Today’s passage: Isaiah 56
Helpful thoughts:
- What the Lord gives to His people is better than anything this world can offer. The way the world values things and the way the world tries to ascribe value to people will not define you.
- Those who hold fast to God’s covenant are those who desire to please Him and follow His commands (Verses 4 and 6).
- See Ephesians 2:8-10.
- Verses 9-12 are a rebuke against the leaders and prophets in Israel who preferred the comforts of this life to righteousness. As long as everything seemed easy and normal, they had no further thought or desire for God.
- This is a stark contrast to the foreigners (Us!), the eunuchs, and the outcasts (Exiles) of Israel whom God has promised to receive.
Questions to consider:
- Compare the last verses of Isaiah 56 with the first two verses of Isaiah 55. Do lost people think they’re thirst is not being quenched? Why is it such a gift to become aware of our great need?
- What is the covenant to which we hold fast (1 Corinthians 11:25-26)? What makes foreigners like us become the children of God?
- What emotion does God promise us and where will we experience it to so high a degree (Verse 7)? How should this promise guide our desires and actions today?