Isaiah 26:1 - The Church, the city of God

The general drift of Isaiah 24-26 is about God restoring His Kingdom. In Isaiah 24, we see God cleansing the world. In that cleansing, God had a purpose. He was not only in the business of destruction but also in the business of rebuilding. He would only destroy what was useless in order that He might build something anew for His glory.  In Isaiah 25, the prophet spoke about a  feast on Mount Zion. God’s goal has always been to take His people into victory. He would never leave His people in defeat and a feast gives a clear picture of victory. As we come to Isaiah 26, the prophet began to talk about the city of peace before he rounded up in chapter 27 to talk about God’s day of deliverance.

Isaiah 26 began by referring to a song that would be sung in Judah. The song began by talking about a strong city. What is this city? In Isaiah’s mind, he was referring to Jerusalem as that city where God’s protection could be found. Spiritually speaking, we get the sense the “strong city” is referring to the church. Prophetically, we can safely conclude that Isaiah was pointing to the church of Jesus Christ. Paul in the New Testament refers to it as the household of God. In Matthew 16:18 we learn that the church is founded on Jesus the Messiah, the Son of the living God. And the Lord Himself has assured us it’s the safest place mankind will ever know. He has promised that He Himself will build it and that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The church of Jesus Christ is a strong city where one can find perfect security.

 

In Hebrews 11:22-23, the author tells us that we Christians “…have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect….” What a glorious privilege! As a citizen of this city, we must now do our part to advance the mission of the church. We must bring others to this city!