Isaiah65

The LORD reveals His availability to those who did not seek Him, while lamenting the continuous rebellion and idolatry of His chosen people. He declares judgment upon the disobedient but promises to preserve a remnant for His servants' sake. Ultimately, He foretells the creation of new heavens and a new earth, where Jerusalem will be a place of everlasting joy, peace, and prosperity.

God Reaches Out to the Unseeking

1
“I am inquired of by those who didn’t ask; I am found by those who didn’t seek me: I said, See me, see me, to a nation that was not called by my name. ​
2
I have spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, after their own thoughts; ​
3
a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens, and burning incense on bricks; ​
4
who sit among the graves, and lodge in the secret places; who eat pig’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels; ​
5
who say, Stand by yourself, don’t come near to me, for I am holier than you. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all the day. ​
6
“Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, yes, I will recompense into their bosom,
7
your own iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together”, says the LORD, “who have burned incense on the mountains, and blasphemed me on the hills; therefore will I first measure their work into their bosom.” ​

A Remnant Will Be Saved

8
Thus says the LORD, “As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one says, ‘Don’t destroy it, for a blessing is in it:’ so will I do for my servants’ sake, that I may not destroy them all. ​
9
I will bring a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains; and my chosen shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. ​
10
Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down in, for my people who have sought me. ​

Judgment on the Apostates

11
“But you who forsake the LORD, who forget my holy mountain, who prepare a table for Fortune, and who fill up mixed wine to Destiny; ​
12
I will destine you to the sword, and you shall all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called, you didn’t answer; when I spoke, you didn’t listen; but you did that which was evil in my eyes, and chose that in which I didn’t delight.” ​
13
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be disappointed;
14
behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall wail for anguish of spirit.
15
You shall leave your name for a curse to my chosen; and the Lord GOD will kill you; and he will call his servants by another name: ​
16
so that he who blesses himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he who swears in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hidden from my eyes. ​

The Promise of New Heavens and New Earth

17
“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. ​
18
But be you glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. ​
19
I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and there shall be heard in her no more the voice of weeping and the voice of crying.
20
“There shall be no more there an infant of days, nor an old man who has not filled his days; for the child shall die one hundred years old, and the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed. ​
21
They shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.
22
They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree shall be the days of my people, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. ​
23
They shall not labor in vain, nor give birth for calamity; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.
24
It shall happen that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. ​
25
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the LORD. ​

Study Notes for Isaiah 65

Verse 1

This verse presents a sharp contrast: God makes himself known to those outside the covenant community, a theme later used by Paul to justify the inclusion of Gentiles (Rom 10:20).

Verse 2

God depicts Himself in a posture of persistent invitation ('spread out my hands') toward Israel, emphasizing their stubborn refusal to follow covenant instructions, preferring their own 'thoughts' or plans.

Verse 3

Sacrificing in gardens and using altars of brick refers to syncretistic pagan worship, likely involving fertility rites, rather than the prescribed Temple worship on stone altars.

Verse 4

These practices—remaining near graves and eating swine’s flesh—are acts of deep defilement. The former relates to necromancy or ancestor worship, while the latter is a clear violation of Mosaic food laws (Lev 11:7).

Verse 5

The apostates exhibit spiritual arrogance, believing their self-made rituals make them ritually superior to others. God sees this self-righteousness as deeply offensive ('a smoke in my nose').

Verse 7

God emphasizes that the current judgment encompasses both the sins of the living generation and the cumulative guilt of their fathers, particularly idolatry practiced on high places.

Verse 8

This verse introduces the concept of the faithful remnant. Just as a small portion of good wine is saved from the crushed cluster, God preserves a faithful seed for the sake of His ultimate plan.

Verse 9

The promise of an 'inheritor of my mountains' refers to the restoration of the promised land (Zion) to the truly faithful, often called 'mine elect' or 'my servants.'

Verse 10

Sharon (a fertile plain in the west) and Achor (a troubled valley in the east) represent the entire land, promising complete geographical restoration characterized by peace and abundance.

Verse 11

The apostates are identified by their worship of pagan deities. 'That troop' (Heb. *Gad*) and 'that number' (Heb. *Meni*) are likely Babylonian or Canaanite gods of Fortune and Destiny.

Verse 12

The phrase 'I will number you to the sword' is a play on the name *Meni* (number/destiny from v. 11). They sought destiny from idols, but God determines their true destiny: destruction.

Verse 15

The wicked will be remembered only as a curse, while God’s faithful people will be given a 'new name' (cf. v. 17), signifying a radical transformation of identity and covenant standing.

Verse 16

The new community will ground all oaths and blessings in 'the God of truth' (*El Amen*), meaning the faithful God, assuring that all future dealings will be based on reality and divine faithfulness, not illusion.

Verse 17

This is a pivotal eschatological statement, promising a radical, comprehensive renewal of creation, where the sorrows of the past are completely erased. This vision is finalized in Revelation 21:1.

Verse 18

The focus of the new creation is the renewed Jerusalem, which will be the source of perpetual joy for God and His people.

Verse 20

This verse describes the radical transformation of life spans in the new age, emphasizing security and exceptional longevity. Dying at 100 years old will be considered dying young; the 'sinner' is cursed, confirming the moral perfection of the new order.

Verse 22

This guarantees security and permanence, reversing the curses of the old covenant (Deut 28:30) where enemies stole the harvest. The longevity of the people is compared to the enduring nature of a tree.

Verse 24

In the new age, the intimate relationship between God and His people is characterized by instantaneous communication and immediate divine response, eliminating the need for long supplication.

Verse 25

This classic depiction of messianic peace, echoing Isaiah 11:6-9, signifies the reversal of the natural order of hostility, indicating a cosmic restoration that includes the animal kingdom. Only the serpent (representing evil/the curse) retains its fate.

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