Isaiah 26:20 - Meaning and Application

These verses are usually taken as the start of a new section, not as the end of the song in the chapter. In the words before this, God’s people had been speaking to him about their troubles. Here he answers their complaints with comfort, warning, and promise.

First, he invites them into their rooms for safety (Isaiah 26:20). “Come, my people, come with me,” is the sense. He calls them to a place where he himself will be with them, and where the storm that scatters others will bring them closer to him and to one another. They are to stay inside, not out in danger, just as the Egyptians were not safe outside during the hail (Exodus 9:21).

This means, in one sense, that they should come into rooms set apart for them. They must not keep mixing with Babylon, but come out from among the ungodly and be separate (2 Corinthians 6:17; Revelation 18:4). If God has set apart the godly for himself, they should also set themselves apart. In another sense, these are chambers of protection, where they are safe because of God’s care and power.

God’s own character is the secret place of his tabernacle (Psalm 27:5). His name is a strong tower, and we can run to it for safety (Proverbs 18:10). By faith, we must enter those chambers and hide ourselves there. That means resting quietly under God’s protection, with a calm and trusting mind.

These chambers are also places of prayer and devotion. “Enter into your room and shut the door” (Matthew 6:6) teaches this same lesson. In trouble, we should draw near to God, search our hearts, pray, and humble ourselves before him. This is how we hide ourselves, by putting ourselves into his hands so that he may hide us, either in this life or in the life to come.

Israel had to stay inside when the destroying angel struck the firstborn in Egypt, or the blood on the doorposts would not have saved them. Rahab and her family also had to remain inside when Jericho was destroyed. Those are safest who are least exposed. The old saying is true, “He has lived well who has known how to keep himself properly hidden.”

Second, God tells his people that the trouble will last only a short time (Isaiah 26:20). He says, “Hide yourself for a moment.” Even if the moment feels long to us, it is still very brief in God’s sight. When it is over, it will seem small, and we will wonder how quickly it passed.

They will not remain in hiding for long. The “indignation” is the enemy’s rage and persecution, which forces God’s people to keep out of sight. When the wicked rise up, a person may need to hide for a while. But God will soon end their power, defeat their plans, and make a way for his people to come out again.

Athanasius, a Christian leader banished from Alexandria by Emperor Julian, was comforted by this kind of thought. He told his friends not to grieve, because it was only a little cloud that would soon pass. God told the church in Smyrna, “You will have tribulation ten days” (Revelation 2:10), meaning a short and limited time. This is what helps God’s suffering people call their troubles light, because they last only for a moment.

Third, God promises that their enemies will answer for all the harm they have done by sword, war, or persecution (Isaiah 26:21). The Lord will punish them for the blood they have shed. The time comes when God rises to judge the world for its wrongdoing. Though many people join together in evil, and may seem to stand strong, they will not escape punishment.

Besides the final punishment of the wicked in the life to come, God often gives serious judgments in this world for cruelty, oppression, and persecution. When men’s anger has finished its work, they should then expect God’s anger, because he sees the day of judgment coming (Psalm 37:13). The Lord comes out of his place to punish, meaning he shows himself in a special way from heaven, from his holy dwelling.

He seems to rise from hiding and act openly in judgment. What he does then comes from his wise, just, and hidden plans, like a king who goes out to take his seat or go into battle (Zechariah 2:13). Some have said that God’s place is the mercy seat, where he loves to dwell. So when he punishes, he is said to come out of his place, because he takes no delight in the death of sinners.

The guilty will also be exposed by clear evidence. “The earth shall disclose her blood” means that innocent blood, especially the blood of saints and martyrs, will not stay hidden forever. It has soaked into the earth, as it were, and been covered over, but God will bring it to light and call it to account. He will require blood for blood, because those who shed it deserve that judgment.

Secret murders and other hidden sins will be uncovered in time. Even the slain, whom the earth has long covered, will no longer be hidden when God brings their case to light. Their blood will cry out, as Abel’s blood cried from the ground (Genesis 9:10-11; Job 20:27). Sins that seemed buried and forgotten will be brought back at the day of reckoning. So God’s people should wait patiently, because the Judge is already standing at the door.