66 Thus says the Lord,
“Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool.
Where then is a house you could build for Me?
And where is a place that [a]I may rest?
2 “For My hand made all these things,
Thus all these things came into being,” declares the Lord.
“But to this one I will look,
To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.Hypocrisy Rebuked
3 “But he who kills an ox is like one who slays a man;
He who sacrifices a lamb is like the one who breaks a dog’s neck;
He who offers a grain offering is like one who offers swine’s blood;
He who [b]burns incense is like the one who blesses an idol.
As they have chosen their own ways,
And their soul delights in their abominations,
4 So I will choose their [c]punishments
And will bring on them what they dread.
Because I called, but no one answered;
I spoke, but they did not listen.
And they did evil in My sight
And chose that in which I did not delight.”
5 Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at His word:
“Your brothers who hate you, who exclude you for My name’s sake,
Have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy.’
But they will be put to shame.
6 “A voice of uproar from the city, a voice from the temple,
The voice of the Lord who is rendering recompense to His enemies.7 “Before she travailed, she brought forth;
Before her pain came, she gave birth to a boy.
8 “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things?
Can a land be [d]born in one day?
Can a nation be brought forth all at once?
As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons.
9 “Shall I bring to the point of birth and not give delivery?” says the Lord.
“Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?” says your God.
As this chapter begins, we see God reminding the people that no place on earth could contain Him. Though they had the tabernacle and now the temple where God’s presence would dwell, they were never more than a token. And so He tells them plainly, that He created everything, how then could anything man does (or makes) compare? For in the end, it is only made of the things that God already wrought.
Rather than taking delight in any tent, dwelling, or building, however magnificent in human terms, God delights in something else. He delights in something that seems like nothing, one “who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.” Lest we doubt, He repeats it again in v. 5, “Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at His word…”
These are those who God desires, though their “brothers” hate and exclude them (v. 5 also). In contrast, we see the hypocrisy of many in Israel, in vv. 3-4. They sacrificed ox and lamb, grain and incense, and it was no better than murderers, abusers, those who revel in unclean acts and idol worship. Wow, those are strong words, or people who appeared to be doing all the right things.
Yet their hearts were far from God, when He called, no one answered, no one listened (v. 6). Instead, they did evil and chose the things that did not delight God. They may have even said, as they mocked the faithful in v. 5, “Hey, we’re the children of Israel, sons of Abraham, chosen by God!” And yet, as Jesus told the religious leaders, who thought they had it all together, God could raise up sons for Abraham from the very rocks.
Jesus once told His disciples to beware the “leaven” of the Pharisees, which was not about bread of course. Rather, it was about what they taught, and the way they acted. They did all the duties, they preserved the very temple, the “dwelling of God”. Yet God saw through it all, He saw the pride that corrupted their hearts, that it was all for show.
No, God doesn’t want a bunch of showy Christians doing all the “proper” things in fancy buildings. He finds joy in those who recognize their state, who are humble before Him, and revel in His power and majesty. Not theirs, but His glory is their aim. As Micah would later write, “what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
To walk with your God… Wow, that is an incredible privilege, one we should not take lightly, but cling to nevertheless. Walk with God indeed, humbly and justly, holding His hand as He takes the lead. We must not let pride creep in, but put it to death in our lives, and lean on His strength instead.