Isaiah 25:6-9 - On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And He will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His people He will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, that He might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for Him; let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation."
My husband regularly sleeps with a sheet over his face. I think it's because of the years he spent in a Vietnamese prison camp having to avoid scorpions. But it gives me the creeps, because it resembles a shroud—the sheet that many cultures use to wrap dead people before they bury them.
And that's what Isaiah is describing in this passage—he talks about death itself as being like a shroud that covers everybody in the world. Now that's creepy! Most of us try to avoid thinking about death, even though we know it's going to get us in the end. But in Isaiah's word picture, it's right there in our faces—unavoidable—smothering us.
Who can help? The Lord God. And where will He do it? On this mountain—the place where Jerusalem stands, and where God Himself will suffer and die on a cross to rescue us all from everlasting death.
That is what Jesus came to do—to destroy the power of death that hangs over us from our very first breath. And He did this by becoming human, one of us, as the Holy Spirit tells us: "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery" (Hebrews 2:14-15). Jesus' death is the death of death; and His resurrection is the gateway into life for everyone who trusts in Him.
How do we know this is true? Because Jesus Himself has promised. As He says, "This is the will of My Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise Him up on the last day" (John 6:40). That's what we have to look forward to. No more shrouds—only joy, peace, forgiveness, and life everlasting.
WE PRAY: Lord God, help me when I am afraid of death and teach me to trust You with my whole heart. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
1. Do you think of death as an enemy? Why or why not?
2. What scares you most about death?
3. How does Jesus' resurrection and promise help you cope with your own eventual death? The death of those you love?
Today's Bible Readings: Hosea 12-14 Romans 16
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