In Isaiah 53 the prophet foresaw the mission of the Messiah and the sufferings He was made to go through to bring about redemption. Isaiah 54 went on to discuss the impact of the Messiah’s mission, followed by issuing a series of challenges for those anticipating redemption. Here in Isaiah 56:1-8, the prophet called on them to cultivate a life in alignment with God’s instructions in the light of the coming deliverance. Those who desire to enter more fully into the blessings of the work of the Messiah were told to faithfully observe the law. While they were encouraged to live a just and righteous life forsaking evil, God was particularly concerned with the observation of the Sabbath. Why is God particularly concerned with the Sabbath? Because it is a day to remind us of our God. It is a day that He Himself rested from labor. And a day set apart to connect with God and restfully enjoy the presence and peace of God.
Two groups of people were specially addressed in verses 3-6, the foreigners and eunuchs. The foreigners who were excluded from the assembly before by the laws (Deuteronomy 23) would be allowed to freely participate in worship when the Messiah comes. The eunuchs, those who set themselves apart to be fully consecrated to God, were promised a place of honor in God’s presence and house. In fact, God would accord honor in His house to these two groups of people. Besides these two groups, God would bring in others and they would be welcomed into His house which would be a house of prayer. Both the Jews and Gentiles would be welcomed to gather in this house and become a united people in the Lord. They would experience joy in the house and God would accept their offerings.
Two things God said in this passage that we ought to pay attention to. The first concerns not profaning the Sabbath. It is a day to be hallowed. What we do on our rest day matters. God expects us to rest and make it a day to connect with Him. For many, the rest day seems to be an even busier day than any other day in the week. It’s a day they catch up on what they could not accomplish on the other days. Hence, they miss out on an excellent opportunity to worship God and enjoy His presence. Then we have the issue of the things done in the house of God. He said that it shall be called a “House of Prayer.” Of all the activities done, the house of God is a place to seek Him. Do not make it a place of social gathering or a place for business transactions. Be sure to honor the Sabbath and keep it holy. And when we are in the church be sure to pray. We will be blessed when we keep the Sabbath holy!
No comments:
Post a Comment