Inclusion of other peoples in Israel’s blessing
56
📚Thus says the LORD,“Preserve justice,
and do the right;
for my salvation is about to come,
and my righteousness is ready
to be revealed.
56:1 God here speaks in general terms of some great event that was coming. What the event means specifically and when it would take place are not at all clear. Some think this revelation of God’s salvation and righteousness refers to His righteous rescue of Israel from Babylon in 538 BC (compare Isa 41:2; 44:28; 45:1-7). Others think it refers to the first coming of the Lord Jesus when salvation and righteousness were revealed in a marvelous way. Still others think it may refer to the second coming of Christ when salvation and righteousness will be revealed and established in all the earth (Isa 11:3-9; 32:1-5). In any case the event is used as a basis of appeal to the people in Isaiah’s day to live righteous lives. Compare 2 Pet 3:11-14.⚜
2 📚Blessed is the man
who does this,
and the son of a man
who lays hold of it,
who keeps the Sabbath 📖
from polluting it,
and keeps his hand
from doing any evil.
3 📚Do not let the son of a 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.’
4 📚For thus says the LORD
to the eunuchs who keep
my Sabbaths,
and choose the things
that please me,
and take hold of my covenant:
5 📚To them I will give a place
in my house and within
my walls,
and a name better than that of sons
and of daughters.
I will give them an everlasting name
that will not be cut off.
6 📚And as for the sons of a foreigner,
who join themselves to the LORD
to serve him,
and to love the name of the LORD,
to be his servants,
every one who keeps the Sabbath
from polluting it,
and takes hold of my covenant,
7 📚Them I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house
of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called a house
of prayer for all people”.
56:4-7 A promise which means that God will not exclude anyone from His temple and His fellowship if they bind themselves to Him and keep His covenant. The mention of the Sabbath in verse 6 indicates that the old covenant is meant. The foreigners would be Jewish proselytes (like Cornelius – Acts chapter 10). “Burnt offerings” and sacrifices (v 7) also suggest the old covenant. They are unnecessary under the new covenant. The Lord Jesus quoted the last part of v 7 (Mark 11:17).⚜
8 📚The Lord God who gathers 📖 the exiles
of Israel says:
“I will gather still others 📖 to him,
besides those who are gathered to him”.
Condemnation of Israel’s wicked rulers
9 📚All you beasts of the field,
come to devour,
all you beasts in the forest.
10 📚His watchmen are blind.
They are all ignorant;
they are all dumb dogs;
they cannot bark, sleeping,
lying down, loving to slumber.
11 📚Yes, they are greedy dogs
which can never have enough,
and they are shepherds
who cannot understand 📖.
They all look to their own way 📖,
every one for his gain 📖,
from his own border.
12 📚“Come”, they say,
“I will bring wine,
and we will fill ourselves
with strong drink.
And tomorrow will be like today,
and even more so”.
56:9-12 Verse 9 indicates a coming danger to Israel. Sometimes in the Bible wicked nations are called beasts – lion in Jer 4:7; beasts in Daniel chapters 7 and 8. The leaders, priests and prophets of Israel were all blind and corrupt. Even a dog knows to bark at danger, but these watchmen could bark only for more food for themselves (v 11).⚜