Let’s face it: it’s hard to read the prophets’ repeated warnings of impending judgment. Worse yet, because sin is a universal problem (Isaiah 24:5), eventually every part of creation will experience God’s justice, the consequences of Adam’s rebellion which brought a curse on the world he had been created to oversee (Isaiah 24:6).

And make no mistake – none of the distinctions of race, gender and class with which modern American culture is increasingly obsessed will make any difference on the day when God’s perfect justice is revealed: “And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor” (Isaiah 24:2).

So how should we respond to all these prophetic pronouncements of woe to the wicked? Instead of fear or dread, Isaiah counsels us to give God glory and praise for His righteousness and justice (Isaiah 24:15-16), no matter how great the wickedness around us may seem to be.

And this isn’t just because God will one day render perfect justice to all the wicked, reducing their proud cities and palaces into ruins (Isaiah 25:2). It’s because at the same time, God will somehow defend the helpless and the needy, providing a refuge for them, a respite as refreshing as a cloud passing overhead on a hot Mississippi summer day (Isaiah 25:4-5).

Yes, the good news is that God will show mercy in spite of His holiness and righteousness. The good news is that God will destroy death once for all, removing all our grief and all our humiliation from us (Isaiah 25:8). And He has made all this possible in the crucifixion of Christ, Who absorbed all the Lord’s condemnation for all who trust in Him. Moreover, by His resurrection, Christ has destroyed the power of death for all His people.

So, no matter how great the problems may be in our world today, let’s trust in God’s justice and mercy, even as we join Isaiah in singing God’s praise: “O lord, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will give thanks to Thy name; For Thou hast worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness” (Isaiah 25:1).

Isaiah 25:1-9 (NASB)

O lord, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will give thanks to Thy name; For Thou hast worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.
2 For Thou hast made a city into a heap, A fortified city into a ruin; A palace of strangers is a city no more, It will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore a strong people will glorify Thee; Cities of ruthless nations will revere Thee.
4 For Thou hast been a defense for the helpless, A defense for the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; For the breath of the ruthless Is like a rain storm against a wall.
5 Like heat in drought, Thou dost subdue the uproar of aliens; Like heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the ruthless is silenced.
6 And the LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined, aged wine.
7 And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, Even the veil which is stretched over all nations.
8 He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.
9 And it will be said in that day, “Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”