Isaiah 66:1-24 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today we’re finishing the book of Isaiah with the final chapter, Isaiah 66:1-24. Let’s go!
Isaiah 66:1-2 (NIV)
1 This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?
2 Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the LORD. “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.
On verses 1-2: In the final chapter of Isaiah 66, God has a number of messages to tell His people. He begins this last chapter by going back to the very beginning, reminding them of who He is: He is the Creator, the reason this world came into existence. Because God made it all, God can’t be contained by any man-made structure. He’s too big. So don’t try to box God into a building. He won’t fit.
What God is interested in, however, is living in those who are humble and contrite in spirit and who tremble at His Word. As Isaiah 57:15 says, “For this is what the high and lofty One says– he who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.’” If there’s anywhere God wants to live, it’s not in a physical building but in our hearts. That is why our bodies and Christ’s church – i.e. the people of God – are called a temple of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 3:17 and 6:19-20).
Here God is also possibly alluding to the fact that, having promised that He will create a new heaven and a new earth (see Isaiah 65:17), only God is truly fit to build a house for Himself.
Isaiah 66:3-4 (NIV)
3 But whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a man, and whoever offers a lamb, like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever makes a grain offering is like one who presents pig’s blood, and whoever burns memorial incense, like one who worships an idol. They have chosen their own ways, and their souls delight in their abominations;
4 so I also will choose harsh treatment for them and will bring upon them what they dread. For when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened. They did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.”
On verses 3-4: Since God is interested in living in human hearts, what angers God and displeases Him is when people give heartless sacrifices, when they give offerings but their hearts are elsewhere. Here God is rebuking those who content themselves on a lifestyle where they offer something to God but then live the rest of their lives for themselves as if God is not in the picture (doing evil, choosing what displeases God and worshiping idols). They might show up to church and offer a sacrifice but there is no relationship, no responsiveness to God, no humility and no obedience (“when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened” -v4). It’s similar to when God says in Isaiah 29:13, “… ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.’” God says in verse 4 that He will treat such people harshly and bring upon them what they dread (v4).
Isaiah 66:5-6 (NIV)
5 Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at his word: “Your brothers who hate you, and exclude you because of my name, have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy!’ Yet they will be put to shame.
6 Hear that uproar from the city, hear that noise from the temple! It is the sound of the LORD repaying his enemies all they deserve.
On verses 5-6: Here God speaks to those “who tremble at his word”, that is, who trust in God. God says that He sees the way that their unspiritual peers hate them, exclude them and mock them for their faith (v5). God says that these mockers will be put to shame one day (v5). These mockers have been given a great spiritual heritage, having grown up hearing God’s Word, but though they go to church they simply don’t take that heritage seriously and mock those who do. They live more like enemies of God and of God’s people. So verse 6 paints the picture of God repaying these “enemies” all they deserve. Notice that the noise of God’s retribution is coming “from the temple!” (v6), meaning that God is going after those who superficially worship at the temple but whose hearts are far from Him. He considers them His enemies.
What can we learn from this? As Pastor David Pawson observes, in just the first 6 verses, God is rebuking people for three ways that they can dangerously compartmentalize their faith and box God in. Verses 1-2 is when people box God into a little bit of room, living as if God is in the temple but nowhere else. Verses 3-4 is when people box God into a little bit of time, sacrificing to God one small part of their week but living the rest of the week for themselves. Verses 5-6 is when people box God into one small part of their hearts; rather than loving God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength, they settle for giving God half-hearted devotion and mock those who seem to give too much. This is the problem of compartmentalizing one’s faith. You can’t box God in. Either God is Lord of all or He’s not Lord at all.
Isaiah 66:7-9 (NIV)
7 “Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son.
8 Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.
9 Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the LORD. “Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?” says your God.
On verses 7-9: God says that in a shockingly fast way, like a mother giving birth even before she goes into labour or experiences contractions, so God is going to cause Jerusalem to rise up and be reborn, all of a sudden (v7-8). After promising repeatedly in other parts of Isaiah that He would exalt Jerusalem again, God says that of course He will deliver on His promise (v9). For whatever God promises, He will do.
Concerning this fast ascension of Jerusalem, what historical period is God referring to? Some think this is referring to the return of the Jewish exiles back to Jerusalem from Babylon in 538 B.C. But the context of Isaiah 66 seems to fit something much more “end times”-ish and eternal. I believe the better interpretation is to see these verses and the remainder of Isaiah 66 as referring to the New Jerusalem that God will create at the end of time, which God had just talked about at the end of Isaiah 65 as well as in Isaiah 60-62.
Isaiah 66:10-13 (NIV)
10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her.
11 For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance.”
12 For this is what the LORD says: “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees.
13 As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”
On verses 7-14: “All you who love Jerusalem” (v7) – who is that? That includes all those who love the LORD and His people. These lovers of Jerusalem will experience great comfort when they see the New Jerusalem rising up and her spiritual peace and material wealth flourishing.
Isaiah 66:14-21 (NIV)
14 When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the LORD will be made known to his servants, but his fury will be shown to his foes.
15 See, the LORD is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For with fire and with his sword the LORD will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the LORD.
17 “Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following the one in the midst of those who eat the flesh of pigs and rats and other abominable things–they will meet their end together,” declares the LORD.
18 “And I, because of their actions and their imaginations, am about to come and gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see my glory.
19 “I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations–to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations.
20 And they will bring all your brothers, from all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the LORD–on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,” says the LORD. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the LORD in ceremonially clean vessels.
21 And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites,” says the LORD.
On verses 14-21: Throughout Isaiah 56-66 God is making distinctions between those who truly trust in Him and those who don’t, between God’s “servants” and God’s “foes” (see v14). Those distinctions are never stronger than here in the final chapter of Isaiah. God says that He will come with fire (v15) and judge all people (v16). His enemies will meet their end (v17), while God will gather to Himself people from all nations and tongues (v18) who have trusted in Him. This aligns very much with the idea in the New Testament that when Jesus Christ comes again, He will come not as a suffering servant but as a conquering king. He will judge the world, establish His kingdom, gather His people and put an end to His enemies. Isaiah says that among “those who survive” (v19) this time of tribulation, they will put their trust in God, bring the message of God and His glory to the nations (v19), and gather the rest of God’s family from the nations to be part of the New Jerusalem (v20) and to serve as priests and Levites (v21).
Here we see in verses 18-21 God’s heart for the nations, how God’s kingdom and God’s priests will consist of people from every nation and tongue. It is one of the big recurring themes in the book of Isaiah.
Isaiah 66:22-24 (NIV)
22 “As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the LORD, “so will your name and descendants endure.
23 From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,” says the LORD.
24 “And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”
On verses 22-24: Isaiah ends with this picture: those who trust in the LORD will endure forever, together with the new heavens and new earth that God will create (v22-23). Meanwhile, those who persist in rebellion against God will perish and suffer everlasting torment (“their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched” – v24). In fact, Jesus quotes Isaiah 66:24 when he describes hell (Mark 9:47-48), which is further evidence that Isaiah 66 is not talking so much about the end of the Jewish exile in Babylon but about the end of the world.
What a powerful picture to end Isaiah’s incredible book.
Isaiah 66 effectively summarizes the biggest themes of Isaiah 56-66:
– The kind of worship God truly desires;
– God’s heart to include those who are far away from Him (eunuchs, foreigners, nations);
– God is holy and will not tolerate evil forever, but He is also merciful and compassionate toward the contrite in heart;
– God distinguishes His servants (those who truly trust Him) from His foes (those who give Him lip service);
– God takes the initiative to reach for us (“when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened” -v4) yet people have a tendency to push God away;
– Sin breaks God’s heart and alienates us from Him;
– Everlasting torment awaits those who persist in rebellion against God while everlasting joy and life await those who trust in Him;
– God will create for those who trust in Him a new heaven, a new earth and a new Jerusalem where they can live together forever.
That brings our look at the book of Isaiah to a close. Has our study of Isaiah been a blessing to you? We would love to hear from you. Click HERE to send us your feedback on our series “Waiting for Sunrise: Learning to Keep Your Hope Alive Through the Book of Isaiah”.
Father, thank You for every lesson we can learn from the powerful and game-changing book of Isaiah. Thank You for the hope that we can have, knowing that You are both holy and compassionate, just and merciful, the Saviour that we need and the King that we serve. Thank You for Your promise that one day You will make a new heaven, a new earth and a new city for us to live with You one day. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
