Isaiah 65:11 Study Bible: "But you who forsake the LORD, who forget my holy mountain, who prepare a table for Fortune, and who fill up mixed wine to Destiny;

◄ Isaiah 65:11 ►

But you who forsake the LORD, who forget My holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,

Study Bible

But you who forsake the LORD,

This phrase addresses those who have turned away from God, highlighting a deliberate abandonment of faith and covenant relationship. In the context of Isaiah, this forsaking is often linked to idolatry and the pursuit of foreign gods, which was a recurring issue for Israel. The prophets frequently warned against such apostasy, emphasizing the consequences of turning away from the LORD (Jeremiah 2:13, Hosea 4:6). This forsaking is not merely a passive forgetfulness but an active choice to reject God's ways.

Deu 32:15 But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—becoming fat…
Jer 2:13 For My people have committed two evils:……
1Sa 12:10 Then they cried out to the LORD and said, ‘We have sinned…

who forget My holy mountain,

The "holy mountain" refers to Mount Zion, the site of the temple in Jerusalem, which was the center of worship and the symbol of God's presence among His people. Forgetting the holy mountain implies neglecting the worship and commandments of God, as well as disregarding the significance of the temple as a place of divine encounter (Psalm 48:1-2). This forgetfulness can be seen as a metaphor for spiritual amnesia, where the people have lost sight of their identity and calling as God's chosen nation.

Psa 137:5-6 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand cease…
Psa 2:6 “I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.”
Jol 3:17 Then you will know that I am the LORD your God,…

who set a table for Fortune

Setting a table for Fortune indicates the practice of idolatry, specifically the worship of the god of luck or fate, known in some ancient Near Eastern cultures as Gad. This practice involved rituals and offerings to secure prosperity and success, reflecting a reliance on pagan deities rather than trust in the LORD. Such syncretism was condemned by the prophets, as it violated the first commandment to have no other gods before Yahweh (Exodus 20:3).

1Co 10:20-21 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons.…
Deu 32:17 They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to newly arrived gods…
Amo 5:26 You have taken along Sakkuth your king and Kaiwan…

and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,

Filling bowls of mixed wine for Destiny refers to the worship of another deity associated with fate or destiny, possibly Meni. This act of offering wine signifies a ritualistic devotion to these gods, seeking their favor and guidance. The mixing of wine could symbolize the blending of religious practices, which was common in the ancient world but strictly forbidden in Israelite worship (Deuteronomy 18:9-14). This phrase underscores the people's misplaced trust in false gods rather than in the sovereign LORD, who alone controls the future and destiny of His people.

Deu 32:38 which ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine…
Jer 44:17-19 Instead, we will do everything we vowed to do…
Jer 19:13 The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings…

Persons / Places / Events

1. The LORD
The covenant God of Israel, who is being forsaken by the people.

2. My holy mountain
Refers to Mount Zion, symbolizing God's presence and the center of worship in Jerusalem.

3. Fortune (Gad)
A pagan deity associated with luck or prosperity, worshiped by some Israelites.

4. Destiny (Meni)
Another pagan deity, possibly linked to fate or destiny, indicating idolatrous practices.

5. The People of Israel
Specifically those who have turned away from God to worship other deities.

Teaching Points

Forsaking God Leads to Idolatry
When we turn away from God, we often replace Him with idols, whether they be material wealth, success, or other deities.

The Danger of Forgetting God's Presence
Forgetting "My holy mountain" signifies neglecting God's presence and His rightful place in our lives.

Idolatry in Modern Contexts
While we may not worship deities like Fortune or Destiny, modern idols can include money, power, and personal ambition.

The Call to Exclusive Worship
God demands exclusive worship and loyalty, as divided allegiances lead to spiritual downfall.

Repentance and Return
The passage calls us to examine our hearts, repent of idolatry, and return to wholehearted worship of God.

Bible Study Questions

1. What are some modern "idols" that can take the place of God in our lives, similar to Fortune and Destiny in Isaiah 65:11?

2. How does forgetting "My holy mountain" manifest in today's Christian walk, and what steps can we take to remember God's presence?

3. In what ways does Isaiah 65:11 challenge us to evaluate our priorities and loyalties?

4. How can the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 6:24 help us understand the importance of exclusive worship of God?

5. Reflect on a time when you felt divided in your loyalties. How did you address this, and what role did repentance play in your return to God?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Deuteronomy 32:15-18
This passage describes Israel's forsaking of God for foreign gods, similar to Isaiah 65:11.

Jeremiah 2:13
Highlights the people's abandonment of God, the "spring of living water," for broken cisterns, symbolizing idolatry.

1 Kings 18:21
Elijah's challenge to Israel to choose between God and Baal, reflecting the choice between true worship and idolatry.

Romans 1:21-23
Discusses humanity's tendency to exchange the glory of God for images, paralleling the idolatry in Isaiah 65:11.

Matthew 6:24
Jesus' teaching on serving two masters, relevant to the divided loyalties seen in Isaiah 65:11.

Sermons

God or Chance	F. W. Farrar, D. D.	Isaiah 65:11-12
Luck and Fortune	Prof. G. A. Smith, D. D.	Isaiah 65:11-12
The Lectisternia	Prof. J. Skinner, D. D.	Isaiah 65:11-12
The Temptation to Ignore God	F. W. Farrar, D. . D., F. W. Farrar, D. . D.	Isaiah 65:11-12
The Doom of the Idolaters	E. Johnson	Isaiah 65:11-16

People

Gad, Isaiah, Jacob

Places

Jerusalem, Sharon, Valley of Achor

Topics

Array, Bowls, Care, Chance, Cups, Destiny, Drink, Drink-offering, Fate, Fill, Filling, Forget, Forgetting, Forsake, Forsaking, Fortune, Full, Furnish, Gad, Holy, Measure, Meni, Mingled, Mixed, Mixture, Mountain, Offer, Offering, Offerings, Prepare, Ready, Setting, Spread, Table, Troop, Wine

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Isaiah 65:11

5573 table
8032 trust, lack of

Isaiah 65:11-12

     4938   fate, final destiny
     6231   rejection of God
     6708   predestination
     6746   sanctification, means and results
     8763   forgetting
     8764   forgetting God

Library

'The God of the Amen'
'He who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth.'--ISAIAH lxv. 16. The full beauty and significance of these remarkable words are only reached when we attend to the literal rendering of a part of them which is obscured in our version. As they stand in the original they have, in both cases, instead of the vague expression, 'The God of truth,' the singularly picturesque one, 'The God of the Amen.' I. Note …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

God Rejoicing in the New Creation
THIS PASSAGE, like the rest of Isaiah's closing chapters, will have completest fulfillment in the latter days when Christ shall come, when the whole company of his elect ones shall have been gathered out from the world, when the whole creation shall have been renewed, when new heavens and a new earth shall be the product of the Savior's power, when, for ever and for ever, perfected saints of God shall behold his face, and joy and rejoice in him. I hope and believe that the following verses will actually …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

Early Lessons in the Life of Faith
"I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications."--Psalm 116:1. WHEN a very little child, so young I can remember nothing earlier, a severe thunderstorm passed over our home. Terrified, I ran to my mother, who placed my hands together, and pointing upward repeated over and over again the one word "Jesus." More than fifty years have passed since that day, but the impression left upon my child-mind, of a Being invisible but able to hear and help, has never been effaced. * …
Rosalind Goforth—How I Know God Answers Prayer

Baptism of Kallihirua
We now come to an important event in the history of Kallihirua; his Baptism, which took place on Advent Sunday, Nov. 27th, 1853, in St. Martin's Church, near Canterbury. "The visitors present on the occasion," said an eye-witness[6], "were, the Rev. John Philip Gell (late Warden of Christ's College, Tasmania), accompanied by Mrs. Gell, daughter of the late Sir John Franklin; Captain Erasmus Ommanney, R.N. (who brought Kallihirua to England), and Mrs. Ommanney, Captain Washington, R.N., of the Admiralty, …
Thomas Boyles Murray—Kalli, the Esquimaux Christian,

Why Has Only one Apocalypse Been Able to Keep Its Place in the New Testament? Why not Several --Or None at All?
In answering this question [104] we may suitably take the Muratorian Fragment as our starting-point. At the close of its positive section occurs a paragraph which may be paraphrased as follows: "We also accept Apocalypses, but only two, those of John and Peter; yet the latter is rejected by a minority among us. The Shepherd of Hermas ought not to be spoken of as a part of the Canon either now or at any future time; for it was written only lately in our own times in Rome under the Bishop Pius, the …
Adolf Harnack—The Origin of the New Testament

The Sun Rising Upon a Dark World
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon then hath the light shined. C ontrasts are suited to illustrate and strengthen the impression of each other. The happiness of those, who by faith in MESSIAH, are brought into a state of peace, liberty, and comfort, is greatly enhanced and heightened by the consideration of that previous state of misery in which they once lived, and of the greater misery to which they were justly exposed. …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Parable of the Pharisee and Publican.
^C Luke XVIII. 9-14. ^c 9 And he spake also this parable unto certain who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and set all others at nought [It is commonly said that this parable teaches humility in prayer, but the preface and conclusion (see verse 14) show that it is indeed to set forth generally the difference between self-righteousness and humility, and that an occasion of prayer is chosen because it best illustrates the point which the Lord desired to teach. The parable shows that …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Book ix. Epistle i. To Januarius, Bishop of Caralis (Cagliari).
To Januarius, Bishop of Caralis (Cagliari). Gregory to Januarius, &c. The preacher of Almighty God, Paul the apostle, says, Rebuke not an elder (1 Tim. v. 1). But this rule of his is to be observed in cases where the fault of an elder does not draw through his example the hearts of the younger into ruin. But, when an elder sets an example to the young for their ruin, he is to be smitten with severe rebuke. For it is written, Ye are all a snare to the young (Isai. xlii. 22). And again the prophet …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Another Wonderful Record of 25.
A Christian minister, living in Northern Indiana, was in want, and knelt in prayer again and again before his Father in heaven. His quarterly allowance had been withheld, and want stared him in the face. Constrained by urgent need, and shut up to God for help, he pleaded repeatedly for a supply of his temporal wants. Now see how extraordinary was the plan of the Lord to send relief. "In one of the lovely homes of Massachusetts, while the snow was falling and the winds were howling without, a lady …
Various—The Wonders of Prayer

The Scriptures
Q-II: WHAT RULE HAS GOD GIVEN TO DIRECT US HOW WE MAY GLORIFY AND ENJOY HIM? A: The Word of God, which is contained in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him. 2 Tim 3:16. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,' By Scripture is understood the sacred Book of God. It is given by divine inspiration; that is, the Scripture is not the contrivance of man's brain, but is divine in its origin. The image of Diana was had in veneration …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Election Confirmed by the Calling of God. The Reprobate Bring Upon Themselves the Righteous Destruction to which they are Doomed.
1. The election of God is secret, but is manifested by effectual calling. The nature of this effectual calling. How election and effectual calling are founded on the free mercy of God. A cavil of certain expositors refuted by the words of Augustine. An exception disposed of. 2. Calling proved to be free, 1. By its nature and the mode in which it is dispensed. 2. By the word of God. 3. By the calling of Abraham, the father of the faithful. 4. By the testimony of John. 5. By the example of those who …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Exposition of the Moral Law.
1. The Law was committed to writing, in order that it might teach more fully and perfectly that knowledge, both of God and of ourselves, which the law of nature teaches meagrely and obscurely. Proof of this, from an enumeration of the principal parts of the Moral Law; and also from the dictate of natural law, written on the hearts of all, and, in a manner, effaced by sin. 2. Certain general maxims. 1. From the knowledge of God, furnished by the Law, we learn that God is our Father and Ruler. Righteousness …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Divine Support and Protection
[What shall we say then to these things?] If God be for us, who can be against us? T he passions of joy or grief, of admiration or gratitude, are moderate when we are able to find words which fully describe their emotions. When they rise very high, language is too faint to express them; and the person is either lost in silence, or feels something which, after his most laboured efforts, is too big for utterance. We may often observe the Apostle Paul under this difficulty, when attempting to excite …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Question Lxxxiii of Prayer
I. Is Prayer an Act of the Appetitive Powers? Cardinal Cajetan, On Prayer based on Friendship II. Is it Fitting to Pray? Cardinal Cajetan, On Prayer as a True Cause S. Augustine, On the Sermon on the Mount, II. iii. 14 " On the Gift of Perseverance, vii. 15 III. Is Prayer an Act of the Virtue of Religion? Cardinal Cajetan, On the Humility of Prayer S. Augustine, On Psalm cii. 10 " Of the Gift of Perseverance, xvi. 39 IV. Ought We to Pray to God Alone? S. Augustine, Sermon, cxxvii. 2 V. …
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

How Christ is Made Use of for Justification as a Way.
What Christ hath done to purchase, procure, and bring about our justification before God, is mentioned already, viz. That he stood in the room of sinners, engaging for them as their cautioner, undertaking, and at length paying down the ransom; becoming sin, or a sacrifice for sin, and a curse for them, and so laying down his life a ransom to satisfy divine justice; and this he hath made known in the gospel, calling sinners to an accepting of him as their only Mediator, and to a resting upon him for …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Covenanting Predicted in Prophecy.
The fact of Covenanting, under the Old Testament dispensations, being approved of God, gives a proof that it was proper then, which is accompanied by the voice of prophecy, affording evidence that even in periods then future it should no less be proper. The argument for the service that is afforded by prophecy is peculiar, and, though corresponding with evidence from other sources, is independent. Because that God willed to make known truth through his servants the prophets, we should receive it …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Difficulties and Objections
"Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not My way equal? are not your ways unequal?" (Ezek. 18:25). A convenient point has been reached when we may now examine, more definitely, some of the difficulties encountered and the objections which might be advanced against what we have written in previous pages. The author deemed it better to reserve these for a separate consideration rather than deal with them as he went along, requiring as that would have done the …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God

Jesus' Feet Anointed in the House of a Pharisee.
(Galilee.) ^C Luke VII. 36-50. ^c 36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. [We learn from verse 40 that the Pharisee's name was Simon. Because the feast at Bethany was given in the house of Simon the leper, and because Jesus was anointed there also, some have been led to think that Luke is here describing this supper. See Matt. xxvi. 6-13; Mark xiv. 3-9; John xii. 1-8. But Simon the leper was not Simon the Pharisee. The name Simon was one of the most common among the Jewish …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

In Judaea
If Galilee could boast of the beauty of its scenery and the fruitfulness of its soil; of being the mart of a busy life, and the highway of intercourse with the great world outside Palestine, Judaea would neither covet nor envy such advantages. Hers was quite another and a peculiar claim. Galilee might be the outer court, but Judaea was like the inner sanctuary of Israel. True, its landscapes were comparatively barren, its hills bare and rocky, its wilderness lonely; but around those grey limestone …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Meditations of the True Manner of Practising Piety on the Sabbath-Day.
Almighty God will have himself worshipped, not only in a private manner by private persons and families, but also in a more public sort, of all the godly joined together in a visible church; that by this means he may be known not only to be the God and Lord of every Singular person, but also of the creatures of the whole universal world. Question--But why do not we Christians under the New, keep the Sabbath on the same seventh day on which it was kept under the Old Testament? I answer--Because our …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Meditations against Despair, or Doubting of God's Mercy.
It is found by continual experience, that near the time of death, when the children of God are weakest, then Satan makes the greatest nourish of his strength, and assails them with his strongest temptations. For he knows that either he must now or never prevail; for if their souls once go to heaven, he shall never vex nor trouble them any more. And therefore he will now bestir himself as much as he can, and labour to set before their eyes all the gross sins which ever they committed, and the judgments …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Creation
Q-7: WHAT ARE THE DECREES OF GOD? A: The decrees of God are his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he has foreordained whatsoever shall come to pass. I have already spoken something concerning the decrees of God under the attribute of his immutability. God is unchangeable in his essence, and he-is unchangeable in his decrees; his counsel shall stand. He decrees the issue of all things, and carries them on to their accomplishment by his providence; I …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

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