Written by Paul J Bucknell on July, 31, 2026

Isaiah 65:1-25 God’s Amazing Grace with Study Questions

In this exposition of Isaiah 65, observe the fourfold movement from mercy toward rebels, to a preserved remnant, to blessings for God’s servants, and finally to the new creation.

As human beings, we cannot sustain our lives without divine intervention through God’s grace. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we begin to see the true significance of God’s grace in ways we hadn’t understood before. However, it’s easy to forget the true essence of His grace and take it for granted.

“How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, before the sons of men!” (Psalm 31:19)

Two problems hinder the work of grace in our lives.

We often overlook God’s grace because we’re distracted by life’s responsibilities, burdens, and joys.
We often overlook the unique qualities of God’s grace. It becomes routine, too familiar. We cease to experience how deeply it enriches our relationship with God.

Isaiah 65 describes four ways God shows His grace for mankind’s benefit.

1. God Cares For Those Who Shun Him (Is 65:1-7)

“I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, ‘Here am I, here am I, ‘To a nation which did not call on My name. ² “I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts, ³ A people who continually provoke Me to My face, Offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on bricks; ⁴ Who sit among graves and spend the night in secret places; Who eat swine’s flesh, And the broth of unclean meat is in their pots. ⁵ “Who say, ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me, For I am holier than you!’ These are smoke in My nostrils, A fire that burns all the day. ⁶ “Behold, it is written before Me, I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will even repay into their bosom, ⁷ Both their own iniquities and the iniquities of their fathers together,” says the Lord. “Because they have burned incense on the mountains And scorned Me on the hills, Therefore I will measure their former work into their bosom.” (Isaiah 65:1-7 NASB)

Isaiah 65:1-2

Grace starts with mercy. Mercy acknowledges our deep need. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which he loved us” (Eph. 2:4).

We turned away from God. We should seek Him, but we shy away! He has every right to ignore us and leave us to our doom, but instead, He comes to find us. He calls us even when we avoid Him. “Here I am. Here I am.” This is man’s once-in-a-lifetime chance.

“I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me. (Is 65:1) The corrupt nation of Israel was unwilling to accept God’s mercy. Although some Israelites, like Isaiah, desired God’s Lordship, most rejected Him.

God’s response of wrath is most fitting. “I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will even repay into their bosom” (Is 65:6). It is frightening when God’s people dare to reject His precious grace. If those who know the truth can be so wayward, what about the heathen? We can only assume Satan works mischievously among God’s people and can blind and distract His followers.

The apostle Paul (Rom 10:20-21) used verse 1 and other Old Testament verses to show how God was willing to reveal Himself to all nations, not just Israel. ‘Nation’ in verse 1 is not the usual word for Israel (which was Yam - peoples; e.g., Is 40:1).

The term for nation was used before Israel entered Canaan, meaning Israel did not mix with the natives and then became its own nation in Canaan. “Yam (עם) is used largely for a group of people or for people in general.”

Isaiah 65:3-7

“A people who continually provoke Me to My face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on bricks.” (Is 65:3)

Their time in Babylon (as seen through the bricks) was as bad as in their homeland. They learned nothing and were destined to be silenced forever. Verse 4 shows them deliberately doing unclean things. Sometimes this is to demonstrate their freedom from their fathers’ ways; other times, it might be a sensual way of discovering secrets of the future.

Rejecting God’s offer of mercy leads to judgment. Don’t fool yourself; no one can keep doing evil while still experiencing His care and mercy. Instead, humbly accept God’s signs of concern and care. Only obedience brings joy.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I am ashamed as I think about how You have reached out to me with love in every way, only for me to constantly reject You. Please forgive me for my indifference and lack of gratitude toward You. I see how ironic it is that I only seek You when I believe You can give me what’s best. Help me to open my heart to Your gentle promptings and loving care, so I can fully experience the depth of Your love and grace. Amen.

2. God Chooses Sinful People (Isa 65:8-12)

⁸ Thus says the Lord,“As the new wine is found in the cluster, And one says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is benefit in it,’ So I will act on behalf of My servants In order not to destroy all of them. ⁹ “I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, And an heir of My mountains from Judah; Even My chosen ones shall inherit it, And My servants will dwell there. ¹⁰ “Sharon will be a pasture land for flocks, And the valley of Achor a resting place for herds, For My people who seek Me. ¹¹ “But you who forsake the Lord, Who forget My holy mountain, Who set a table for Fortune, And who fill cups with mixed wine for Destiny, ¹² I will destine you for the sword, And all of you will bow down to the slaughter. Because I called, but you did not answer; I spoke, but you did not hear. And you did evil in My sight And chose that in which I did not delight.” (Is 65:8-12)

Isaiah 65:8-10

How is it possible that we are utterly upset about some people leaving garbage around their house, yet we do the same with the sin in our hearts? We stand condemned. We judge others while excusing ourselves. Notice the sins listed in these verses. God still chooses sinful people. This is God’s mighty grace. We say, “Choose the best.” “Do not destroy it, for there is benefit in it” (Is 65:8). But there is no perfect or purely righteous person. So God sent His Son to die for us so we could become His. We don’t deserve any mercy.

God chooses those who seek Him, even though they have sin. “So I will act on behalf of My servants in order not to destroy all of them. “I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, And an heir of My mountains from Judah” (Is 65:8-9). We see this reflected in Jesus. He looked for the ‘sick.’ Praise Him. We don’t look for Him, but He finds us. We can’t reach His holy standard, but because of the sacrifice of His Son, He makes us clean.

Recycling plants are a fascinating part of modern society. They offer a resourceful way to reuse garbage, trash, and other discarded materials that would otherwise be wasted. In the past, Israel had behaved poorly and deserved judgment. While it would have been easy to simply discard them, God, in His great mercy, stepped in with His own recovery plan. Just as grapes are used to make wine, God has a way of transforming His people and guiding them back on the right path.

“… even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)”(Eph 2:5)

God is selective. All were destined for God’s wrath (Is 64:5-7), but through His divine wisdom, He ‘reprocesses’ a small number (i.e., remnant) to bless the whole earth. These, in turn, seek the Lord, and though not perfect, they desire the Lord.

Isaiah 65:10-11

“But you who forsake the Lord” (65:11). Most stubborn people don’t want to follow the Lord and would only be a bitter sediment in the new wine. They will be effectively silenced so they no longer tarnish God’s name. (Note: Fortune and Destiny were the two Arab heavenly beings supposed to preside over mankind’s fortune.)

We might question whether God’s selection method (verse 12) is fair. “Because I called, but you did not answer.” God spoke kindly, drawing them to Him, but they did not respond. Instead, they chose to do evil. Strictly speaking, God’s grace is unfair; we don’t deserve it!

Application

Similarly, we have all gone astray, but God, in His great mercy, chooses to work with those humble in heart who want to follow Him. In prayer, tell God about your willingness to follow.

Dear Father in heaven, I am continually amazed at how You can turn bitterness into sweetness and ugliness into beauty. As humans, we are not exempt from this transformation, and I am a prime example of how You brought me to seek Your grace and never stopped guiding me. Thank You for teaching me the true meaning of grace. I am forever grateful. — Your faithful servant.

3. God Blesses His Servants (Isaiah 65:13-16)

¹³ Therefore, thus says the Lord God, “Behold, My servants will eat, but you will be hungry. Behold, My servants will drink, but you will be thirsty. Behold, My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame. ¹⁴ “Behold, My servants will shout joyfully with a glad heart, But you will cry out with a heavy heart, And you will wail with a broken spirit. ¹⁵ “You will leave your name for a curse to My chosen ones, And the Lord God will slay you. But My servants will be called by another name. ¹⁶ “Because he who is blessed in the earth Will be blessed by the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth Will swear by the God of truth; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hidden from My sight! (Isaiah 65:13-16)

We forget about God’s special grace because we believe we deserve the blessings we receive. We honestly don’t deserve them at all. A servant has permission to work in his master’s house but cannot expect favors. God blesses us with things that drastically change our perspective on the world. It is believed that the Sermon on the Mount, delivered by Jesus, drew heavily from this passage. According to it, God shapes our lives in a way that is more valuable than healing, prosperity, or fame. A “broken spirit” (Is 65:14) opens the door to blessings from His grace.

The Lord chooses those who seek Him and now blesses them abundantly. Likewise, He does not leave us in despair without hope but lifts us up with Him. “… and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:6).

This section clearly shows that God favors those He chooses and judges those He doesn’t select. God calls His chosen ones “My Servants” and no longer seeks loyalty because He has already found and claims it. Christ also explicitly states what is expected of His followers. We are no longer in control of our lives, and the sooner we accept this, the easier our lives become.

Those who reject God’s call for obedience will face an even tougher taskmaster, making their already difficult work even more burdensome. Their real poverty is described as hunger, thirst, shame, pain, and a broken spirit. This means there is not only a lack of food and drink but also a deeper pain within the heart.

The word ‘blessing’ is prominently mentioned at the end of this section: “Because he who is blessed in the earth will be blessed by the God of truth” (65:16). Blessings always follow obedience and only come from the God of truth. Anyone expecting to find blessings outside of the Lord will be disappointed. God promises blessings not based on their actions, but because of their trust in the true God. Imagine how freeing it would be to hear that our past troubles are hidden from His sight!

Application

Christians should expect blessings from God when they obey Him. These blessings may not match what the world seeks, but when all is considered, God’s blessings far exceed what this world offers. We are truly blessed!

Prayer

Oh, Lord. You are so good to us. You not only promise us this joy and peace but also bring it into our hearts and lives. True blessings come only from You. While Satan tries to grab, You extend Your hand, offering us the very best. Thank you for making me one of Your servants.

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth” (Isa 65:17).

4. God Graciously Gives Eternal (Isaiah 65:17-25)

¹⁷ “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. ¹⁸ “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing And her people for gladness. ¹⁹ “I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying. ²⁰ “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed. ²¹ “They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. ²² “They will not build and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands. ²³ “They will not labor in vain, Or bear children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the Lord, And their descendants with them. ²⁴ It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. ²⁵ The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the Lord. (Isaiah 65:17-25)

Isaiah 65:17-20 Commentary

God indeed richly blesses us, but He recognizes that this grace is still insufficient. “In order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:7). “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth” (Is 65:17). He will make “a new heavens and a new earth!” Be assured, God is preparing something beautiful and new to show us His overflowing grace.

Throughout history, humans have searched for a perfect world, a utopia. But what does God promise in this section? According to the prophet Isaiah, God will create new heavens and a new earth where old things will be remembered no more. This new world will not accept anything inferior, damaged, or painful from the past. Instead, it offers peace, tranquility, and security.

However, it’s unclear how this new world connects to the promised millennium (Lit. a thousand years) in Revelation 20. The terms “new heavens,” “new earth,” “forever,” and “no longer” imply a sense of permanence and a silent promise that the new world will last forever.

Futuristic Interpretational Issues

In the following three interpretations, it is challenging to fully capture the meaning of the verses within each perspective. For instance, are the new heavens and earth the same as those in 2 Peter 3? If so, then there is no room for a millennium. What if you argue that the millennium comes before the new heavens and earth? Verse 17, which evidently refers to the eternal age, is awkwardly placed before what many interpret as the description of the millennium. More generally, how is it that imperfect and temporary images are used to describe the eternal and perfect hope?

Views of Isaiah 65 – New Heavens and Earth

There are three primary ways to interpret this promised new world. We prefer the latter.

1) The Church–age view has been ongoing for over 2000 years, though sorrow and sin are still present. It covers from Jesus’ time to the final judgment; eternity remains distinct.

Key: Fulfillment is in the present kingdom of God.

This ideal society illustrates the change God’s Servant has brought into our lives. Since a Christian is a new creation, their life has been completely transformed. Christians’ current experience is like living in a new world. But as Romans 8:18-25 shows, perfection or full joy does not arrive in this world. We and nature are imperfect and groaning. The worries of this world are still present. Additionally, the New Testament teaches a dramatic end to the current heavens and earth, so we still wait for the “new heavens and a new earth” (2 Pet 3:10-13).

2) The Premillennial view is of a short-lived period, the millennium described in Revelation 20. It lasts only 1,000 years and is still in the future. Due to the nature of its concluding age, it is imperfect because sin and sorrow will still exist, though in a limited way. According to this view, it begins 7 years after the rapture of the saints (i.e., pretrib rapture viewpoint), when the saints meet the Lord in the sky (1 Thes 4). The final judgment follows these 1000 years, leading into eternity.

Key: Fulfillment is in a literal millennium (Revelation 20).

The literal millennialist views the promised new heavens and earth as a separate thousand-year period during which an ideal life is lived on earth. After all, the reference to long life still allows for the possibility of death. “For the youth will die at the age of one hundred and the one who does not reach the age of one hundred will be thought accursed” (65:20). The bearing of children also indicates that life continues. These things don’t happen in heaven. Therefore, the 1000 years of Rev 20:2 is not the same as “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev 21:1). Most explain that the millennium is only for those who become Christians after the rapture, during the Great Tribulation. It does not promise life for anyone who has already died or any Christian currently alive.

3) The Heavenly view sees this as a future, eternal age without sorrow or sin. It begins with the final judgment and moves directly into eternity.

Key: Fulfillment in the new heavens and new earth.

This heavenly view interprets the new heavens and new earth literally, as 2 Peter and Revelation 21 describe. The view isn’t an exact account of man’s new world but a rough outline of what ‘new earth and heaven’ will be like. Abstract future things can be explained in terms of what we already understand and accept; the unfamiliar is clarified by the familiar. The problems they face on earth would be eliminated along with the memory of former things.

But what about the possibility of death and having children? Heaven, a term that describes the coming eternal age, does not include these things. The Lord uses their current hope as a picture of eternal hope. The people of the Old Testament had little, if any, concept of eternal life and were therefore more focused on making the most of extending their lives on earth.

Application—Making heaven relevant!

If Isaiah were writing today, he would probably describe a new world where harmony among people is the norm, human lives are valued, God’s creation is honored, and cities are free of violence, stress, and loneliness. In this ideal world, elderly individuals would have full control over their own bodies, and nursing homes would no longer exist.

We should view Isaiah’s words as a painting made with words and try to imagine the joy humans would feel in this future world. It’s important to focus on man’s happiness rather than the angels.

Prayer

I’m waiting, Lord. Take my computers, my friends, and my possessions. The present heavens and earth shall pass away. Thank you for preparing something far better without the corrupt stain of sin and pain. My hope started with your promises and will last forever through your grace.

Summary

The idea that God is too disconnected from our world is a limited and uninspired theology. However, many Christians find it hard to describe what heaven will look like. Isaiah, in chapter 65, offers a very different vision of the new world, including harmony among all people, respect for human life, and positive plans for animals, among other things. We should see Isaiah’s words as a vivid picture of this new world.

If you’re still skeptical, consider what you might be missing out on. God’s servants will spend eternity in the new heavens and earth (i.e., the universe). Our hearts should not be hardened; instead, we should embrace God’s wonderful promises, even though we are undeserving sinners. God encourages us to remain faithful by offering clear, inspiring promises.

Bible Study Questions on Isaiah 65

Bible Study Questions on Isaiah 65:1-7

State verse 1 in your own words.
What is God trying to tell us in Isaiah 65:1?
What offenses does God accuse Israel of (2-5)? Which ones are you unclear about?
What is God’s response to their sin (6-7)?

Bible Study Questions on Isaiah 65:8-12

What can one do with extra grapes (8)?
What has the Lord decided to do with His rebellious people (8b-9)?
How will the Lord choose which ones to work with (10)?
Which ones will He discard (11)? Is this fair (11)?
State your loyalty to the Lord and seek Him never to let you depart from His grace.

Bible Questions on Isaiah 65:13-16

What can one do with extra grapes (8)?
What has the Lord decided to do with His rebellious people (8b-9)?
How will the Lord choose which ones to work with (10)?
Which ones will He discard (11)? Is this fair (11)?
State your loyalty to the Lord and seek Him, never to let you depart from His grace.

Bible Study Questions on Isaiah 65:17-25

What did God say to create in verse 17?
Go through the verses following 17 and list five special characteristics of that age.
Why might Isaiah have chosen these words from chapter 65 to describe the future of God’s people experiencing His blessings?
This idealistic life is written from a farmer’s perspective. Please create or draw what you imagine the new heavens and earth might look like. Do so from your own point of view. Consider your own problems and how things would change if those problems didn’t exist.
Are you looking forward to heaven, or are too many attachments on earth distracting you from considering what God has planned for you? Reflect on this.