Sermon Tone Analysis

Chapter 56-60 Review

Chapter 56

Continues the theme of chapter of chapter 55 which was that Gentiles are welcome at the great banquet.

Chapter 56 paints a picture of the millennial kingdom.

The Lord will reinstitute the Sabbath and all are welcome to come to worship.

But there is also a reminder that the prophets were tasked with being watchman and the people and their leaders fell short in their moral obligations

Chapter 57

Two groups of people.

Those who enter into peace and the other that runs to their idols.

Isaiah refers to these wicked as backsliders.

We looked at the term backslider and how it applies to our walk with the Lord.

The chapter ends with a message to those who are wicked: There is no peace for the wicked, not even in death.

Chapter 58

Chapter 58 is a critique of religion.

It is a call for the people to recognize their sin and rebellion.

Some people thought their fasting could protect them.

They blame God for not noticing (58:3).

And, there is another call to observe the Sabbath (58:13)

Chapter 59

We saw the consequences which follow sin: separation from God. Israel’s sin had separated them from God and to make matters worse, they were running with their feet to commit sin.

Just like us - we can willfully commit sin and the consequences are always the same.

Others are hurt and our fellowship with God is broken.

But God did what no one else could do and provided a redeemer.

59 & 63-64 are two long prayers of repentance

Chapter 60

Chapter 60 portrays Zion (Jerusalem) as the city of Light and any nation that does not serve Zion will perish.

The chapter centers on the theme that those who bless Him will be blessed and those who curse Him will be cursed (Gen 12:3, 27:20) Christopher Columbus quoted all of Isaiah 60 in connection with his voyage to the America

Chapter 56

Overview

Continues the theme of chapter of chapter 55 which was that Gentiles are welcome at the great banquet.

Chapter 56 paints a picture of the millennial kingdom.

The Lord will reinstitute the Sabbath and all are welcome to come to worship.

But there is also a reminder that the prophets were tasked with being watchman and the people and their leaders fell short in their moral obligations

Fly Over

Chapters 56-66 show us that the salvation in which He reveals His righteousness, on the one hand, delivers His people from the presence of sin.

But on the other hand, His salvation and righteousness result in judgment on everyone who opposed Him.

We were redeemed in 53.

From 56 awaiting the completion of our salvation

World people, Sabbath people, praying people (56:1-8)

( 56:1-8 ) 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.” 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.

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.”

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.”

Q: What should people do to prepare for the coming Salvation?

56:1?

Reason

( 56:1 ) Keep justice, and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come

Keep 55:6,7

Incentives to keep seeking the Lord and forsaking evil ( 55:6-7 ) is because the Lord’s salvation is near

Motyer

The call to practice righteousness matches 51:1 where those who model their lives on the Servant (50:10), are described as pursuing righteousness (cf.

51:7), the promise that it will soon come corresponds to 51:5 (cf.

46:13; 51:6, 8)

Not Saying

“Isaiah is not inviting people to seek Salvation by their own works of righteousness but urging (along with the rest of Bible) those who belong to the Lord to devote themselves to the life that reflects what has been revealed to be right” (Motyer)

Q: What specifically are they supposed to do (v2)?

Sabbath

( 56:2 ) Keep the Sabbath

— Before the exile, it was a sin not to keep the Sabbath

— After the people returned from Babylon, Nehemiah reinstituted it (Neh 10:31, 13:15)

— God will reinstitute the Sabbath in the millennium

World-wide

World-wide call.

Interesting Isaiah says keep the Sabbath

— Requires the wholesale reorganization of life around the requirements and worship of Israel’s God

When?

— When will all this happen?

In the millennial Kingdom ( 11:6; 14:1-3; 19:16; 24:23; 27:2-6; 35:1-10; 42:10-12; 43:5-6; 49:19ff; 56:1-11; 61:1-9 )

Why don’t we keep the Sabbath today?

Jesus

Jesus violated the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-28) - no OT law but Jews added restrictions

The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath

— The Sabbath was not to be a burden for man, but the Jews had turned it into a burden

4th Cmd

— Ex 20:8 is the 4th commandment

— The other 9 are permanent and binding ; all moral

— 7 Day Adventist (cult, believe writings of Ellen G White are inspired); also 7 Day Baptists think 4th commandment is still binding

— Some Christian think Sunday is the new Sabbath (puritans thought so)

— God completed and rested on the 7th day; blessed (separated, elevated, exalted) it (Gen 2:1-3)

— He made it holy because a) the whole of creation was finished b) He rested from work, c) blessed it

— No mention in Gen 2 of Sabbath being a day of worship; First time is mentioned is Ex 16 when they are fed manna except Sabbath

— Ex 31:12-17 A sign that points to something else.

Moses covenant sign - Rainbow; Abrahamic covenant - circumcision; Mosaic convent sign- Sabbath

— Only a sign, observing it with a duplicitous heart gained nothing (Is 1:13)

— What was the symbol for?

Remind men that they had forfeited paradise by sin; every 7 days a reminder that they were living in a fallen world

Changed

When Jesus came everything change

— Didn’t clean out the temple; he abolished it

— Didn’t get rid of the bad priests; he abolished the priesthood

— Didn’t change attitudes about sacrifices, he abolished the sacrificial system

— He abolished the Sabbath; healed a man on the Sabbath (Luke 14:1); struck a blow at the Sabbath

— Jesus would never violate the 10 commandments or Law of God but he violated the Sabbath; Jews tried to kill him

NT

Spiritual salvation reset (Heb 3:7-11) ; not a day of the week

4th commandment is not repeated in the NT, the other 9 are repeated

Mosaic Sabbath was a dim reflection of Salvation rest (Rom 14:5-6) ; part of a passing scheme (Rom 14:2)

— Col 2: 11 we know that circumcision is abolished (Gal 5:2) ; Col 2:16 no one judge you with respect to a Sabbath; a mere shadow

Q: In the past some could not join the Lord.

What does he say to them now (vv3-5)?