Isaiah 65:8-10 – Remaining aithful to God

In the first seven verses of Isaiah 65, the Lord finally responded to the prophet’s prayer. He revealed why He was displeased with Judah and made Himself available to the Gentiles. How the people of Judah led their lives was insufferable. They had lived contrary to what God wanted of them. They made their sacrifices and burned their incense in unprescribed places. They offered their sacrifices in gardens and not in the temple and burning incense on bricks. They would indulge in necromancy to consult the dead. And they ate pork which to God was unclean food. They were distancing themselves from God.

Thankfully among these insufferable people, God said there was a remnant of good ones. Here Isaiah termed them as new wine. Like in a cluster of unacceptable rotten grapes, some good grapes were found that could produce new wine. So while God would cut off the nation, He would spare that remnant. Here God promised that an offspring of Jacob would inherit the mountain. This offspring of course is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Out of this offspring shall a faithful people come forth to inherit the promised land. They will experience peace and abundance.  

Sharon and Achor were two cities in Canaan. One was located at the extreme western side and the other at the eastern end. What God was saying was that the whole of Canaan would be the promised land of the remnant. Isaiah was referring to the Kingdom of the Messiah, a type of spiritual Canaan. God promised that this would be the blessing which the privileged remnant who seek Him would experience.

God promised to Abraham in Genesis that his descendants would be as numerous as sands on the seashore or as countless as the stars in the sky. Out of the vast number of his descendants, only a minority would remain faithful to God, whom He would preserve to inherit the promised land. This remnant would be those who accept and believe in Christ, God’s Messiah. This would be a minority group among the people of Israel. As we turn to look at the church, we will see that the faithful believers of Christ, in comparison with the vast group of people in the world who would not believe in Him, are also a minority group. But the good news is that they will be inheritors of the Kingdom of the Messiah. Peace and abundance in Christ will be their privilege. This is the promise of God. He will never allow the faithful to experience hopelessness. While judgment awaits the unfaithful, blessings will be the reward of the faithful. And God is not looking for the called and chosen but is looking for the called, chosen, and found faithful. Even though the faithful are a minority, let us be found among this minority. So remain faithful!