Isaiah 56:4-8- Once Rejected, Now Accepted
These verses are an expansion of what we looked at yesterday. In verses 4-5 we look at the eunuchs who might have felt useless and defective. You may have an affliction of a physical or some other sort that often keeps you away from everybody else. But God in His grace has provided One Who comes to dwell in you. He puts into you a life bought by Christ’s death. He gives to you a life that is assured in His resurrection. He gives to you a day of rejoicing, in fellowship that’s anticipated now and will have its completion forevermore in heaven. He puts in you a desire to do as He wills, not as you will, so that more and more you delight in Him who has always and will always delight in you. This is what we see here in verse four. The eunuchs thought themselves cut off, but now they have a day of fellowship with their God. They delight in the resurrection to which the Sabbath was looking ahead. They chose what pleased God. In Isaiah’s day, what was it that these eunuchs were fearing? They feared abandonment and loneliness. But they who are in Jesus Christ, are accepted in Christ. They are treasured. They are never left. They are never forsaken. They become the children of God, and they get a name and a place in God’s house forevermore.
Secondly, we deal with the foreigners in verses 6-7. Perhaps outwardly they’re not allowed to join with the people of God. Inwardly they are brought by God to Himself. And this is why their hearts are changed. This is why they have new desires and new delights. They join themselves to Jehovah. They take him to be their God even as He has taken them to be His children in and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, Who was yet to come. They love the name of the Lord. They love Who He is. These are the ones who keep from defiling the Sabbath. These are the ones, just like the eunuchs. who hold fast to the covenant. These who were lost, and frightened, and alone, joined themselves to Jehovah in Jesus Christ. He seeks and saves the lost, and He draws the distant ones near to Himself. As you cry out to Him, you will find yourself part of His household, the house of prayer for all people.
Questions
- What does God promise the eunuchs?
- What does God promise the foreigners?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks that Christ seeks and saves the lost.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.