Suffering and comfort

Suffering and Comfort: When God Says "Here I Am"

Isaiah 65 reveals the anguish of those who reject God, and the comfort He prepares for His chosen ones.

BibleVibe Editorial5 min read
Translation：ESV
Isaiah 65:1-20
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I responded to those who did not ask,I was at hand to those who did not seek Me;I said, “Here I am, here I am,”To a nation that did not invoke My name. I constantly spread out My handsTo a disloyal people,Who walk the way that is not good,Following their own designs; The people who provoke My anger,Who continually, to My very face,Sacrifice in gardens and burn incense on tiles; Who sit inside tombsAnd pass the night in secret places;Who eat the flesh of swine,With broth of unclean things in their bowls; Who say, “Keep your distance! Don’t come closer!For I would render you consecrated.” as equivalent to qiddashtikha, cf. Ezek. 44.19; trad. “I am holier than thou.” Such things make My anger rage,Like fire blazing all day long. See, this is recorded before Me;I will not stand idly by, but will repay,Deliver their sins into their bosom, And the sins of their ancestors as well—said GOD—For they made offerings upon the mountainsAnd affronted Me upon the hills.I will count out their recompense in full, as equivalent to be-roʼshah; cf. Lev. 5.24; Jer. 16.18. Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Into their bosoms. Thus said GOD:As, when new wine is present in the cluster,One says, “Don’t destroy it; there’s good in it,”So will I do for the sake of My servants,And not destroy everything. I will bring forth offspring from Jacob,From Judah heirs to My mountains;My chosen ones shall take possession,My servants shall dwell thereon. Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks,And the Valley of Achor a place for cattle to lie down,For My people who seek Me. But as for you who forsake GOD,Who ignore My holy mountain,Who set a table for Luck And fill a mixing bowl for Destiny: I will destine you for the sword,You will all kneel down, to be slaughtered—Because, when I called, you did not answer,When I spoke, you would not listen.You did what I hold evil,And chose what I do not want. Assuredly, thus said my Sovereign GOD:My servants shall eat, and you shall hunger;My servants shall drink, and you shall thirst;My servants shall rejoice, and you shall be shamed; My servants shall shout in gladness,And you shall cry out in anguish,Howling in heartbreak. You shall leave behind a nameBy which My chosen ones shall curse:“So may our Sovereign GOD slay you!”But My servants shall be given a different name. For whoever blesses themselves in the landShall bless themselves by the true God;And whoever swears in the landShall swear by the true God.The former troubles shall be forgotten,Shall be hidden from My eyes. For behold! I am creatingA new heaven and a new earth;The former things shall not be remembered,They shall never come to mind. Be glad, then, and rejoice foreverIn what I am creating.For I shall create Jerusalem as a joy,And her people as a delight; And I will rejoice in JerusalemAnd delight in her people.Never again shall be heard thereThe sounds of weeping and wailing. No more shall there be an infant or graybeardWho does not live out their lifetime.Someone who dies at a hundred yearsShall be reckoned a youth,And one who fails to reach a hundredShall be reckoned accursed. They shall build houses and dwell in them,They shall plant vineyards and enjoy their fruit. They shall not build for others to dwell in,Or plant for others to enjoy.For the days of My people shall beAs long as the days of a tree,My chosen ones shall outlive The work of their hands. They shall not toil to no purpose;They shall not bear children for terror, But they shall be a people blessed by GOD,And their offspring shall remain with them. Before they pray, I will answer;While they are still speaking, I will respond. The wolf and the lamb shall graze together,And the lion shall eat straw like the ox,And the serpent’s food shall be earth.In all My sacred mount Nothing evil or vile shall be done—said GOD.

Isaiah 65:1-20 sets a striking tension: God's persistent outreach to a disloyal people, and His promise not to destroy all for the sake of His servants.

📖 Isaiah
🕰️ First Temple period📍 Jerusalem📍 Samaria
Narration

Context

Isaiah 65 is set in the late period of the prophetic book, after Isaiah has announced both judgment upon Judah for unfaithfulness and the promise of a new creation. The opening verses paint a vivid picture of a people who provoke God's anger through garden sacrifices, rooftop incense, necromantic rituals in tombs, and the consumption of ritually unclean foods. They even push others away with the cry, "Keep your distance! Don't come closer!" Yet God says, "I responded to those who did not ask, I was at hand to those who did not seek Me." This paradox—of divine pursuit and human rejection—frames the suffering of Israel and the comfort that God will yet provide. The passage moves from judgment to promise: as a cluster of new wine is preserved rather than destroyed, so God will spare a remnant and give them Sharon and the Valley of Achor as pasture.

Spacetime

Set in the First Temple period, centered on Jerusalem under the Davidic monarchy with the northern kingdom of Samaria, reflecting God's comfort amid suffering and judgment.

Meaning

The passage exposes a deep source of human suffering: the refusal of divine comfort. God stretches out His hands all day long to a disloyal people, yet they push Him away and embrace practices that separate them from Him. Their suffering is not arbitrary; it is the fruit of choosing "what I do not want," as God says. Yet within the same chapter, comfort emerges. God will not destroy everything; He will preserve a cluster because there is good in it. He will bring forth offspring from Jacob and let His chosen take possession of the mountains. Sharon and the Valley of Achor—once associated with sin and barrenness—will become pasture and resting place. Suffering, then, is not the last word. Comfort comes not by removing all hardship at once, but by God's commitment to keep a remnant and prepare a place for them.

Apply

How do we live between Isaiah 65's two movements—judgment and comfort? First, take seriously God's complaint: "when I called, you did not answer." Examine the practices, attitudes, and distractions that cause you to push God away rather than draw near. Second, recognize that God is not passive. Even when we ignore Him, He says, "Here I am, here I am." The comfort of this chapter is not that suffering disappears, but that God keeps reaching out. Third, cling to the imagery of the preserved cluster. In seasons when you feel small, sinful, or inadequate, remember that God does not discard the whole for the sake of one. He preserves because there is good in you—not because of your merit, but because of His mercy. Finally, let Sharon and the Valley of Achor reshape your geography of hope: places that once held failure can become resting places under God's hand.

Reflection

There is a strange comfort in a passage that begins with such severe accusation. Isaiah 65 refuses to flatter its readers. It names the rituals, the secretive nights among tombs, the smug self-consecration that says, "Keep your distance." Many of us recognize some version of that posture—not literal necromancy, but a quiet insistence that our version of holiness is sufficient and that God should keep His distance unless He meets our conditions. Yet the chapter opens with God speaking first, before anyone asks. "Here I am." The One who keeps speaking is also the One who promises, at the chapter's end, to count out full recompense for the unrepentant and to seat His servants at a table while others hunger. Suffering and comfort are not two unrelated doctrines in this chapter; they are bound together by a God who will not leave His people in either state forever. The call today is to stop pushing, to let Him be near, and to trust that the cluster is being held.

FAQ

Why does God say "Here I am" and yet allow His people to suffer?

Isaiah 65 shows that suffering often arises from refusing God's nearness; yet God's "Here I am" assures us His comfort is real, and even judgment aims to preserve a remnant.

What does the promise of Sharon and the Valley of Achor mean for us today?

God promises to turn places once marked by sin into pasture and rest for His people, showing He can transform our failures and wounds into signs of His presence.

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