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Isaiah

Isaiah 1:13, “Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me.  The New Moons, the Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies – I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.”  Seven centuries before Jesus, Isaiah addressed an Israel which had focused on the rituals and forgotten the meanings.  The majority had the idea that their religious practices were the goal, rather than the principles of godly living that they represented.

Isaiah 2:2, “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it.”  More than seven centuries before Jesus, Isaiah predicted that tiny Israel would become the worldwide center of the knowledge of the One True God.  A remnant of this insignificant fraction of the world’s population, despite being conquered and deported, would return but be occupied by others, then would introduce all of humanity to its Creator.

Isaiah 6:3, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.”  Glory is a parade of whatever makes one important.  In the case of God, His glory is the parade of His character traits.  In Isaiah’s vision, one of the seraphim in heaven cried out that the earth was full of displays of that character.  We can focus on the brokenness of the world and what man has done in it, or we can focus on the character of God displayed in the way it was created.  The angels have chosen the latter.

In Isaiah 6:3 – 8, in His vision, Isaiah found himself in heaven, in the presence of God.  So, he declared his hopelessness as a sinful man in the presence of a holy God.  But an angel declared his iniquity to be taken away and his sin atoned.  So, when Isaiah heard the call, “Whom shall I send?”, he immediately volunteered: “Here am I, send me.”  One of the essential characteristics of Biblical faith is evangelism.  Those who understand their own redemption will want to communicate that opportunity to others.

In Isaiah 6:9 – 13, Isaiah learned in advance how poorly his message from God would be received.  The one ray of hope is in the last verse, that a remnant of the people would return and would re-grow the nation who would then be the seat of the message of redemption.  Yet, despite the sarcasm and dismal prospects, Isaiah took up the message, paving the way for the Messiah who would come seven centuries later.  The faithful of today need Isaiah’s attitude, dispersing the message of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, despite the low response rate.

After predicting the captivity of Israel and its restoration, Isaiah, in 9:6 – 7, described what would happen more than seven centuries later: the Messiah, “For us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.  And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, prince of Peace.  Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever.”

After predicting the destruction of the captors of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and that Assyria would be struck down while attempting to take Jerusalem, again Isaiah wrote, in 11:1 – 2, of the future Messiah who would come seven centuries later, “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.  The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.  His delight is in the fear of the Lord…”

Continuing Isaiah’s description of the Messiah in 11:3 – 5, “His delight is in the fear of the Lord, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.  Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist.”

Seven centuries in advance, Isaiah described (11:6 – 9) the nature of the Messianic kingdom which began in 33 AD, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.  The cow and the bear shall graze; the young ones shall lie down together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox.  The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

Isaiah prophesied during the period when the Northern Kingdom was taken captive by Assyria.  He predicted that Judah would be taken captive by Babylon a century or so later.  He predicted that the Babylonians would be overwhelmed by the Medes (13:17), which happened almost two centuries later, and that Babylon would never again be inhabited (13:20)  Then he predicted that a remnant of those captives would return and again work together (12:11 – 13).  Predictions like these are the major evidence for the validity of the Bible.

Isaiah 14:12, “How you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer (day star), son of the morning!  How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations.”  The context, which is 14:3 – 27, specifically names the subject as the king of Babylon.  Somehow, someone many centuries ago failed to read that context and asserted that Lucifer was another name for Satan.  Actually, this section is a prediction of the downfall of Babylon, documented nearly two centuries in advance, before Babylon had even become a world power.

Isaiah 22:12 – 13, “And in that day the Lord God of hosts called for weeping and for mourning, for baldness and for girding with sackcloth.  But instead, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating meat and drinking wine: ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’”  That familiar line at the end was Isaiah’s description of how the people of his time were handling the devastation he had predicted.  Rather than turning back to God to avoid destruction, they adopted the cavalier attitude of partying before their probable deaths in war.

Isaiah 23 predicted the downfall of the great Phoenician merchant empire that stretched the length of the Mediterranean which would begin with the Babylonians, more than a century after Isaiah, and end with the Greeks more than a century after that.  Isaiah predicted this two-stage demise.  Ezekiel 26 added that Tyre, the capital, would not be rebuilt, but would become a fishing village, as it is to this day.  The proof that the Bible is a communication from the Creator rests on predictions like these.

Isaiah 25:8, “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken.”  More than seven centuries before Jesus, Isaiah predicted the defeat of death.  That hope was well known in Israel.  Inexplicably, the Sadducees rejected the concept of an afterlife.  Further, Isaiah announced Israel’s return to the world stage after its catastrophic captivity, an impossible achievement for a tiny ethnic group, announcing to the world that their God reigns.

Isaiah 26:1 – 3, “…We have a strong city; God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks.  Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in.  You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.  Trust in the Lord forever.”  This song about the Messianic kingdom, which began in Acts 2, had salvation for walls and peace within, characterized by right and truth and faith.  Although the early Christians suffered physically, their spirits conquered all.

Isaiah 26:10 – 11, “Let grace be shown to the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he will deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord.  Lord, when Your hand is lifted up, they will not see.  But they will see and be ashamed for Your zeal for the people; yes, the fire of Your enemies shall devour them.”  In this Messianic song, God predicts that the wicked will refuse to value God’s grace or majesty or power.  But they will recognize God’s favor shown the faithful as their own societies collapse.

Isaiah 26:19, “Your dead shall live; those in the tombs shall arise.  Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.”  Seven centuries before Jesus, in a song about the Messianic kingdom, Isaiah wrote about resurrection.  The part about dew is variously translated, but each relates that this resurrection is like the gentle dew from God that sustains.  Strangely, the Sadducees of Jesus’ day (the majority party) taught that resurrection would not happen, that the dead were just dead.

Isaiah 28:16 – 17, “…Behold I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not have to move.  Also, I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the level; the hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place.”  Similar to Psalm 118:22 – 23, God promised that the Messiah would be the cornerstone, the point from which all is measured.  The faithful would not need adjustment to be secure, whereas those who trust in unreality will fail.

Isaiah 30:18, “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.  For the Lord God is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.”  After condemning Judah’s attempts to form mutual defense pacts with Egypt, Isaiah gave a general piece of advice, “Wait for Him.”  Instead of seeking protection through compromises with the world, wait, so that God can be His consistent and integrated self (gracious) and fix the problem in me (mercy).

Isaiah 31:8, “Then Assyria shall fall by a sword not of man, and a sword not of mankind shall devour him.  But he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall become forced labor.”  Assyria was the juggernaut of Isaiah’s day, which had already conquered and deported Israel (the Northern Kingdom).  Judah awaited a similar fate, but Isaiah predicted a different outcome.  After destroying every walled city in Judah and surrounding Jerusalem, an angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night.  The rest fled in disarray.

Isaiah 35:3 – 4, “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.  Say to those who are fearful-hearted, be strong and do not fear!  Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.”  The beginning of that quote was cited in Hebrews 12:12 as a prescription for the church: support one another through the difficulties of life so that we may learn and grow rather than being overwhelmed.

Isaiah 40:3 – 5, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”  Isaiah predicted a forerunner for the Messiah, who turned out to be John the Baptist (Matthew 3:3 et al).

Isaiah 40:6 – 8, “…All flesh is like grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.  The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass.  The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”  To forestall the Israelites thinking too highly of themselves in their predicted restoration from captivity, Isaiah reminded them of their own mortality, especially compared to the word of God.  Peter expressed the same sentiment about the gospel (1 Peter 1:24 – 25).

Isaiah 40:11, “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.”  In his long Messianic song, Isaiah described a gentle and caring leader rather than a military hero, one who serves rather than one in authority.  The concept was overlooked by many ancient rabbis because it was so different from how the world works.  The same problem of misunderstanding exists today.

Isaiah 40:15, “Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust on the scales…”  Our familiar figure of speech comes from this description by Isaiah about how much greater is God that all that is valued on earth.  All the wealth and power of all the nations, put together, is tiny compared to the value of knowing the Creator, His personality and character.  The sheer difference in size between material versus spiritual value is difficult for most to fathom.

Isaiah 40:26, “Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing.”  Considering the nature of a Creator leads inexorably to the conclusion that a Creator must be consistent and caring, and as such, must communicate.  Further, His creation must be complete.  The intelligence and ability to accomplish such a feat should attract all people to want to know Him.

Isaiah 40:27, “Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel: ‘My way is hidden from the Lord, and my just claim is passed over by my God.’”  In every era, many people have had this attitude.  When things do not work out as anticipated, the assumption is not that my expectation was flawed, but that God failed me.  But, as Isaiah described repeatedly in this song, assuming that God either missed my needs or does not care is forgetting who God is.

Isaiah 40:31, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”  Waiting can be discouraging.  For example, the two prophets who met the infant Jesus had waited a lifetime for that moment.  The faithful Israelites of the Restoration period waited centuries for the promised Messiah.  The length of the wait proves the depth of the faith.

Isaiah 41:8 – 9, “But you, Israel, are my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham My friend.  You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, ‘You are my servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away.’”  Faithful Israelites, after experiencing all the devastations resulting from their failures, worried that they had lost their status with God.  God assured them that the Messiah would still come from among them.  The history of the church runs a parallel course.

Isaiah 44:28, “[God] says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure, saying to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be rebuilt,’ and to the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”  Around 700 BC, Isaiah wrote about a future king named Cyrus, who would be born about a century later and who would become the first king of the Persian Empire.  He gave the order and provided the finances for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the construction of the Second temple in about 530 BC.  The Scriptures are validated by such impossible predictions.

Isaiah 45:1 – 4, “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held…that you may know that I, the Lord, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.  For Jacob My servant’s sake, and Israel My elect, I have called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me.”  God made a point of recording this prediction so that, about 170 years later, it could be shown to the king of Persia, to prompt him to go along with God’s plan to restore the captive Israelites to the Promised Land.

Isaiah 45:13 – 14, “‘I have raised him [Cyrus] up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways; he shall build My city and let My exiles go free, not for price not reward,’ says the Lord of hosts.  Thus says the Lord, ‘The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come to you and they shall be yours…’”  Isaiah predicted 170 years in advance that Cyrus, king of Persia, would free the Israelites and would pay for Jerusalem’s reconstruction.  As a reward, God promised him booty from Egypt, Sudan, and Yemen.

Isaiah 45: 22 – 24, “Look to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth.  For I am God and there is no other.  I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow and every tongue shall take an oath.  He shall say, ‘Surely in the Lord are all righteousness and strength…’”  The purpose of the unusual history of Israel was to prove to all nations that there was only one God, that rescue from justice and purpose in life could be found in no other.

Isaiah 46:9 – 11, “Remember the former things of old, for I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure…Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.”  The God is Israel declares His uniqueness in that He promises how events in the future will transpire and sets about to cause them to happen.  No other god has done such things.

Isaiah 49:6, “Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’”  Most Israelites expected the Messiah to be the Savior of Israel.  God, through Isaiah, reminded them that they were thinking too small.  This Redeemer was for all nations, not just one.

Isaiah 49:8, “Thus says the Lord, ‘In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you; I will preserve you and give you as a covenant to the people, to restore the earth, to cause them to inherit the desolate inheritances.’”  Paul applied this passage to the Messiah (2 Corinthians 6:2).  God preserved Israel as a demonstration of His promised restoration of all the faithful into His kingdom.

Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”  Isaiah described the Messiah as One who would bring good news, salvation, and a return to the authority of God over all nations.  Paul cited this verse in Romans 10:15 as motivation to the early Christians to have the selfless concern (love) for the lost that Jesus had and to continue to spread His message.

Isaiah 52:11 – 12, “Depart!  Depart!  Go out from there, touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her [Jerusalem], be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord.  For you shall not go out in haste, nor go by flight; for the Lord will go before you and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”  In this long Messianic song, Isaiah prompted the future followers, the kingdom of priests (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6), to come out of the corrupt Jewish leadership and be led and protected by God (as recorded in Acts).

Isaiah 52:14 – 15, “Just as many were astonished at you, so His appearance was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men; so shall He startle many nations.  Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; for what had not been told them they shall see, and what they had not heard they shall consider.”  The Messiah was predicted to be the opposite of the handsome and well-dressed political figures of that and this day.  People would be startled at this message coming from a poor and ugly source, yet would think on it.

Isaiah 53:1, “Who has believed our report?  And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”  Isaiah lamented that his message about this Messiah would find small acceptance, even among the Israelites who had observed God’s power first-hand.  John was reminded of Isaiah’s lament and commented that Israelites of Jesus’ day were just the same (John 12:38).  Paul applied the same illustration to Israelites with whom he had shared the gospel (Romans 10:16).  Despite overwhelming evidence for the power of God on earth, few take it to heart.

Isaiah 53:4, “Surely He has borne our sicknesses and carried our pains; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”  The poverty of Jesus and His violent and humiliating death have caused many to think of Jesus as a loser.  In every era, people have drawn the mistaken conclusion that affliction, whether physical, economic, or political, meant that the person had made a mistake somewhere and the resulting situation was God’s punishment.  Instead, God was demonstrating how to get through the inevitable downturns of earthly life.

Isaiah 53:5 – 6, “But He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”  As much as a thousand years before Jesus, the prophets wrote of the need for redemption.  Isaiah revealed, seven centuries before Jesus, that the Messiah would pay off justice for all through His death.  Yet, when it happened, most Israelites didn’t understand.

Isaiah 53:7, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.”  The Ethiopian (Acts 8:32 – 33) asked Philip to whom he thought the author referred, himself or another.  From this passage, Philip preached Jesus to him.  The gospels record that, as predicted, Jesus was silent through all the accusations and beatings.  Sincere questions deserve answers.  Responding to those whose minds are made up is pointless.

Isaiah 53:9, “And He made His grave with the wicked – but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.”  In addition to the predictions that the Messiah would be executed as a criminal, but would be laid in a rich man’s new tomb, Peter used Jesus’ behavior throughout His trial and execution as a model for all the faithful (1 Peter 1:21 – 22).  As Paul noted, all the faithful will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12).  What should we conclude if we do not?

Isaiah 53:8, “…Who will declare His generation?  For He was cut off from the land of the living…”  But two verses later, Isaiah wrote, “…He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.”  From the way the story of Jesus unfolded, we understand that, although Jesus died young and did not have physical children, He has produced many generations of faithful as He continues to live and reign in His bountiful kingdom, harvesting souls, not grain.

Isaiah 53:11, “From the labor of His soul He shall see light and be satisfied.  By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.”  Seven centuries before Jesus, Isaiah described how the Messiah would feel about His time on earth and the completion of His task which tested Him to His innermost.  He was satisfied; He could see that spark of light on the earth that would spread.

Isaiah 54:8, “‘With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,’ says the Lord, your Redeemer.”  This chapter addressed the worries of Israel who had experienced the wrath of God many times in their history and were predicted by Isaiah to experience it twice more through the Assyrians and Babylonians.  But, God assured them that, after the predicted punishment, they would be repaired and redeemed, culminating in the eternal Messianic Kingdom.

Isaiah 55:1 – 2, “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat.  Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?  Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.”  Jesus, Paul, Peter, and John all used the same metaphor of buying without money to obtain what satisfies the soul.  The good news of the eternal kingdom was and is that spiritual food.

Isaiah 55:8 – 9, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’”  This verse has been used by many to validate nonsensical explanations, claiming that their illogical conclusions are “higher” than those of their opponents.  Rather, God’s advice is to think in terms of our eternal parts, not in terms of our physical experiences.  Think as a spirit.

Isaiah 55:10 – 11, “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”  The response rate to the good news has always been small, so those who spread it can become discouraged.  The Word will have success at the rate God sent it to accomplish.

Isaiah 56:7 – 8, “Even them [the foreigners and the eunuchs] I will bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer.  Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”  God proclaimed centuries in advance that people formerly excluded from the people of God would be brought in, which is why Paul found so many Gentiles attending synagogue services.  Jesus also quoted it in His second “cleansing the Temple” scene (Mark 11:17).

Isaiah 57:1 – 2, “The righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart; merciful men are taken away, while no one considers what the righteous is taken away from evil.  He shall enter into peace; they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.”  In many cultures, dying relatively young is considered a curse, almost proof that God was upset with the one who died.  But God’s viewpoint is that the righteous are escaping the brokenness of this world and obtaining a far better existence, so an early out is a good thing, not a bad thing.

Isaiah 58:3 – 9, “‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen?  Why have we afflicted our souls and You take no notice?’…‘Is it a fast I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul?…Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, …Is it not to share your bread with the hungry?…Then you shall call and the Lord will answer; you shall cry and He will say, ‘Here I am.’”  The pseudo-pious afflict themselves to get God’s attention.  But what God wants to see are good character and selflessness.

Isaiah 59:1 – 2, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor is His ear heavy that it cannot hear, but your iniquities have separated you from your God…”  The general population of Israel in Isaiah’s day blamed God for their terrible times, as though God failed to reach out to them or listen to them.  They overlooked that God had not moved; they had moved away from Him.  People in every age have done the same, forgetting that creation is an incubator for faith, not an all-inclusive resort.

Isaiah 60:1 – 3, “Arise, shine; for your light has come!  And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.  For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.  The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”  Isaiah predicted that the character of the faithful in the Messianic kingdom would attract the Gentiles to their light in a dark world.  The faithful are still those points of light to which the lost are attracted.

Isaiah 61:10 – 11, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.  For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.”  The joy and ethics of the faithful attract those who find the world lacking.

Isaiah 65:1, “I was sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me.  I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation who was not called by My name.”  In contrast to rebellious and faithless Israel, God predicted that nations who had not heard of the God of Israel would flock to Him in the Messianic kingdom.  Paul revealed in Romans 9 – 11 that this was planned to make the Israelites jealous and prompt them to shake off their smothering traditions that obscured their understanding of the Messiah.

Isaiah 65:17, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.  But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing.”  Seven centuries before Jesus, Isaiah introduced the concept of a new heavens and a new earth as repeated by John in Revelation 21:1.  Isaiah had just predicted the restoration of Israel after their captivities as a way of increasing the percentage of faithful people there.  The final heaven is the same, where only the faithful will live forever.

Isaiah 66:1 – 2, “…Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool.  Where is the house that you will build Me?  And where is the place of My rest?  For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist…But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.”  Throughout history, people have built magnificent edifices to their various gods.  Even Solomon’s Temple in Isaiah’s day made no sense, since the Creator made the materials.  Rather than building, be humble and trust God.

Isaiah 66:10 – 11, “Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you who love her; rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her; that you may feed and be satisfied with the consolation of her bosom, that you may drink deeply and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.”  Jerusalem in Isaiah’s day was the only city not ransacked by the Assyrians.  Even Jerusalem was in serious difficulty with its collapsed economy and surrounding devastation.  God reminded them to rejoice in her glory – that the Messiah would come from her.