ESOCS Devotional 25 April 2024 – Kept in Perfect Peace
MEMORY VERSE: “In that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks.”Isaiah 26:1
TEXT: ISAIAH 26:1-9
In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a strong city;
God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks.
2 Open the gates,
That the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in.
3 You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.
5 For He brings down those who dwell on high,
The lofty city;
He lays it low,
He lays it low to the ground,
He brings it down to the dust.
6 The foot shall tread it down—
The feet of the poor
And the steps of the needy.”
7 The way of the just is uprightness;
O Most Upright,
You weigh the path of the just.
8 Yes, in the way of Your judgments,
O Lord, we have waited for You;
The desire of our soul is for Your name
And for the remembrance of You.
9 With my soul I have desired You in the night,
Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early;
For when Your judgments are in the earth,
The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional here
Isaiah was prophesying about the way things will be in the future. In our immediate context, Isaiah has spoken about a coming time when all peoples will come to the mountain of the Lord for banqueting and feasting with the Lord. Rather than putting their trust in the wreckage of the world, people are going to find rich food and wine when the Messiah comes. In the kingdom of the Messiah, people will find their satisfaction and joy.
In that new kingdom, there is going to be a song that is sung in the land. See the words of this song: “We have a strong city.” In the Lord, we have a strong city. We don’t think of the need for strong cities today. Back then, you needed a strong city, high walls, large towers, and powerful armies to protect and defend the inhabitants of the city. Otherwise, your city would be conquered and you would be captured or killed by the enemy.
Isaiah had pictured the devastation of every city on Earth. No city will stand. Not even Jerusalem will stand (Isaiah 22). No earthly city is strong enough to withstand the judgment of the Lord for sins. But there will be a time when people will have a strong city to turn to. What makes this city strong? Notice that the walls are made of salvation. The strength of this city is the salvation the Lord offers. Isaiah 24:10 describes a city laid waste. Now, there is a strong city and its strength is in the salvation God offers. Who are the people that get to go into this city? Verse 2 tells us that there is a group of people who are allowed to enter. It is a nation that is allowed to come in. Not just an individual but a whole nation can enter. It is the righteous nation. It is the people that are faithful to the Lord. They are the ones who can enter this strong city.
God keeps each individual in that nation who enters through that city in perfect peace (26:3). We will have real peace and stability in our lives because our thoughts are fixed on the Lord. Those who have their minds resting on God, minds dependent on God are those who live in perfect peace. There is true peace in life that people can have if they will enter the strong city. There is no peace living outside of the strong city. Living outside the strong city means that we are open to attack. We have no defences against those who would desire to wreck and ruin our lives. True peace, perfect peace can only be found in the strong city. The Lord God is the everlasting rock. Everything else is movable and shakable in life. The Lord is our rock and we can put our trust in Him forever.
- Run into God’s bosom and enjoy perfect joy and peace forever.
- Lord, grant me the wisdom to understand the benefits of dwelling in your presence.
Further Reading: Exodus 15:1-12; Mark 16:9-18; 1 Peter 1:1-12
ESOCS Devotional 25 April 2024
