O LORD You Have Done for Us All Our Works (Isaiah 26)

Isaiah 26 is an evangelistic message.  We can imagine ourselves standing before the gate of the heavenly city, the city with salvation as its walls and rampart, and God asking, “Why should I let you in?”  The song tells us the answer to that question.  First, it is what they proclaim to all who will listen: “Trust in Yahweh forever, for Yah Yahweh is an everlasting rock.”  It is calling for the heart attitude of trust — not something you do but a resting dependence on God.  Second, the song says, “for you have indeed done for us all our works.”  Thus the reason we can enter is not our good works but what Jesus has done for us.  Third, the song gives the illustration of a woman in labor to make much the same point.  We are unable to save ourselves or the nations and we are unable to defeat the nations.  Our labor is in vain.  But the Lord has done for us all our works.  If Jesus has done this for us, then you remember Him alone, seek Him with all your soul, learn righteousness from His discipline, and death is a blessing for you.  These are not really things you do either, so much as they are a dependence on God to do for you all your works.  You seek Him with all your soul because you depend on Him for salvation, you worship Him because you depend on Him for salvation and grace, you learn righteousness by experience from His discipline, etc.  He is doing it all.  This is good news because if it depended on us we would never enter the gates of the heavenly city.

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