Isaiah 66:1-11

Isaiah 66:1-11 NIV

This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord. “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.

But whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a person, and whoever offers a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever makes a grain offering is like one who presents pig’s blood, and whoever burns memorial incense is like one who worships an idol. They have chosen their own ways, and they delight in their abominations; so I also will choose harsh treatment for them and will bring on them what they dread. For when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened. They did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.”

Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word: “Your own people who hate you, and exclude you because of my name, have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy!’ Yet they will be put to shame. Hear that uproar from the city, hear that noise from the temple! It is the sound of the Lord repaying his enemies all they deserve.

“Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children. Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the Lord. “Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?” says your God. “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her. For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance.”

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Isaiah 66 is the last chapter of the prophet's writings. This chapter has two maybe three purposes. The first is to confront idolatry, but idolatry is not just a matter of practice. It's a matter of the heart. Second is to encourage the faithful marginalized among unfaithful Israel. The possible other purpose of this chapter is to imply the church of Jesus Christ, for God promises to bring gentiles to praise His name and join them with Israel, making some to be priests and Levites as well.

I'm only going to address the first eleven verses out of the twenty-four in Isaiah 66 in this reflection. Considering that this material is supposed to be written after the exile when Israelites return home to Jerusalem in ruin, there is a lot of material in Third Isaiah (Isaiah 56-66) that is about the restoration of the city and the nation. This portion of Isaiah 66 is no different. What is puzzling is the talk of wrath upon the temple. I can only assume that while the tense seems in the present, as if the destruction of the temple is happening now, it really is just a retelling of what went down some 50-70, maybe even 100 years before. The temple was destroyed in 586 BC by the Babylonians. Cyrus the Persian ruler sent the first exiles home in 538 BC. But many Jews remained in Babylon and other parts of the Persian empire. The return to Jerusalem lasted over 100 years! Rebuilding the second temple began in 516 BC. The walls of Jerusalem were not rebuilt until 445 BC! So you can imagine the grief of the returning exiles and how hard it was for them to live with their city in ruin and the temple a portion of what it once was. It wasn't until 19 BC, when Herod the Great funded a major renovation and expansion of the temple, that the it became an architectural wonder of the middle east. Considering all this the need to encourage the returning exiles was particularly important.

If the temple lies in ruin and rebuilding begins ever so slowly, the opening to Isaiah 66 is meant to encourage. Without the temple how can they serve God and seek His blessings? God answers, "I don't need a temple. I don't need sacrifices. What I want from you is humble obedience to my righteous commands and you will have my blessing." I wish the prophet put it that clearly, but instead he uses ironic speech to communicate the idea. God cannot be housed in a temple. That is the first point. So there's no reason to be worried about whether God can be with them without a temple. God set them free through Cyrus the Great. God sent them prophets to carry His messages to the people. God gave them Zerubbabel, a son of David, to be their governor. Is this not proof enough that the Lord is with them?

Then the Lord says through Isaiah, "I don't want sacrifices or incense or grain offerings. I want your loyalty." So even though temple sacrifices began with the laying of the foundation of the second temple, God was not pleased. Looking at the history recorded in Nehemiah and Ezra we see that Israel's returning exiles were still not keeping the law. They performed religious ceremonies, but they weren't keeping true to all of God's righteous laws. For instance there were some who were marrying with foreign wives. The tithes to fund temple personnel weren't being paid. Levites left the temple to go work the land to support themselves. Some gentile politicians who had built power in the area during the exile held living quarters in the temple itself! Priests got drunk and lazy. In such a state your can understand why the Lord speaks so negatively about the sacrifices and offerings of the temple. Whatever they are doing is useless because their hearts do not belong to the Lord. It is false worship.

This message was to be an encouragement to the faithful within Jerusalem. Though they are mocked by the arrogant, God will crush His enemies in Jerusalem and the temple. He will purify the city and make it holy again. The righteous need not wait much longer for the Lord to do as He has promised. Before a mother goes into labor the baby is born. That's a way of saying that the Lord will bring Jerusalem back to holiness and prosperity very soon, sooner than the exiles might think.

Do you long for better days? Do you wish your country to return to the Lord? Do you suffer mockery for your faithfulness to the Lord? Then let this word give you hope. God is with you. God is working His redemptive plan. You are part of God's story. Allow faith to rebuild you. Let your heart be His temple and offer your humble service as a sacrifice pleasing to the Lord.