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Isaiah 56.1-8
Salvation for Foreigners 56 Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness 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.” 3 Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”; and let not the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.” 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. 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.” As I read this passage, I’m reminded of that great Dr. Seuss short story, The Sneetches. Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches Had bellies with stars. The Plain-Belly Sneetches Had none upon thars. Those stars weren't so big. They were really so small You might think such a thing wouldn't matter at all. But, because they had stars, all the Star-Belly Sneetches Would brag, "We're the best kind of Sneetch on the Beaches." With their snoots in the air, they would sniff and they'd snort "We'll have nothing to do with the Plain-Belly sort!" In Isaiah’s day and in the days of the early church, people were separated from one another (and in our day as well). If you weren’t us, you were them. And if you were them, you were the outsider and wondered if you would ever be welcome and accepted. This passage from Isaiah makes it clear that the outsider (the foreigner and the eunuch) who has joined themselves to the Lord and who is faithfully pursuing their relationship with the Lord is not only welcomed and accepted; if they have entrusted their lives to the Lord, there is nothing that separates them from those who are Jewish and faithful. Can you imagine the joy felt by those outsiders who were marginalized and ostracized as they heard these words in verses 3-7? They are included; they are loved by God, and for those who love the Lord and pursue a relationship with Him, they belong. In Scripture we see God’s heart to gather all to Him reflected in the history of Israel and in the line of Jesus as non-Jewish people are repeatedly included and remembered for their faith in the Lord. All are welcome in God’s house if they will come. In fact, when Jesus overturns the tables in the temple (Mark 11), He quotes verse seven as a correction to divisive attitudes which are preventing Gentiles from coming and worshipping the Lord in the temple. This is a good word of check and challenge to the church today and for all who call on the name of Jesus. It doesn’t matter if we have a star tattooed on our bellies or if our bellies are plain. What matters, the only thing that matters, is that all are welcome in the house of the Lord, and if anyone will entrust their life to Jesus, they belong (star or no star!). God bless you and know that I am praying for you constantly. Scott |
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