Isaiah 26 - Bible Study in 5 Minutes

Isaiah 26 Short Summary:

Isaiah 26 records a song sung by those who honor God. God set up a strong city for the salvation of those who love Him. The city protects against the day of God’s judgement, on which He will punish the proud and arrogant city that opposes Him. God’s enemies will go down to the grave unremembered, but He will bring about a great day of resurrection for His faithful people.  

Isaiah 26 Bible Study

TIMELINE:

• The prophetic ministry of Isaiah spanned the reigns of King Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

• We do not know the date Isaiah spoke/recorded this prophecy.

KEY CHARACTERS:

• Isaiah – The son of Amoz (1:1). God commissioned Isaiah as His prophet to Judah.

• God – The eternal establisher of the strong city of salvation.

• Proud Rulers – Mortal men who are inferior leaders to God.

DEFINITIONS:

• Wind (26:18) – Wind is occasionally used in the Bible to refer to something useless, something that does not accomplish what was intended, something vain (Isaiah 41:29).

OUTLINE:

• THE SONG OF GOD’S STRONG CITY (26:1-21):

  • Isaiah prophesied that God would set up a place of safety for those who chose to worship Him during the time of His judgement.

  • This was God’s strong city of salvation.

  • Chapter 26 contains a song about the city. God’s people, the righteous nation,

  • would enter its gates and God would give them “perfect peace” (26:3).

  • God’s city is set in contrast to the “lofty city” of pride mentioned in verse 5. God would humble the proud city and trample it to the ground.

  • The song continues with a recognition that God is the instructor of virtue. His words, laws, and precepts teach us justice and uprightness.

  • Those who sing the song express their desire to walk on God’s level path of righteousness.

  • Some, through great hardship and struggle had only recently come to acknowledge God’s way as the best way. They had lived under human rulers who turned out to be oppressive and mortal, they had experienced the pain of trying to do things their own way (described as labor pains in verse 17-18), and they were finally ready to turn to God.

  • God in His grace was ready to open the gates of His city to them. The city would protect them until God’s fury was passed (26:20).

  • “For behold, the LORD is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain” (26:21).

  • Those oppressive human rulers were all going to die. Verse 14 reads, “They are dead, they will not live; they are shades, they will not arise; to that end you have visited them with destruction and wiped out all remembrance of them.”

  • In contrast God was alive forever, and He would give life to His people who had died.

  • Isaiah prophesied a resurrection, saying, “Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead” (26:19).

APPLICATION:

• In a world plagued by anxiety, God offers perfect peace within His city (Heb 11:10).

• Wrapped in walls of salvation (26:1) and founded on the everlasting rock (26:4), God invites us to enter a place of safety and security.

• The Church is a city of peace, guarded constantly by God.

• If you’ve looked everywhere else and been unsuccessful at finding peace, if you find your soul yearning for something the world isn’t giving you (26:9), set a course for God’s city and find in Him the desire of your soul (26:8).