The Sabbath, Foreigners, and Eunuchs
Isaiah 56:1-8
Let’s turn to Isaiah 56. If you need a Bible, go ahead and raise your hand and we will bring one to you. Isaiah 56 is on page 616 in the Bibles we are passing out.
Isaiah 56 has been a difficult passage to figure out. But what encouraged me to press in this week was what Paul wrote in Romans 15:4 –
For whatever was written in former days [that’s the Old Testament] was written for our instruction [for us in the New Testament time period], that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures [the Old Testament Scriptures] we might have hope.
So the Holy Spirit had Isaiah write chapter 56 for Israel – but not just for Israel. The Holy Spirit also had Isaiah write chapters 56 for us -- for our instruction today. And Paul says that studying Isaiah 56 will give us endurance and encouragement and hope.
Let’s start with the first two verses --
1 Thus says the LORD: "Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil."
So what is God calling Israel to do? God calls Israel to keep justice, do righteousness, keep the Sabbath, and keep themselves from evil.
There’s two ways we could misunderstand that. One is to think God is telling us to make ourselves good by our own will-power. The other is to think God is telling us that we have to make ourselves good before we can come to God.
That’s completely wrong, because these words come after ch.55. Remember ch.55? God calls Israel, and us, to come to God as we are, repenting over our sin, asking Him to forgive us, and trusting Him to change and satisfy us. When we do that He has compassion for us, He forgives all our sin, and satisfies our heart hungers and thirsts in Himself.
And that changes us – because when our hearts are fully satisfied in God, and we want more of him – we will want to do what He says so we can graciously receive even more of His heart-satisfying presence.
So here’s what this would mean for an Old Testament believer: you would keep justice and do righteousness – the overflow of your heart-satisfaction in God, and the desire for more of God, would cause you to care for the poor, speak the truth, not gossip, pursue sex as God created it to be enjoyed – in marriage. You would also keep the Sabbath – which meant setting aside the Sabbath as a day to rest from all your work and seek even more heart-satisfaction in God – so you’d go to the temple, you’d take a nap, you’d play with your kids. You would also keep your hand from doing any evil – why do anything that would lessen your joy in God? So you would avoid sexual sin, gluttony, stealing, slandering.
So there’s nothing here about making yourself good by your own will-power. None of us can do that. And there’s nothing here about making ourselves good enough so we can come to God. None of us can do that. This is all about us coming to God as we are, receiving forgiveness through Christ, experiencing His heart-satisfying presence, so we pursue more of Him in obeying Him.
I remember in my junior high years I heard many sermons about prayer and feel guilty and try really hard to pray. But I had no desire for God – it was just duty -- so I soon gave up.
But in high school for the first time I understood that because of Jesus I could come to God as I was and that He would forgive me and change me and satisfy me; that’s exactly what happened. He so poured His love into my heart, so satisfied me in Himself, that I wanted to pray. I started going on prayer walks – just heading out the front door, and walking and talking to God.
So putting together chapter 56 with 55 – God is calling Israel – and us -- to seek our heart-satisfaction in God so much (ch.55) that we are changed so we want even more of God – which He will give us as we keep justice, do righteousness, keep the Sabbath, and keep ourselves from evil (ch.56).
But now what’s this about the Sabbath? Are we supposed to keep the Sabbath? What role does Sabbath-keeping have today? Notice that God makes astonishing promises to those who keep the Sabbath.
In v.2 – Blessed is the man … who keeps the Sabbath.
In vv.4-5 – to the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths … I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.
In vv.6-7 – And the foreigners … and everyone who keeps the Sabbath … these 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…
So what role does Sabbath-keeping have for New Testament believers? Here’s a couple points to help you think this through.
First, in the Old Testament God commanded His people to set aside Saturday to commemorate how God rested on the seventh day from His work of Creation, and on this day they did no work and rested – especially seeking their rest in Him (Exodus 31:15-17, for example).
Think of what great news this would have been. Who can balk at God saying -- take a day off to rest and seek your heart-satisfaction where it will really be met -- I will provide everything you need – you rest!
Second, the Scribes and Pharisees in the New Testament destroyed the original intention of the Sabbath, making it a day to display their own righteousness, instead of a day to seek rest in God.
For example, they had rules about exactly how far you could walk on Saturday (Acts 1:12), they said no one could be healed on Saturday (Mark 3:2; Luke 13:14), they said you couldn’t pick a handful of grain on Saturday (Mark 2:23f).
Third, Jesus kept the Sabbath as God intended, but He also taught that He had authority to change the Sabbath. You can see that in Mark 2:27-28 –
27 And he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."
That means that as God Jesus has authority to make changes to the Sabbath.
Fourth, the New Testament shows that Jesus did change the Sabbath. Look at 1Cor 3:16 (page 953). Here we see that the temple is no longer a physical building; since Jesus came, we are the temple and we gather at many different times and places. Look at what Paul says --
Do you not know that you [plural] are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you [plural]?
Look also at Acts 20:7 (page 929). Here we see that the early church set aside not the seventh day of the week (Saturday), but the first day of the week (Sunday) – on which they gathered to worship –
On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. (See also 1Cor 16:2; Rev 1:10)
Look also at Romans 14:5 (page 948). We know that believers gathered together regularly on Sundays to build each other up in faith, to pray, to study God’s Word, to worship, to celebrate Communion. But what else they did or did not do was left to each one to decide between them and God --
One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
Those are amazing words coming from Paul the ex-Pharisee.
Now I think there is great wisdom in keeping the creation rhythm of working six days and taking one day to rest and seek God. But the New Testament leaves the details of this for you to decide between you and the Father.
So what does it mean today for us to keep the Sabbath? I think it means working out between you and the Lord how you will set aside a day to rest – especially resting in the Lord, and being part of a community of believers who regularly gather together.
Here at Mercy Hill we structure that around our home groups. The home groups and those who can’t be in a home group gather here Sundays for worship, hearing testimonies of what Jesus has been doing, and studying God’s Word. And then during the week the home groups meet at various times for dinner, talk, worship, prayer, and the Word
So let’s apply Isaiah 55 and 56 to us as New Testament believers. God calls us to bring our heart-hungers to God in Jesus Christ, seeking Him in worship and the Word and prayer, and as we do that He will fully satisfy and fill us in Himself.
Then, because we are filled in Him, and long for more of Him, we do righteousness and justice (loving others, caring for the poor, sharing the Gospel), we keep the Sabbath in the New Testament sense (working out with God how we will have a day to rest, and being part of a community of believers who gather regularly for worship), and we keep our hands from doing evil (we fight all temptations to sin, and when we stumble we come to Christ for forgiveness and cleansing, and head back into the battle with fresh energy).
But this won’t be easy. It means turning from everything else to pursue God’s promises. So in vv.3-8 Isaiah answers the question -- why should we turn from everything else to pursue God’s promises? Look at what he says in v.3 --
Let not the foreigner [anyone who is not racially Jewish] who has joined himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely separate me from his people"; and let not the eunuch [a man who because of physical injury or deformity can’t have children] say, "Behold, I am a dry tree."
This section is not easy. But I think Isaiah is using two different groups of people to help us see that God’s promises are more valuable than anything else.
The eunuchs show that what God promises is better than anything this life can offer. Notice that the eunuch says “I am a dry tree.” The point is that he can’t have biological children. That is a great loss in any culture, but especially in the Old Testament world, where your children carried on your name generation after generation.
But look at what God promises to the eunuchs in vv.4-5 –
4 For thus says the LORD: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant,
5 I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.
The point is that what God promises is better than anything this life can offer. That’s why we should turn from everything else to pursue God’s promises.
The foreigners show that if I am joined to God through Christ then nothing will ever separate me from God’s promises. Notice in v.3 that the foreigner says “The Lord will surely separate me from His people.” God’s strategy in the Old Testament was to focus on Israel as a way of bringing His salvation to the nations – and that happened: Ruth became part of God’s people, Rahab became part of God’s people, Moses’ father-in-law Jethro became part of God’s people.
But foreigners could have easily seen God’s focus on Israel and thought that God played favorites – that God would end up rejecting foreigners. But look at what God promises in vv.6-8 --
6 "And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant—
7 these 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 shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples."
8 The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, "I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered."
The point is that if foreigners join themselves to God – nothing will ever separate them from God’s promises. And the same is true for us – if you join yourself to God through Christ then nothing will ever separate you from God’s promises. He will bring you to His holy mountain (He will bring you into the new heavens and new earth); he will make you joyful in His house of prayer (His presence will fully satisfy you); your offerings will be accepted on His altar (He has accepted Christ’s death in payment for all your sins).
Questions?
Think about what God has said through Isaiah:
What God promises is better than anything this life can offer.
If you join yourself to God through Christ, then nothing will ever separate you from God’s promises.
Some of you have never joined yourself to God through Christ. Do that right now. Turn to Jesus Christ from whatever else you’ve been trusting to satisfy you, and trust Jesus to forgive you, change you, and fully satisfy you in Himself.
Some of you have joined yourself to God through Christ – but you’ve been pulled away from Christ to other things you think will satisfy you. But understand – what God promises is better than anything this life can offer – and if you join yourself to Christ – then nothing will ever separate you from God’s promises. So turn back to Christ.
Others of you have joined yourselves to God through Christ – but it’s been costly. You are going through trials. You are not sure it’s worth it. But listen – what God promises is better than anything this life can offer – and if you join yourself to Christ – nothing will ever separate you from God’s promises. So be strong. Take heart. And press on.