Isaiah 56-57

Isaiah 2023  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  50:18
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Isaiah 56-57

Good evening church! As I look around tonight, and out into the camera, I can clearly see that what we have here tonight is a gathering of the who’s who in greater New England. The hippest, coolest, most intelligent, highest skilled, best looking, most popular, stand outs in all of the land. So, when I say what I’m about to say, you might have trouble believing that it’s true, but I assure you that it is.
There was a time in our past, the history of our church that is, that we, rather affectionately referred to ourselves…self identified if you will, as the Island of Misfit Toys. Now if you do an internet search on what that is, you will come up with a bunch of different answers, books that have been written over the years, movies, that have highlighted that expression, but it started way back before I was even born.
In 1964, sometime during the Christmas season, a new claymation t.v. show was aired called Rudolph the Red nosed reindeer. I think it has played every Christmas season since it’s initial release. As you know, the show was primarily about a reindeer that had a shiny red nose. Yes, he was a red nosed reindeer. In fact if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows… as you can imagine, that made Rudolph different from the other reindeer so for most of his life, from the time he was born, until getting hit by that truck…kidding, he doesn’t get hit by a truck, I just don’t want to spoil the ending if you haven’t yet seen it, Rudolph was considered different, an outcast.
There is a scene in the show where Rudolph and his friends are being chased, I think by the Abominable Snowman and I might be blending together the greatest hits of the claymation Christmas specials, but I think it was him, and he, he being Rudolph, and his friends start drifting in the water on an ice sheet that broke off from the mainland, and they are drifting to parts unknown.
They come across this Island and are greeted by a Jack-in-the box named Charlie. That’s why Charlie was on the island. He was actually a Charlie in the box, and outcast from the norm. There was a water pistol there that didn’t shoot water, it shot jelly, a train with square wheels, a black bear that had white tail feathers, and a bird that didn’t fly- but could swim. You get the idea, they were all grouped together on this island of misfit toys, because others told them they didn’t belong. That they were the outcasts, the ones that just didn’t fit.
There was a season when that certainly was us in a way. We were a community of people that had no other community. But we were accepted by God, and by each other…and I hope there is always a remnant of that presence and that heart in this church. More about that later...
I want to read the first 3 verses to you from Isaiah 56:1-3
Isaiah 56:1–3 NKJV
1 Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come, And My righteousness to be revealed. 2 Blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who lays hold on it; Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil.” 3 Do not let the son of the foreigner Who has joined himself to the Lord Speak, saying, “The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”; Nor let the eunuch say, “Here I am, a dry tree.”
Let’s pray…Father thank you for revealing who You are, and what Your heart is like for us in Your Word, so that we can know You. So we can trust You. Be accepted and loved by You. Thank you for Jesus, it is in His name we pray...
I think verse 1 is an interesting start to this section as it begins with this imperative or instruction to do something, before the Lord does something Himself. What I find interesting about that is that most people I talk with today, somewhere in the conversation will say something to the effect, well if God want’s me to do this or that, then first He has too, fill in the blank. Provide the money, open the door, close the door. First change the heart of my husband, or my wife. Heal my child.
Here God is asking them, no not asking, instructing them... to keep justice and do righteousness by faith that He is going to do what He says He is going to do. Look at it with me again in verse 1, Isa 56:1
Isaiah 56:1 NKJV
1 Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come, And My righteousness to be revealed.
Has the Lord ever asked you to trust Him? That’s what giving of the first fruits always was. You gardeners know how precious that first tomato, or first pepper, or first zucchini is…when we give to the Lord off the top, from that which comes first, we are saying Lord, we know You brought this forth, You made this, we, or I am going to trust that You’ll produce, or supply more.
But here it is keep justice and do righteous…for My salvation is about to come. Perhaps you’ve experienced a time in your life when you would have struggled to believe this. Maybe a time when you drifted, like we talked about on Sunday. A time when you drifted so far away from the Lord, you maybe felt like there was no hope of coming back. Or that you were so much of an outcast that God and the people of God would never forgive, certainly never embrace, and can you imagine in that state, before God delivered, before He redeemed. If He said, serve Me, or do righteousness. Real righteousness, the things that are right in My eyes, not yours. That’s self righteousness. He continues on with the promise in verse one in the next verse.
Isaiah 56:2 NKJV
2 Blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who lays hold on it; Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
Do this and you’ll be blessed. OK, I get it, He must be talking about God’s chosen people Israel right? Let’s look at verse three again. Isa 56:3
Isaiah 56:3 NKJV
3 Do not let the son of the foreigner Who has joined himself to the Lord Speak, saying, “The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”; Nor let the eunuch say, “Here I am, a dry tree.”
Why would the son of the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say that? or Why would the eunuch say such a thing? What everyone of them would have understood, and everyone that read this when it was written would have understood, was that they were the outcasts, the pariah. Why? Well for one, God said so. As part of the Levitical law. God decided what was clean and what wasn’t, who could be priests, and who couldn’t.
See it has always been, and always will be God, who determines righteousness. Not us. So tough verses here that might challenge some of your thinking. Back in Leviticus it is written. Lev 21:17-20
Leviticus 21:17–20 NKJV
17 “Speak to Aaron, saying: ‘No man of your descendants in succeeding generations, who has any defect, may approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For any man who has a defect shall not approach: a man blind or lame, who has a marred face or any limb too long, 19 a man who has a broken foot or broken hand, 20 or is a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man who has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch.
None of them shall approach to offer the bread of his God. I won’t explain this passage tonight, I’ll just say that it is worse. Deuteronomy 23:1-4
Deuteronomy 23:1–4 NKJV
1 “He who is emasculated by crushing or mutilation shall not enter the assembly of the Lord. 2 “One of illegitimate birth shall not enter the assembly of the Lord; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord. 3 “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord forever, 4 because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.
I won’t get into a deep theological explanation here. Verse one does mean by accident, by birth, or by choice. Actually, I will give you a deep theological explanation. Why would God do this, or say this, or make it part of the Law? Because He chose to.
I read it tonight not to be extreme, or to encourage you to embrace that thinking. I’ll remind you that if you want to live under the law, there is 613 of them that YOU have to keep every single day of your life from the time of your first breath to your last, or you go to hell.
I read those verses tonight so you would understand why the son of the foreigner, or the eunuch would have felt what they felt or said the things they were told not to say. But look at what God says to them…Isa 56:4-5
Isaiah 56:4–5 NKJV
4 For thus says the Lord: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant, 5 Even to them I will give in My house And within My walls a place and a name Better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name That shall not be cut off.
I love the language in this passage. To you, the eunuch, in MY house, within MY wall you will have a place and a name. Not just a place and a name, but a better one than that of sons and daughters, a better one than the Jews that didn’t obey God, or choose the things that please God. Who are the ones today that are the outcasts? The addicted? Maybe, but not really. The church has been taking them in for over 50 years.
Calvary Chapel has been great at that. 50 years ago the hippies were smoking pot and tripping out on acid, and a little church in Costa Mesa California opened their doors and gave them a place and a name. Now there are faith based treatment programs in churches all over the place. So I don’t really know if they are the outcasts. In fact sometimes people that have grown up in church, have never really been a prodigal listen to their testimonies and think....I wish I had a testimony like that.
You guys have heard me say it before, the testimony I’m always the most impressed with is the church kid who got saved at a young age. The Holy Spirit was quick to convict, their heart was sensitive to that, God was faithful their entire life and kept them from destruction. Hallelujah, we have a mighty Savior. There are however today sins that the professing church seems to judge more harshly than others. For example, the church at large might look at a hippie different, or a burglar, or a heterosexual fornicator than a homosexual fornicator.
Do you think that the gay community or a transvestite is an outcast today? I think it is important to examine, not just what we see in Isaiah here, but the whole island of misfit toys in our world today, in our community, or our work place and consider the heart of God revealed here, as well as the actions we see in Jesus on how he dealt with the misfit, the outsider. We have a very real example of an outsider…I know I’m taking a big detour here but consider with me the man possessed by demons in Mark chapter 5.
You can turn there, we will be there longer than I should be tonight. While your finding that, may the Holy Spirit remind you of Jesus touching and healing the leper, Jesus stopping what He was doing to give His attention to and heal the woman with the issue of blood. Jesus asking the Samaritan woman for a drink of water. All of them outcasts. The woman at the well, the woman that washes His feet at Simon’s house....The woman caught in adultery....Mark 5:1-4
Mark 5:1–4 NKJV
1 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.
verse 5, Mark 5:5-8
Mark 5:5–8 NKJV
5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.” 8 For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!”
Now check out this next verse, verse 9 Mark 5:9
Mark 5:9 NKJV
9 Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.”
Now lot’s of commentaries will tell you that Jesus was speaking to the demons here as it was believed at the time that in order to do an exorcism, you had to know the name of the demon. Others will tell you that Jesus did that so He could assess how great of a problem they had here. That is not the point of our message tonight, but I’ll tell you I think they are wrong. Mostly because Jesus told them to come out in verse 8. I think Jesus was talking to the man himself. In the middle of his torment, I think He was speaking to the outcast. Hey, you in there, what’s your name? The demons do answer, but I think Jesus was just loving this man in the middle of his mess. Verse 10…quickly here...
Mark 5:10–13 NKJV
10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country. 11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. 12 So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” 13 And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.
Mark 5:14–17 NKJV
14 So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. 15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 16 And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. 17 Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.
Mark 5:18–20 NKJV
18 And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. 19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” 20 And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.
So Jesus transformed him from possessed to preacher. But it is the next verse that makes me marvel…check out verse 21 with me and we’ll go back to Isaiah. Mark 5:21
Mark 5:21 NKJV
21 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.
How did Jesus, God’s salvation in whom the righteousness of God was revealed treat the outcast? Mark chapter 5 begins with Mark 5:1
Mark 5:1 NKJV
1 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.
and then all that stuff happens with this guy and then we read…Mark 5:21
Mark 5:21 NKJV
21 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.
Jesus went out of His way, for this one guy. The cutter, the one that no one else understood. Just for Him and He saved big time. I’m reminding you guys of these things tonight for you to share with the one that feels forgotten, outcast, like they don’t fit in, or belong. The one who thinks lightening will strike if you walk into a church. God says I’ll give you a place and a name, an everlasting name, just come to ME.
Isaiah 56:6–7 NKJV
6 “Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants— Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant— 7 Even them 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 nations.”
Does that verse sound familiar? It should! Jesus quoted it in three of the gospels. As He was driving out those that were buying and selling in the temple, and flipping the tables of the money changers, all those that were trying to prophet and exploit from the worship of God. Jesus said, Matt 21:13-14
Matthew 21:13–14 NKJV
13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” 14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.
The outcasts that were outside of the temple, came into the temple and He healed them. Verse 8 in Isaiah 56:8
Isaiah 56:8 NKJV
8 The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “Yet I will gather to him Others besides those who are gathered to him.”
That is comforting news to all of those that feel like they fit in better on the island of misfit toys than they do in the church. God gives a prophecy here and then sends Jesus as the invitation to join in our fellowship. To have a place you can call home. A place where you are given a new name. Some of you might think that is what happened with all of our Nicks, or our Kate’s, we have at least 4 Brian’s here now. But that’s not it. It is to be called son or daughter of the Most High.
Verse 9 begins an indictment on the corrupt leaders of Judah specifically the religious leaders. Isa 56:9-10
Isaiah 56:9–10 NKJV
9 All you beasts of the field, come to devour, All you beasts in the forest. 10 His watchmen are blind, They are all ignorant; They are all dumb dogs, They cannot bark; Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
What is a watchman supposed to do? To watch and to warn. Judgement is coming and they should be warning to repent, to turn from your evil ways and keep justice and do righteousness, but they don’t see it coming because they are blind, they’re ignorant, and they themselves are in sin… so captivity is ahead of them.
Isaiah 56:11–12 NKJV
11 Yes, they are greedy dogs Which never have enough. And they are shepherds Who cannot understand; They all look to their own way, Every one for his own gain, From his own territory. 12 “Come,” one says, “I will bring wine, And we will fill ourselves with intoxicating drink; Tomorrow will be as today, And much more abundant.”
Chapter 57 continues on with a condemnation of Israel's leaders and really demonstrates that their idolatry was seen by God as spiritual adultery. Their worship belonged to Him and they were cheating on Him. Isa 57:1
Isaiah 57:1–2 NKJV
1 The righteous perishes, And no man takes it to heart; Merciful men are taken away, While no one considers That the righteous is taken away from evil. 2 He shall enter into peace; They shall rest in their beds, Each one walking in his uprightness.
Some make a pretty strong argument that this refers to the rapture of the church and the righteous or those that are made righteous through Jesus are taken away and allowed to escape the evil of the tribulation period. I don’t have a strong argument against that, and it certainly would be my preference, so I won’t argue against it.
But it really is a continuation of the end of chapter 56, and a continued condemnation of the wicked leaders. The righteous that should have been warned and protected by them will be carried off into captivity. From the human perspective no one cares. But God does, He notices and says they shall enter into peace. Maybe a reference to Daniel in the Babylonian captivity? That’s not even speculation, just a possible suggestion. Now this description of spiritual adultery.
Isaiah 57:3–6 NKJV
3 “But come here, You sons of the sorceress, You offspring of the adulterer and the harlot! 4 Whom do you ridicule? Against whom do you make a wide mouth And stick out the tongue? Are you not children of transgression, Offspring of falsehood, 5 Inflaming yourselves with gods under every green tree, Slaying the children in the valleys, Under the clefts of the rocks? 6 Among the smooth stones of the stream Is your portion; They, they, are your lot! Even to them you have poured a drink offering, You have offered a grain offering. Should I receive comfort in these?
Smooth stones is a reference to those that were used to be formed into idols
Isaiah 57:7–10 NKJV
7 “On a lofty and high mountain You have set your bed; Even there you went up To offer sacrifice. 8 Also behind the doors and their posts You have set up your remembrance; For you have uncovered yourself to those other than Me, And have gone up to them; You have enlarged your bed And made a covenant with them; You have loved their bed, Where you saw their nudity. 9 You went to the king with ointment, And increased your perfumes; You sent your messengers far off, And even descended to Sheol. 10 You are wearied in the length of your way; Yet you did not say, ‘There is no hope.’ You have found the life of your hand; Therefore you were not grieved.
In Deuteronomy God told Israel to write His name and His law on every door post. The people are growing were growing weary as there is no refreshment in religion, only in relationship. Religion is just work with no reward. Labor that brings forth exhaustion and rotten fruit. Even so, they wouldn’t give up hope in their idolatry, meaning they would not repent.
In this next section we see a complete lack of wisdom as they no longer fear God. Remember the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but they have none as they have no fear for God.
Isaiah 57:11–13 NKJV
11 “And of whom have you been afraid, or feared, That you have lied And not remembered Me, Nor taken it to your heart? Is it not because I have held My peace from of old That you do not fear Me? 12 I will declare your righteousness And your works, For they will not profit you. 13 When you cry out, Let your collection of idols deliver you. But the wind will carry them all away, A breath will take them. But he who puts his trust in Me shall possess the land, And shall inherit My holy mountain.”
Verse 14 is an interesting verse. I think it is an encouragement for repentance. There was a verse back in chapter 35 that I think may be connected so lets look at that first. Isa 35:8
Isaiah 35:8 NKJV
8 A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray.
Isaiah 57:14 NKJV
14 And one shall say, “Heap it up! Heap it up! Prepare the way, Take the stumbling block out of the way of My people.”
We need to do the work and prepare the way to remove all stumbling blocks out of the way from who He wants to save.
Isaiah 57:15–18 NKJV
15 For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones. 16 For I will not contend forever, Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would fail before Me, And the souls which I have made. 17 For the iniquity of his covetousness I was angry and struck him; I hid and was angry, And he went on backsliding in the way of his heart. 18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will also lead him, And restore comforts to him And to his mourners.
Isaiah 57:19–21 NKJV
19 “I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near,” Says the Lord, “And I will heal him.” 20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 21 There is no peace,” Says my God, “for the wicked.”
God wants to heal, God wants to give peace to the outcast, but are we a stumbling block to that. How do we treat those that are different from us? Those that don’t look like us, or don’t vote like us, or don’t identify like us, the outcasts that Jesus died for. Let me read one more passage because I want this on all of our hearts and minds for the rest of this week and weekend. And I’m grateful that you guys are here and hearing what I’m hearing from the Lord and receiving the same encouragement and exhortation that I’m receiving…Titus chapter 3 reminds us...
Titus 3:3–5 NKJV
3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
Titus 3:6–7 NKJV
6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
We were given a place and a name. Let’s invite others to receive the same. Grace and Peace.
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