The Lord Has Spoken 

“…He will swallow up death for ever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. In that day they will say, ‘Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.’”
Isaiah 25:8-9(NIV UK)

When Isaiah wrote the words above, I wonder what he was thinking. 

Did he know somehow, through the working of the Holy Spirit within him, that he was referring to the work of the Messiah? In hindsight we can see clearly that this was a prophecy about Christ, of whom the Old Testament scriptures testified, but what did Isaiah understand by the words he was inspired to write down? There was a force of certainty in his writing: despite the destruction that was happening around him, despite the evidence that would speak to the contrary, despite the wars and rumours of wars and the endless count of the dead, “the Lord had spoken”. His words were irreversible: the promise of hope was certain. 

Isaiah’s message is also for us today. It’s a message of comfort as well as of hope. As we think of those who grieve and of those who have died through centuries of pointless warfare and horrendous disease, the idea that our gracious God will wipe away tears from everyone’s face lifts us up. Note Isaiah says “all faces”. It’s referring to a universal comfort available to all people no matter where or when they have lived. The disgrace of war will be over, the pain of loss will be gone, and death destroyed forever. 

We know this through the certainty of faith. 

As Isaiah said, “The Lord has spoken”. 

Prayer
Thank you, Father, for the comfort of hope and the certainty of faith. Thank you for your faithfulness to us. We rest in your salvation. In Jesus name.
Amen 

Study by James Henderson

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About the Author:
James Henderson is the National Ministry Leader for Grace Communion International in the UK and Ireland. You are welcome to attend any of our local congregations. For details of your nearest local congregation, check on our website, www.wcg.org.uk under the ‘Churches’ tab, or ring +44 (0)1858 437099.

Contact:
Email: admin@daybyday.org.uk