Isaiah 65

“I am inquired of by those who didn’t ask. I am found by those who didn’t seek me. I said, ‘See me, see me,’ to a nation that was not called by my name.

I have spread out my hands all day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, after their own thoughts;

a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens, and burning incense on bricks;

who sit among the graves, and spend nights in secret places; who eat pig’s meat, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;

who say, ‘Stay by yourself, don’t come near to me, for I am holier than you.’ These are smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all day.

“Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will repay, yes, I will repay into their bosom

your own iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers together”, says the LORD, “who have burned incense on the mountains, and blasphemed me on the hills. Therefore I will first measure their work into their bosom.”

The LORD says, “As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one says, ‘Don’t destroy it, for a blessing is in it:’ so I will do for my servants’ sake, that I may not destroy them all.

I will bring offspring out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains. My chosen will inherit it, and my servants will dwell there.

Sharon will be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down in, for my people who have sought me.

“But you who forsake the LORD, who forget my holy mountain, who prepare a table for Fortune, and who fill up mixed wine to Destiny;

I will destine you to the sword, and you will all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called, you didn’t answer. When I spoke, you didn’t listen; but you did that which was evil in my eyes, and chose that in which I didn’t delight.”

Therefore the Lord GOD says, “Behold, my servants will eat, but you will be hungry; behold, my servants will drink, but you will be thirsty. Behold, my servants will rejoice, but you will be disappointed.

Behold, my servants will sing for joy of heart, but you will cry for sorrow of heart, and will wail for anguish of spirit.

You will leave your name for a curse to my chosen, and the Lord GOD will kill you. He will call his servants by another name,

so that he who blesses himself in the earth will bless himself in the God of truth; and he who swears in the earth will swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hidden from my eyes.

“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered, nor come into mind.

But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem to be a delight, and her people a joy.

I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; and the voice of weeping and the voice of crying will be heard in her no more.

“No more will there be an infant who only lives a few days, nor an old man who has not filled his days; for the child will die one hundred years old, and the sinner being one hundred years old will be accursed.

They will build houses and inhabit them. They will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

They will not build and another inhabit. They will not plant and another eat; for the days of my people will be like the days of a tree, and my chosen will long enjoy the work of their hands.

They will not labor in vain nor give birth for calamity; for they are the offspring of the LORD’s blessed and their descendants with them.

It will happen that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

The wolf and the lamb will feed together. The lion will eat straw like the ox. Dust will be the serpent’s food. They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the LORD.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter presents a divine oracle contrasting the destiny of the faithful remnant with the judgment awaiting rebellious Israel. It begins with God’s gracious self-revelation to those who did not seek Him, then exposes the persistent idolatry and self-righteousness of those who resist His call. The chapter culminates in the promise of a renewed creation—new heavens and a new earth—where God’s servants will dwell in peace, joy, and intimate communion with Him, while the rebellious face final exclusion and judgment.

Flow.

God declares He has revealed Himself to Gentiles (those “not called by my name”) while His chosen people, though continually invited, remain rebellious (vv. 1–2).
The sins of this people are detailed: idolatrous worship, ritual impurity, and spiritual pride masked as holiness (vv. 3–5).
Judgment is decreed for their iniquities, but mercy preserved for a remnant on account of God’s elect (vv. 6–10).
Final reversal: the faithful inherit blessing and joy; the apostate face hunger, sorrow, and death, while God ushers in a new creation of eternal peace (vv. 11–25).

Connections.
Following chapter 64, where the people lament their alienation and God’s hiddenness, chapter 65 responds by revealing that God has indeed drawn near—but His overtures have been rejected by many. The nation’s cry for revival (64:9–12) is met with divine indictment and the reality of a faithful remnant. The vision of new heavens and a new earth in this chapter directly prepares for the climactic renewal depicted in chapter 66, which expands on the worship, judgment, and gathering of the nations in that coming age.

What it teaches.
God’s sovereign grace initiates relationship: He reveals Himself to those who do not seek Him (WCF 6.1; HC LD 5). Yet He judges persistent rebellion, especially religious hypocrisy and idolatry (WCF 19.6; BC Art. 13). There is a remnant according to election of grace, for whom God preserves blessing (WCF 10.2; CD I.7). The ultimate hope is not mere restoration of Israel, but a new creation (), where shalom reigns, death is subdued, and God dwells with His people in unbroken fellowship—a hope sealed by the promise “before they call, I will answer” (WCF 12.2; HC LD 10). This new order fulfills the covenant promises, where the serpent’s curse is reversed and peace governs all (HC LD 1; ).

Apply.
The blessing of intimate access to God belongs to those marked not by external ritual but by faith and responsive obedience.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.