Isaiah 26:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: O Lord, you will ordain peace for us, for you have indeed done for us all our works.

NIV: Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.

NASB: Lord, You will establish peace for us, Since You have also performed for us all our works.

CSB: Lord, you will establish peace for us, for you have also done all our work for us.

NLT: Lord, you will grant us peace; all we have accomplished is really from you.

KJV: Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.

NKJV: Lord, You will establish peace for us, For You have also done all our works in us.

The tone of Isaiah's song of praise to the Lord shifts once again. After calling for the Lord to judge the wicked (Isaiah 26:11), he now expresses his confidence that the Lord will eventually ordain peace for His people Israel. The Lord will win the peace for them again and, in the end, permanently.

Another layer is added to Isaiah's confidence: God has done this before. Isaiah gives credit to God for all that Israel has ever accomplished. The Lord has always been with them (Deuteronomy 7:6–8). He has been the source of every previous victory in Israel's long history (Psalm 44:1–3). The God who brought them this far has proven that He is both powerful and faithful.

Every believer in Jesus can say the same thing and with the same confidence. We find assurance and hope in Paul's words to the Christians in Philippi, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).

Isaiah 26:1–15 celebrates the Lord's future victory over wickedness on the earth and looks forward to the coming of God's judgment. Isaiah longs for that judgment to come. But the prophet knows the Lord gives perfect peace to all who stay focused on trusting Him. Only the Lord God remains of all those who attempted to rule over Israel.

Chapter 26 is a song to be sung in the land of Judah during the time of the Lord's reign as king over the earth. The towering city of wickedness has been replaced by the strong city of salvation. Isaiah waits, longing for the Lord to come and judge the sinfulness of the world. The Lord will bring peace to Israel for good. Their other rulers are dead and not worthy of remembering. The Lord's discipline has caused His people to turn back to Him. The dead among them will be resurrected after the fury of His judgment.

Chapter 26 is part of a larger section that includes chapters 24–27. The section of the book follows the descriptions of the Lord's judgment on the earth and the beginning of His kingdom through a song to be sung in Judah during that time. The wicked city of the world has been replaced with the city of salvation. Isaiah longs for the Lord to come and judge the earth. The prophet wants all to see the Lord's zeal for His own people by destroying His enemies. Isaiah remembers God's discipline and looks forward to the resurrection of the dead among His people.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).

Accessed 9/7/2024 8:45:36 PM