ are found. Jesus uses this same idea in Matthew 8:11-12 and John, of course, picks up on this imagery and uses it to encourage his own persecuted remnant in the days of the Roman Empire (Rev. 19:7-9).

#4 – GOD WILL COMFORT – 25:8-9:
God will eventually take care of death itself and wipe away all tears and remove the reproach of His people. Of course, it is only in Jesus Christ that death is destroyed (see 1 Cor. 15:54-57) and it is only in Christ that tears are wiped away (Matthew 5:4). Both those promises will be completely fulfilled in the eternal kingdom of heaven (Revelation 21:4). There will continue to be weeping in hell (Luke 13:28).

#5 – GOD WILL REMOVE THE ENEMIES – 25:10-12:
Yes, God will take care of His enemies, epitomized here by Moab. God will bring down their pride and their deceit (vs 11).

Brethren, if nothing could keep God from establishing His kingdom on earth, then there is no power yet on earth that can destroy the kingdom of our Christ and our God. The banquet with the Messiah begins when you become a Christian and will reach fulfillment in heaven.

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