Isaiah 65:8

Isaiah 65:8 says, Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.  God compared His people to a cluster of new grapes, which people would say to not destroy because there was a blessing in it.  The new wine would come from this cluster of grapes.  God said that He likewise would not destroy those who were supposed to be His servants because good could still come from them.  We know that Jesus Christ came from the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people and this is the ultimate goodness that came from them, but we also know that those who put their faith in God and obeyed is commandments brought goodness into the world.  If God had destroyed everyone because of their disobedience at that time, Jesus Christ could not have come to redeem mankind. 

Verse nine adds, And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.  God said he would bring a seed of Jacob out of the people of Israel and He would be the inheritor of the mountains, or the world I believe.  This seed of Jacob was Jesus Christ and He owns all of Creation.  Those who accept Him as their Savior and Lord are the elect, not because God chose them above others but because they chose to put their faith in Him.  Being the elect of God never means that some people deserve salvation and others don’t. 

Verse ten continues, And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.  God said when His people sought Him that they would be blessed.  I don’t believe that this means materially, though they often were blessed materially when they were following God, but I believe it means spiritually.  We should never come to God just because we expect to be blessed materially and we shouldn’t expect to be blessed materially once we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. 

Verse eleven states, But ye are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number.  God said that the people of Israel were those who had forgotten their relationship with Him.  They were His people in name only and not because they had a personal relationship with Him.  There are still people today who are God’s people in name only. 

Verse twelve adds, Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.  God said because they refused to hear when Him called that they would be defeated because they did what was evil in His eyes.  Those who will not hear God’s call to salvation today will be defeated spiritually and ultimately sent away to everlasting punishment. 

Verse thirteen continues, Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed:  God said that those who were called His servants, the people of Israel, would eat and not be filled and drink and still be thirsty.  I believe that He is speaking about spiritual hunger and thirst and not physical hunger and thirst.  Until we accept Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord, we will never be spiritually satisfied, even if we are not physically hungry and thirsty. 

Verse fourteen says, Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.  God said that those who were truly His servants would sing with joy, but the people of Isreal who had turned away from Him would cry in sorrow and howl in vexation of their spirit.  Those who do not accept God’s gift of salvation will never be satisfied spiritually, no matter how rich and powerful they may become. 

Verse fifteen adds, And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord God shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name:  God said because the people of Israel had rejected Him that their name would become a curse to those who were His chosen, or those who had put their faith in Him.  The people of Israel were never chosen because they were better than other people spiritually, but they were simply the people that God chose to reveal Himself to the world through.  We may call ourselves Christians and think that makes us better than other people simply because of where we were born, but if we have not come to God through faith in Jesus Christ, He will reach out to people elsewhere while we are left accursed. 

Verse sixteen continues, That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.  God said if anyone would be blessed in the world that it would be because they have a personal relationship with Him and for no other reason.  If we would be blessed, it can only be because we have put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. 

Isaiah 65:1

Isaiah 65:1 says, I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.  Isaiah said that God sought those who had not asked for Him and found those who had not sought Him.  We will never find God, but He will always find us by reveling Himself to us.  This refers to the Gentiles being called into the kingdom of God.  The Jews had failed to reach out to them and call for them to come to God, so God was going to do this without them.  We as followers of Jesus Christ are commissioned to share the gospel with everyone, but if we fail to do so, God Himself will call the lost people of the world to Him. 

Verse two adds, I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;  God said that He had reached out His hand all day to His rebellious people, but that they wouldn’t take His hand and follow Him.  They went their own way instead, following ways that were not good.  They were still God’s chosen people in name, but not in their actions.  If we profess to be a Christian, we must follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit and never live by our own desires if they are not in accordance with God’s will. 

Verse three continues, A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;  God said that the people of Israel were provoking Him to His face.  They weren’t even trying to hide their disobedience, which is a sad state for those who are supposed to be God’s people to be in.  They were going through the motions of making sacrifices to God, but these sacrifices had no spiritual meaning to the people.  Some people who profess to be Christians today go through the motions of worshipping God but then don't live in accordance to His commandments.  God will never be fooled by this even if the people of the world are. 

Verse four states, Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;  The people of Israel had certain foods that were declared unclean, though this was later taken away after Jesus Christ came and died for our sins.  This obeying of dietary restrictions set the people of Israel apart from the rest of the world, and now we are set apart by our faith in Jesus Christ, so these dietary restrictions are no longer needed.  In the days of Isaiah and even in the days when Jesus Christ was here in the world, the people of Israel were disobeying God’s commandments.  The statement that they were eating pork and putting abominable things in their food was an indication that they weren’t obeying Gods’s law.  Though we are free to eat any food, if we put the things of the world ahead of obeying God’s commandments, we are just as guilty as the people of Israel were in that day. 

Verse five adds, Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.  The people of Israel had the attitude that because they were born into the family of God’s chosen people that they were better than anyone else.  They didn’t want anyone who was not a Jew to come near them.  We can have that same attitude today, thinking that because we were born in a certain country that we are better than other people and not even want them near us.  This was a sin for the Jews in that day and it is still a sin today.  We are to reach out to all people with the gospel and want them to become a part of the family of God.  God said that their sacrifices did nothing but displease Him.  Going through the motions of worshipping and obeying God without having put our faith in Him will never please God.

Verse six continues, Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,  God said He might keep silent for a while when those who professed to be His people were rebelling against Him, but He wasn’t going to keep silent forever.  We may sin against God without anything bad happening to us immediately, but one day we will be held accountable for our sinful actions, unless we accept God’s gift of salvation.  I believe even then that we will one day have to answer for the sins we commit after we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  We are still saved, but we cannot just sin after we are and ask God to forget about it.  The penalty of our sins is washed away, but we may still stand before God and answer for those that we committed after we accept Jesus Christ.

Verse seven concludes, Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the Lord, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.  God said he was going to hold everyone who offered empty sacrifices to Him accountable, from their ancestors to them.  This didn’t mean that the people then were going to be held accountable for the sins of those who came before them, but that everyone was going to be held accountable for their own sins, no matter what time they may have lived.