ESOCS Devotional 20 December 2023 – Blessing of Doing God’s Will
MEMORY VERSE: “Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.” Isaiah 56:5
TEXT: ISAIAH 56:1-5 (KJV)
Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
3 Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.
4 For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;
5 Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
In our text, God portrays the character of the gathering people. They will be like his Servant, keeping justice and doing righteousness. Therefore, primary message is a call to those who accept the Lord’s invitation to live a righteous life, keep the covenant, and maintain a repentant, humble and contrite heart to continue to receive the mercy of the Lord. The blessings that result will give us a beautiful picture of the transformation God promised.
From the beginning, the purpose of the Sabbath/rest was illustrated by the Garden, where man was able to enjoy the presence of God without toiling by the sweat of his brow (Exodus 31:12-17; Deut. 5:15.).
What then are we, as disciples of the Servant, to understand from this emphasis? First and foremost, the blessed state of disciples of the Servant comes through a relationship with the Lord. That relationship is based on keeping his covenant and desiring him. It is the same as Paul’s words: “I want to know him…”
This principle was summarized by Hosea 6:6: “I desire steadfast love, not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” We should therefore ask ourselves the question: Are we keeping the Sabbath? Or, are we profaning the Sabbath? The way we do that is by planning our lives and time so that we are not treating the “Sabbath command” the way Israel did where they did not consider the true meaning and purpose of the Sabbath. God desires that we order our lives so that we give time to knowing him and developing a steadfast love for him. In contrast, Israel was supposedly meticulously keeping the Sabbath in a way that demonstrated the “cleaning of the outside of the cup” while living lives that were inwardly filthy. In other words, Israel was violating both instructions in verse 2.
What is brought to our attention are those who had been perpetually outside the covenantal relationship of the Lord, whether eunuchs or foreigners, they are not only included in God’s covenant, they are given all the full rights and blessings of God’s people. Consider the implications of this: First, the eunuch is no longer without children or a family. He will produce spiritual children and be a part of a larger family than could have been possible in a physical family (Mark 3:31-35; 10:29-30).
Further, verse 5 answers the question of how the eunuchs would not be a “dry tree.” In other words, the name of a eunuch would not be carried on. Without producing children, his name is lost forever. But God answers that within the house and walls of God’s kingdom he will have a monument and a name that will last forever. His citizenship within God’s family and kingdom will never be cut off.
- Are you still trusting and holding onto Him for all His promises to you?
- Lord, grant me grace to hold onto your promises in my life till You bring them to pass in Jesus name.
FURTHER READING: Isaiah 29:13-24; John 3:22–30; 11:1–16
ESOCS Devotional 20 December 2023
