Chapters 25 and 26 express the thoughts of the delivered believing Israelites, when God’s judgments will have been poured out on the earth, as we saw in our study of chapter 24:23, showing the conclusion of those judgments in Christ’s reigning in Mount Zion.
Brought through fearful times of suffering, these earthly saints will be filled with thankfulness to Him.
“O Jehovah,” they will say (verse 1), “Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee.”
Wonderfully will He have worked, according to counsels of old which are faithfulness and truth.
For many long centuries has He been compelled to hide His face from His earthly people, because of their sins, of which the greatest is the rejection of their Messiah; but He has never given up His purpose to bless Israel, and the Gentiles through them.
The works of man at enmity with God will then have been utterly destroyed, never to be rebuilt (verse 2), and those of the Gentile nations who will have been preserved alive will glorify and fear Him (verse 3).
In the very depths of trial, the believers who make up the “remnant” (Isa. 10:22-2322For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. 23For the Lord God of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land. (Isaiah 10:22‑23)) will have learned His compassion, and known His protection: He has been a fortress to the poor; a fortress for the needy in his distress; a refuge from the storm; a shadow from the heat; for the blast of the terrible ones (their enemies) will have been as the storm against a wall (verse 4).
In Israel’s land (spoken of as “this mountain” because it will be to the whole earth the particular country where Jehovah will be exalted) Jehovah of Hosts will make to all people, spared through the fearful judgments of the last days, such a provision out of His bountiful goodness as has never been known (verse 6). It will be the richest earthly blessing, seen and acknowledged as from God.
The world today receives much from God, but in unbelief never owns Him as the giver; in the Millennial day the darkness connected with man’s unbelief will be removed (verse 7).
Verse 8 gives us the expression quoted in 1 Cor. 15:54,54So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (1 Corinthians 15:54) for, the first resurrection (Rev. 20:1-61And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. 4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:1‑6)) will then be an accomplished thing, with Christ and His risen saints come to be seen by Israel and the nations.
The Word of God does not tell us when the earthly saints will receive the new resurrection body; apparently it will not be until the close of the Millennium or thousand years’ reign of Christ, and before the new heavens and new earth appear (Rev. 21:1-41And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:1‑4)). The making “all things new,” of Rev. 21:5,5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (Revelation 21:5) will necessarily include the clothing of the earthly saints with the new body, if it shall not have been done before then.
Verses 9-12 show very plainly that the blessing of the coming day will be first of all for Israel, and that their position will not be the same as that of the heavenly saints, —as indeed the whole of the prophetic scriptures indicate. We observe, for example, in verse 9, “He will save us,” referring to those Jews who have trusted in God during the interval between the Lord’s coming for His heavenly saints, and His return in power. But the heavenly saints are already saved, and do not wait for that day in order to be saved.
Moab was one of Israel’s proud enemies, and they will rightly look to see them put down, but the Christian is taught of God to love his enemies, and to seek to get the gospel before them, desiring their salvation.