Isaiah 66:1 - Heaven is My Throne

This is what the LORD says:
This phrase introduces a direct declaration from God, emphasizing the authority and divine origin of the message. It is a common prophetic formula used throughout the Old Testament to signify that the following words are not merely human opinion but are divinely inspired. This underscores the importance and weight of the message that follows.

Heaven is My throne,
This phrase highlights God's sovereignty and majesty. The imagery of a throne signifies authority, kingship, and governance. In biblical cosmology, heaven is often depicted as the dwelling place of God, transcending earthly limitations. This concept is echoed in other scriptures, such as Psalm 11:4 and Matthew 5:34, reinforcing the idea of God's supreme rule over all creation.

and earth is My footstool.
The earth as God's footstool conveys His dominion over the physical world. This imagery suggests that while God is transcendent, He is also immanent, having authority over the earth. This concept is found in other biblical passages like Psalm 110:1 and Acts 7:49, emphasizing the vastness of God's presence and His control over all creation.

What kind of house will you build for Me?
This rhetorical question challenges the notion that human-made structures can contain or confine God. It reflects the limitations of the temple or any physical building as a dwelling place for the divine. This theme is explored in 1 Kings 8:27, where Solomon acknowledges that even the heavens cannot contain God, much less a temple built by human hands.

Or where will My place of repose be?
This question further emphasizes God's transcendence and the inadequacy of human efforts to provide a resting place for Him. It suggests that true worship and relationship with God go beyond physical structures. This idea is echoed in John 4:23-24, where Jesus speaks of worshiping God in spirit and truth, indicating that God's presence is not confined to any specific location.

Persons / Places / Events

1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The sovereign God of Israel, who speaks through the prophet Isaiah, emphasizing His majesty and transcendence.

2. Heaven
Described as God's throne, symbolizing His supreme authority and dominion over all creation.

3. Earth
Referred to as God's footstool, indicating His omnipresence and the vastness of His creation.

4. Isaiah
The prophet through whom God delivers this message, serving as a mouthpiece for divine revelation.

5. The Temple
Implicitly referenced as the "house" that people might build for God, highlighting the limitations of human efforts to contain the divine.

Teaching Points

God's Transcendence and Immanence
Recognize that God is both transcendent, ruling from His heavenly throne, and immanent, present in His creation.

The Limitations of Human Efforts
Understand that no human structure or effort can fully encapsulate God's presence or glory.

True Worship
Reflect on the nature of true worship, which is not confined to physical spaces but is a matter of the heart and spirit.

God's Sovereignty
Acknowledge God's sovereignty over all creation, which calls for humility and reverence in our approach to Him.

The Call to Holiness
Consider how God's majesty and holiness should inspire us to live lives that honor Him, beyond mere ritualistic practices.

LXVI.

(1) The heaven is my throne . . .--We are left to conjecture the historical starting-point of this utterance of a Divine truth. Was the prophet condemning in advance the restoration of the temple on the return from Babylon, or, as some critics have supposed, the intention of some of the exiles to build a temple in the land of their captivity, as others did afterwards at Leontopolis in Egypt? Was he anticipating the vision of the Apocalypse, that in the new Jerusalem there was to be "no temple" (Revelation 21:22)? Neither of these views is satisfactory, Isaiah 56:7; Isaiah 60:7, and the writings of Ezekiel, Haggai, Zechariah, all pre-supposing the existence of a new temple. It seems better to see in the words the utterance, in its strongest form, of the truth that God dwelleth, not in temples made with hands, that utterance being compatible, as in the case of Solomon himself (2Chronicles 6:18), of our Lord (John 2:16-17; John 4:21-23), of St. Stephen, who quoted this passage (Acts 7:48-50), with the profoundest reverence for the visible sanctuary. Cheyne quotes a striking parallel from an Egyptian hymn to the Nile of the fourteenth century B.C., in which we find the writer saying of God, "His abode is not known . . . there is no building that can contain Him." (Records of the Past, iv. 109.) . . .

Verses 1-4. - THE UNGODLY EXILES REBUKED. Israel, being about to return from the Captivity, had the design of rebuilding the temple and re-establishing the temple worship. God rebukes this design in persons devoid of any spirit of holiness, and warns them that mere formal outward worship is an abomination to him (vers. 1-3). In ver. 4 he threatens them with punishment. Verse 1. - Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool (comp. Psalm 11:4; Psalm 103:19). The Hebrews, while they earnestly desired to have a material emblem of the presence of God in their midst, were deeply impressed with the feeling that no temple could be worthy of him, or other than most unworthy. "Will God," said Solomon, "indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heavens of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?" (1 Kings 8:27). And again, "Who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? Who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before trim?" (2 Chronicles 2:6). Thus Isaiah's note of warning was no novelty, and might rind responsive echoes in the hearts of many. Where is the house that ye build unto me? rather, what manner of house is it that ye would build to me, add what manner of place for my rest? God needs no "house;" and they cannot build him a house that could be in any way worthy of him. They, moreover, are unworthy to build him any house, which is the real ground of the refusal. There was no refusal, when the better part of the exiles, having returned, took the building in hand (see Ezra 3:8-13; Ezra 6:14, 15; Haggai 1:8-14; Zechariah 1:16; Zechariah 4:9, etc.). Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

This is what
כֹּ֚ה (kōh)
Adverb
Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now

the LORD
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

says:
אָמַ֣ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Heaven
הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם (haš·šā·ma·yim)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky

is My throne,
כִּסְאִ֔י (kis·’î)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3678: Seat of honor, throne

and earth
וְהָאָ֖רֶץ (wə·hā·’ā·reṣ)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

is My footstool.
הֲדֹ֣ם (hă·ḏōm)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1916: A stool, footstool

What kind
אֵי־ (’ê-)
Interrogative
Strong's 335: Where?, how?

of house
בַ֙יִת֙ (ḇa·yiṯ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1004: A house

will you build
תִּבְנוּ־ (tiḇ·nū-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 1129: To build

for Me?
לִ֔י (lî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew

Or where [will be]
וְאֵי־ (wə·’ê-)
Conjunctive waw | Interrogative
Strong's 335: Where?, how?

My place
מָק֖וֹם (mā·qō·wm)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4725: A standing, a spot, a condition

of repose?
מְנוּחָתִֽי׃ (mə·nū·ḥā·ṯî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 4496: Repose, peacefully, consolation, an abode

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