Isaiah 65:18, commentary and pictures

God calls for endless gladness because He Himself makes Jerusalem a delight and her people a joy. He Himself rejoices over them, and where He does so weeping and crying and sorrow end, and with them sickness and sin, giving way to the peace and happiness He creates. This is the portion of the redeemed who have triumphed over sin and death, restored to live happily in His presence and speak freely with Him as at the beginning, on a new earth freed from every mark of the curse. It is the kingdom of Christ, like no earthly government, where holy love presides and happiness is found in reflecting divine love and tender compassion. Those who trust His words now are to live by active faith in joy and praise that becomes a light to others, putting away complaining and every evil work and turning to Him in full conversion.

Renewed Jerusalem's Everlasting Joy

God creates Jerusalem to be a rejoicing and her people to be a joy, and calls for gladness and rejoicing forever in what He creates. This is His own assurance that lasting gladness is secured in what He makes, and those who heed His words and trust Him can rejoice and praise Him in it. Spiritual joy is the result of active faith, so His people are to be joyful in response to this creation.

God Himself rejoices in Jerusalem and in His people. There the voice of weeping and crying is heard no more, and sorrow and crying cease as the people live in the peace and happiness God creates. With them sickness and iniquity are ended.

The promise belongs to the vision of the redeemed, who have triumphed over sin and death and risen to live happily in God's presence, speaking freely with Him as humanity did at the beginning. Its fulfillment is in the new earth and the redeemed city of God, where creation is restored from the effects of the curse. There the redeemed dwell free from sin and every mark of the curse in lasting gladness.

It describes the kingdom of Christ, whose government is like no earthly government but represents the character of those who compose the kingdom. It is a court where holy love presides and whose offices and appointments are graced by charity. There Christ's servants bring pity and lovingkindness, His own attributes, into all their work, and happiness and satisfaction are found in reflecting the love and tender compassion of the divine nature on all with whom they associate.

Heeding the Promise Today

The promise that God will make Jerusalem a rejoicing and her people a joy is an assurance to all who heed His words and put their trust in Him that they can rejoice in Him. That rejoicing includes praising Him for what He creates and has promised to create. It also makes those who so rejoice a light to the people among whom they live.

God's people are therefore to be joyful, for spiritual joy is the result of active faith.

The verse belongs to Isaiah 60-65, and especially to chapters 62-65 and to chapters 60 and 65, which leaders in the cause and those connected with institutions are to study, heed, and accept with thorough consecration to God instead of accepting only what they choose. Heeding and accepting chapters 60 and 65 brings understanding of chapters 60-61 and causes chapters 62-65 to speak to God's people in a most decided manner. Chapters 62-65 so speak in reproof of those in high positions carrying great responsibilities for disregarding reproof, accepting only words they choose, and neglecting the duty to warn people to understand truth, because their ways are not accepted of God.

The verse calls them to take its words, stop all complaining and every evil work, put away the evil of their doings, draw nigh, repent, and be converted. When obeyed, the Lord manifests His power in the conviction and conversion of souls, so that unwarned souls hear the reasons of the faith. With that obedience a reformation goes through the congregation.