Isaiah 56:1

Thus saith the Lord, Keep judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doeth this... that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing evil. Neither let the son of the stranger... speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths... even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. (Isaiah 56:1–5)

When God says "Thus saith the Lord," He is speaking to us—calling outcasts and strangers into a place and a name that will never be cut off.

Thus Saith the Lord

Thirty-seven times in the book of Isaiah we read the phrase "Thus saith the Lord," and chapter 56 opens with those words. Although Isaiah penned this prophecy 2,800 years ago, God is the one who spoke it. Therefore the people of Isaiah's time should have responded—and so should we. We are not the children of Israel, and we are not living in Isaiah's day, yet we must recognize that God speaks to us as well. Many things in the Old Testament, though spoken contextually to Jerusalem and Judah, are meant to be applied by us.

That phrase appears 413 times in the Bible. God is the one who ultimately breathed it. As Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God—God-breathed—and therefore useful for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, that the men and women of God would be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Peter says God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. The Old Testament is part of that revelation. So when God says "Keep judgment, and do justice," He is speaking to us too.

Maintain Justice and Do What Is Right

"Maintain justice and do what is right," the Lord says. In Micah 6 we read, "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly." God desires that His people walk in righteousness—in a way that is right before Him. We know from the New Testament that we do not walk in righteousness in order to obtain salvation. We don't receive salvation as wages. It is given to us by grace through faith; we have been justified by grace through faith. Therefore we ought to walk in righteousness.

God was speaking to a people He had called, redeemed out of Egypt, provided for, and given a great inheritance. As a result of all He had given, He wanted them to maintain justice and do what is right. Back in Isaiah 1, God sought for justice but did not find it; He sought for truth, and it was not there. They had become a harlot city. Now, well into Isaiah's ministry—over 35 years of speaking the word of the Lord—the people were still struggling with the same problems. There was still injustice, still unrighteousness; they had not repented. In fact, under Manasseh they would grow even worse, until the wickedness Manasseh brought into Judah caused their captivity in Babylon.

My Salvation Is Near to Come

Why should we walk in justice and do what is right? "For my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed." There are two ways to read this. We could read it as the New Living Translation does: keep justice because I am coming soon to rescue you. But we could also read it: keep righteousness because my salvation, Jesus, is about to come, and my righteous servant is going to be revealed—so you had better be walking in the right way when the Messiah appears. The word "salvation" in the original is Yehoshua, which is the name Jesus.

A very similar exhortation appears in the New Testament. In Luke 21:28, speaking of the signs of the last days, Jesus says that when these things begin to come to pass, "look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." At the end of Matthew 24 and through Matthew 25, Jesus likewise urges His disciples to be walking the right way because He could come at any moment. This is the doctrine of imminence—that the Lord could return at any time. We at Calvary Chapel believe nothing else needs to be fulfilled in biblical prophecy for the Lord to return. Would we not want to be walking in righteousness and seeking justice when He comes, rather than caught in the middle of sin? In the context of Judah and Jerusalem, this is probably the better reading: get right, return to the Lord, before He comes.

Blessed Is the Man

What awaits the one who is ready? "Blessed is the man that doeth this." A blessing awaits the one who, when his Lord returns, is found doing what is right. Who is blessed? First, the one who does justice and keeps judgment—there are blessings in obedience. I highly recommend Andrew Murray's short book The Blessings of Obedience, which outlines the tangible, physical blessings that come when we obey the Lord. If you look at our nation, many things we are experiencing line up with the curses at the end of Deuteronomy, in large part because we've departed from following the Lord. Imagine the evangelistic opportunity and the overflow of blessing if the church in our nation corporately returned to Him.

Second, the one who lays hold of salvation receives a blessing. Third, the one who observes God's statutes—and the statute pointed out here is the Sabbath. Of the 613 commandments the rabbis counted, the Sabbath was singled out not because it was greater, but because it was a primary area in which Judah was failing. Remember why Israel went to Babylon for 70 years: for 490 years they had not allowed the land its Sabbath rest every seventh year, so God let the land rest for 70 years.

God Identifies What Must Be Dealt With

God knows how to point out the areas we need to address. In our individual lives there are certain things God has identified as sin, and what He addresses in me may differ from what He addresses in you. His Spirit, through His Word or our conscience, says, "I don't want you to do that anymore." The problem comes when we take what God has spoken to us personally and make it a blanket law for everyone. You might say drinking alcohol is sin for everyone, and judge others righteous because they abstain—yet they may be filled with lust or gluttony. Righteous by your standard, but not by God's. "To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." For Judah, the primary issue was polluting the Sabbath, so God addressed it directly.

Fourth, blessed is the one who keeps his hand from evil—a blanket statement covering all that is against God. The Scripture correlates passage with passage. Psalm 34:14–15: "Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry." Psalm 37:27: "Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore." Romans 12:9: "Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good." Yes, we are under grace and mercy, and therefore we ought to abhor evil and cling to good.

If we are not experiencing the blessing of the Lord, perhaps it is because we are not observing His statutes, not doing justice, not withdrawing our hands from evil. I once spoke with a man who said God had withheld joy from his life. I thought, the only reason God would withhold joy is if you are in sin. The fruit of the Spirit is joy. If we walk in the Spirit, we should experience love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, self-control. Galatians 6 reminds us that whoever sows to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that sows to the Spirit shall reap everlasting life.

A Place and a Name for the Outcast

Now God turns to the stranger and the eunuch. The blessing of verses 1 and 2 is extended to the foreigner and the outcast—and I say outcast because in Leviticus 21:18–20 the eunuchs were not allowed to come before the Lord at the temple. God says to the stranger and the outcast: do not say the Lord has cut you off, that He has made you withered and dry. Keep my statutes, choose the things that please me, and I will give you a place and a name within my house.

What place? In John 14:1–2, Jesus says, "In my Father's house are many mansions... I go to prepare a place for you." That word is spoken not only to the Jewish disciples but extended to us—the outcasts, the Gentiles, the strangers. What name? In Revelation 2:17 and 3:12, God promises the overcomers a new name, a secret name that only they shall know. The Hebrew here is Yad Vashem—"a hand and a name," a place and a name. In Jerusalem today there is a Holocaust memorial called Yad Vashem; those killed have a name and a place there. But God promises those who seek Him an eternal name and place within His kingdom.

"In mine house, and within my walls." In ancient times cities were protected by walls, but Isaiah 26:1 says, "We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks." What protects us is not a physical wall but His salvation—Yeshua. Isaiah 60:18 echoes it: "thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise." God says to the outcast: put your trust in Me, and I will give you a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters.

Better Than Sons and Daughters

There is more than one way to read "better than of sons and of daughters." In ancient Israel, your name and inheritance were continued only through your descendants. A eunuch had no descendants, so it was viewed as devastating—his name and inheritance could not be carried on. But the Lord promises something better than a temporal name and inheritance: an eternal name and inheritance. We are joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8).

Some also read this to mean that God has given us as Gentiles a place and a name in Christ far better than the place and name granted in Abraham. The Jewish people were descendants of Abraham; we become descendants of Abraham by grace through faith, because he is the father of the faith. We are ultimately begotten of the Lord through Jesus, receiving a spiritual inheritance. This does not mean the children of Abraham cannot receive the spiritual inheritance—they must receive it the same way we do, by grace through faith. In Christ there is no Jew and Gentile; the distinction is done away with. That does not mean God no longer has a plan for national Israel—Romans 11 affirms He does—but Abraham's prime purpose was to be the one through whom the blessing to all nations, Jesus the Messiah, would come.

A House of Prayer for All Nations

Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants... even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer... mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. (Isaiah 56:6–7)

Every word in verse 6—join, serve, love, keep, take hold—could be used in a marriage ceremony describing a husband and wife. God says He wants to use those same words for the relationship He desires with us. So we must ask: Are we joined to the Lord? Am I lovingly serving Him? Do I seek to keep His statutes? These blessings are guaranteed to those who join, serve, love, keep, and take hold of the Lord.

The outcasts and foreigners were not allowed to offer sacrifices when they came to Jerusalem. There were courts—the court of the Gentiles, the court of the women, the court of Israel—and the stranger could go no closer than the outer court. But God says, when you join yourself to Me, I will bring you to My holy mountain, make you joyful in My house of prayer, and accept your offerings. Verse 7 declares it "an house of prayer for all people"—for all nations.

This calls to mind Matthew 21. After His triumphal entry, Jesus came to the court of the Gentiles and found a swap meet—people buying, selling, and changing money, because you couldn't use Roman coinage on the temple mount. Once exchanged for the temple shekel, you also had to buy pre-inspected sacrifices at gouging prices. Jesus drove them out, saying, "My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." The Jews wrongly viewed the temple as their possession, vainly imagining it was only for them. But God's intent was that all nations could gather there.

Consider Solomon's prayer in 1 Kings 8:41–43 at the dedication of the temple. He prays concerning the stranger from a far country: "When he shall come and pray toward this house; hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name." Solomon recognized that the temple was not God's dwelling place and that God hears the foreigner's prayer. Jesus went to the one place where a non-Jew could come and pray, in fulfillment of Solomon's words—and found it turned into a den of thieves. So Isaiah 56:8 says, "The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him."

Not Second-Class Citizens

God loved Israel and promised to gather the outcasts of His people, and He is still gathering the descendants of Abraham today. But never forget that He extends His call beyond the borders of Israel—calling others to Himself. There is a mindset among many evangelical Christians that because we are Gentiles and not Jews by birth, we are somehow second-class citizens in the kingdom. That is not true. In Christ the distinction between Jew and Gentile is gone. Yes, God has an earthly plan and blessing for the descendants of Abraham, but we Gentiles are the "others" He has gathered, with all the same spiritual blessings.

In 1 Peter 2:9–11, Peter writes to a church filled with Gentiles: "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts." Though we were strangers, foreigners, and outcasts, we have been made the people of God by His mercy.

The Blind and Sleeping Watchmen

His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough... (Isaiah 56:10–11)

God summons the beasts of the field to devour the sinful leaders of Judah (verses 9–12). This may be literal—as in Ezekiel 39:17 and Revelation 19:17, where God calls the birds of the air to feast on the carcasses of the slain—or it may speak metaphorically of the Babylonian kings who would come upon Judah in the sixth century BC to judge them for their sin. Either way, God is calling someone to destroy the leaders of His people, because His watchmen are blind, ignorant, dumb, and asleep.

"Watchmen" in the Old Testament generally refers to the prophets. From the schools of the prophets Samuel established, dozens or hundreds were trained to speak the word of God, but many became false prophets—soothsayers. When Jeremiah put a yoke on himself to warn of Babylonian captivity, another prophet broke it and cried "Peace, peace." The people respected the soothsayers who tickled their ears, not the lone true prophet. Paul warns in 2 Timothy that in the last days false teachers would tickle people's ears. Look around our nation: a great multitude of so-called teachers and prophets are soothsayers, making people feel well while they are on their way to hell.

Jesus cautions us against the same biblical ignorance. In Matthew 24:48–51 He warns of the evil servant who says, "My lord delayeth his coming," and falls into careless indifference, only to be cut asunder when the Lord returns. A great judgment came upon the watchmen of Judah because they slept when they should have been on watch. A watchman on the city wall who fell asleep could be put to death, because the whole city was under his care. Already in Isaiah 28:7 the priest and the prophet had erred through wine and strong drink, out of the way in vision and judgment. Nothing had changed from chapter 28 to chapter 56. These watchmen were greedy dogs with insatiable appetites, ignorant shepherds with no understanding. As Jesus said in Luke 6:39, "Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?" Isaiah 9:16 adds, "they that are led of them are destroyed."

Tomorrow Shall Be As Today

Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. (Isaiah 56:12)

This was their condition. They would rise early to seek wine and pleasure until they were consumed, party all night, and as they broke up, declare that tomorrow's party would be even better. Isaiah 5:11–12 said the same: "Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink... but they regard not the work of the LORD." How discouraging it must have been for Isaiah to look around 35 years later and see that nothing had changed—if anything, it had gotten worse.

I cannot read "tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant" without thinking of our own nation. At the turn of this century, economists predicted endless prosperity. Time magazine in May 2000 ran an interview titled "Will the Dow Hit 50,000?" One economist said stocks were "both safe and undervalued," that you could "get 55,000 for the Dow," and that most people didn't have enough stocks. Just a few years ago people expected housing prices to soar forever—tomorrow shall be as today and much more abundant. We are lulled into a drunken stupor when we follow such foolishness, and that is precisely the foolishness the false prophets of Jerusalem declared.

James 4:13–14 answers it: "Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city... whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." Their blind faith in the progress of the nation had replaced reason and faith in God; they were ripe for judgment and unprepared. The same vain faith in progress has taken hold in our nation—"look at what we can do, we are man." When you hear such things, look up: your redemption draws nigh. Times are dangerous when men talk this way.

The Righteous Taken from the Evil to Come

The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. He shall enter into peace... (Isaiah 57:1–2)

The indulgent leaders were so greedy for their own pleasure that they failed to recognize their neglect was persecuting the righteous, and no one cared. A careless indifference had filled the people. Ronald Reagan once captured the attitude: "A recession is when your neighbor loses his job; a depression is when you lose your job." Even Hezekiah, told in Isaiah 39 that the Babylonians would carry off his descendants, responded, "At least there'll be peace in my day." Yet notice God's mercy: the righteous are "taken away from the evil to come." Though their deaths came because of the people's unrighteousness, by their physical deaths God spared them the coming indignation and brought them into eternal blessing.

The Idolatry of Manasseh's Reign

But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore... Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks... Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed... (Isaiah 57:3–10)

All these sins describe conditions in Judah during the reign of Manasseh, Hezekiah's son. Isaiah 57 corresponds to Manasseh's reign; Hezekiah was likely dead and Isaiah nearing the end of his life. Tradition holds Manasseh martyred Isaiah. In 2 Kings 21:1–7, Manasseh became king at twelve and reigned 55 years, doing evil after the abominations of the heathen. He rebuilt the high places Hezekiah had destroyed, reared up altars for Baal, made an Asherah (a grove), worshipped the host of heaven, built altars in the very house of the Lord, made his son pass through the fire, observed times, used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards.

Notice the precise correspondence. Baal was worshipped on the high mountains—"upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed" (57:7). Asherah was worshipped in the groves in sensual ways—"enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree" (57:5). Molech was worshipped in the valleys, especially in Hinnom (Gehenna) outside Jerusalem—"slaying the children in the valleys" (57:5). Rabbinical tradition says the idol of Molech was bronze with seven compartments, heated until incandescent, and infants were placed in its arms while drums were pounded so loudly the children's cries could not be heard. Manasseh caused his children to pass through fire. This was the worst moral condition the people had ever seen, and Isaiah was one of only a few standing up to say it must stop—which cost him his life.

Verse 8 mentions setting a remembrance "behind the doors also and the posts." In Jewish homes today a small box called a mezuzah is fixed to the doorpost, containing a scroll with Deuteronomy 6:4–9 and 11:13–21, in obedience to "thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house." Many Orthodox Jews touch it as they enter. Isaiah describes a twisted, perverse mezuzah made to false gods—every time they entered their homes they observed their idols, having "discovered themselves to another," committing spiritual adultery. They wearied themselves with much sin, yet would not say, "There is no hope"; even when the thrill was gone, they continued on, unwilling to repent.

Let Your Companies Deliver You

And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied... When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away... but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain. (Isaiah 57:11–13)

Judah showed no reverence for God; they did not remember Him, yet He had been merciful. God says there is no righteousness in them, nothing they have done that can profit them, so He will publicly expose their unrighteousness and allow judgment to come. When judgment falls, He tells them, cry to your other gods—"let thy companies deliver thee." Jeremiah said the same in Jeremiah 2:26–28: they call a tree their father (Asherah) and a stone their mother (Baal), yet in trouble cry to the Lord. "But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee... for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah." A god for every city—but none with substance to save. The wind carries them away. By contrast, "he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land."

The High and Lofty One Revives the Contrite

For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. (Isaiah 57:15)

Oh, that this would have caused backslidden Judah to see that the one true God was the only one worthy of devotion—the high and lofty One, the one who inhabits eternity, who is holy. But they continued headlong in sin. Who is able to draw near to Him? The one with a contrite and humble spirit. It echoes Psalm 15: "LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?... He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart." The wicked are blown away like wind, but the one who trusts in the Lord shall never be moved.

For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth... I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him... Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest... There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. (Isaiah 57:16–21)

God says the person who is contrite, who turns and repents, He will heal and be merciful to. But the wicked are like a troubled sea whose waters cast up mire and dirt; there is no peace for them. Mercy and restoration come upon the repentant, the contrite and humble; God revives their spirit, gives them grace, and turns them back to Himself.

The Way Is Open to All

So, as we have seen, "Thus saith the Lord": to the foreigners and outcasts, if you will lay hold of Me, be contrite, and humble yourself, I will revive you. God opens the way for any and all who would come. As we saw last week in Isaiah 55, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat." The way is open to all who turn from their wicked condition and call out to the Lord.

What a blessing to be those who have received mercy—once not a people, but now the people of God. And what is our call? As a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, we are called to declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. May we do that.

Closing Prayer

Lord, Your word is living and powerful. We pray that this word—which cuts deep, dividing asunder joint and marrow, soul and spirit, a discerner of the thoughts and intents of our heart—would reveal tonight anything in our lives that hinders us from glorifying You. Father, that we would come before You with contrition and humility and ask, God, take it away. Burn away anything that is not of You, that we would be a bright, shining representation of the people of God. Shine through us, Lord, that we would be that city set on a hill that cannot be hid. Use us to declare the praises of You who called us out of darkness. We thank You that we have fellowship with You and with one another as we walk in the light. We praise You tonight in Jesus' name. Amen.