Isaiah 65: The God of Amen Faithfully Distinguishes and Recreates

Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Isaiah 65. “I will not keep silent, but I will repay.” God answers Isaiah’s prayer in chapter 65, promising to distinguish between His chosen ones and those “who forsake the LORD.” The language here is very similar to that of Isaiah 57, but also to that of chapter 1, bracketing the entire book and setting up the final chapter. His people have been in this mess before, with their outstretched hands full of idolatrous blood, but God stretches out his hands in untiring acceptance. Just as He brought restoration from the Assyrian invasion, He will do so from the Babylonian invasion. He is the God of the amen, who faithfully forgives and never tires to bring about new creation.