Today I would like to talk from the last half of Isaiah 26. The message title is “The path of the righteous” (7) In verse 1 it says, “In that day this song will be sung in the world.” This song will be sung at the end of the world in the Millennium. This song that will be sung at the end of the world in the Millennium is recorded here in chapter 26. Last week we looked at the first part of chapter 26 and we saw that the righteous, those that keep faith, are able to enter the strong city in which “God makes salvation its wall and ramparts.” (1) God’s salvation is the wall so it is shalom, shalom. There is perfect peace. Today’s passage is a song about how the righteousness will be taken care of in God’s judgment at the end of the world. Today I would like to talk about three aspects of “the path of the righteous.” (7)

I. The path of righteous is level (Vs. 7-11)
First let’s look at verses 7 to 11. Verse 7 says, “The path of the righteous is level; you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth.” “The path of the righteous is level” (7) means that it is not rough and full of bumps. This does not mean that “the path of the righteous” (7) doesn’t have obstacles or difficulties. Even if there are obstacles and difficulties, the Lord will “make the way of the righteous smooth.” (7) They won’t trip and fall or get lost.
Among Tomohiro Hoshino’s poems there is a poem, “The Road of the Tinkling Bell”. Going on a road full of bumps in a wheel chair was very hard and tiring, but one day he had a bell hanging on the wheel chair. Therefore, every time it hit a bump it tinkled, and it made him peaceful. From then on the bumpy road that he had hated became fun. The Lord will “make the way of the righteous smooth” (7) is like this. Our road in some ways is like a bumpy road, but The Lord makes it smooth and leads us to the place we are going to. Let’s believe this and not　take a detour, but walk on it.
Verses 8 and 9 say, “Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.”
When we hear the word “righteous” we have the image of someone who has never done anything wrong, but the “righteous” in the Bible are not such people. The righteous in the Bible are those who believe in Jesus Christ and are saved. “There is no one righteous, not even one… All have turned away, they have together become

worthless; there is no one who does good not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12) “For all men have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23, 24)
Here the qualities of a righteous person are recorded. That is someone who yearns and desires the Lord. “Yes, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you.” (8, 9) Verse 9 says, “My soul yearns for you in the night.” In other words, a righteous person is not a righteous person in and of himself. However, no matter what situation he is in he yearns for God.
Here it says, “My soul yearns for you in the night.” (9) “Night” (9) is a time of reflection, self-examination and soul-searching. It is also a time of loneliness. It is also a time of darkness and worrying. To yearn for God at such a time as night means he always yearns for God. “In the morning my spirit longs for you.” (9) He seeks God at night and in the morning. In other words, he always seeks God. This is what a righteous person is like. How about you, are you always seeking God?
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matt. 5:6) First by the Word of God we realized our sin, and then we repented of our sins, and received God’s salvation. Then we experienced the forgiveness of sin. However, that was not the end. Those who are made righteous next wait expectantly for the day they will be completely righteous, the day when our salvation is completed. That is at Jesus Christ’s second coming. When Christ comes again we will rise in a resurrected body, a glorious body. Our salvation will be complete. We must seek that day by earnest prayer. Such a person “will be filled.” (Matt. 5:6)
However, the wicked are not like this. Please look at verses 10 and 11. Here is says, “But when grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and do not regard the majesty of the LORD. LORD, your hand is lifted high, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame; let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them.” “When grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness.” (10) They are wicked not because they sin, but because when grace was shown to them, “they did not learn righteousness” (10) so they are wicked.
God is deeply merciful and full of grace. God makes the sun rise on the wicked and on the good people. God makes the rain fall on the wicked and on the righteous. God doesn’t instantly judge and destroy the wicked. To the righteous and the unrighteous God gives mercy and takes care of them. The reason why God shows this grace is because God doesn’t want even one person to perish, but for all people to be saved. We must remember however, that someday there will be a limit. There will come a time when the back door will close. Those who made light of God’s love, God’s patience, must be prepared to have God’s wrath come upon them. This is at the end of the world in the tribulation when God will pour out his judgment. This is written in detail in Rev. 6 to 19.
Recently it is often said that the Japanese are very prideful. Japan lost World War 2 and experienced bitter starvation, but from that they didn’t learn about neither God’s judgment nor his grace. In the wave of high economic growth they pursued material abundance, but they didn’t seek abundance for their souls. After that too, God frequently uttered warnings, but they did not look to God at all. “When grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness.” (10) Upon such people God’s wrath will be poured out.

II. The path of the righteous is prosperous (Vs. 12-15)
The second point is that the path of the righteous is prosperous. Please look at verse 12. It says, “LORD, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.”
This is a wonderful psalm, a wonderful confession. Peace has been established for us. We looked at this peace last week. This peace is not just regular peace. It is Shalom, shalom. It is perfect peace. This peace has been established for us. Not only that but it is not won by our earnestness. This peace is by the earnestness of God. This peace was established by God for us. “The Prince of Peace,” (9:6) Jesus, accomplished this on the cross. Jesus died on the cross for us. He took the punishment of sin upon himself. Jesus said on the cross “It is finished”. It wasn’t by something we did. Jesus did every single necessary thing for the forgiveness of our sins so that we could receive this peace.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith.” (Ephesians 2:8)
This is so no one can boast. The peace that God gives is all a gift of God, by the grace of God.
Therefore, Isaiah says this in verse 13. “LORD our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone do we honor.”
Up until now the Jews have been ruled by many lords. First was Babylon. Judah was destroyed by Babylon and then they were captured and deported. Then they lived for 70 years in captivity. However, God raised the Persian King, Cyprus who set them free, and they returned to Jerusalem. However, another ruler took the place of Babylon and ruled them. That was Persia, then Greece, then Rome. In the Roman era the Jews were forced out of their country and were scatter throughout the world. It is only recently that Israel established a country, the Republic of Israel. For　1900 years they were lost in the world. Then as God promised God gathered the Jews in Palestine who were scattered around the world. They became the Republic of Israel. That was in 1948. That was really a recent thing. Up until then they were under a lot of different rulers. For a long time they were ruled by others, but at the end of the world there will be no one that can rule over them. Only the Lord will rule over them.
We too have lived under many different rulers. Not only under the political rulers, but the rulers of the world, societal rulers, customs etc. We have lived under many different rulers. We live under many kinds of rulers, but we need to confess that God alone is our ruler.
Paul says in Romans 6:16 to 18, “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey- whether you are slaves to sin which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”
Before we were “slaves to sin” (Romans 6:17) and under the control of sin, but now we are different. Now we “have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” (Romans 6:18) Therefore, by the righteousness of God we must live under only God’s control.
Therefore, Isaiah in verse 14 says the following, “They are now dead, they live no more; those departed spirits do not rise. You punished them and brought them to ruin; you wiped out all memory of them.” Some people interpret that “They are now dead, they live no more; those departed spirits do not rise” (14) means that at the end of the world there is no resurrection of unbelievers, but that is not so. This means that the power of many rulers will be by God’s judgment completely unable to rise up again. Please look at Col. 1:13. Here it says, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” God “has rescued us” (Col. 1:13) from the control of sin that binds us “and brought us into the kingdom of the Son.” (Col. 1:13) It says, “you wiped out all memory of them.” (14) They were set so perfectly free that they have no ”memory of them” (14) at all. What a peace! This is “shalom, shalom. This is perfect peace.
That’s not all. In verse 15 it says, “You have enlarged the nation, O LORD; you have enlarged the nation. You have gained glory for yourself; you have extended all the borders of the land.” In the last times, the memory of the pagan nations which were
a threat to God’s people will be completely wiped out to the point that not even their shadow will be left. On the other hand, God’s people will glory in the glory. The Lord himself will enlarge the nation, gain glory, and “extend all the borders of the land.” (15)
This is what the people will be like at the end of the world. It is what Christians, we who have been rescued from all dominions, will be like. Therefore, we as one who has received the Lord Jesus’ salvation can make the same confession: “You have enlarged the nation, O LORD; you have enlarged the nation. You have gained glory for yourself; you have extended all the borders of the land.” (15) We must not put God in a box, limiting his power. We must pray, “I am nothing more than a small person, but God saved me. God will enlarge me. Through me God will show his glory to the limits. Make me bigger. If there are any hardened places within me, enlarge me.”
According to psychologists, we are always talking to ourselves. When we talk other with people, we use 150 to 200 words a minute. However, when we walk to ourselves it is nothing like this. When we talk to others people we use 1,300 words a minute.
When we talk to ourselves, it is surprising that most of what we say to ourselves is putting ourselves down. It is usually a negative conversation. Think about when you are walking by yourself. Don’t you usually think about what happened in the past and think about why you said that or why you did that, and put yourself down? When you do that, you become more depressed, and this can lead to actually becoming sick. In a lot of cases it actually makes you become more depressed because you keep thinking over and over again, “Why did I do that?” and you become more depressed.
But Jesus “has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Col. 1:13). We are not a slave of sin, but a slave of righteousness. Through Jesus Christ we are a new creation. The past is gone. We are completely new. We have to look at ourselves as being a new person in Jesus Christ. This is the glorious being that we will be in the course of time and at the end of the world. We will in the course of time be a glorious being that will reflect the glory of the Son of God. We have to see ourselves as being like that. We have to have healthy thoughts as a child of God who has received eternal life by the Word of God and is overflowing with the Word of God.
In 1 Chronicles 4:9, a man named Jabez appears. The name Jabez means “in pain or struggling”. His mother named him that because she gave birth to him in pain and suffering. It is thought that when Jabez was born, his father died. So it is possible that Jabez`s mother was still in the midst of suffering. She may have lost her husband so economically and psychologically she may have been suffering, and in the midst of sadness, she bore a child and had to bring him up. So he was not born in the best of circumstances and she had a heavy load to bear. So probably Jabez, when he heard his name called, he probably suffered too. But in verse 10, Jabez called out to God and prayed, and God answered his prayer. This is how Jabez prayed: “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain” (1 Chronicles 4:10). God answered this prayer. What he asked for was given, and he was blessed. We too should pray this way. Before, we suffered in the midst of sin, but now we have been set free through Christ. In addition, we are allowed to pray to God, “Lord, bless me and enlarge my territory!”

III. God watches over the path of the righteous (Vs. 16-21)
The third point is that God watches over the path of the righteous. Please look at verses 16-18. Even though Isaiah has up until now talked about the glory of Israel, from here on, he all at once is talking about suffering. This suffering is the suffering of the Great Tribulation. Here Isaiah is remembering the Great Tribulation, and he says, “LORD, they came to you in their distress; when you disciplined them, they could barely whisper a prayer (Isaiah 26:16).” They were suffering so much that they could barely whisper a prayer. The purpose of their suffering is that God is disciplining them. In Jeremiah, this is called “a time of trouble for Jacob”. “How awful that day will be! None will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it” (Jeremiah 30:7). For Jacob, this was a time of tribulation. By it, he was able to see God. In other words, the discipline was so that Israel could receive salvation.
When all is going well, we often don’t pray. But on the other hand, when we are suffering, prayer becomes very important. Pain produces prayer. Through pain, prayer is born. In the present day, when we have pain, we right away reach for medicine. So we do not have much pain, and not having pain is thought to be natural. However, God teaches us many things more things through pain than He does through an easy life. While struggling with things, we really pray. And by that prayer, we grow. Therefore, the author of the Psalms said, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees” (Psalm 119:71).
God’s people the Israelites, in the midst of God’s discipline and their suffering, prayed and sought salvation. This suffering is compared to a pregnant wife. In verse 17 itsays, “As a woman with child and about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain, so were we in your presence, O LORD” (Isaiah 26:17). That is terrible pain and suffering! Even so, in verse 18, it says, “We were with child, we writhed in pain, but we gave birth to wind.” Wind means emptiness—there is nothing. In other words, there
was terrible suffering, but nothing was born out of it. By our own strength, we cannot do anything. We cannot save ourselves. And of course, we cannot bring other people to the Lord’s salvation. The only hope we have is written in verse19. Please look at verse 19.

Here it is talking about Israel’s resurrection. God rose up Israel’s dead, and once again, they recovered. The hope of living in the future has overcome the grave and has reached out to the resurrection. Israel desires the victorious salvation. The power of God’s strength gave us life and made this possible. We have no power to do this ourselves. The “dew” (19) that God gives Israel is a dew that brings life and gives resurrection to the dead.
Please look at verses 20 and 21. “my people” in verse 20 are the Jews. The Jewish people, at the end of the world, for seven years in the tribulation, will look to the one they have slain, and will repent. In this way, they will enter into salvation. They will believe and receive the Lord, but even so, they must go through the Great Tribulation. However, so they can go through it, God prepares a hiding place. He hides them, and God watches over the remnant. This is the meaning of “Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by” (Isaiah 26:20). This is just like when Israel left Egypt and the Passover. God commanded His people to put blood on the doors of their houses and then to hide in their homes. During that time, the judging Lord came and punished the sins of the unbelieving Egyptians, and their sins became plain, and they were given just punishment. But God’s people were taken care of and escaped punishment. In other words, God’s people were saved not by what they did, but by the blood of the Passover Lamb. It is not something that they could do by their own strength. By the one way grace of God, by the blood of the Lamb, they were saved and escaped the judgment of God. Here is our hope. Even if we are in the midst of trials God will watch over us, so that we do not have to meet God’s judgment. Therefore, this is not just about the Jews, but is about Christians also. Christians in the tribulation at the end of the world will be hidden. They will be in the clouds. This is called the Rapture. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 says this:
“According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever Therefore, encourage on another with these words.”
The dead will rise first. They will come out of their graves and be caught up in the air. Next are the people who are still alive. Paul believed that he would still be left alive at that time so here he says “we who are still alive”. These people will be caught up into the clouds, and we will be with the Lord forever. At that time on the earth, God’s judgment will take place. However, Christians are not the object of God’s wrath. They will not receive God’s wrath because Jesus has received all the wrath in our place. Therefore, I Thessalonians 5:9 states, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” God has ordained that we not meet God’s wrath. This is our hope and encouragement. Do you have this hope? Have you received the work of salvation that was completed by Jesus Christ? Or are you depending on your own strength? “We writhed in pain, but we gave birth to wind.” (18) When we try to do things only by our own strength, we writhe in pain, but still salvation is not born. Salvation is in Jesus Christ. Please believe in Him and be saved. Then when we face various kinds of difficulties, He will help us. So let’s pray expectantly. Even if you are in the midst of pain, don’t let go of the net of God’s hope. Remember that God watches over the path of the righteous.