Community Bible Study -- Isaiah

Text of Presentation, Lesson 22, Isa 65:17-66:24

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The Final Judgment
“The Terror and the Glory”

Last week we discussed the claim of the Jews – presented by Isaiah – that their sinful condition is God’s fault . . . because He gave them hard hearts . . . because He’s far away and has "hidden (his) face" (64:7) from them. We’ll briefly discuss God’s answer to those charges (65:1-16) – even though it’s not part of tonight’s focal passage.

In 65:1, God says He is not hidden or distant, but has "revealed" himself to people who did not call on his name. The problem is not God, but the Jews. Rather than submitting to God’s ways of living, they rebelled and lived lives of self-willed, self-serving sin. They relied on their status as God's elect and sought to placate God with cult and liturgy, while being "obstinate" and walking in "not good" ways they devised for themselves.

Their contrary ways of living included worship practices designed to manipulate God – just like their pagan neighbors did with their “gods.” Pagans believed the attitude of the worshiper was unimportant; all that mattered was whether a ritual was done correctly. The more pious Jews followed God’s ritual . . . but according to chapter 65, some Jews engaged in the same practices as their pagan neighbors. Nevertheless, the point is that God finds ritualism of any sort disgusting when it fails to express the important thing: a changed heart . . . and this is where the Jews fall short. God pronounces doom on these people in 65:13-16, but says His “servants” will be blessed.

This sets up tonight’s focal passage. 65:17-25 opens up a critical aspect of biblical revelation: God had a fundamental problem as He began to reveal himself to the Hebrews. Their neighbors believed this world is only a dim reflection of an invisible world of the gods: humans had no real choices; everything happened because of actions of the gods. God had to show his people this world is real, and humans have real choices to make. To accomplish this God’s revelations through most of the Old Testament make no reference to any reality beyond this world; only when the Hebrews believe this world is real does God give mankind a glimpse of the rest of reality.

That’s what’s happening here. God pulls back the curtain of heaven, and explains that the effects of human choice are all not experienced in this life: the good we do is not all rewarded here, nor is all the evil punished. But if anyone is tempted to think this revelation confirms the pagan viewpoint, God reveals He will "create" something new (65:17). Earthly realities give way to new heavenly realities, so we may experience joy – but no weeping (65:18-19) . . . the delight of birth – without premature death (65:20) . . . the satisfaction of building – without fear of destruction and conquest (65:21-23). God’s “servants” will be “blessed" (65:13-16, 23): rewards and punishments for our choices begin now, but will not be completed until God’s new creative activity in the future. The language of 65:25 is reminiscent of the vision of the Messianic kingdom in chapter 11, and even includes some identical language (11:9).

The typical modern attitude toward good and evil in the world – even among Christians –is to think of God like a good god and Satan like a bad god, with humans as pawns in a cosmic war game. But this reflects the dualism and fatalism of pagan thinking. By contrast, the Bible says sin is in the world for only one reason: human choice. Satan did not make Adam and Eve sin; he tempted them to sin. And presumably, if our first forbearers had not sinned, creation would still be in a pristine condition today. In other words, human choice determines the shape of reality.

The significance of the coming new heaven and new earth is that we can choose to be faithful today, secure in the knowledge that even if our life on earth is not one of honor and privilege, justice will be served in the end. If we find no reward for good actions today, we know our right choices will be accounted for in the new reality yet to come. Similarly, if we “get away” with something today, that wrong act will be imprinted on a future reality. We shape our future.

Some Christians spend a lot of time arguing about “the Millennium," but the only important issue is whether we are God’s “servants” (cf 65:13-15, 66:14) or His “enemies” (cf 63:10, 66:6). Since the reality we experience in the days to come will be shaped by our choices now, we need to think about the effects of those choices. This is what Paul meant when he wrote to Titus:

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2: 11-13).

If it is true that “some people are so heavenly minded, they are no earthly good" . . . many more people – especially today – seem to have forgotten that our story doesn’t end at the grave, but on the other side!

That brings us to chapter 66, the closing. 66:1-6 is a final diatribe against ritualism. Some verses seem to condemn temple worship and animal sacrifices, but thay are probably hyperbole . . . emphasizing – as Isaiah has before (cf 57:3-13, 65:1-5) – that God finds empty ritualism without a repentant and obedient heart is worse than useless.

In earlier chapters, Isaiah has identified self-exaltation as the central human problem. Mankind is fragile – physically and psychologically – so to protect ourselves and satisfy what we consider our needs, we try to lift ourselves up and grab power. Ritualistic religion is about trying to manipulate God – but it is also about exalting ourselves by manipulating other people. Isaiah has emphasized before that because God alone is exalted, human attempts to usurp God's power by exalting ourselves will fail.

God “esteems” the "humble and contrite in spirit," who tremble at his word (66:2). Using ritual to enhance one's power is choosing one's "own ways" (66:3), not God’s way – even if the ritual is God’s ritual. God insists again – contrary to what the Jews claim (cf 64:12) – that He is the one who has "called" and they are the ones who have been silent (66:4).

In 66:5-6, God speaks to the humble, who “tremble at his word" (66:5, cf 66:2). Because they have chosen lowliness and powerlessness, they are victimized by the powerful, who mock them for their simplistic piety. But God’s on their side, and will vindicate them. By contrast, God will punish ritualists right in the temple – where they think God is at their command – because they are His “enemies" (66:6, cf 1:24).

66:7-14 describe fulfillment of God’s promise in chapter 1 to Lady Zion. The dross has been purged away; Zion is no longer a harlot; she is the faithful city again, mother of nations (cf 1:21-27). The image of the fruitful mother recalls Isaiah’s earlier mentions of barrenness: a curse among ancient peoples. Pagans practiced fertility rituals to overcome this curse, but Isaiah says the only real life is that given by God as a free gift in response to surrender and obedience. Moreover, God gives out of proportion to what we’ve done. Humans require arduous and painful work to meet their own needs, like giving birth; but God's gifts are like childbirth without labor (66:7-9). Thus our needs are best met by being in a position to receive God's gifts . . . nursing at the “breasts" of Zion (66:11) – an image of mankind as a baby, incapable of satisfying its own needs, but amply provided for in dependence on its parents.

The result is “peace" (66:12) and "comfort" (66:13); the Hebrew text connotes rest, rejoicing, and wholeness, and (as in 12:1 and elsewhere) encouragement. Those who feel the weight of their sin, who know they are powerlessness to deal with it, can come to God in penitent faith that he can do something about it. And like a child on its mother's lap, they will be put at ease, believing recovery is possible.

But Isaiah never wants his readers to feel so secure in God's love that they forget God is also a God of judgment. The Lord's “hand" (66:14) of deliverance, redemption, and power will be revealed to "His servants" – but "His enemies" will experience God’s fury. We want to be sure we are among God’s servants – not his foes!

66:15-24 concludes the book by again intertwining the themes of judgment and hope. The beginning (66:15-17) and the end (66:24) speak of the coming judgment for those who rebel against God and attempt to usurp his power. God has sent his Servant/Messiah to offer forgiveness through repentance and faith for the present . . . but a day will come when God’s "fire" (66:15, 16:24) will be unleashed against the unrepentant. Judgment is a reality everyone must reckon with; just as there are inescapable consequences for our choices in the visible world, so also in the new heaven and new earth.

But Isaiah again makes clear that judgment is not what God wants. 66:18-23 speak of universal redemption as God's desired way of bringing this sinful world to its close. God will use the very sins and schemes of the rebellious to reveal the glory of his salvation (66:18). The people of Zion ("them") who "survive" (66:19, cf 4:2) the attempts of an evil world to destroy them will be sent to the "nations" with a "sign" of God's "glory." Their survival is a sign, but Christ is the preeminent evidence of God's glory in triumphing over evil. The nations will respond by restoring the last remnants of the Israelites (“your brothers," 66:20) to Israel in a final great ingathering.

Then God says: "I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites" (66:21). In the NIV, “them" appears to mean the restored Israelites . . . but I understand most commentators – reading the original Hebrew – agree the antecedent is probably “the nations." If that is correct, this is a strong statement that the election of Israel is not just for the Jews, but for the world . . . because God’s chosen ministers in the new heavens and new earth will include non-Jews.

66:22-23 speaks of the entire human race coming to worship God, confirming that the goal of all God has done on earth is that we, his creatures, may have fellowship with him.

Nevertheless, Isaiah doesn’t end his book with the picture of the light streaming from Zion (chapters 60-62) or the vision of a new heaven and new earth; Isaiah ends with a grisly note of judgment in 66:24. Why end this way? Isaiah ends the book as he begun it. In chapter 1 he spoke of the day when Jerusalem will be transformed by righteousness and justice into "the Faithful City" (1:21-27), but chapter 1 ended by announcing the destruction awaiting those who do not repent. Isaiah emphasizes that the wonderful promises of God are not for those who persist in rebellion. Only those who worship the one true God will participate in God’s promises in the new heaven and a new earth (66:22) . . . and the choice is up to us. Isaiah doesn’t want that forgotten; Isaiah doesn’t want us to be complacent!

A number of Isaiah’s key themes reappear at the end of the book: humility and contrition vs ritualism and rebellion; God's gift of abundance vs the fundamental barrenness of the earth, mother of the nations; fire as a symbol of God's holiness, destructive or cleansing; a place for all nations – not just Israel – in the worship and service of God; and God’s ultimate goal of creation as man’s worship of and fellowship with the Creator.

How to conclude this final session? Chapter 66 is about the fundamental choice facing humanity. Those who accept God’s ways in humility will enjoy eternal fellowship with Him in a new heaven and a new earth, but those who arrogantly seek their own ways will perish eternally. Today the church emphasizes Isaiah’s “hope” theme: that God loves everyone and has wonderful plans for their lives; yet we must not overlook Isaiah’s “judgment” theme: what will happen to those who reject God's plan. Preaching both hope and judgment is a difficult balance! But one really important way to start is to reject modern "have it your way" attitudes, which is a deadly doctrine. Children in particular must be taught that actions have consequences, and we are responsible for our choices.

Another countercultural idea emphasized in Isaiah is that we cannot supply our own needs . . . that man’s efforts to be self-sufficient – as in independent from God – is the source of all our problems going back to Adam and Eve. We are no different from our forefathers; and Isaiah teaches we must recognize our own self-sufficient tendencies, ask God to sensitize us to them; quit trying to manipulate God through rituals; allow God to show us what our real needs are, and wait patiently for God to show us how he will meet those needs. Usually God meets our needs through ordinary means he has placed in our hands already, but sometimes he does it in ways completely beyond us.

This brings up the goal of life: in the end our only real need is God. With him, we have everything; without him, whatever we have is nothing. Many people have this backwards: they think they serve God to get a blessing, but we serve God to be blessed. There’s a difference; Christianity is not a “name-it-and-claim-it” game, nor is heaven a place where we get riches and live in luxury. Heaven is where we live with God for eternity!

If we think about this, it may change our view of what the Christian life is about. We shouldn’t expect that living a Christian life guarantees certain benefits to the believer . . . that’s what Isaiah has been attacking throughout his book (especially chapters 56-66). We aren’t guaranteed special status as the elect of God because we go through a “salvation ritual” and say the right words; that was the error of the Jews who survived the Exile; they believed God’s promises were theirs no matter what they did – as long as they practiced the required religious ritual.

God’s attitude is that the person who knows Him humbly and joyously manifests His life in his or her behavior. That is never possible as a result of human effort but only as a result of complete reliance on God, and God calls us today to manifest his righteous life in our relationships. We can only do that by living in submission to God, with our will surrendered to the Holy Spirit, so God’s life can be lived through us. That is what heaven will be – but it’s something we can have today!

God has delivered us by the blood of Jesus Christ, so He can write his covenant on our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit, take up residence in the tabernacle of our hearts, and fill that tabernacle with the glory that fills the earth. In the context of the beginning and end of the book of Isaiah, we might say God wants to move each of us – as He did Isaiah – from a place where we cry in horror, “Woe to me . . . I am a man of unclean lips . . . and my eyes have seen . . . the LORD Almighty" (6:5), to a place where we “come and see [his] glory" (66: 18) – and not merely to survive the experience, but to have that glory reside in us. That – we learn from Isaiah – is the goal of life.