BibleProject | One Story That Leads to JesusSample

The final words of Moses, Joshua, David, and now the book of Isaiah all offer a distinct choice for readers to ponder. Will people walk in a new way of faith or follow the standard path of fear? Blessing or curse, life or death—which will they choose?

Yahweh invites everyone to enter a new life in his new creation. Humanity will be fruitful and multiply in a land of garden abundance, as God originally intended. Lions will chew on grass and relax next to knobbly-kneed lambs. The deceptive snake will eat dust, no longer able to harm humanity with falsehood and evil, just as Yahweh promised.

Today’s reading promises a reversal of the damage described in Genesis 3. It also describes a reversal of Genesis 11, where Yahweh stopped the nations from their tower of Babylon project and scattered them throughout the world. Now, those displaced nations will stream to Jerusalem, gathering to worship Yahweh rather than their own power and ingenuity.

The priests staffing Yahweh’s new dwelling place will no longer be limited to descendants of Levi or even descendants of Abraham. God invites people of every tribe, tongue, and nation to join his royal priesthood.

Yahweh’s invitation is just that: an invitation. God grants people the space and freedom to accept or refuse his offer, which means allowing them to experience the results of their decision. To trust in idols is to reject Yahweh, which is also a rejection of life. That rejection leads to suffering and death. They can burn incense by the gallon. They can sacrifice whole flocks of perfect sheep. They can wait up all night in a graveyard. None of it will give a wooden pole carved with images any power to rescue them.

The gates of the new Jerusalem have been flung wide open. Life, peace, and delight are waiting inside. Will the people come in?

Reflection Questions

• Compare Isaiah 65:17-25 to Isaiah 11:1-16. What parallels do you notice? What does this reveal about the link between the coming Spirit-anointed king and the new creation?
• Meditate on Ephesians 2:11-3:6. According to Paul, how does God make it possible for non-Israelites to join his royal priesthood?