And the son of man who lays hold on it;
aWho keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
Who has joined himself to the Lord
Speak, saying,
“The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”;
Nor let the beunuch say,
“Here I am, a dry tree.”
“To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths,
And choose what pleases Me,
And hold fast My covenant,
And within My walls a place band a name
Better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
That shall not be cut off.
Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him,
And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—
Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And holds fast My covenant—
And make them joyful in My bhouse of prayer.
cTheir burnt offerings and their sacrifices
Will be daccepted on My altar;
For eMy house shall be called a house of prayer ffor all nations.”
b“Yet I will gather to him
Others besides those who are gathered to him.”
| << Isaiah 56:3 | Isaiah 56:5 >> |
Articles, Bible studies, and sermons that contain Isaiah 56:4:
Isaiah 56:3-7
Notice the context here. "My salvation is near." This is an end-time prophecy. Is it for our day and age? It certainly is. And I think that, if we can understand this whole thing in its context, what he is talking about here actually began with the ministry of Jesus Christ. We haven't reached its peak by any long shot, but it began when Jesus Christ began to turn to the Gentiles. It was a signal that He was moving away from Israel, and something new was beginning.
I think that all of us understand that the "foreigners" here are non-Israelites. They are Gentiles. And they are obviously becoming part of the church of God. God was dealing with Israel; and certainly Gentiles and foreigners were permitted to be a part of Israel, if they wanted to be. But this is signaling something that is far bigger than that! This is signaling something that involves worldwide activities, universal activities, all of mankind activities.
A "eunuch"—do you know what a eunuch was? They were set apart to serve the king, usually. And usually they were castrated, as you understand. Another way of saying it is that they were mutilated. But, brethren, every one of us are mutilated spiritually. And we have been set apart to serve the great King—God. This really fits everybody in here. Not just Gentiles—this fits everybody that is here.
I think that we can understand that God is concerned about the way things are done. Twice here He uses the word defile. "Don't defile My Sabbath." In verse 2 and then again in verse 6—these [who "don't defile"] are the ones who are going to be blessed. They are going to be His servants.
The Sabbath From David to Nehemiah
Articles
Servant of God, Act II: God's Gift of Faith
Bible Studies
God's Sabbath
Essays
The Philadelphia Syndrome (Part Two)
Sermons
Acts (Part Twenty-Two)
The Commandments (Part Eight)
| << Isaiah 56:3 | Isaiah 56:5 >> |
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