Isaiah 25:6-9 (NRSV)
Read Isaiah 25:6-9 on biblegateway.com
Verse 6On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. Verse 7And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Verse 8Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
Verse 9It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Devotion
It was just a few months ago that I visited my prospective congregations for a whirlwind weekend of interviews. And what did we spend half our time doing? Eating, of course! That’s what people do for occasions, especially festive ones. We were happily celebrating the future we might have as partners in ministry.
Isaiah gives us a vision of a glorious future banquet, a feast that surpasses even the beautiful meals of my interview weekend. This “feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines” is “for all peoples,” and the occasion couldn’t be greater!
This feast celebrates the promised victory of a God who will someday “destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples” and “swallow up death forever.” We are still waiting in hope for this victory, but we know God will keep his promise. What better reason could we have to gather with all God’s people to celebrate even now?
Prayer
Almighty God, you have promised that you will destroy death and bring new life. Cheer our hearts with this promise, so we can rejoice even as we wait. Amen.