xxv. 8. _He wil swallow up death in victory, &c._
It is important at the very outset that we should clearly recognise
the Person and the dignity of the Person of whom all these things are
declared. Otherwise it will be impossible for us to look for the
fulfilment of these marvellous promises. We have the authority of St.
Paul for declaring that the Person is none other than our Lord Jesus
Christ. To HIM he ascribes the victory over death (1 Cor. xv. 54).
Thus St. Paul authorises the most exalted conceptions we can find of
the dignity of our Lord; for the work which he declares will be
fulfilled by Christ is in our text ascribed to Jehovah: "The Lord God
will wipe away," &c. It is of "the Lord of hosts" that Isaiah speaks
throughout (vers. 6-8). Thus we have here one of the invaluable
incidental proofs with which Scripture abounds of the deity of our
Lord. If He is "the Lord of hosts," _then_ we can believe all the
things here declared of Him.
+I. The deliverance of Christ's people from death.+ "He will swallow
up death in victory"--as the rods of the magicians were swallowed up
by the rod of Aaron; as the hosts of Pharaoh were swallowed up by the
waters of the Red Sea; as the darkness of the night is swallowed up
in the brightness of the morning. True, God's people must depart
hence, like other people; but in regard to them Christ "has swallowed
up death in victory." 1. By imparting to them a spiritual life and
blessedness which are not touched by the dissolution of the union of
body and soul. 2. By sustaining and comforting them while that
mysterious process is being accomplished. How often has the deathbed
of the believer been a scene of triumph! 3. By utterly changing the
character of death in regard to them. To them it is not a curse but a
blessing (H. E. I., 1571-1594, 1594-1643). 4. By the promises which
on the morning of the resurrection He will surely fulfil. "THEN," &c.
(1 Cor. xv. 54; H. E. I., 4334-4354).
+II. The deliverance of Christ's people from sorrow.+ "The Lord God
will wipe away tears from off all faces,"--tears of sorrow for sin;
of mourning under affliction, trials, and bereavements; of grief
caused by the wickedness of men and the injury done to the cause of
truth and righteousness: all shall be wiped away, every cause of
sorrow brought to an end.
+III. The deliverance of Christ's people from the shame and contempt
of the world.+--_Samuel Thodey._