In the previous chapter, Isaiah told of a Day in which the earth would be shaken.
Isaiah 25:1, You have done great things
LORD, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done wonderful things,
things planned long ago.
This chapter is a praise psalm, reacting to the plans of YHWH to judge the nations and provide a sanctuary for His people (Jew or non-Jew.)
Isaiah 25:2-5, A refuge for the needy
You have made the city a heap of rubble,
the fortified town a ruin,
the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more;
it will never be rebuilt.
Therefore strong peoples will honor you;
cities of ruthless nations will revere you.
You have been a refuge for the poor,
a refuge for the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the storm
and a shade from the heat.
For the breath of the ruthless
is like a storm driving against a wall
and like the heat of the desert.
You silence the uproar of foreigners;
as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud,
so the song of the ruthless is stilled.
God is praised for bringing down the strong and proud and, in contrast, providing a refuge for the poor and vulnerable.
As Grogan points out, this chapter and the next are mixtures of praise songs and prophecy. The New Testament book of Revelation has a similar mixture.
Isaiah 25:6-8a, On this mountain
On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
On that future Day, a banquet will be prepared on Mount Zion for all of God's people. On that Day, death is "swallowed up" and (below) all tears wiped away. As Grogan points out, it is hard to read this without seeing, in Isaiah, a belief in a physical resurrection. (There are only a few verses in the Old Testament that speak to an afterlife. When those passages occur, the afterlife is physical, a resurrection of the body.) Verse 8 is quoted in the New Testament by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:54.
Isaiah 25:8b-9, No more tears
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth.
The LORD has spoken.
In that day they will say,
“Surely this is our God;
we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the LORD, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”
A Day is coming in which there will be no more tears and no more disgrace. People will rejoice that they trusted in God. The phrase "God will wipe away the tears..." is quoted in Revelation 7:17.
Isaiah 25:10-12, But Moab
The hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain;
but Moab will be trampled in their land
as straw is trampled down in the manure.
They will stretch out their hands in it,
as swimmers stretch out their hands to swim.
God will bring down their pride
despite the cleverness of their hands.
He will bring down your high fortified walls
and lay them low;
he will bring them down to the ground,
to the very dust.
In contrast to Zion, Moab -- which represents the proud and clever, those who refuse to bow down to YHWH -- will be brought down, despite their power and fortifications.
Some Random Thoughts
As Motyer points out, the banquet theme from verse 6 continues in the New Testament. Jesus feeds the 5000 in one location, 4000 in another (Mark 6:30-44, Mark 8:1-10), gives a parable about ten bridesmaids waiting for a wedding banquet (Matthew 25:1-13) and speaks of preparing a place for His followers, where they will celebrate the Passover once again (John 14:1-4. and Luke 22:14-22.) In Revelation 19:9 there is an invitation to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. The banquet in verse 6, above, is identified in the New Testament as future passover and wedding supper.
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