1 December 2022

Trust in the Lord for ever,
for in the Lord God
you have an everlasting rock.
For he has brought low
the inhabitants of the height;
the lofty city he lays low.
He lays it low to the ground,
casts it to the dust.

From Isaiah 26:1-6, NRSV

These words form part of what is entitled “Judah’s Song of Victory”. Such songs would have been sung by triumphant armies returning to their home cities. However, this is not a song about a military victory but of a moral victory. Isaiah is offering the downtrodden people of Judah the hope that there will be a time when the just and faithful will be victorious. Their oppressors will be defeated and they will live in peace and security under God’s protection. The image of the “lofty city” being laid low is a symbol for the Messiah’s ultimate victory over sin and injustice.

• • How would Isaiah’s words have affected the people of his time? 
  • Does Isaiah’s prophecy have a meaning for our own times?

Pray today for all those who are oppressed.