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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
66:1-24 True Worship Now and Forever. Though the worship of God is violated now, in the future falsehood will be judged, true worship will spread, and God will be honored forever.
66:1-6 The city of God is cleansed of religious hypocrisy.
66:1 The Creator cannot be walled in--not even by his own temple in Jerusalem (cf. 1 Kings 8:27; Jer. 7:8-15; John 2:19; Acts 7:44-50). The OT is constantly at pains to remind God's people that he is greater than the institutions he has authorized, and he will not be manipulated by their use.
66:2 I will look with favor (cf. Ps. 80:14; 84:9; Isa. 63:15). he who is humble and contrite. See Ps. 51:17; Isa. 57:15; Luke 18:9-14. Trembles at my word suggests pious reverence for God's word and eagerness to obey it (cf. Ezra 9:4; 10:3).
66:3-4 Even Levitical worship--without a trembling heart (see note on v. 2)--is abhorrent to God (cf. 1:10-17; Jer. 7:21-23) and is as bad as outright sin (kills a man) and idolatry (breaks a dog's neck, offers pig's blood, blesses an idol). their fears. Aiming at the illusion of control, false faith proves helpless before everything it hopes to avoid (see Isa. 48:18; 65:11-12). they did not listen. True faith is essentially an openhearted listening to the word of God and wholeheartedly believing it (cf. Deut. 6:4; Ps. 95:7-8; Isa. 55:3).
66:5-6 Your brothers who hate you. These are people who profess biblical faith but lack a trembling heart, who scorn the humble and contrite (cf. 28:9-10; Rev. 2:9). Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy. This is the cynical contempt of the self-righteous, excluding the humble (cf. Ps. 22:6-8; Luke 6:22; John 16:2). A sound from the temple! The Lord's answer to such people is recompense, because he counts them his enemies.
66:7-14 The people of God are set apart by miraculous blessing.
66:7-9 Mother Zion gives birth, effortlessly and instantly, to a new nation (cf. 49:19-21; 54:1-3). The questions of 66:9 answer fears that God might not prove faithful to perform all his promises to his helpless people.
66:10-14 The certainty of future blessing calls for joy in the present. her consoling breast. . . . you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. The poetic image is of a nursing baby who finds complete comfort, joy, nourishment, and satisfaction in the arms of its mother. Notably the same Hebrew word for comfort found in 40:1 ("Comfort, comfort my people, says your God") is repeated three times here in a similar word form in 66:13, underscoring the fact that the comfort proclaimed by the Lord in ch. 40 is the same comfort that the Lord will surely provide. like a river. See 48:18. like the grass. See 58:11.
66:15-17 The enemies of God are destined for fiery judgment.
66:15 The holy wrath of God will come in fire (cf. 10:16-18; 29:5-6; 30:27, 30; 33:14). like the whirlwind. A storm of divine judgment will swoop down on the earth (cf. 19:1; 29:6; 30:30).
66:17 Those who sanctify and purify themselves. See note on 66:3-4; cf. 57:3-13; 65:2-7, 11-12. following one in the midst. See Ezek. 8:7-11.
66:18-24 God's glory is declared worldwide, and man's rebellion is punished forever.
66:18 and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. See 2:2-4; 40:5; 45:23; Rev. 7:9-10.
66:19 a sign. See 7:14; 11:10, 12; 55:12-13. I will send survivors, i.e., the remnant of Israelite believers who survive the judgments of God (cf. Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:1-12). Tarshish (probably in modern Spain), Pul (mentioned only here; perhaps another spelling of Put, which was Libya), Lud (ancient Lydia, in modern Turkey), Tubal (in modern Turkey), and Javan (Greece) exemplify the remote places of earth (cf. Matt. 28:18-20). On these place names see notes on Ezek. 27:10; 27:12-25; 27:13.
66:20 all your brothers from all the nations. Contrast "your brothers who hate you" in v. 5 (cf. John 11:52; Gal. 3:28-29; Col. 3:11). an offering to the Lord . . . in a clean vessel. See Rom. 15:15-16.
66:21 some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites. This speaks of Gentiles, perhaps as those who will carry out the calling of Israel (see note on 61:5-7), or else (in view of the mention of Levites) as those who will provide worship leadership within the people of God.
66:22-23 See 65:17. The cosmos, which bore witness to Israel's sins in 1:2-3, is renewed as the environment for the endless worship of the new people of God, who represent all flesh. God will keep his every promise to the praise of his glorious grace.
66:24 Isaiah uses the image of Jerusalem's city dump, just outside the city wall in the Hinnom Valley (cf. Jer. 7:30-34). They shall go out and look, not to gloat, but to agree with the victory of God in his judgment of the wicked and to know the peaceful assurance that God has judged wickedness forever. rebelled. See Isa. 1:2. their worm . . . their fire. A terrifying picture of unending judgment (see 50:11; Mark 9:43-48; Rev. 14:11). They shall be an abhorrence, though in this life they are often successful. The gospel is good news to the contrite but bad news to the rebellious.
