Isaiah 65:1-16 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Isaiah 65:1-16. Let’s go!
Isaiah 65:1 (NIV)
1 “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
On verse 1: The book of Isaiah ends with God speaking the whole way through the last two chapters. Is Isaiah 65:1-16 (and even Isaiah 65:17 to the end of Isaiah 66) God’s direct answer to the prayer that Isaiah prayed in Isaiah 64? It’s possible, but it’s not absolutely clear.
One of the big themes of the Bible is that we weren’t looking for God as much as God was looking for us. We see that in verse 1: “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’” Desiring that we find Him and know Him, God takes the initiative to reach out to us.
That is why so much of the book of Isaiah is God using Isaiah to lay down messages for people long before they were even born, all in hope that one day they would reach for Him. That is also why 2,000 years before you and I were even born, Jesus Christ hung on a cross and stretched out His arms for us. God takes the initiative to reach for us long before we ever thought about reaching for Him.
Isaiah 65:2-7 (NIV)
2 All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations–
3 a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick;
4 who sit among the graves and spend their nights keeping secret vigil; who eat the flesh of pigs, and whose pots hold broth of unclean meat;
5 who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me, for I am too sacred for you!’ Such people are smoke in my nostrils, a fire that keeps burning all day.
6 “See, it stands written before me: I will not keep silent but will pay back in full; I will pay it back into their laps–
7 both your sins and the sins of your fathers,” says the LORD. “Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains and defied me on the hills, I will measure into their laps the full payment for their former deeds.”
On verses 2-7: Despite all the ways God takes the initiative to reach out to us, verses 2-5 describe how people keep rejecting God, pridefully insisting on their own way. Verses 6-7 are God promising, even writing a reminder to Himself (“it stands written before me”), that He will not let people’s sinful rebellion persist forever, that one day God will fully repay those who do evil. God is a just God who will not tolerate evil forever.
Isaiah 65:8-10 (NIV)
8 This is what the LORD says: “As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes and men say, ‘Don’t destroy it, there is yet some good in it,’ so will I do in behalf of my servants; I will not destroy them all.
9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah those who will possess my mountains; my chosen people will inherit them, and there will my servants live.
10 Sharon will become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for my people who seek me.
On verses 8-10: God is a just God (v6-7), but He is also full of compassion and mercy (v8-10). Here in verses 8-10 God says that He will not destroy His people completely, but will have mercy on those who serve Him (“my servants” v9). He will allow His servants to “possess my mountains” (v9), that is, to live in God’s presence. As we have seen over and over in Isaiah, God is full of justice and mercy, holiness and compassion, truth and grace.
Isaiah 65:11-12 (NIV)
11 “But as for you who forsake the LORD and forget my holy mountain, who spread a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the sword, and you will all bend down for the slaughter; for I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen. You did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.”
On verses 11-12: While God will have mercy on those who trust and serve Him (v11-12), those who forsake God will be destined for something different. God says, “I called but you did answer, I spoke but you did not listen.” (v12) God is calling. The question is: are we listening? May we be careful to listen and respond positively to God calling. For how we respond to God’s call will have huge eternal consequences.
Isaiah 65:13-16 (NIV)
13 Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “My servants will eat, but you will go hungry; my servants will drink, but you will go thirsty; my servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.
14 My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts, but you will cry out from anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit.
15 You will leave your name to my chosen ones as a curse; the Sovereign LORD will put you to death, but to his servants he will give another name.
16 Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the God of truth; he who takes an oath in the land will swear by the God of truth. For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes.
On verses 13-16: The “you” here is referring to those “who forsake the LORD” (v11). Here God contrasts what will ultimately happen to those who forsake the LORD with what will happen to those who trust and serve Him. Those who forsake the LORD will ultimately experience unquenchable hunger and thirst, shame (v13), anguish of heart, brokenness of spirit (v14), death (v15) and a reputation that people would consider cursed (v15). For those who trust and serve the LORD, their ultimate experience will be the opposite: their hunger and thirst will be satisfied (v13), they will rejoice with singing (v13-14), and they will live in God’s land with peace (v16).
Father, thank You for taking the initiative to reach for us, even when we aren’t reaching for You. Thank You for being a just God who will right every wrong and repay every injustice. Thank You also for being a compassionate and merciful God who protects and blesses forever those who trust in You. Since You’re calling, I respond and say let Your kingdom come in my life. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
