Isaiah 25: Shame & Death Swallowed Up, Trampled Like Moab -- 2019/10/18

Rev. Peter Bender, pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Sussex, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Isaiah 25. “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces.” These beloved words, quoted both in 1 Corinthians and Revelation, are often read on Easter Sunday. They’ve inspired countless hymns as they powerfully proclaim the resurrection. In Isaiah’s context, many people worshiped the fertility god Baal. According to pagan belief, as mighty as Baal was, he was swallowed up by death every year at the start of the dry season. Isaiah testifies to Yahweh, an even greater God who would end the cycle of death forever. Our true God did so by letting death swallow His son for a short time, never to happen again. Thus Jesus atones for our sins and rescues the church from her shame, bringing mighty Babylon down to the level of defeated Moab.