Isaiah: Here I Am

Isaiah 65

You emailed repeatedly. No response. You texted several times. No reply. You called, even left a few voice messages. No return call. If you have ever experienced that (hopefully not with me), you have an idea of what God describes in Isaiah 65. His love for Israel was persistent…and consistently rejected.

Let’s work through this chapter—and “spoiler alert”—it ends on a very high note.

God graciously reached out to Israel, but he was repeatedly ignored and rejected. So, he opened the door for those who did not ask and those who did not seek him.

Isaiah 65:1
I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by my name. 

The apostle Paul applies this verse to the Gentiles (Rom. 10:19-20). Since Israel had rejected God, he offered salvation to others (see Lk. 14:16-24; Acts 28:23-31). God emphasizes his attention-getting measures. He said, “Here I am, here I am.”

In the next verses, God lists the sins of Israel that kept him from answering their prayers. Remember Israel’s desperate cry in Isaiah 64? For years, God had demonstrated his mercy and patience. He “spread out [his] hands all the day to a rebellious people” (Isa.65:2), yet they continued to reject him. God gets specific with a list of their sins:

• They worshiped in pagan gardens (Isa. 65:3).
• They consulted the dead (Isa. 65:4a).
• They disregarded God’s laws (Isa. 65:4b).
• Despite their sin, they proclaimed their holiness (Isa. 65:5a).

Israel’s sin and arrogance were as repulsive to God as smoke is to a person’s nose (Isa. 65:5b). Israel’s continued rebellion reaped consequences. God said, “because they made offerings on the mountains and insulted me on the hills, I will measure into their lap payment for their former deeds” (Isa. 65:7b).

We learned in Isaiah 1-39 that God takes sin seriously. He loves his children too much to let them live in rebellion. God notes that Judah’s rebellion did not involve everyone (Isa. 65:8-10). But significant punishment is in store for those who continue to reject God after his repeated warnings.

Isaiah 65:11
But you who forsake the Lord, who forget my holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny, I will destine you to the sword, and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter….

Fortune and Destiny were the gods Israel bowed before to determine their future. They rejected the prophets and God’s Word, choosing to seek direction from pagan lifeless idols. They brought food and drink as a gift to the idols to honor them. This reminds me of being in Thailand and seeing Buddhist monks on their way to the temple. As they walked, people would give them bags and boxes of food to set before the idols. Feeding lifeless gods…that’s a curious thought, isn’t it?

God’s discipline was on the way. He had protected Judah from the threat of Assyria. But their disobedience would result in Babylonian captivity. God had given them many opportunities to repent.

Isaiah 65:12
…because, when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not listen, but you did what was evil in my eyes and chose what I did not delight in.

In Isaiah 65:13-16, a distinction is made between those who follow God (“my servants”) and those who choose to reject him. The contrast is glaring.

Isaiah 65:13-14
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 put to shame; behold, my servants shall sing for gladness of heart, but you shall cry out for pain of heart and shall wail for breaking of spirit.” 

Satisfied…hungry. Plenty to drink…thirsty. Rejoicing…put to shame. Singing for gladness…crying out with wailing. This is a concise picture of the blessings received when one follows the Lord vs. the consequences of rejecting him. He is the only One who can satisfy the heart.

Those who follow God experience significance, security, acceptance, forgiveness, and fellowship with him. And…the best is yet to come. Isaiah 65:17-25 describes the kingdom where Jesus will reign.

Isaiah 65:17 [Anchor Point]
For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. 

The believer’s future is so wonderfully marvelous that it will cause us to forget all our past pain.

Before we consider the final verses of this chapter, which I believe describe the millennial kingdom, let me clarify. As I previously mentioned in my understanding of the end times, the new heavens and new earth begin after the millennial kingdom. So, why would I say this is a description of the millennial kingdom? Here’s my reasoning. We discover in this passage that babies are born and people pass away (Isa. 65:20); however, births and deaths will not take place in our final eternal state but will be experienced during the millennial kingdom. Also, houses will be built and vineyards planted. These activities will happen in the millennial kingdom, but there is no biblical evidence that this continues in heaven.

With that said, here’s a description of what will be happening during the 1,000-year reign of Jesus on earth.

• There will be great joy in Jerusalem, the headquarters of the kingdom (Isa. 65:18-19).
• Babies will be born healthy (Isa. 65:20a).
• Life expectancy will be greatly extended (Isa. 65:20b).
• God’s people will be protected from enemies (Isa. 65:21-22a).
• People will find great joy in their work (Isa. 65:22b-23).
• God and his people will have an intimate relationship (Isa. 65:24).
• Nature will be at peace (Isa. 65:25a).
• There will be no pain or destruction (Isa. 65:25b).

What a glorious reign that will be!

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on Isaiah 65. Think about what is being said in our Anchor Point—Isaiah 65:17. God’s future for us is so wonderful that it causes us to forget all past pain.  

Talking to God:  Thank God for what is in store!

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Every day is a day of spiritual renewal as we follow hard after Jesus.