“Because he who is blessed in the earth
Will be blessed by the God of truth;
And he who swears in the earth
Will swear by the God of truth;
Because the former troubles are forgotten,
And because they are hidden from My sight!” (65:16).

The remainder of this book is God speaking in answer to Isaiah’s prayer which began in chapter 63. This prayer opened with a tribute to God’s lovingkindness and goodness before Isaiah uttered his desperate plea for God to look down, to come with His zeal and let His Presence shake the earth as he confessed the sins and utter unrighteousness of his people, acknowledged that God, our Potter, has the absolute right to do as He pleases, and appealing to God on the basis of His mercy and forgiveness.

I shall make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, the praises of the Lord,
According to all that the Lord has granted us,
And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has granted them according to His compassion
And according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses…
¹⁵ Look down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious habitation;
Where are Your zeal and Your mighty deeds? (Isaiah 63:7, 15).

Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down,
That the mountains might quake at Your presence…
⁸ But now, O Lord, You are our Father,
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all of us are the work of Your hand.
⁹ Do not be angry beyond measure, O Lord,
Nor remember iniquity forever;
Behold, look now, all of us are Your people.
¹⁰ Your holy cities have become a wilderness,
Zion has become a wilderness,
Jerusalem a desolation.
¹¹ Our holy and beautiful house,
Where our fathers praised You,
Has been burned by fire;
And all our precious things have become a ruin.
¹² Will You restrain Yourself at these things, O Lord?
Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure? (Isaiah 64:1, 8-12).

And as God answers His faithful prophet, He begins by reminding us of His gracious longsuffering.

“I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me;
I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’
To a nation which did not call on My name.
² “I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,
Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts,
³ A people who continually provoke Me to My face,
Offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on bricks, (65:1-3).

And once again, I am undone. Undone by our innate propensity to ignore Him, to shun and provoke Him in our pride and hypocrisy, but even more undone by His patience and mercy.

But nothing He has spoken will be undone, and those who persist in scorning Him will learn that His judgment will not be undone, for His judgment will be measured out in His perfect justice.

“Behold, it is written before Me,
I will not keep silent, but I will repay;
I will even repay into their bosom,
⁷ Both their own iniquities and the iniquities of their fathers together,” says the Lord.
“Because they have burned incense on the mountains
And scorned Me on the hills,
Therefore I will measure their former work into their bosom.” (65:6-7).

And while His judgment will come, His mercy will triumph for the remnant who humble themselves to seek Him in faith.

Thus says the Lord,
“As the new wine is found in the cluster,
And one says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is benefit in it,’
So I will act on behalf of My servants
In order not to destroy all of them.
⁹ “I will bring forth offspring from Jacob,
And an heir of My mountains from Judah;
Even My chosen ones shall inherit it,
And My servants will dwell there.
¹⁰ “Sharon will be a pasture land for flocks,
And the valley of Achor a resting place for herds,
For My people who seek Me,” (65:8-10).

For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment, (James 2:13).

And in no uncertain terms, God describes the glaring distinctions that await all those who persist in their rebellion and defiance in contrast with those who yield and surrender to Him, the God of Truth.

Therefore, thus says the Lord God
“Behold, My servants will eat, but you will be hungry.
Behold, My servants will drink, but you will be thirsty.
Behold, My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.
¹⁴ “Behold, My servants will shout joyfully with a glad heart,
But you will cry out with a heavy heart,
And you will wail with a broken spirit.
¹⁵ “You will leave your name for a curse to My chosen ones,
And the Lord God will slay you.
But My servants will be called by another name.
¹⁶ “Because he who is blessed in the earth
Will be blessed by the God of truth;
And he who swears in the earth
Will swear by the God of truth;
Because the former troubles are forgotten,
And because they are hidden from My sight!” (65:13-16).

Consider Him, the God of Truth

Twice He refers to Himself as the God of Truth… a repeat! The Hebrew word God spoke is, “Amen,” and has been adopted directly from the Hebrew into many languages including Greek, Latin, Spanish, and English.

From Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: Truth: 543. אָמֵן ʾāmēn:

• • An adverb meaning verily or truly. The word is used more often as the declaration may it be so.
  • It comes from a root meaning to confirm; to support; to be faithful.
  • The major idea behind this word is constancy and reliability; it is used as a declaration to acknowledge affirmation of a statement… affirmation of a prophecy…
  • It is also used in response to worship and praise…
  • The English word Amen comes from this word and means, I agree; may it be so.

• He is the God of Truth: Every Word He Speaks will be so as He has declared it will be.
  • “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
    And do not return there without watering the earth
    And making it bear and sprout,
    And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
    ¹¹ So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
    It will not return to Me empty,
    Without accomplishing what I desire,
    And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it,” (Isaiah 55:10-11).

• He is the God of Truth: Every Word He Speaks confirms and supports that He is faithful.
  • For the word of the Lord is upright,
    And all His work is done in faithfulness.
    ⁵ He loves righteousness and justice;
    The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord, (Psalm 33:4-5).

• He is the God of Truth: Every Word He Speaks affirms His reliable, constant and unchanging promises.
  • Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass, (Joshua 21:45).

• He is the God of Truth: Every Word He Speaks is worthy of worship and praise.
  • When I am afraid,
    I will put my trust in You.
    ⁴ In God, whose word I praise,
    In God I have put my trust;
    I shall not be afraid.
    What can mere man do to me? (Psalm 56:3-4).

• He is the God of Truth: Every Word He Speaks Agrees with All that He Is.
  • I will bow down toward Your holy temple
    And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
    For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name, (Psalm 138:2).

How do we respond to Him, the God of Truth?

While there were many who did not, Isaiah believed God’s Word. Isaiah knew Him as the God of Truth, therefore he chose to trust what God had spoken rather than the message the world was screaming.

When we are inundated by the world’s clamor and tempted to despair or disobey, if we will tune our hearts to hear Him, the God of Truth, our hope for our future will be secure.

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.
¹⁸ “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing
And her people for gladness.
¹⁹ “I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people;
And there will no longer be heard in her
The voice of weeping and the sound of crying…
²⁴ It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear,” (65:17-19, 24).

But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells, (2 Peter 3:13).

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, ⁴ and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away,” (Revelation 21:1-4).

Many wholeheartedly look forward to His glorious promise of the new heavens and new earth, fully persuaded that the time is coming when there will be no more sorrow or suffering, pain or tears.

But the same God, the God of Truth, Who spoke of the new heavens and new earth, to those under the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, spoke of His coming judgment. The God of Truth Who declared heaven to be so, declared hell to be so as well. And nothing He has spoken will be undone, and those who persist in scorning Him will learn that His judgment will not be undone but will be measured out in His perfect justice.

“I will destine you for the sword,
And all of you will bow down to the slaughter.
Because I called, but you did not answer;
I spoke, but you did not hear.
And you did evil in My sight
And chose that in which I did not delight,” (65:12).

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; ⁴⁸ and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. ⁴⁹ So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, ⁵⁰ and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth,” (Matthew 13:47-50).

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire, (Revelation 20:14-15).

We must never discount the reality of hell because it does not fit into our own understanding, or because we find it distasteful and somehow unbecoming of a loving God. He is the God of Truth. We must listen to Him rather than popular opinion and ideologies. Every Word He spoke about heaven and hell confirms and supports that He is faithful and affirms His reliable, constant and unchanging promises. Every Word He spoke is worthy of worship and praise for every word agrees with all that He Is; He is the God of Truth.

“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth,” (John 17:17).

And when we take Him at His Word, when we believe He is the God of Truth as Isaiah did, and when He sanctifies us and sets us apart by His Word of Truth, will we not be moved to speak His Truth? Let us live to always honor Him, the God of Truth, that He would use us as His vessels to share His love, His holiness, His mercy and, and yes, His justice.

Lord, please break our hearts for the lost, that we would see the times as critical. Oh, Lord please strengthen our faith that we would always be prepared to share Your Truth. Let us not shy away from sharing the truths that some find difficult to hear, but let us come in humility, gentleness and respect. Lord, wherever this life takes us, please use us as witnesses who willingly and unashamedly point others to You, the God of Truth.

but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, (1 Peter 3:15 ESV).

Let’s Grow Together!