Leaders never let themselves be pulled down by the current situation, no matter how depressing it may be. Just as little do they lose sight of the big picture—their vision of a better future.
While Isaiah 25 paints a truly wonderful future, it builds on Isaiah 24, where a mood of doom prevailed regarding the future. One chapter shows the present in its unvarnished reality. The other chapter shows the hopeful future. Leaders must keep both things in mind, and it is the vision of the future that distinguishes a leader from a follower.
| Follower | Leader |
|---|---|
| sees the here and now | sees the goal and the potential |
| is driven by today's atmosphere | is driven by tomorrow's atmosphere |
| limited by their own possibilities | limited by the possibilities of everyone |
| gets distracted by daily problems | stays on track because of their focus on the goal |
| key word: now | key word: ultimate |
Isaiah 25
A Song of Praise for God's Mercies
1 O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
2 For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.
3 Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.
4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
5 Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.
The Great Feast
6 And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.
8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
10 For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.
11 And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands.
12 And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.
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