Commentary - Isaiah 65:17-25

Bird's-eye view

In this magnificent passage, the prophet Isaiah pulls back the curtain on the future that God is creating through the gospel of His Son. This is not a vision of an ethereal, disembodied heaven that we escape to after the world burns up. Rather, this is a robust, earthy, and tangible picture of the kingdom of God advancing in history. The creation of a "new heavens and a new earth" refers to the new covenant order inaugurated by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This new order is not static; it is a dynamic reality that grows and spreads like leaven in a lump of dough, progressively transforming the world. The promises here describe the tangible effects of the gospel on a culture: joy, long life, economic prosperity, secure families, intimate communion with God, and peace. This is a profoundly postmillennial vision, a blueprint for the gradual Christianization of the world that will occur prior to the final return of the King.

The key to understanding this passage is to see that it describes a glorious age that is still within history, not after it. The continued presence of sin and death, however pushed back to the margins, indicates that this is not the final, eternal state. A man dying at a hundred is considered a youth, and a sinner dying at a hundred is considered accursed. This is a picture of the blessings of the new covenant overflowing into every area of life, pushing back the curse of sin and demonstrating the power of Christ's reign from heaven. This passage is therefore not a lullaby for the faint-hearted, but a trumpet blast for the faithful, calling us to the work of building this new world in the power of the Spirit.

Outline

Context In Isaiah

This promise of a new creation comes at the climax of Isaiah's prophecy. The book has moved from oracles of judgment against a rebellious and idolatrous Israel to promises of a glorious restoration. Just prior to this section, in chapter 65 verses 1-16, God makes a sharp distinction between His true servants and the rebellious idolaters who have forsaken Him. He declares that the rebels will be judged and cut off, while His servants will be blessed and given "another name." The creation of the new heavens and new earth in verse 17 is the basis for this new identity and this new reality. It is the definitive answer to the sin and failure of the old covenant people. The "former things" that will not be remembered are not just generic troubles, but specifically the rebellion, idolatry, and subsequent judgment that characterized the old era. This new creation is God's radical solution to the problem of sin, a complete renewal of His covenant world.

Key Issues

The Advancing Kingdom

One of the great errors in modern evangelicalism is the misplacement of heaven. We tend to think of salvation as a ticket out of this world, and we read passages like this as a description of some far-off, disconnected spiritual realm. But the Bible's story is not one of escape, but of restoration. God is not scrapping His original creation; He is renewing it. The "new heavens and new earth" is biblical language for a renewed covenant world order. The old heavens and earth, the world of the Mosaic covenant, passed away with the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70. The new heavens and earth were inaugurated at the resurrection and ascension of Christ. We are living in the beginning of this new creation now.

But this new creation is not static. It is a kingdom that is advancing, growing, and filling the earth. The blessings described by Isaiah are the downstream effects of the gospel. As the knowledge of the glory of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea, we should expect to see these very things: longer life, greater prosperity, stronger families, and a more peaceable culture. This is not utopianism; it is basic biblical optimism. It is simply taking God at His word and believing that the gospel is more powerful than sin.

Verse by Verse Commentary

17 “For behold, I am creating a new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come upon the heart.

God announces His great renovation project. The language of "heavens and earth" in Scripture often refers to a political and religious world order. God is not talking about annihilating the physical cosmos and starting over. He is speaking of the end of the old covenant world, centered on the Temple in Jerusalem, and the establishment of the new covenant world, centered on the risen Christ. The "former things" are the sins, sorrows, and judgments of that old, broken system. They will be forgotten, not in the sense of a celestial amnesia, but because the glory and joy of the new reality will so completely overwhelm and heal the memory of the old that it will lose its sting forever.

18 But be joyful and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing And her people for joy.

The required response to this new creation is not quiet contemplation, but exuberant, perpetual joy. This joy is not self-generated; it is a response to what God has created. And what has He created? A new Jerusalem. This is not the old physical city, but the Church of Jesus Christ, the city of God, the bride of Christ. She is created for rejoicing. Her very nature and purpose is joy. Her people are a people of joy. This is our fundamental identity in the new creation.

19 I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be joyful in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the voice of crying.

This is a staggering thought. Not only are we to rejoice in God's work, but God Himself rejoices in us. Our joy is a reflection of His. The triune God takes delight in His redeemed people, the new Jerusalem. And a direct consequence of this mutual joy is the cessation of weeping and crying. This doesn't mean Christians will never experience sadness in this life, but it does mean that in the city of God, the fundamental realities that cause systemic, hopeless sorrow, judgment, exile, abandonment by God, have been done away with forever. The gospel dries our tears.

20 No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not fulfill 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.

This verse is the interpretive key to the whole passage. It demonstrates that Isaiah is describing a glorious era within history, before the final consummation. Why? Because death is still present. Infant mortality, one of the most brutal markers of the curse, will be eliminated. Life will be so extended that a man who dies at one hundred will be considered a mere youth. And sin is still present, the one who fails to reach this great age will be considered accursed, indicating that his early death is a result of sin. This is a picture of the gospel pushing back the effects of the Fall. As societies are Christianized, we should expect public health, medicine, and general safety to improve so dramatically that lifespans are radically extended.

21-22 They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 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.

Here Isaiah describes a profound economic security. This is a direct reversal of the covenant curses laid out in Deuteronomy 28, where God warned that if Israel disobeyed, they would build houses and not live in them, and plant vineyards and not drink the wine. That was the curse of invasion, exile, and dispossession. In the new creation, that curse is lifted. God's people will enjoy the fruit of their labor. Their work will be stable, lasting, and secure. The comparison to the "lifetime of a tree" speaks of deep roots, stability, and longevity. God's people will live so long and their work will be so durable that they will "wear out" the things they make. This is a promise of lasting, generational prosperity under the blessing of God.

23 They will not labor in vain, Or bear children for terror; For they are the seed of those blessed by Yahweh, And their offspring with them.

The blessings continue. Labor will not be pointless toil, but meaningful and fruitful. And the blessing extends to the family. In the ancient world, a common terror was bearing children only to see them killed in war or die of famine or plague. This verse promises an end to that terror. Children will be born into security and blessing. Why? Because they are the covenant seed of the blessed. This is a multi-generational promise. The blessing of God rests upon His people and flows down to their children with them.

24 And it will be that before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

The relationship with God in this new creation will be one of startling intimacy and immediacy. Our prayers will be answered almost before we can formulate the words. This speaks of a deep alignment between the will of God's people and the will of God Himself, brought about by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He knows our needs before we ask and is eager to provide for His beloved children.

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 nor act corruptly in all My holy mountain,” says Yahweh.

This is the famous "peaceable kingdom" passage. This is a beautiful, poetic description of the reconciling power of the gospel. The gospel takes savage sinners (wolves, lions) and transforms their nature, enabling them to live in peace with the gentle and weak (lambs, oxen). It is a picture of shalom, of comprehensive peace and harmony. Importantly, this peace is located on God's holy mountain, which is the Church. As the Church grows to fill the earth, so this peace will spread. But notice the final clause: "dust will be the serpent's food." This is a direct reference to the curse on the serpent in Genesis 3:14. It means that while peace is expanding, the great enemy, Satan, is defeated, humbled, and eating dirt. His final destruction is assured, but he is still present in his cursed state until the end.

Application

This passage should fundamentally reorient our understanding of the Christian mission. We are not called to a program of cultural retreat or evacuation. We are called to a program of cultural conquest through the patient, faithful, long-term work of gospel proclamation and discipleship. This is God's world, and Christ has redeemed it. Our task is to claim it for Him.

This means we should work for a world where infant mortality is a distant memory. We should build businesses and institutions that last for generations. We should cultivate stable, fruitful homes where children are raised in the fear and admonition of the Lord, free from terror. We should pursue justice and peace in our communities, believing that the gospel can and does reconcile enemies. This passage is a profound encouragement to Christian educators, doctors, entrepreneurs, statesmen, and mothers. The work you do in faith is not in vain. It is part of God's great project of building the new heavens and the new earth. So let us reject all forms of pessimistic, retreatist piety and get to work, being joyful and rejoicing forever in what our God is creating.