Isaiah Chapter 65/Commentary

Isaiah Chapter 65 This chapter seems to be a response to the nation’s prayer in chapter 64.

“Because of their rebellion and idolatry He cannot do what they plead for. He will cast off the fleshly nation, but will redeem or save a remnant. The present order will pass away, and He will create a new one” (Hailey p. 513). “In this portion of the book, the Lord responds to Israel’s prayer (63:15-64:12). Jehovah will act justly; He will reward the righteous (even from among the Gentiles) and He will punish the wicked (to the extent of casting off national Israel)” (Jackson p. 130).

65:1 “I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me”: This verse is speaking of the future in the New Testament age when Gentiles, those who had not sought God in times past, Gentiles would respond to the gospel message. These verses are quoted in Romans 10:20-21, and the application that Paul makes is to the Gentiles that were responding to the gospel in the first century. Now if Gentiles, people who one time had no interest in God and who were without God (Ephesians 2:11), can find God, then anyone can find Him. Notice that since God wants people to find Him, then surely if someone is looking for the truth, they will find it (John 7:17). Clearly then this chapter is not discussing matters that would happen in a supposed Millennium, but things that will happen in the New Covenant.

65:2 “I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people”: God now addresses Israel (Romans 10:21). “To spread out the hands is a gesture of appeal, so has He stretched or reached out His hands in imploring the people to hear Him. He has done this all the day, continually; He will not give them up until He is forced to by their stubbornness” (Hailey p. 513). In spite of all the preaching and appeals from the prophets, and all the second chances that God had given to Israel, for the most part the nation remained a stubborn and rebellious people.

65:2 “Following their own thoughts”: What an apt description of rebellion and sin (Romans 1:21ff). They do and think what they want; at the heart of all rebellion is selfishness. This rebellious attitude will continue into New Testament times (Acts 7:51; 13:46). “They have rebelled against their God in spite of the fact that His loving hands were spread out unto them. They have stubbornly walked in the path of wrongdoing, pursuing their own interests” (Jackson p. 130).

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65:3 “A people who continually provoke Me to My face”: “The people provoke Jehovah to anger by their continual insults before His very face, openly, in defiance of His eternal Godhood; there is no effort to hide their blasphemous deeds (3:9)” (Hailey p. 513). “Offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on bricks”: This refers to idolatrous rites practiced in private gardens and burning incense to idols on private altars. “Altars slightly and hastily constructed” (Hailey p. 514).

65:4 “Who sit among the graves”: This may be a reference to consulting the dead, the practice of necromancy, seeking messages from the dead instead of listening to God (see Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:11-12). “Spend the night in secret places”: “May refer to the mysteries celebrated in natural caves and artificial crypts” (Hailey p. 514). “Who eat swine’s flesh”: They were deliberating disregarding the food laws in the Law of Moses (Leviticus 11:7; Deuteronomy 14:8).

65:5 “Who say, ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am holier than you’” In spite of their clear rebellion and sins, they had adopted an attitude of selfrighteousness (Luke 18:9ff). “Individuals practicing such abominations consider themselves holier than the true worshippers of God” (Hailey p. 514). “Than you”: Some commentators believe that this statement given by rebellious Israelites is directed at God. This should not surprise us, for the world is filled with people who consider themselves far more spiritual than Christians and far more just than the God revealed in the Bible. Arrogance among pagans and believers is not a new problem. “Paganism has its ‘holy’ men; and these, in their fancied sanctity, instill fear in others lest they should come too close to them and be harmed” (Gaebelein p. 350).

65:5 “These are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all the day”: Such people are a constant irritation to God. Yes, God is also angered by the “holier than thou” practicing homosexual!

65:6 “Behold, it is written before Me”: God keeps a record of not only the righteous and their deeds (4:3), but He also keeps an account of the deeds of the wicked (2 Corinthians 5:10). “I will not keep silent”: God will not remain inactive toward rebellious sinners, “I will even repay into their bosom”: The bosom included a fold in a apron or garment in which goods could be carried, thus, “The Lord will fill their sack with what they deserve” (Jackson p. 130).

Compare with Luke 6:38.

65:7 “Israel’s sins had been accumulating over a long period of history, and the time for full payment would eventually come” (Jackson p. 130). Compare with Genesis 15:16; Romans 2:1-5; Amos 2:4. Note the principle that judgment accumulates for individuals as well as nations. Currently peace and prosperity is

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not a proof that judgment will never arrive or that God isn’t paying attention. “His judgment on a nation often awaits the full term of its sin (Matthew 23:32; 1 Thess.

2:16) (Gaebelein p. 350). “Scorned Me on the hills”: Apparently the hills were a favorite place to erect pagan altars on which to offer their sacrifices to idols.

God took such actions as a deliberate attempt to scorn and ignore Him. God does take sin personally.

65:8 Here again is the doctrine of the remnant. Israel will be judged but the entire nation will not be destroyed. “No one destroys a cluster of good grapes that stand out among clusters of sour or worthless ones” (Hailey p. 515).

Compare with Jeremiah’s image of the good figs and the worthless figs (Jeremiah 24). Even at this point there are a few that are faithful, compare with Romans 11:1-5.

65:9-10 Out of this remnant will come forth offspring, that is the true children of Abraham (Galatians 3:26-27). Those who are faithful will inherit God’s mountain, that is the spiritual blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Remember the mountain of the Lord is the church (Isaiah 2:2; 1 Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 12:22-29). We already know that such passages refer to the New Covenant era from how Paul applied the first two verses of this chapter. Note such blessings are for only those who seek God. 65:11 Remember, the Holy Mountain is spiritual Zion, the church. “Who set a table for Fortune, and who fill cups with mixed wine for Destiny”: Here is worship offered to pagan deities. The Hebrew term rendered “Fortune” is “Gad” and the term rendered “Destiny” is “Meni”. Apparently these were Canaanite deities that the Israelites were worshipping. “Of course, there is no such thing as luck (fortune) or fate (destiny) (Ecclesiastes 9:1)” (Hailey p. 516). For all practical purposes many people continue to worship “lady luck” and “fate”. These continue to be popular gods among non-Christians.

65:12 Worshipping such idols does bring a definite destiny, but not the future that the idol worshippers had promised. The people are inexcusable because God had called them repeatedly through the prophets but they had refused the invitation. “And chose that in which I did not delight”: Notice the self-will involved in rebellion. What is our delight? Is it what God delights in or what the world delights in?

65:13 Observe the contrast between the faithful and the unfaithful. This verse is not talking about physical hunger and thirst, for unbelievers are often well feed (Psalm 73). Instead, Christians find fulfillment and satisfaction in their relationship with God, unbelievers remain unfulfilled and spiritually thirsty and hungry. Compare with John 6:35. The rebellious person is left with a host of unfulfilled and restless desires that never find any consummation. The Christian finds the complete opposite (Matthew 5:6; Philippians 4:10-13).

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65:14 “Apart from God and His spiritual blessings there is no fullness, no joy, and no singing” (Hailey p. 517). The joy that the world often experiences is superficial, temporary, and solely based on some external happening. The joy that the Christian has is not fragile!

Often people in the world will argue that they are a nice person because they do not rob banks or commit other serious crimes. Yet when people honestly look at themselves, and especially when they compare themselves with reality and the truth in the gospel, they will find, as C.S. Lewis noted what he found in himself, “For the first time I examined myself with a seriously practical purpose. And there I found what appalled me; a zoo of lusts, a bedlam of ambitions, a nursery of fears, a harem of fondled hatreds. My name was Legion” (Surprised by Joy).

65:15 “You will leave your name for a curse to My chosen ones”: Carefully note that the “chosen ones” in this chapter are those who obey God. “One’s name stands for all that he is—his being, character, and personal traits. All that fleshly, rebellious national Israel is and has been will be left for a curse” (Hailey p. 518). The physical nation would become a byword, and the nation would be cast out (Galatians 4:30). Because of the stigma that would attach itself to the name Israel , God would give His servants a new name (62:2), that is the name “Christian” (Acts 11:26; 1 Peter 4:16).

65:16 Better days are ahead for the faithful. This would be because their sins will be forgiven (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The God of truth will bless the faithful, and all promises will be made in His name. This is in direct opposition to the unfaithful of Isaiah’s time who trusted “Destiny” and “Fortune” and who swore by the names of the various idols. Clearly, only God can “bless”, compare with Acts 14:17 and Luke 6:35. What this means is that when unbelievers have various blessings it is because God has allowed such. No one can gain blessings without God’s providential permission.

New Heavens and New Earth Some have interpreted this section as referring to a renewed universe after Jesus comes, or to some supposed Millennium, yet the context says otherwise: 1. Paul applied 65:1-2 to the New Covenant in the first century. 2. Obviously this is not speaking about eternity, for one only lives to be one hundred (65:20), and death remains! There isn’t any death after the resurrection at the last day (1 Corinthians 15:54-55). 3. Verse 25 makes it clear that all these blessings are found in God’s holy mountain, that is, in a relationship with Christ in the New Testament church (65:25; compare with Isaiah 2:2-4). Isaiah 65:25 is also found in Isaiah 11:6ff where the context is clearly talking about the gospel age in which Gentiles seek the Messiah, 11:11.

“The coming of the Messiah will introduce a new spiritual and moral order and arrangement (Ephesians 1:10)” (Hailey p. 518). The terms new heaven and new

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earth as used in 2 Peter3:12-13 and Revelation 21:1-2, and there they clearly refer to the new order in eternity, yet carefully note the terms are not used of a supposed Millennial reign of Christ upon the earth, or a renewed earth, because the present earth will have been completely destroyed (2 Peter 3:10). The expression refers to a new state, existence, or condition among God’s people in which the old order is completely gone. The New Covenant is not the old covenant renewed, but a completely new covenant while the old as been made obsolete (Hebrews 8:13).

65:17 “The former things will not be remembered or come to mind”: “This strong language emphasizes that the entire former system, which included a special physical nation and geographical area, animal sacrifices, and ceremonial rites, will be completely removed and abolished forever” (Hailey p. 519).

65:18-19 The new spiritual order requires a new spiritual center, that is a spiritual Jerusalem. Notice that the terms “Jerusalem” and “My people” are synonyms. This new relationship will be one of joy (Philippians 4:1-4).

65:20 Clearly this is not a picture of life on an earthly paradise, life in eternity, or life under a supposed 1000-year reign of Christ on the earth, for the young person still dies! Hailey notes, “In the new order each citizen, whether for a brief moment (such as Stephen-Acts 7) or for a lengthy period (Paul, John), will fulfill his mission in God’s purpose. It is not the length but the fullness of one’s days that counts. And the sinner, regardless of the length of his days, is accursed” (Hailey p. 519).

65:21 This is a picture of security and permanence, together with God’s providential care (Matthew 6:33-34) for our needs.

65:22-23 Here is the picture of longevity and fruitfulness. “Will wear out the work of their hands”: They will long enjoy the fruits of their labors. The language here is symbolic but it is in the figures that ancient Israel could have understood. In the past, the nation had labored for that which had not satisfied (55:1), no longer. In the past, their earthly labors had been often in vain, no longer (1 Corinthians 15:58). In the past, they had labored for what was temporary and easy taken by others, no longer (Matthew 6:19-21).

65:24 God will answer their prayers even before they are through speaking (Matthew 6:8; Philippians 4:4-7).

65:25 The presence of this verse confirms that the entire chapter is speaking of the Gospel age, because the beginning of the chapter is quoted by Paul as being fulfilled in the preaching of the gospel (Romans 10:20-21), in like manner this verse is found in Isaiah 11:6-9, and Paul quotes Isaiah 11:10 as being fulfilled in the Gospel age (Romans 15:12). Thus, this entire chapter is speaking about the future blessings that would be found among Christians.

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