Introduction
Isaiah 26:1–19: Today’s reading is a song of victory for the Hebrew people. It celebrates God’s provision of protection for the faithful, justice for all who trust in him, and new life for those who have died.
Today’s Key Verse: Isaiah 26:3 GNT
You, LORD, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.
Read
26 A day is coming when the people will sing this song in the land of Judah:
Our city is strong!
God himself defends its walls!
2 Open the city gates
and let the faithful nation enter,
the nation whose people do what is right.
3 You, Lord, give perfect peace
to those who keep their purpose firm
and put their trust in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever;
he will always protect us.
5 He has humbled those who were proud;
he destroyed the strong city they lived in,
and sent its walls crashing into the dust.
6 Those who were oppressed walk over it now
and trample it under their feet.
7 Lord, you make the path smooth for good people;
the road they travel is level.
8 We follow your will and put our hope in you;
you are all that we desire.
9 At night I long for you with all my heart;
when you judge the earth and its people,
they will all learn what justice is.
10 Even though you are kind to the wicked,
they never learn to do what is right.
Even here in a land of righteous people
they still do wrong;
they refuse to recognize your greatness.
11 Your enemies do not know that you will punish them.
Lord, put them to shame and let them suffer;
let them suffer the punishment you have prepared.
Show them how much you love your people.
12 You will give us prosperity, Lord;
everything that we achieve
is the result of what you do.[a]
13 Lord our God, we have been ruled by others,
but you alone are our Lord.
14 Now they are dead and will not live again;
their ghosts will not rise,
for you have punished them and destroyed them.
No one remembers them any more.
15 Lord, you have made our nation grow,
enlarging its territory on every side;
and this has brought you honor.
16 You punished your people, Lord,
and in anguish they prayed to you.[b]
17 You, Lord, have made us cry out,
as a woman in labor cries out in pain.
18 We were in pain and agony,
but we gave birth to nothing.
We have won no victory for our land;
we have accomplished nothing.[c]
19 Those of our people who have died will live again!
Their bodies will come back to life.
All those sleeping in their graves
will wake up and sing for joy.
As the sparkling dew refreshes the earth,
so the Lord will revive those who have long been dead.
Reflect
God promised to give Abraham’s descendants, the people of Israel, their own land (Genesis 15:18–21; 17:1–8). The promise of the redemption of the righteous and the restoration of their homeland was a source of hope to the Jewish people living in exile after being taken into captivity by the Assyrians (722 B.C.) and Babylonians (587 B.C.). Who is living in exile in our world today? What words of hope are given in today’s reading?
Pray
God of hope and justice, be present with refugees around the world. To those who have been forced to leave their land, may they sense your presence, love, and care. In your holy name, I pray. Amen.
And now join us in praying that God’s Word will reach more waiting people in Ukraine. Sovereign God, thanks to the help and kindness of Bible-A-Month Partners, people in war-ravaged Ukraine are receiving Bibles of their own to help them build their faith and draw nearer to you. Large-print Bibles are especially welcomed, and we praise and give you thanks that these powerful Scripture resources are bringing healing and the hope of Jesus to people in Ukraine. Amen.
Tomorrow’s Reading
Isaiah 35:1–10: The “Road of Holiness” is described.
