What is the meaning of Isaiah 66:5? You who tremble at His word God begins by addressing a specific audience—those who approach His revelation with awe. • Isaiah 66:2 reminds us, “But to this one will I look: to him who is humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word.” The Lord’s gaze settles on believers who reverence Him rather than on the proud. • This posture echoes throughout Scripture: “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling” (Psalm 2:11); “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). • Such trembling is not terror but deep respect, the attitude that positions us to receive comfort and correction from God. hear the word of the LORD A command follows the identification: listen attentively. • The prophets repeatedly cry, “Hear the word of the LORD” (Jeremiah 7:2), underscoring that obedience begins with open ears. • Jesus echoes the same urgency: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15). • Romans 10:17 teaches, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Our faith is fortified when we submit to God’s voice over every competing sound. Your brothers who hate you and exclude you because of My name have said The Lord exposes hostility within the covenant community itself. • “A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household” (Micah 7:6; cf. Matthew 10:36). Spiritual opposition often arises from those who share our heritage but not our heart for God. • Jesus declares, “If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first” (John 15:18). Loyalty to God’s name can provoke exclusion even from “brothers.” • Luke 6:22 captures this dynamic: “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man.” “Let the LORD be glorified that we may see your joy!” Here is religious mockery masquerading as piety. • Similar scorn appears in Isaiah 5:19: “Let Him hurry; let Him speed His work so we may see it.” Scoffers demand God to prove Himself on their terms. • At Calvary, the mockers taunted, “Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” (Mark 15:32). • Second Peter 3:4 predicts such attitudes: “Where is the promise of His coming?” The unbelieving heart turns divine promises into sarcastic challenges. But they will be put to shame God settles the score; vindication is certain. • “All who rage against Him will come to Him and be put to shame” (Isaiah 45:24). The Lord’s justice flips the script on the scoffers. • Psalm 25:3 assures, “No one who hopes in You will be put to shame; but shame will come to those who are treacherous.” • Revelation 3:9 offers a future glimpse: persecutors “will come and bow down at your feet and know that I have loved you.” The faithful will see the tables turned by God Himself. summary Isaiah 66:5 speaks directly to believers who honor God’s word with reverent hearts. Though they may endure ridicule and exclusion—even from those who claim spiritual kinship—the Lord calls them to keep listening. Scoffers cloak contempt in religious language, but God promises to expose their deception and vindicate His faithful ones. In every age, the pattern holds: humble listeners are honored, mockers are humbled, and the Lord’s glory is revealed in the joy of His people. |
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