Isaiah 65:1-16. One thing I should have mentioned in yesterday’s reading was Isaiah 63:12. Some scholars who do not really believe in God like to tell us that Moses and the Israelites waded through some shallow marsh when they left Egypt and that’s how they lost Pharaoh and his army. Verse 12 makes it very clear that this was a miraculous event that pumped up god’s reputation for a long time. If you read through Joshua with us you know that 40 or more years later the Canaanites were still talking about it and Rahab became a follower of Yahweh because of it, even at the risk of destruction by her own people. God is able and we need to not let others diminish what he has done.
In today’s reading God is talking. In verses 1-7 we see God allowing the Israelites to have some sort of relationship with him even though they were dishonoring him with their lives. They broke his rules and ran around worshipping false gods. In verse seven we learn that God is going to deal with this unfaithfulness. The language is interesting here, in one translation it says, “I will measure their former work into their bosom.” We might say, “I’m going to dump the whole mess back in their lap.” The idea is that we get what we deserve, or better we deserve what we get, because we don’t really get all we deserve, remember “hesed” (Isaiah 63:7), God is merciful.
We see some of that mercy in verse 8. The picture here is of a dried out vineyard, but then a cluster of grapes is found. Be careful they are still valuable. God tells us that he will be careful to care for those who serve him. In Isaiah 64:10 Isaiah talked to God about Zion (Usually Jerusalem but in this case probably talking about the whole land of Israel), about how it had become a wilderness. Now here God refers to two places in the land of Israel, Sharon and Achor, and he tells Isaiah that he will restore it and make it a place for those who really want a relationship with him.
God is always careful to keep warning though. In verses 10-12 he tells those who reject him that they will be destroyed. Notice in verse 12 that he called out to these people but they did not answer, he spoke but they shut their ears, and then they even slapped God in the face by doing the things they knew he hated. The responsibility is on us. God does everything but force us into heaven. It’s amazing that he calls even though he knows some won’t respond. 1Corinthians 13:7 tells us that “love hopes all things” and John tells us in 1 John 4:8 that love is an essential part of God being. Here in Isaiah I think we ee and example of God’s great love. He calls, he hopes, even when he knows some will reject him, now that’s a real friend, that’s real love, that’s God.
Verses 13-15 give us a contrast between those who love God and those who don’t want to have anything to do with him. The reality is there are consequences for walking away from God. Verse 16 describes those who chose to follow God as those who bless others and promise truthfully. Remember the book started with God dealing with people mistreating others and perverting justice. People were proud and selfish and disrespectful of God. So here we return to those same ideas and we see that people who love God care for others and want people treated fairly. The word bless has the idea of bowing down or serving, God’s people serve others “in the earth” (See Matthew 22:34-40). Jesus told his followers that if they wanted to be great in the kingdom of God that they need to be the servant of others. Verse 16 tells us that in the end, in God’s forever kingdom, all of the trouble of this life will be forgotten. That is awesome.
God thank you for loving us. Thank you for hoping all things about us. Thank you for calling and calling and calling. Thank you for being there when we “pick up”. Thank you for taking the punishment for our disobedience. Help me be faithful and caring and just. Thank you for an eternity where there will be no more sorrow. Thank you.