← All Chapters The Book of Isaiah · Chapter 65

Isaiah 65: New Heavens and New Earth

God answers a rebellious people, distinguishes his servants from the faithless, and promises a new creation of joy where he answers before they call.

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Isaiah 65 (WEB)

1 “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.

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

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

4 who sit among the graves, and lodge in the secret places; who eat pig’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;

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

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

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

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

9 I will bring a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains; and my chosen shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.

10 Sharon shall 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.

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

12 I will destine you to the sword, and you shall 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.”

13 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh, “Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be disappointed;

14 behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall wail for anguish of spirit.

15 You shall leave your name for a curse to my chosen; and the Lord Yahweh will kill you; and he will call his servants by another name:

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

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

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

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

20 “There shall be no more there an infant of days, nor an old man who has not filled his days; for the child shall die one hundred years old, and the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.

21 They shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.

22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree shall be the days of my people, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

23 They shall not labor in vain, nor give birth for calamity; for they are the seed of the blessed of Yahweh, and their offspring with them.

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

25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain,” says Yahweh.

Summary

God responds to the prayer of the previous chapters, but first with a sobering word. He was ready to be found by people who did not even seek him, stretching out his hands all day to a rebellious people who provoked him with idolatry and self-righteousness. Yet he will not destroy them all; as a cluster of grapes is spared for the good wine in it, he will preserve a remnant—a seed out of Jacob who will inherit his mountains, his chosen servants who seek him. He then draws a sharp contrast between his servants and those who forsake him: his servants will eat, drink, rejoice, and sing for joy of heart, while the faithless will hunger, thirst, and cry out in sorrow. He will call his servants by another name. Then the vision soars to its glorious climax: God will create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things will not be remembered. He will rejoice in Jerusalem and his people, and the sound of weeping will be heard no more. Life will flourish—people will build houses and live in them, plant vineyards and eat their fruit, no longer laboring in vain. Most tender of all is the promise that before they call, God will answer, and while they are still speaking, he will hear. The chapter closes with the picture of the wolf and lamb feeding together and no harm or destruction in all God's holy mountain.

Voices

  • Yahweh (the LORD) — The God who stretches out his hands to the rebellious, preserves a remnant of servants, and creates new heavens and a new earth of joy and peace.
  • God's servants — The faithful remnant who seek the Lord, who will eat, drink, and sing for joy, and who inherit the new creation.
  • The rebellious / those who forsake the Lord — The faithless who provoke God with idolatry and pride, who forget his holy mountain, and who face hunger, thirst, and sorrow.

Key Verse

Isaiah 65:17 (WEB)

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

Lessons Learned

  • God reaches out even to those who do not seek him, with patient and persistent grace.
  • God distinguishes between his faithful servants and those who forsake him.
  • God's ultimate purpose is to create new heavens and a new earth free of weeping and pain.
  • God is so attentive to his people that he answers even before they call.
  • God seeks even those who do not seek him. “I am found by those who didn’t seek me… I have spread out my hands all the day” (Isaiah 65:1-2, WEB).
  • God preserves a remnant of his servants. Like a blessing found in a cluster, “so will I do for my servants’ sake, that I may not destroy them all” (Isaiah 65:8, WEB).
  • God creates a new and joyful world. “I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered” (Isaiah 65:17, WEB).
  • God answers before we even call. “Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24, WEB).
  1. How does God describe his posture toward the rebellious people in verses 1-2?
  2. What contrast does God draw between his servants and those who forsake him (verses 13-15)?
  3. What features of the new heavens and new earth stand out to you in verses 17-25?
  4. What comfort do you find in the promise that God answers before we call (65:24)?
  5. How does the hope of a new creation shape the way you live and pray in the present?
  1. God pictures himself stretching out his hands all day long to a rebellious people who provoke him to his face (65:1-2). His posture is one of patient, persistent invitation, reaching even toward those who ignore and offend him—a stunning portrait of grace.
  2. His servants will eat, drink, rejoice, and sing for joy of heart, while those who forsake him will hunger, thirst, and cry out in sorrow (65:13-15). The contrast underscores that our response to God shapes our future, and that he honors those who seek him.
  3. The new creation features lasting joy, the end of weeping, fruitful labor that is never in vain, long life, and the wolf and lamb feeding together (65:17-25). Encourage the group to dwell on the wholeness and peace God promises, where every harm is undone.
  4. It assures us that God is not distant or slow but intimately attentive, ready to answer before we even finish asking (65:24). This invites bold, confident prayer rooted in the nearness and eagerness of a God who delights to hear.
  5. This is a personal-application question. Invite members to consider how the certainty of God's new creation gives hope and shapes priorities now. As leader, connect the future promise to present perseverance, prayer, and joy.

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), the King James Version (KJV), and the American Standard Version (ASV), all of which are in the public domain.