Isaiah 66:24

The last chapter of Isaiah! And what a chapter. Not the most ‘uplifting’ or ‘encouraging’ chapter in the Bible, or even in Isaiah. But definitely very applicable to us. It is really a summary of the main themes of the whole book: it starts with the reasons for God’s imminent judgment of Israel (hypocrisy and idolatry), and then goes on to promise future restoration and glorification.

Much of the book has been about hypocrisy. That is, Israelites who worshipped God in their words but not with their thoughts or deeds. They offered sacrifices with being obedient. They said ‘Let the LORD be glorified’ but they didn’t mean it. The first four verse of this chapter are an excellent summary: God does not need a temple to live in on Earth – because He made everything on Earth anyway. What He wants is a heart, broken and contrite, poor in spirit. And that is what He is not getting in Israel. He goes on to list ways they are sacrificing which make Him angry rather than pleasing Him.

The question is asked of us: what is our worship of God like? Is it dry and dead, with no meaning, with no life? Is it based on a proud heart that takes pleasure in the ‘blessing’ that it can offer God? For both of these do not please the LORD – the act of worship He requires is merely a broken and contrite heart, ready to be obedient to Him at all times. Someone who ‘trembles at His Word’ (vs. 2). This implies a deep and genuine respect and fear for who God is – that we should tremble at His very words.

But for those whose worship is from the heart, true and obedient, they are the faithful, and to them God promises that they shall be restored, in much more glory than they can imagine. And they will rejoice when God comes with fire to destroy evil (vs. 14 and 15), because it will mean justice and a new start for them. And they will be set up as the dominant nation, and their name will remain forever (vs. 22). You might think that the book would close on this triumphant, joyous note. But the last verse is:

‘And they shall go forth and look
Upon the corpses of the men
Who have transgressed against Me.
For their worm does not die,
And their fire is not quenched.
They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.’ (Isaiah 66:24)

Whoever said the Bible was a soft feel-good book?! Isaiah finishes the book with a final reminder of the utter seriousness and graveness of his message. This is not a joke or a game. This is not some political manoeuvring or motivational speech. This goes beyond even life and death. This is absolutely serious, and completely true: those who are not cleansed by the blood of Jesus when they die are an abhorrence to all flesh. There is a penalty for sin, a grave one. We all take sin too lightly. Much too lightly. But it’s sin that started this whole mess, it’s sin that Jesus died to pay for, it’s sin that separates us from God, it’s sin that separates us from people, it’s sin that causes wars and the manifold problems we have in our world. No, sin is not to be taken lightly. No sin. We can only thank the Lord that He came to cleanse us from the sin we commit, and from the sinful nature that burdens us.