Isaiah 26:1-4 - Peace Peace... Perfect Peace
- Chad Werkhoven
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
God promises to keep you in perfect šhālôm.
Isaiah 26:1–4 (NIV)
26 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
God makes salvation
its walls and ramparts.
2 Open the gates
that the righteous nation may enter,
the nation that keeps faith.
3 You will keep in perfect peace (šhālôm šhālôm)
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
4 Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.
Canons of Dordt
Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints
Article 9: The Assurance of This Preservation
Concerning
this preservation of those chosen to salvation
and concerning the perseverance of true believers in faith,
believers themselves can and do become assured
in accordance with the measure of their faith,
by which they firmly believe
that they are and always will remain true and living members of the church,
and that they have
the forgiveness of sins
and eternal life.
Summary
Isaiah doesn't look forward to just any ordinary city as this chapter begins. The strong city he sings of here isn't Jerusalem or even located in the land of Judah, or anywhere in this world for that matter. This is a city which has walls and ramparts - in other words, its full security - built from God's salvation. This is the city we often sing about yet today - Zion, City of our God (be sure to listen to the video posted above)!
This city has an exclusive population - only the righteous nation may enter. Be careful when you read the word nation in the Bible; it doesn't mean country or state the way we often use the word, it simply refers to various ethnicities. The ethnicities welcome in Zion aren't based on skin color, language or any other physical trait, but whether or not its people keep faith.
That word keep is an important word in the Bible: It was what God commanded of Adam in the Garden: to work it and keep it. But we know that Adam and all who are in him failed to keep God's world and their own lives holy. This means the only 'ethnicity' welcome in this City are those who are in Christ, who perfectly kept Adam's covenantal requirements for those who trust in Him.
Make sure that you properly understand the citizenship requirements for Zion: the nations [people] that keep faith. Otherwise you'll quickly sink into despair and doubt, constantly wondering if you've done enough. Remember what you've been reminded of so often this last year as we've read the Bible together: that you can keep faith only because it's been given to you by God. So you can have full assurance that you are and always will remain a true and living member of the church, and that you have the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
Dig Deeper
It's the third verse that attracted our attention today: the absolute assurance that the residents of this city (that's you, by the way) can have: they will be kept in perfect peace. Isaiah poetically places an exclamation point on this statement by repeating the word peace; the LORD will keep [us] in šhālôm šhālôm.
Once again, the reminder comes of the importance your mind has in how you experience this šhālôm: it comes when your mind is steadfast. Or, as the ESV translates it, šhālôm comes to those whose minds are stayed on you. In other words, stay focused on the LORD and His Word, and remember the world will do all it can to shatter this all important trust in the LORD.
There's so much competition for your mind. Just as your body is what you eat, your mind is what you watch, listen to, read and think about. This is why it's so important for you to fill your mind with the Word of the LORD, each weekday as we read together, and especially on the Lord's Day as you meet with God's people and hear His Word proclaimed and applied.
The better you understand the full theology of your salvation - that is, everything the Bible says about it in both the Old and New Testaments - the more šhālôm you will have! This is what it means to Trust in the LORD forever! Set your mind on knowing the personal nature of your salvation: The LORD, the LORD Himself - is your eternal Rock!
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the eternal Rock of our salvation;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you would keep your mind filled with the knowledge and assurance of your citizenship in Zion, the glorious city of our God;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 2 Thessalonians 3
