How would you describe the God you see here? In one sense, the pictures of God here is the meaning of the entire book.
From Isaiah 1 to 39, we see God promising the arrival of the great descendant of David. He will fulfil al the promises made to David, in spite of the failure of all the kings in the OT, even the ones in Isaiah 1-39. Who is this promised King?
In Isaiah 40-55, the question moves to ask who is this suffering Servant that is prophesied? Who is going to bring God’s people good news and achieve all of God’s promises for rescue and redemption?
And in Isaiah 56-66, the question here is about who is this glorious Lord that is to come? Who is going to bring about the plans and promises that God has laid out?
Through these chapters, we also see how God will bring judgement for His enemies as well as salvation for His people.
The final section of Isaiah speaks a lot about the New Heavens and New Earth, the home of all righteousness as mentioned in 2 Peter 3:13. This is a state of perfection, free from sin and corruption. Romans 8 also talk about how it is not just Christians who are groaning. All creation is groaning as it waits for the liberation from bondage to decay. Everything from our climate crisis, to our struggle to live with nature is groaning because all is not well on this earth.
1 Corinthians 15 also speak of the reality of our physical resurrected body.
And in Isaiah 66 today, we see our final destiny being described here, and God is absolutely committed to bring forth Zion (and His plans).
(A) Zion will by no doubt, come forth (Isa 66:7-14)
In Isaiah 66:7-9, God uses the image of a pregnant woman in labour and we are also told that she gives birth before going into labour (Isa 66:7). It seems to be instant and not prolonged without a long period of waiting. God is involved in this birth (Isa 66:9) and children are born (Isa 66:8).
The point of this illustration is to emphasise the certainty of this birth, as seen from the rhetorical question in Isaiah 66:9. God is committed to achieving it and He will not terminate the pregnancy and not complete His plan. This nation and city will definitely be born (Isa 66:8).
This has been a picture that has been running through Isaiah 49:19-21 and Isaiah 54:1-3. God’s people have been likened to a barren woman.
These are comforting words from the LORD (Isa 66:10-14). But notice that because of what God is going to do for Zion and Jerusalem. There will be blessing to “you” or the readers. There will be derivative blessing as a result of what God does for the city (Isa 66:10). Those who mourn over Jerusalem’s present state may now be comforted (Isa 66:10b-11a).
In these verses, the children of Jerusalem are spoken of here, and they will receive comfort and nourishment from Jerusalem. God Himself will send a river through this city, and this river will be peace (Isa 66:12a). The glory of the nations is also likened to an overflowing stream (Isa 66:12b). This is also a picture in Psalm 46, Revelation and Ezekiel. This running river through the city is usually thought of as the Holy Spirit that brings about peace, rest and healing. This city is going to be well-watered and has good plumbing (Isa 66:12a). It will be a city of great comfort and glory, and once again, likened to a child nursed and carried by his mother and comforted by her (Isa 66:12c-13).
Now, we may not be comforted by these images but friends, let the Bible shape our imagination instead of the world around us. Let us not begin by judging the Bible based on our expectations and limited imaginations.
God is for us. He wants to do us tremendous good! And this good may not all happen now. So much of this is future-oriented. We need to get rid of the lie that tells us that God only loves us if He is good to us now. God loves us so much that He has promised this good then. It is for us to rejoice as we wait for Jerusalem because God’s promises are true. They are given to us now to sustain faith. We can’t have faith if God has not spoken a promise. We can only exercise faith because God has bound Himself in the future to act for us. And all we have right not is His word. We live dependent on God’s promises, believing with all of our heart and soul that that is where good is going to be found — and not in the way we live now and circumstances that we dictate for Him.
God will bring forth Zion for our good and His glory and we are to wait for Him. Are you saying that God must give you _____ now to show His love to you? What would you fill in that blank? He has promised to be good to us in Christ — in the past, present and future. Will we trust Him?
(B) Purification through judgment (Isa 66:15-17)
There is a recurrence in the image of “fire” in these verses (Isa 66:15-17, 24). In Isaiah 66:15, we have a picture of God coming in fire in His chariots to judge. God will come! Now, this might not surprise you but Isaiah 66:15 is promising that one day our faith will become sight. We can look and verify His arrival! Because He arrives, He arrives to achieve His goals and purposes. He is not just coming for a stroll but He has come to do something. Today, we too, are waiting for His second coming. We will see Him when He comes, and He will terrify all flesh.
Now, why is fire associated with judgement? Most of us are informed by two pictures — one pagan and one biblical. The pagan picture is from a medieval book called the Inferno by Dante. We should be getting our picture of judgement from another place — Genesis 9-10. Most of us have a cute picture of Noah and the flood with the animals being saved and everyone being delivered, and a rainbow was at the end. But the flood was there to wipe out all things as a sign of judgement. Water is a sign of chaos, and marks the world returning to it’s original unformed state. The only means of salvation in that text was that ark. All hidden in that ark who took on the battering of the waves and water was saved. God promised to never again destroy all flesh with water.
But here in Isaiah 66, we see judgement coming in the form of fire. This judgement will be complete, and fuller than the one with water in Genesis 9-10.
In Isaiah 66:17, God speaks of those who sanctify and purify themselves only to follow others to go into the gardens to eat pig’s flesh and the abomination and mice. They appear to be obeying God by purifying themselves but they also intentionally sought out ritually unclean animals. This is a description of the people of God who are comforting themselves or putting on a show of their religion so that they could do things that are unclean. To this kind of false religion, God promises that He will bring an end to! God is concerned with pure worship here, thus, we can see that this judgement is also for His people. This is a purification that takes places through judgement
What is God really concerned about for His people? What do you think He is really concerned about when He thinks about us? Is He concerned about our spiritual duty? God is most concerned about whether our worship of Him is pure. What does this mean for us today? We can long, pray, yearn for pure worship to come. We don’t have to wait till the fire of judgement comes to purify His people.
Friends, God is also using the crises of our world today to expose our weakness, hypocrisy and flaws to break us, and to also weaken and destroy our confidence in men. God is in the process of purifying His church today too.
(C) Vindication in glory (Isa 66:18-24)
Isaiah also writes about how God will gather all nations (government) and tongues (ethnic groups, language group) to see God’s glory (Isa 66:18). He will gather diverse peoples and will set a sign among these nations (Isa 66:19a).
He will send survivors to the nations that are far away that have not heard His fame or seen His glory (Isa 66:19b). These will declare God’s glory to the nations — a picture of a global missions movement. They are to bring the people from the nations as an offering to the LORD, back to Zion (Isa 66:20). They will also do a priestly work (Isa 66:21)
God gathers to send out to bring more to God.
But when does this happen? This starts happening in Acts 2, at Pentecost. God, by a pouring our of His Spirit, allows all the people in Jerusalem to hear the gospel in their own tongue. Many believe and in the face of persecution, scatter, only to bring the gospel to wherever they go. We live in the fulfilment of Isaiah 66:18-21. We are a Christian today because God sent His gospel out to the world, and from the faithful obedience of individuals over the years, we have heard the gospel and have been brought to the LORD too.
We are also people who are to continue this work. When we tell people about Jesus, we are priests that bring people to God. Let us speak of Him and bring them to Him, that we may offer them to God.
Who will become this “offering to the LORD” and what will be their final destiny? The people will be the offering to the LORD (Isa 66:20). This worship will be perfect and eternal, and it will never end (Isa 66:23).
Isaiah 66:22 is a promise that God will remember us forever. He will never ever forget His people that come in. If you feel like God is not giving you attention, or has forgotten you, and struggle to sense His hand and comfort, see His promise to you here. We are unshakeably secure in His heart.
When God makes a plan, His will is unshakeable. His commitment to His plan is unwavering. When He makes a plan, He has intentions that are perfect. His intentions are good, unquestionable and He will commit all of His resources to His plan. His resources are also inestimable! Think about what God has at His disposal. Think about His strength and force that He can use to execute His plan.
What will you say about the god who can get His plan through, but also safeguards and upholds it? And His plan is perfect. There is no need to improve upon it. And it can certainly not be thwarted.
This is what God has purposed to do through Jesus and the gospel. This is the mean through which the New Heavens and New Earth will be brought about.
If you have trusted in Zion’s king, you have a place in this city, a city that He is committed to bringing about. Would it matter then, if we do not feel at home on this earth — despised, forsaken and alone? On that day, when every eye beholds Him, we will see Him as He is in perfect glory and we will have nothing to say except, “Amazing!”