New Heavens and a New Earth
17 “For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
in that which I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,
and her people to be a gladness.
19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and be glad in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
and the cry of distress.
20 No more shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not fill out his days,
for the young man shall die a hundred years old,
and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labor in vain
or bear children for calamity,
for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord,
and their descendants with them.
24 Before they call I will answer;
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;
the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
and dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.
This is a really interesting passage because it is one of the few times in the Old Testament that we are pointed to a different reality. In Isaiah’s time, people thought of this world’s reality as nothing more than a reflection of the reality of the world of the gods, and human beings were simply actors carrying out the decisions and actions that were made by the gods.
That view we know to be untrue. This is a real world, and we make real choices which have real consequences. Throughout much of the Old Testament (as well as here in Isaiah), this point is made over and over again; our choices matter and have real outcomes which impact on our lives and the lives of others around us.
However, once we’re established in the fact that this is a real world and not some sort of poor reflex of some other invisible reality, we are ready to take in the wider picture of the whole of reality.
The wider, fuller picture of reality is that our choices stretch beyond our brief lifetime. As John Oswalt notes, “Justice is not entirely served here, as many of us can relate. All the good that is done here is not rewarded here, and all the evil that is done here is not punished here.”
Here in Isaiah, and many times throughout Scripture, the prophecies are calls for people to make a change in their choices so that they can experience the blessings and goodness of God right here and now.
However, this passage affirms that there is a wider reality and that this wider reality which God has for us is awesome. Again, it's not as if our choices here and now in this narrow slice of reality don't matter or affect the future. They do, and the constant call of the prophets throughout Scripture is for us to make choices which reflect our living into and living out our covenant relationship with the Lord in Christ.
We do this for two reasons; one, because we belong to God and God is in the process of transforming us to be His people, so naturally, because we love God, we want to live out the fullness of His reality in our lives. But also, as part of living out this reality, we realize that we are witnesses here and now to others of the grace, love, and mercy of God, and part of our faithfulness is to share the Gospel by who we are in Christ and the choices which we make here and now that reflect His Spirit which is alive in us. Very cool stuff.
I also don’t want you to miss verse 24 because it is awesome and absolutely blows me away.
Go back and read it again.
When we struggle to live for Jesus, when we have situations that are overwhelming to us or simply beyond our ability to deal with, we know that we can call on God and He will be our strength. But did you catch the awesomeness here in verse 24? If we are truly pursuing Jesus and living into and living out the will of God the Father, we are heard, but the stunning thing is that we are heard before we even call out to the Lord. While we are still speaking, God hears and responds.
The reality that God hears and responds to you before you even call out to Him reminds us of one more incredible truth: God is with you, Jesus is a present presence with you (Matthew 28:20), and His Spirit lives in you (1 Corinthians 6:19).
The wider, deeper reality for us to grasp is that the Lord loves us, is always present with us, and desires us to have life to the fullness found in and through His Son Jesus.
So which will you choose? A fantasy that the world concocts for you to consume, or the reality of life found only in relationship with Jesus?
God bless you and know that you are constantly in my prayers.
Scott