Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Isaiah Chapter 26
Metaphysically Interpreting Isaiah 26:1-21
26:1In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah:
we have a strong city;
salvation will he appoint
for walls and bulwarks.
26:2Open ye the gates,
that the righteous nation which keepeth faith
may enter in.
26:3Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.
26:4Trust ye in Jehovah for ever;
for in Jehovah, even Jehovah,
is an everlasting rock.
26:5For he hath brought down
them that dwell on high,
the lofty city: he layeth it low,
he layeth it low even to the ground;
he bringeth it even to the dust.
26:6The foot shall tread it down;
even the feet of the poor,
and the steps of the needy.26:7The way of the just is uprightness:
thou that art upright dost direct the path of the just.
26:8Yea, in the way of thy judgments,
O Jehovah, have we waited for thee;
to thy name, even to thy memorial name,
is the desire of our soul.
26:9With my soul have I desired thee in the night;
yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee earnestly:
for when thy judgments are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
26:10Let favor be showed to the wicked,
yet will he not learn righteousness;
in the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully,
and will not behold the majesty of Jehovah.
26:11Jehovah, thy hand is lifted up,
yet they see not:
but they shall see thy zeal for the people, and be put to shame;
yea, fire shall devour thine adversaries.
26:12Jehovah, thou wilt ordain peace for us;
for thou hast also wrought all our works for us.
26:13O Jehovah our God,
other lords besides thee have had dominion over us;
but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
26:14They are dead, they shall not live;
they are deceased, they shall not rise:
therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them,
and made all remembrance of them to perish.
26:15Thou hast increased the nation, O Jehovah,
thou hast increased the nation; thou art glorified;
thou hast enlarged all the borders of the land.26:16Jehovah, in trouble have they visited thee;
they poured out a prayer
when thy chastening was upon them.
26:17Like as a woman with child,
that draweth near the time of her delivery,
is in pain and crieth out in her pangs;
so we have been before thee, O Jehovah.
26:18We have been with child, we have been in pain,
we have as it were brought forth wind;
we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth;
neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
26:19Thy dead shall live; my dead bodies shall arise.
Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust;
for thy dew is as the dew of herbs,
and the earth shall cast forth the dead.26:20Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers,
and shut thy doors about thee:
hide thyself for a little moment,
until the indignation be overpast.
26:21For, behold, Jehovah cometh forth out of his place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity:
the earth also shall disclose her blood,
and shall no more cover her slain.
October 23, 1949: Isaiah 26:1-7
What symbolism is found in the verse “In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; salvation will he appoint for walls and bulwarks”? The land of Judah represents the realm of praise, and the strong city, Jerusalem, represents peace. Peace is the aggregate result of praise and thanksgiving, and the persons who indulge liberally in both realize peace of mind and heart. They are safe from malice and are saved by their habitual attitude of praise and thankfulness, as a city was once saved from its enemies by fortified walls and bulwarks.
What makes a nation “righteous”? The possession of a standard of integrity that requires it to keep faith with its citizens and with other nations. The righteous nation lives up to its standard.
How is justice expressed? In uprightness. “The way of the just is uprightness.”
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 01-20-2014
