Isaiah 65:18

18 But men will be glad and have joy for ever in what I am making; for I am making Jerusalem a delight, and her people a joy.

Isaiah 65:18 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 65:18

But be you glad, and rejoice for ever in that which I create,
&c.] This may refer either to persons converted, both at the beginning of the Gospel, and in the latter day, whether Jews or Gentiles; who are the Lord's creation, or new creatures, being made new men; having new hearts and spirits given them, or created within them; new principles of life, light, grace, and holiness, wrought in them, which are the produce of almighty and creating power; and all such instances are matter of joy, as to the angels in heaven, so to the saints on earth, and especially to the ministers of the Gospel; because of the grace bestowed on men, the glory brought to God, and their own ministry blessed and succeeded, and so their hands and hearts strengthened: or else this refers to the state of things under the Gospel dispensation, in every age of it, and especially in some periods of it, particularly the first and last; and the whole indeed is a new world or state of God's creating, and is matter of joy to all the people of God. The Targum renders it,

``rejoice in the world of worlds, which I create:''

agreeably to which is the version of Bishop Chandler ^F7,

``rejoice for the age to come, that I create;''

the world to come, ( Hebrews 2:5 ) , which Christ is said to be the father of, in the Septuagint version of ( Isaiah 9:6 ) , the Gospel dispensation, the Messiah's future world, as opposed to the legal dispensation. For, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy;
that is, do that for them, through the mighty power of his grace, as will justly occasion joy to them, and to all others well affected to them; the conversion of the Jews will be matter of joy to the Gentiles; and that, and the bringing in of the fulness of the Gentiles, as well as the destruction of antichrist, which will occasion a new face of things in the world, will be matter of joy to the whole church; see ( Revelation 18:20 ) ( 19:1-8 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 Defence of Christianity, c. 2. sect. 2.

Isaiah 65:18 In-Context

16 So that he who is requesting a blessing will make use of the name of the true God, and he who takes an oath will do so by the true God; because the past troubles are gone out of mind, and because they are covered from my eyes.

17 For see, I am making a new heaven and a new earth: and the past things will be gone completely out of mind.

18 But men will be glad and have joy for ever in what I am making; for I am making Jerusalem a delight, and her people a joy.

19 And I will be glad over Jerusalem, and have joy in my people: and the voice of weeping will no longer be sounding in her, or the voice of grief.

20 No longer will there be there a child whose days are cut short, or an old man whose days have not come to their full measure: for the young man at his death will be a hundred years old, and he whose life is shorter than a hundred years will seem as one cursed.