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Isaiah 56:1-8
Covenantal Faithfulness of the Servant’s Disciples
Introduction: 56-66 is the final major section of the book. It is introduced by the first eight verses of 56.
From 40-52, God had been telling Israel what he was going to do now that the period of wrath toward them is past (40:1). He would glorify them before the nations through his Servant. He had not forgotten them and would fulfill his promises of old.
In 52:7, the Lord brought us to a climatic point where the good news of the coming Servant would bring salvation. Surprisingly, he would do so by paying a redemptive price with his life. But his death would spring forth into offspring that cover the whole face of the earth.
In 55, the Servant offered the invitation to the whole world to come to the feast in which they could delight in rich food that would give life to their soul. All who came would be transformed from thorns and nettles into beautiful trees that would make a name for the Lord and monuments to the Lord.
In chapter 56:1-8, God portrays the character of the gathering people. They will be like his Servant, keeping justice and doing righteousness.
Therefore, primary message is a call to those who accept the Lord’s invitation to live a righteous life, keep the covenant, and maintain a repentant, humble and contrite heart to continue to receive the mercy of the Lord. The blessings that result will give us a beautiful picture of the transformation God promised.
Keeping Covenant with God
Vs. 1: Compare 46:12-13 where his people are “far from righteousness.” In spite of this, God would bring his righteousness and salvation near. Now through the Servant the Lord has brought his righteousness near, he has made it possible for his people to “do righteousness” and maintain covenantal faithfulness.
Overview of 56:1-8 centers on covenantal faithfulness. Three times “Sabbath keeping” is emphasized, which is a sign of covenant keeping. Twice he mentions that blessings will come to those who “hold fast my covenant.”
Vs. 2: We are introduced to the two specific requirements for those who will be “blessed” – keep the Sabbath and keep from doing evil. The emphasis on the Sabbath may seem odd or superficial if we do not understand the Sabbath’s purpose. This is important because Sabbath-keeping will be the emphasis for the rest of the book with the conclusion in 66:23 of all flesh coming to worship before the Lord “from Sabbath to Sabbath.”
From the beginning, the purpose of the Sabbath/rest was illustrated by the Garden, where man was able to enjoy the presence of God without toiling by the sweat of his brow. Compare Exodus 31:12-17; Deut. 5:15.
What then are we, as disciples of the Servant, to understand from this emphasis? First and foremost, the blessed state of disciples of the Servant comes through a relationship with the Lord. That relationship is based on keeping his covenant and desiring him. It is the same as Paul’s words: “I want to know him…”
This principle was summarized by Hosea 6:6 “I desire steadfast love, not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” We should therefore ask ourselves the question: Are we keeping the Sabbath? Or, are we profaning the Sabbath? The way we do that is by planning our lives and time so that we are not treating the “Sabbath command” the way Israel did where they did not consider the true meaning and purpose of the Sabbath. God desires that we order our lives so that we give time to knowing him and developing a steadfast love for him. In contrast, Israel was supposedly meticulously keeping the Sabbath in a way that demonstrated the “cleaning of the outside of the cup” while living lives that were inwardly filthy. In other words, Israel was violating both instructions in verse 2.
The Inclusion of Foreigners and Eunuchs
Verses 3-6: The first thing that shocks us is God’s inclusion of foreigners and even eunuchs. What is brought to our attention are those who had been perpetually outside the covenantal relationship of the Lord, whether eunuchs or foreigners, they are not only included in God’s covenant, they are given all the full rights and blessings of God’s people. Consider the implications of this:
First, the eunuch is no longer without children or a family. He will produce spiritual children and be a part of a larger family than could have been possible in a physical family. Cf. Mark 3:31-34; 10:29-31.
Further, verse 5 answers the question of how the eunuchs would not be a “dry tree.” In other words, the name of a eunuch would not be carried on. Without producing children, his name is lost forever. But God answers that within the house and walls of God’s kingdom he will have a monument and a name that will last forever. His citizenship within God’s family and kingdom will never be cut off.
There is little doubt that when Luke included the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch in his account to Theophilus, he was thinking of this text. In fact, the eunuch had been reading Isaiah 53. This passage, three chapters later is confirming the blessings of the covenant even to this eunuch. And certainly the man went back to Ethiopia and produced spiritual children. To put an explanation point on that, his “name” has been forever written in the inspired scriptures, never to be cut off!
Let’s talk about this: when we are in the covenant, we feel so blessed with our position with the Lord as his children that it hardly crosses our minds concerning those who are left out. It is like being the rich man in the story of the rich man and Lazarus who “faired sumptuously every day.” He doesn’t seem to notice the man outside his house. Do we notice those outside the blessings of the house of God? When we see them, we may not be able to immediately make a connection, but we can certainly stop for a moment and pray that they will have an opportunity.
Vs. 6: Notice also that there is an emphasis throughout the text to these joining themselves to the Lord, ministering [a term that refers to temple service as a priest!] to the Lord, loving the name of the Lord, and being a servant of the Lord. These a great descriptions of who a disciple is and what he does. Do you notice the devotion and single mindedness that is implied in these words?
Notice the words in verse 4: “who choose the things that please me.” These are not people who treat God’s law like a tax return, who just do enough to keep from getting in trouble with the law. These want to please God, not just do enough to stay out of hell.
Please consider: these followers of God love keeping the Sabbath. For 1500 years, Israel hated keeping the Sabbath. Even in the first century, when it appeared they were keeping the Sabbath, they were doing everything they could to pretend Sabbath keeping was important while creating loopholes when they had certain priorities. Remember: how we keep God’s commands are every bit as significant as keeping them.
Consider the proper application of verse 5: If we become a servant of the Lord, we are given a monument and a name and brought to God’s holy mountain. If, on the other hand, we try to make a name for ourselves in this world, we will have nothing in the end and our name will be forever forgotten!
The Blessings of Being in Covenant with the Lord (7-8)
Be brought to God’s holy mountain calls back to the exodus and coming to Sinai. Who could go up on God’s holy mountain? It was forbidden except for one quick incident: Exodus 24:9-11. The blessing is joining the Lord forever in a feast on his holy mountain.
Further, these foreigners will be made joyful in God’s house of prayer. We might not immediately understand the magnitude of this announcement. This is the privilege of having continual access to God. When Solomon built the temple, he recognized the blessing that came with it that at any time an Israelite could pray toward the temple and God would hear and respond to their requests. Do we take this for granted? Do we see the joy of being brought into God’s house of prayer?
Now look at this: “for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
You will recognize this as quoted by Jesus when he cleansed the temple in the final week before his crucifixion. However, only Mark’s account (11:15-18) actually quotes the whole sentence including the words, “for all nations.” Therefore Jesus reinforced the numerous prophecies that the kingdom would include the whole world and that coming into God’s house was never intended to be exclusive to Israel.
More importantly, note the words, “shall be called…” In other words, God’s kingdom and God’s people will be known for bringing all peoples into the Lord’s house. No one who desires to serve the Lord and keep his covenant will be left out. This statement alone should be shouted from the rooftops. It is appalling that people were excluded from churches because of race in the past and that there are those in churches today that may not be treated equally.
Someone might say, “Well, no one today is actually excluding people because of race, economic or social standing.” Excluding in the sense of refusing membership? Maybe not. But excluding in the sense of James 2:1-7 by showing partiality based on dress, social standing, and even race? Absolutely! When Miriam and Aaron grumbled against Moses because he married an Ethiopian woman, Miriam was struck with advance stage of leprosy, covered from head to toe. God was so disgusted that he compared what he did to Miriam as a father spitting in his daughter’s face. The whole camp could not travel as they waited for Miriam to be shamed for seven days outside the camp. Serious, serious sin!
Finally, notice in verse 8 who God gathers into his kingdom: “the outcasts of Israel.” Those are the people who are most likely to hear the gospel message, but are also the ones who are most likely to be overlooked.
Conclusion: There are many vital and important concepts to be learned in this short section. But possibly the one that should stick with us the most is how God “makes us joyful in his house of prayer.” If you are not joyful in your service to God or joyful when you come together with God’s people, or joyful when you sing, pray, study, or serve others, then something is wrong. God has made his house a house of joy.
Berry Kercheville