“And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD,
and to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
and holds fast my covenant—
these 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 peoples.”
The Lord GOD,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,
“I will gather yet others to him
besides those already gathered.”
If you are not of Jewish descent, the above passage was written for you. The book of Isaiah is long prophetic book about the nation of Israel, its place in the world, the condition of the world around it and the fact that it will be the source of life to all those nations. Jesus, according to Isaiah, would be the one who comes out of the Root of Jesse (Isaiah 42) and would provide life to the “foreigner.” Those who are not Jews who “join themselves to the Lord” (by faith in Jesus’ finish work on the cross), will be brought into God’s “holy mountain” and God will “make the joyful” in His “house of prayer” (a picture of the Church). Those who “join themselves to the Lord,” will have their “burnt offerings and their sacrifices .. accepted” on God’s alter. The last lines of the above verses are very precious to the Gentle. Isaiah states: “The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel” will also “gather yet others (Gentiles) to him.” God is bringing into His presence, through Jesus’ ministry, Gentiles who will become His children and chooses, as well. This is a glorious thought and a wonderful truth. We are “outcasts,” until we are not.
No comments:
Post a Comment