Imperial feast

Donald Polaski ( Authorizing an End: The Isaiah Apocalypse and Intertextuality (Biblical Interpretation Series) ) links the feast of Isaiah 25 with the imperial feasts of the Babylonian kings of Daniel and Ahasuerus in Esther. He concludes that Isaiah implicitly endorses empire:

“The feast YHWH throws in Isaiah 25 parallels those feasts thrown by other emperors. This similar function would tend to put a stamp of approval on that form of government as being favored by YHWH. ‘On that day’ what will change will be who is ultimately in charge but YHWH’s reign will not bring with it any decisive shift in the way governing structures are organized. Transitions between overlords did not necessarily serve as the occasion for extraordinary alterations in local governance. YHWH’s new reign would bring a shift in emperors, not without a certain dislocation, but apparently leaving the local bureaucracy intact.”

Certainly an intriguing political theological conclusion, but in the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy we see not only a circulation of elites but a reorientation of the fundamental structures of ancient empire. For starters, we could simply note that the imperial feast of Isaiah 25 is fulfilled in the feast of the kingdom, presided over by King Jesus, and not by any earthly king.