Isaiah 56
COMMENTARY:
: 1 Thus says the LORD: Keep you judgment, and do justice: for MY salvation is near to come, and MY righteousness to be revealed. (4941 “justice” [mishpat] means honesty, community loyalty, just deeds, righteousness, right, things done justly, piety, virtue, blameless behavior, honesty, godliness, or what is reliable.
DEVOTION: When we are part of the family of God our actions have to be different from the rest of the world. There are some people who don’t love the LORD but still act in a way that honors HIM. They are honest, hardworking, and treat others well but they still don’t have the LORD in their life.
Most people show that they are not a follow of the LORD by their daily actions and words. There needs to be a difference between a believer and an unbeliever.
Sometimes we can meet someone who seems to be a believer but their actions and words say something else. Our words and actions should be different if we are to be a witness for HIM.
We have a message to share with the world and our actions should show that we believe the message. That doesn’t mean that those who are genuine believers are sinless, only Jesus was sinless.
The believer’s life as to be one that keeps short accounts with the LORD. We are still sinners who need to daily confess our sins to HIM and HE is faithful and just to forgive us our sins if we mean business with HIM.
The Bible tells us that the LORD is going to return one day and we don’t know the day, so, each day should be one in which we work for HIM and confess to HIM our sins and live with the help of the Holy Spirit a life that is pleasing to HIM.
CHALLENGE: Christ can return anytime and we need to be serving each moment of each day to please HIM. We will not be sinless but we can sin less. Keep short accounts with HIM!
: 3 Do not let the son of the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD speak, saying, “The LORD has utterly separated me from His people”; Nor let the eunuch say, “Here I am, a dry tree.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). 914 בָּדַל [badal /baw·dal/] – to divide, separate, sever; to separate, set apart; to make a distinction, difference; to divide into parts.
DEVOTION: The church today is at a crossroads of sorts as it tries to bring the message of Christ’s love to a multitude of people that are maimed, tattooed and scarred! We look around us and our culture is presenting to people that it is acceptable to do many things to our bodies that once was considered wrong and sinful. So outwardly people are coming into churches and displaying symbols and markings of a sinful past. Whereas previously these things were a part of the history of the person, the church membership did not know it as because it was hidden or buried in their heart or mind. Now it is all over the skin and inked on them so that it cannot be hidden. Like Israel the church tended to remove, ostracize or forbid people who were different! In this verse the foreigner and the eunuch was forbidden from worship yet the Lord tells them of His love and place in eternity. He reminds Israel of His desire to include all people into His presence regardless of physical or biological shortcomings!
Paul reminds the Ephesians that those who once were far off are now brought near by the blood of Christ. (Eph. 2:13) Where Paul understood the difficulties but he also had perceived the greatness of God’s love through Christ. John also understood this by stating in his Revelation that “…you have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation…” (Rev. 5:9).
CHALLENGE: Next time a person comes into the service you are attending with markings, jewelry and clothing that is different consider how much Jesus loves them and wants that love demonstrated. Then go, greet them and look beyond the outward and into the spirit where Jesus is at work! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
: 7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. (8605 “prayer” [tephilah] means intercession, plea, supplication, a hymn, pray a prayer, or request.)
DEVOTION: The temple in Jerusalem was to be a place where HIS followers could come to pray. It was a place to worship the LORD with the giving of sacrifices. HE had picked the seventh day of the week to call HIS Sabbath.
No work could be done on HIS day. Worship was the order of the day. The children of Israel were using HIS day just like any other day and He wanted to find individuals who would honor HIS day.
The LORD made it plain to Isaiah that HE would honor anyone from any nation who would honor HIM properly. It didn’t matter if the individual was eunuch who normally couldn’t enter the temple area. HE was trying to inform them that even those from other nations who honored HIM would be accepted in HIS house.
Those whose hearts were right with the LORD could go to HIM with their requests and HE would answer them. HE would accept their offerings. God was not an elitist. HE doesn’t care about annual income or what family you were born into. HE only cares about your heart attitude.
HE would receive honor on HIS day from the eunuchs or the sons of strangers, if they would honor HIM. HIS own people just wanted to do their own thing on HIS day. HIS own spiritual leaders or shepherds wanted to do their own thing on HIS day.
The spiritual leaders were preaching a false doctrine. The LORD was opening the door in the future for Gentiles to worship. There was coming a time when Gentiles would be welcome in the temple. Gentiles would be under the New Covenant.
Today we have many in our pulpits preaching a false doctrine. The false doctrine is that “we don’t have to Biblically worship the LORD, HE will take whatever we will give HIM.”
We need to make sure that our churches are noted for their Biblical prayers, fellowship, breaking of bread and apostle’s doctrine. We should have our doors open for prayer all the time, not just in times of national crisis.
Are we daily praying for one another? Are we worshiping the LORD in spirit and in truth? Are we listening to shepherds who are teaching the truth? Are we remembering the cross of Christ with our communion table?
CHALLENGE: The joy of the LORD should be in our hearts each time we enter the church. Manifest this in your life.
: 11 You, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. (7648 “enough” [soba] means full, satisfied, satiety, abundance, fullness, plenty, or glutted condition.)
DEVOTION: Satisfaction is hard to find in our life. It seems that we have a tendency to always want a little bit more. We are truly blessed as a servant of the LORD with our eternal home in heaven but we still want all we can get here on this earth. It is a problem in our thinking.
However, there are worse problems. If a leader is only concerned about himself or herself the ones under their influence suffer. Here we find that the prophets and priests and other leaders were only thinking of themselves.
They were shepherds or leaders who were leading the people in the wrong direction. They were being poor examples to them regarding their personal lifestyle. They were being poor examples by their teachings.
Here we have spiritual leaders who didn’t understand what they were teaching. They were not students of the Old Testament, as far as, their learning for the sins of the past. They didn’t learn what poor leadership did throughout the history of Israel.
There were acting like Balaam and only wanted what they could get out of their position of importance. Money was more important than truth. Their own personal desires were more important than the spiritual growth of the people.
Who suffers when leadership is only after what they can get from the sheep? The sheep are the ones who suffer the most. They think they are receiving proper instructions from their leaders and they are not. Most get to the point of just wanting to hear what would make them happy rather than the truth.
It is a two way street. If the people would hold their leaders accountable they would teach the truth. If the leaders cared they would only be concerned for the sheep and let the LORD give them what they need.
Leaders need to depend on the LORD to provide for what they need. People need to not neglect those in leadership who are more concerned with their spiritual life than their own personal gain.
CHALLENGE: Living the way God wants us to live can be challenging but it also can be rewarding. Living our own way leads others away from the LORD.
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