Friday 25 April 2025
Your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise. O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a radiant dew, and the earth will give birth to those long dead. (v. 19)
Background
To understand this chapter of Isaiah (chapter 26), it is necessary to place it in context with the previous few chapters. The prophet speaks of the victory of God’s rule which will take place at some time in the future. The hope includes victories over enemies and a justification for God’s people. The opening verse of this passage is about all that will take place on the day of celebration. The whole passage builds towards its culmination at verse 19 which is probably the first mention of resurrection in the Bible. For this reason, it can be seen a song of praise which begins and ends with triumph.
To read this passage during Easter week is to see the victory not in terms of building a fortified city but the establishment of the heavenly city. The prophet may be speaking of Zion (meaning Jerusalem), but it is possible to think he's referring to the heavenly Zion as well. In verse 2 the gates are opened for the righteous to enter. Heavenly Zion will open its gates to those who profess their faith and trust in the rock that is Christ. (verse 4)
Verses 5-6 emphasise that the enemies have been brought down and humiliated, as in Isaiah 14:2 where the captors are made captive.
There is a change at verse 7. Following the call to praise God for the victory, there is a recognition of righteousness and a desire to search for it in verse 9 but there is also a return to condemning the wicked, in verse 10. Alongside, there is a recognition of faithfulness to God in verse 13.
In the midst of praise (vs 16-18) there's a return to a sense of futility with the image of a woman in labour bringing nothing to birth.
But that changes with verse 19 which speaks of the dead living. In its original context it may refer to the righteous of the nation rising again, but this week it should be read as a prophecy of resurrection for those who believe in Christ.
To Ponder:
- What similarities, if any, are there between this passage and the Magnificat ( Luke 1:46-55)?
- Is there a place for frustration in praise?
Prayer
Faithful God, grant me the grace to hold firm to your promises. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd Paul Davis
Paul Davis is a supernumerary minister in the Chorley and Leyland Circuit.