Isaiah 24:13 - Meaning and Application

Here is mercy remembered even in wrath. In Judah and Jerusalem, and in the lands around them, when they are overrun by enemies like Sennacherib or Nebuchadnezzar, a remnant will be preserved from the general ruin, and it will be a devout and godly remnant. This is how God often acts when he sends judgment, he does not make a full end (Isaiah 6:13). We can also understand this more generally: though most people lose all their comfort when the earth is emptied and made desolate, there are a few who understand what matters best. They have stored up treasure in heaven, not in earthly things, so they can still hold on to comfort and joy in God when the earth mourns and fades away.

Notice, first, how small this remnant is (Isaiah 24:13). When everything is falling apart, it will be like the shaking of an olive tree or the gleanings of grapes, here and there one person escaping the common disaster. It will be like Noah and his family when the old world was drowned. These survivors will be able to sit among the ruins of their earthly comforts and still rejoice in the Lord (Habakkuk 3:16-18). Even when every face turns pale with fear, they can lift up their heads with joy (Luke 21:26, Luke 21:28). They are scattered and far apart, like the few olives left after gathering, and they are hidden under the leaves. The Lord alone knows who belongs to him; the world does not.

Second, see the deep devotion of this remnant, which grows stronger because they have barely escaped such great destruction (Isaiah 24:14). They will lift up their voice and sing. They will sing for joy at their rescue. When the joy of worldly people comes to an end, the joy of the saints can still be alive. When those with easy hearts sigh because the vine withers, the upright can sing because the covenant of grace, the source of their comfort and the basis of their hope, never fails. Those who rejoice in the Lord can rejoice even in trouble, and faith can make them triumphant while others are in tears.

They will also sing to honor and praise God. They sing not only because of his mercy, but also because of his majesty. Their songs are serious and reverent, and even in spiritual joy they keep humble before God. The majesty of the Lord, which terrifies wicked people, becomes a reason for praise among his people. They sing because of the greatness and surpassing excellence of the Lord, seen in both his judgments and his mercies. We must sing about both, and sing to him because of both (Psalm 101:1). Those who escape from the land, whether to the sea or to the islands of the sea, will cry out from there. Their scattering will help spread the knowledge of God, and even distant shores will hear his praise. It is a great honor to God when those who fear him still rejoice in him and praise him, even in the darkest times.

Third, they stir up others to the same devotion (Isaiah 24:15). They urge their fellow sufferers to do the same. This includes those who are in the fires, in the furnace of affliction, in the fires by which the people of the earth are burned (Isaiah 24:6). It also includes those in the valleys, those low, dark, and dirty places. It includes those in the islands of the sea, where they are driven away or forced to flee for safety, far from all their friends. They go through fire and water (Psalm 66:12), yet in both places they must glorify the Lord and honor him as the Lord God of Israel. Those who, by grace, can boast in trouble ought also to glorify God in trouble and thank him for their comforts, even as their troubles grow.

In every fire, even the hottest, and in every island, even the most distant, we must keep good thoughts about God. When, though he kills us, we still trust him, and when, though we are counted as sheep to be slain for his sake, none of these things move us, then we glorify the Lord in the fires. So did the three children, and so did the martyrs who sang at the stake.