Isaiah 25:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.

NIV: LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.

NASB: Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.

CSB: Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you. I will praise your name, for you have accomplished wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.

NLT: O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them.

KJV: O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

NKJV: O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

Many commentators see this chapter as a song of praise directly responding to the events of the last passage (Isaiah 24). God's people praise Him for His deliverance of them. His people celebrate the Lord's justice against His enemies, and for the glorious kingdom He now begins. It is possible that this song of praise is more of an overarching celebration of God's faithfulness to Israel and His victory over her enemies.

The song begins with a very personal declaration, from Isaiah to the Lord. Isaiah has emphasized the Lord's relationship with Israel and Judah as a group: the nation as a whole. This was consistent with how God interacted with His chosen people. And yet, even then, it was clear that every person needed a personal relationship with, and responsibility to, the Lord. The prophet's commitment to exalt and praise the name of his God is not dependent on what anyone else in his nation might do.

Isaiah praises the Lord for the amazing things He has done. He is likely referring to miracles or interventions beyond the realm of human ability.

He also praises the Lord for His plans. God established these plans long ago and then carried out with faithfulness and certainty. Isaiah understands that the Lord does not operate as the false gods in stories. The Lord does not change His mind or fly off in new directions in response to new circumstances. He does not destroy the earth on a whim or in a tantrum. He controls time and space and carries out events as they are meant to happen, according to His perfect plans.

Isaiah 25:1–5 follows a description judgment over the whole world for humanity's sinfulness (Isaiah 24:21–23). Here, Isaiah declares his praise for the Lord. He speaks of God's eternal plan. He celebrates God for defeating His earthly enemies. To do this, Isaiah uses variations of the term "foreigners," contrasting God's people of Israel with the nations who rejected the Lord.

Isaiah's description of the Lord's judgment on the earth is followed by celebration. This comes at the beginning of the Lord's reign over all the earth. The prophet declares his own praise for God's wonderful works and righteous plans. The Lord protects the needy from the ruthless. At the inaugural banquet, the Lord swallows up death forever and wipes away every tear. All the people declare that they were right to wait on their Lord to save them. The Lord judges unbelieving Moab by trampling them into their place.

In the previous chapter, the Lord of hosts is said to reign on Mount Zion following His judgment of the entire earth. Here, Isaiah declares His praise for the Lord who protects the poor and needy. At an inaugural banquet for His kingdom, the Lord swallows up death forever. He also takes away the shame of His people's sin while wiping away their tears. The people rejoice and are glad for waiting on the Lord's salvation. The Lord destroys Moab—symbolic of nations who reject God—in judgment for not trusting in Him.

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).