All Saint's Day-Isaiah 26

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son,+ and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

‘You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.’ (V. 3)

During his years of conquest, Alexander the Great became ill. He had great confidence in his friend and physician. After the physician had mixed for the great conqueror a potion to heal his illness, a letter was placed in Alexander’s hand. This letter warned him not to drink the potion as it contained poison.

He held the cup in one hand and the letter in the other hand. In the presence of his friend and physician he drank up the draught. After Alexander had drained that potion, he encouraged his friend to look at the letter and what it said. He wanted the physician to judge his confidence. Alexander had unstaggering faith in his friend that did not admit of doubt. “See now,” he said, “how I have trusted you?”

This is the assurance you and I should exercise toward God. Though the cup is very bitter, and some tell us it will prove deadly. That is, it is so terrible and nauseous that we will never survive drinking it. Unbelief and doubt whispers in your ear, “Your coming tribulation will utterly crush you.”

Drink down the cup to the dregs, saying, “If the Father slay me, yet will I trust in Him.” It cannot be that God should be unfaithful to His promise or unmindful of His covenant.[1]

This is exactly what Isaiah is telling us to do in this song that the Holy Spirit records through the prophet here. Why is it that you or I can have such perfect peace? We do have such peace because of the words that begin this song. Isaiah speaks to us of a ‘strong city’ of walls and towers and ramparts to protect. The song proclaims that the gates should swing wide for those who keep faith should enter.

This is how God keeps the faithful man in perfect peace.

We are able to do this not because of anything that you have done. It is not because of anything that I have done. No, this is not what keeps us in that peace. Instead, it is something entirely outside of you or me. This is what keeps us in His peace. That which keeps us in this peace is the strong city Isaiah speaks of. Who does Isaiah refer to by speaking of a ‘rock’ or a ‘strong city’? It is Christ (1 Cor. 10:4)! He is the rock and strong city we are hearing about.

‘My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.’ (V. 9)

It is all very easy to say ‘dwell in perfect peace’. It is also something that we all know very well. Yet, this is not often how many of us feel in our daily life. We do not feel as if we are dwelling in perfect peace. This is what the just quoted verse is getting at. This present life is the night. We yearn for our Savior in the night of this life. More often than not, we live by faith. That is, we live our life covered in a mist of uncertain imaginations so that we cannot feel or even see our life in Christ.

It is there nonetheless. Our faith is not a faith that is based on feelings.

So, Isaiah sings for us that when God’s judgements are on this earth, those of us who still dwell in this world learn righteousness. That is the cup of which we drink. You drink it to the dregs trusting that your Savior will not abandon His promises. Though He may kill you, your will be kept safe in Him. He is your strong city.

With our eyes of faith we see our Savior in this life. Yet, we long to see Him with these physical eyes as well. We do not want to wait until eternal life to see our Savior face to face. So, we cling to the promises we have been given in His word. We long to learn righteousness. This in spite of being surrounded by the mist of infirmity even still.[2]

‘O LORD, you will ordain peace for us; you have done for us all our works.’ (V. 12

However, it is possible for us to dwell in perfect peace. This is not so because of anything that you or I do. No. Rather, peace is yours because the Lord has ordained this for you. This is outside of anything that you accomplish. This peace is yours not because of any work that you have done to earn it or deserve it. Instead, this peace the Lord ordains is yours because He has said so.

This peace belongs to each of us as Christians because Christ Jesus has done all your works for you. As St. Paul tells us that there are works created for us from before the beginning of the world (Eph. 2:10). So, Isaiah tells us that these works have been done for us. It is Jesus living in you who does the good works created for you (SC II: 3rd). ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, … For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.’ (Rom. 3:24-24, 28)

So we do not lose heart. We know that this outer sinful nature of ours is wasting away and that we are being renewed day by day. Thus, this momentary affliction prepares us for eternal glory that is beyond comparing to what comes now. We keep our eyes on the things unseen, those eternal things which bring us a true joy and peace not dependent on our daily experience.

Again, when we think on this verse, the first thought is, ‘what man can understand His way?’ (Prov. 20:24) The words of Isaiah make clear that whatever good dwells in us is of our Savior’s making. Thank God that this is true. If we were left to our own, our thoughts would be only evil continually. As the Psalmist reminds ‘There is none who does good, no not one.’ (Ps. 14:3; Rom. 3:12)

‘Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for you! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.’ (V. 19)

We know from the Gospel accounts that this is true. After all, since Jesus lives, so shall you! You and all those who sleep in Christ shall live eternally (1 Thess. 4:13-18). Even at the resurrection of Jesus we see this being accomplished. As Matthew records for us, the rocks were torn apart and those saints who slept rose in their bodies (St. Mt. 27:51-52).

Even before the coming of the fulfillment of the promised Messiah. That Redeemer who would come and cleanse us from our sins for so many centuries in the Old Testament, even before that fulfillment Isaiah again proclaims this for you and me. He declares very plainly that there shall be joy at the resurrection. There will be joy of this nature at the resurrection of the just[3]. Those who have been committed to the dust before the return of our King, this rising gives you joy. You have joy; you have peace unlike that of the world because you know what is to come. Death now has no mastery over any of us here because we know what comes on the other side.

You know that everlasting life awaits you and those who have gone before you in the faith.

‘From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl, streams in the countless host,
Singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
Alleluia! Alleluia!’ (TLH 463:7)

In Jesus’+ Name. Amen.

[1] Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations, CPH pp. 75-6, entry #324.
[2] ACCS OT X pp. 171-2 St. Gregory the Great Morals on the Book of Job 5.23.39.
[3] ACCS OT X p. 181 Irenaeus Against Heresies 5.34.1.