Tanak Foundations-Concepts in Isaiah-Chapter 56

Isa 56.1-12 contains a prophecy about the non-Jews who believe and their coming to Yehovah, the Torah and the Temple, with a promise to judge the blind leaders of the blind. The non-Jews are not to say they are separate from the Jewish people because they hold fast to the Torah and do what pleases Yehovah.

v 1…Thus say the Lord, “Preserve justice (Deut 16.19; Micah 6.8-observe the Torah) and do righteousness (as defined by the Torah), for salvation (Hebrew “yeshuat”-Isa 62.11, 40.10; Rev 22.12) is about to come and my righteousness to be revealed (as promised in the covenant. Israel needs to be in a covenant relation with Yehovah).

v 2…How blessed (empowered to succeed) is the man (Hebrew “enosh” and means a humble man; and it is a term for the Messiah-Dan 7.13 where it says “son of man” and it is not “ben adam” but “bar Enosh”) who does this (justice and righteousness as defined by the Torah), and the son of man (ben adam) who takes hold of it; who keeps from profaning (making it common, doing what you would normally do any other day), and keeps his eye from doing any evil.”

v 3…Let not the foreigner (Hebrew “nekar”-meaning a non-Jew-Deut 16.9; Exo 20.8; Isa 66.23; Acts 10.1-2, Lev 16.29) who has joined himself to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely separate me from his people” (when Israel is restored, they feared that Yehovah would not want them, and forbid them from being full citizens. Eph 2.11-22 tells us different). Neither let the eunuch (those mutilated to serve foreign gods or courts; they would be pronounced unfit because they could not enter the Temple, so they were afraid that they would be excluded-Deut 23.1-3; Lev 21.18-20. But this word for eunuch can also mean an officer of a court and not necessarily that they were castrated-Gen 37.6, 39.1. It can also mean “faithful” because they were loyal to their masters-Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon of the Old Testament, Baker Book House, p. 595, Strong’s #5631) say, “Behold, I am a dry tree (can mean unrighteous-Ezek 17.24, 20.47, 21.67; Luke 23.28-31).”

v 4…For thus says the Lord, “To the eunuchs (court official, faithful one) who keeps my sabbaths (Exo 20.10; Isa 58.13), and choose what pleases me (1 John 3.22; Heb 11.6), and hold fast my covenant (the Torah regulates life according to God’s will; it is God’s Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil),

v 5…To them I will give in my house (the household of God-John 14.1-2; Psa 27.4; the Olam Haba; the Temple, etc) and within my walls a memorial, and a name better than that of son’s and daughters (who carry on your name; this is everlasting); I will give them as an everlasting name which will not be cut off (like it could with literal sons and daughters).

v 6…Also the foreigners (Hebrew “nekar” and non-Jews) who join themselves to the Lord (in the future) to minister to him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants (by obeying the Torah as it applied to them), every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath, and holds fast my covenant (the Torah);

v 7…Even those I will bring to my holy mountain (Isa 14.13; Psa 15), and make them joyful in the house of my prayer (prayer made to Yehovah); their burnt offerings (“olot”) and the sacrifices (“zevachayhem”) will be acceptable on my altar (Isa 66.23; Zech 14.16-18-the Temple has always been a house of prayer for all nations. At Sukkot, seventy bulls were offered symbolizing the seventy nations of the world, based on Exo 1.5 and Deut 32.8); for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations (“house” can also mean “the Kingdom of God”).”

v 8…The Lord God (Adonai Yehovah) who gathers the dispersed of Israel (among the nations), declares, “Yet others (sheep) I will gather to him (Israel), besides those that are gathered to him (the non-Jews-John 7.35, 10.16; Eph 2.11-22).

v 9… All you beasts of the field, all you beasts of the forest (literally), come to eat (the slain).

v 10…His watchmen (the prophets) are blind (have become short-sighted and now are false prophets and false shepherds-Matt 15.14, 23.16), all of them know nothing (no spiritual understanding), all of them are dumb dogs unable to bark (useless and too lazy to sound an alarm at the wolves), dreamers, lying down, who love to slumber (rather than feed and warn the flock; they only care about themselves).

v 11…And the dogs (false prophets) are greedy; they are not satisfied (covetous), and they are shepherds who have no understanding (comprehension of the difference between good and evil); they have all turned to their own way (not God’s way in the Torah), each one to his unjust gain.

v 12…”Come,” they say, “let us get wine, and let us drink heavily of strong drink; and tomorrow will be like today, only more so (not just literally, but this also alludes to inviting others to partake of a spiritual banquet where they can be in a spiritual stupor, forgetting about the prophecies that warn of the evil that is coming).”

Posted in All Teachings, Articles, Idioms, Phrases and Concepts, Prophecy/Eschatology, The Festivals of the Lord, The Tanak, Tying into the New Testament

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