Isaiah 65:17-25
17 “Behold, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
will be heard in it no more.
20 “Never again will there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years;
he who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere youth;
he who fails to reach [a] a hundred
will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
the works of their hands.
23 They will not toil in vain
or bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the LORD,
they and their descendants with them.
24 Before they call I will answer;
while they are still speaking I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
but dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,”
says the LORD.
My grandmother’s house is old; almost to the point of dilapidation. Years ago, the house sheltered six children, two cats, neighborhood friends and visitors. Within its walls there were parties, afternoon naps, family gatherings, scraped knees, laughter and tears. After five decades, however, the house began growing old and weary. Wood started to rot, the bathroom molded, and the ceiling became cracked.
My grandmother still lives in this house but her memory is fading and her walk is slowing. She remembers when the light that streams through the window onto the green shag rug used to illuminate happier times. But my grandfather, her late husband, is in his new home in heaven. He is in a place that doesn’t grow old, that doesn’t feel pain or aging or wear.
God promises a time when he creates new heavens and a new earth (v.17). This heaven will be without decay, without signs of pollution or age. It is promised that there will no longer be an infant who dies after a few days or a man who does not live out his years (v.20). What a heartening promise!
The love I felt in my grandparent’s house through the years is real. The Scripture passages they read during Christmas are real. The blessings that they passed on to their children are real. These are the things that are eternal; that don’t stay behind when the old earth passes away. This is why it is so important to focus on the things in life that have eternal value.
If ever someone close to you is going through a rough time watching the people or place is their lives grow weary, remember the words found in Isaiah. Offer solace and comfort in the fact that one day the there will be a new earth; one full of delight and joy (v.18).
(Courtesy of C. Himes)
Youth Department