◄ Isaiah 65:8 ►
This is what the LORD says: "As the new wine is found in a cluster of grapes, and men say, 'Do not destroy it, for it contains a blessing,' so I will act on behalf of My servants; I will not destroy them all.
Study Bible
This is what the LORD says:

This phrase introduces a direct message from God, emphasizing the authority and divine origin of the prophecy. It is a common introduction in prophetic literature, underscoring that the following words are not merely human opinion but a revelation from God Himself. This establishes the seriousness and reliability of the message.

Jer 6:16 Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths…
Amo 1:3 For three transgressions of Damascus, even four,…
Ezk 5:5 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘This is Jerusalem…

“As the new wine is found in a cluster of grapes,

The imagery of new wine in a cluster of grapes symbolizes potential and promise. In ancient Israel, wine was a staple of daily life and a symbol of joy and blessing. The reference to a cluster suggests abundance and the idea that within something seemingly ordinary, there is something valuable. This metaphor is used to illustrate God's discernment and care in preserving what is good.

Num 13:23 When they came to the Valley of Eshcol, they cut down…
Gen 40:10-11 and on the vine were three branches. As it budded…
Jdg 9:13 But the grapevine replied, ‘Should I stop giving my wine…

and men say, ‘Do not destroy it, for it contains a blessing,’

This reflects a common practice in viticulture where a cluster of grapes, though part of a larger harvest, is preserved because it holds potential for producing good wine. The phrase indicates human recognition of value and blessing, paralleling God's recognition of the faithful remnant among His people. It suggests that even in judgment, God is attentive to preserving those who are righteous.

Gen 18:32 Finally, Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry,…
Rom 11:16 If the first part of the dough is holy, so is the batch…
Mat 13:29 No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now,…

so I will act on behalf of My servants;

God's promise to act on behalf of His servants highlights His faithfulness and commitment to those who serve Him. This is a reassurance of divine protection and favor, reminiscent of God's covenant promises throughout the Old Testament. It underscores the theme of a remnant, a faithful group preserved by God despite widespread unfaithfulness.

Deu 32:36 For the LORD will vindicate His people and have compassion…
Psa 135:14 For the LORD will vindicate His people…
Mal 3:17 They will be Mine,” says the LORD of Hosts…

I will not destroy them all.

This statement emphasizes God's mercy and justice. While judgment is inevitable due to sin, God promises not to completely destroy His people. This reflects the biblical theme of a remnant, where God preserves a portion of His people to fulfill His purposes. It connects to other scriptures where God spares a remnant, such as in the stories of Noah and Lot, and foreshadows the ultimate redemption through Christ.

Jer 30:11 For I am with you to save you, declares the LORD.…
Amo 9:8-9 Surely the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom……
Ezk 6:8 Yet I will leave a remnant, for some of you…

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who speaks through the prophet Isaiah, declaring His intentions and plans for His people.

2. Isaiah
A major prophet in the Old Testament, through whom God communicates His messages to the people of Israel.

3. Servants of the LORD
Refers to the faithful remnant of Israel who remain obedient and loyal to God amidst widespread unfaithfulness.

4. Cluster of Grapes
A metaphor used to illustrate the presence of something valuable and blessed within a larger context that might otherwise be discarded.

5. New Wine
Symbolizes the potential and blessing found within the faithful remnant, akin to the valuable juice within the grapes.
Teaching Points
God's Mercy and Justice
God is both just and merciful, choosing to preserve the faithful remnant even when judgment is warranted for the larger group.

Value of the Faithful Remnant
Like the new wine in a cluster, the faithful are precious to God and can bring blessings to others.

Hope in God's Promises
Believers can find hope in God's promises to act on behalf of His servants, ensuring that faithfulness is rewarded.

Intercession and Advocacy
Just as the presence of the faithful can lead to preservation, believers are called to intercede for others and advocate for righteousness.

Living as a Blessing
Christians are encouraged to live in such a way that they are a blessing to their communities, reflecting God's grace and truth.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the metaphor of the cluster of grapes in Isaiah 65:8 help us understand God's view of His faithful servants?

2. In what ways can we see the concept of a faithful remnant in today's church and society?

3. How does the preservation of the faithful remnant in Isaiah 65:8 encourage us in our personal walk with God?

4. What are some practical ways we can intercede for others, following the example of Abraham in Genesis 18?

5. How can we ensure that our lives are a blessing to those around us, reflecting the new wine found in the cluster?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 18:23-32
Abraham's intercession for Sodom, where he pleads for the city to be spared if righteous people are found within it, parallels the idea of sparing the whole for the sake of the righteous few.

Romans 11:1-5
Paul speaks of a remnant chosen by grace, echoing the theme of God preserving a faithful group within Israel.

Matthew 13:24-30
The Parable of the Weeds, where the wheat is preserved despite the presence of weeds, reflects the idea of God preserving the faithful amidst the unfaithful.
Sermons
Destroy it NotJ. G. Pearsall.Isaiah 65:8
God's Regard Far the Faithful Remnant of His PeopleProf. J. Skinner, D. D.Isaiah 65:8
Little ThingsJ. Bolton.Isaiah 65:8
Threatenings and PromisesE. Johnson Isaiah 65:1-10
People
Gad, Isaiah, Jacob
Places
Jerusalem, Sharon, Valley of Achor
Topics
Act, Behalf, Benefit, Blessing, Cluster, Destroy, Destruction, Grapes, Juice, Order, Sake, Sakes, Says, Servants, Thus, Wine, Yet
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 65:8

     4458   grape

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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