Isaiah 65:17-25 for Sunday, November 18, 2007

Translation
(17) For behold I created new heavens and new earth and the first will not be remembered and they will not come to mind. (18)But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create, for behold I created Jerusalem to be a joy and her people to be a gladness. (19)I rejoice in Jerusalem and I exalt in my people. It will not still be heard in her a crying voice and a voice of distress. (20)There will not be an infant who lives a few days or an old person who does not fill his days, for the young boy will live 100 years when he dies and a sinner a 100 years will be cursed. (21)They build houses and dwell and plant vineyards and eat fruits. (22)They will not build and others dwell [in their houses] and they will not plant and another eat for like the days of a tree [are] the days of my people and they will wear out the work of their hands. (23)They will not toil in vain and they will not bring forth dismay. Offspring will be a blessing of the Lord--them and their descendants with them. (24)Before they call I answer, while they are still speaking I hear. (25)The wolf and the lamb will pasture together and the lion like the ox will eat straw. But the serpent: dust [is] his food. And they will not be evil and they will not destroy on all of my holy mountains, says the Lord.

The book of Isaiah is a tricky one unless you know what the context is. Most scholars believe that Isaiah was an 8th century BCE prophet that composed about the first half of the book of Isaiah that we now have in our Bibles. What we call "First Isaiah" was composed in the 8th century CE and consists of the first 39 chapters of Isaiah. This prophesy comes from a time prior to the Exile and Isaiah admonishes Judah not to revolt against their Assyrian neighbors, but acknowledges that Judah's defeat looms large in the future.

Second Isaiah (chapters 40-55) are assumed to have been written by another author. In our contemporary age, plagiarism is a major problem. In the ancient world, writing in the name and style of a famous writer was a way of honoring them. At some point, the community decided that the writings of Second Isaiah were enough in the style of First Isaiah to be included in the scroll (and so with Third Isaiah as well). Second Isaiah writes from a period in Exile, and writes almost exclusively oracles of hope. The prophet announces that the time in Exile is nearly over and that God is about to do a new thing.

Third Isaiah, where chapter 65 resides, includes chapters 56-66 and is sometimes attributed to the same author as Second Isaiah. The major theme in Third Isaiah is rebuilding Jerusalem. The exiles have been released from Babylon by Cyrus and are once more living in the land of Judah. Naturally, the tone of Third Isaiah is much different than that of First Isaiah.

This scripture seems almost mystical the way a new heaven and new earth are described. Truly, this is a new era in Israel's history with the rebuilding of Jerusalem. It is a new chapter in their relationship with God. Surely during Third Isaiah's age, the people saw this as a hope for the future in Jerusalem. But, the beautiful thing about this scripture is that it continues to live and breathe even for us today.

When we read this scripture we often think of a recreation. We think of a time when God will recreate the world into something more peaceful, something that operates in exactly the ways God intended from the beginning. A world without sin, a world without violence. This is the kind of city the people surely imagined as they rebuild Jerusalem. It is the kind of city we should still dare to imagine. The wonderful thing about God's Word in Scripture is that even as it spoke to ancient Israelites long ago, it still has the power to speak to us in new and wonderous ways.