Isaiah 56:1-8

Sermon Notes:

1) Justice Commanded, Blessings Promised, v 1-2

6 Reasons keeping the Sabbath (v2, 4, 6) is emblematic of the justice (v1) God commands:

The Sabbath is about rest for you, and rest for those who serve you.
The Sabbath proves we believe that God is Lord over our time. (Thomas, Isaiah, 354.)
“The Sabbath is … not an end in itself, but … a sign that the whole of life was to be lived in submission to God.”2
“True Sabbath observance is to refrain from evil, not just work.” (Webb, The Message of Isaiah, 221)
The Sabbath looks forward to the final rest that God promised.
The Sabbath proves that His people are other-worldly.

2) Legacy Promised, Pessimism Prohibited, v 3-5

3) Outcasts and Prodigals, Gathered and Accepted, v 6-8

Reflection questions:

1) Read v1. Is God promising salvation to those who obey? Or is God’s salvation a motivation for His people to obey? Which one gives you greater assurance of His love? How can remembering that help you in your daily life?

2) God promised acceptance to foreigners and eunuchs despite their outsider status with the people of God in Isaiah’s day. One author says of this, “They [God’s people] were to be an open community, warmly embracing all who genuinely bound themselves to the Lord (3, 6).” (Webb, The Message of Isaiah, 222) How can we live out that exhortation today?

3) Meditate on this verse: “All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.” Ps 25:10