September 19 – Isaiah 56 thru 58 from the Old Testament

Isaiah 56 thru 58 – The Lord Invites Outsiders to Enter

56:1 This is what the Lord says,

“Promote justice! Do what is right!

For I am ready to deliver you;

I am ready to vindicate you openly.

56:2 The people who do this will be blessed,

the people who commit themselves to obedience,

who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,

who refrain from doing anything that is wrong.

56:3 No foreigner who becomes a follower of the Lord should say,

‘The Lord will certainly exclude me from his people.’

The eunuch should not say,

‘Look, I am like a dried-up tree.’”

56:4 For this is what the Lord says:

“For the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths

and choose what pleases me

and are faithful to my covenant,

56:5 I will set up within my temple and my walls a monument

that will be better than sons and daughters.

I will set up a permanent monument for them that will remain.

56:6 As for foreigners who become followers of the Lord and serve him,

who love the name of the Lord and want to be his servants –

all who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,

and who are faithful to my covenant –

56:7 I will bring them to my holy mountain;

I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to me.

Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar,

for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.”

56:8 The sovereign Lord says this,

the one who gathers the dispersed of Israel:

“I will still gather them up.”

The Lord Denounces Israel’s Paganism

56:9 All you wild animals in the fields, come and devour,

all you wild animals in the forest!

56:10 All their watchmen are blind,

they are unaware.

All of them are like mute dogs,

unable to bark.

They pant, lie down,

and love to snooze.

56:11 The dogs have big appetites;

they are never full.

They are shepherds who have no understanding;

they all go their own way,

each one looking for monetary gain.

56:12 Each one says,

‘Come on, I’ll get some wine!

Let’s guzzle some beer!

Tomorrow will be just like today!

We’ll have everything we want!’

57:1 The godly perish,

but no one cares.

Honest people disappear,

when no one minds

that the godly disappear because of evil.

57:2 Those who live uprightly enter a place of peace;

they rest on their beds.

57:3 But approach, you sons of omen readers,

you offspring of adulteresses and prostitutes!

57:4 At whom are you laughing?

At whom are you opening your mouth

and sticking out your tongue?

You are the children of rebels,

the offspring of liars,

57:5 you who practice ritual sex under the oaks and every green tree,

who slaughter children near the streams under the rocky overhangs.

57:6 Among the smooth stones of the stream are the idols you love;

they, they are the object of your devotion.

You pour out liquid offerings to them,

you make an offering.

Because of these things I will seek vengeance.

57:7 On every high, elevated hill you prepare your bed;

you go up there to offer sacrifices.

57:8 Behind the door and doorpost you put your symbols.

Indeed, you depart from me and go up

and invite them into bed with you.

You purchase favors from them,

you love their bed,

and gaze longingly on their genitals.

57:9 You take olive oil as tribute to your king,

along with many perfumes.

You send your messengers to a distant place;

you go all the way to Sheol.

57:10 Because of the long distance you must travel, you get tired,

but you do not say, ‘I give up.’

You get renewed energy,

so you don’t collapse.

57:11 Whom are you worried about?

Whom do you fear, that you would act so deceitfully

and not remember me

or think about me?

Because I have been silent for so long,

you are not afraid of me.

57:12 I will denounce your so-called righteousness and your deeds,

but they will not help you.

57:13 When you cry out for help, let your idols help you!

The wind blows them all away,

a breeze carries them away.

But the one who looks to me for help will inherit the land

and will have access to my holy mountain.”

57:14 He says,

“Build it! Build it! Clear a way!

Remove all the obstacles out of the way of my people!”

57:15 For this is what the high and exalted one says,

the one who rules forever, whose name is holy:

“I dwell in an exalted and holy place,

but also with the discouraged and humiliated,

in order to cheer up the humiliated

and to encourage the discouraged.

57:16 For I will not be hostile forever

or perpetually angry,

for then man’s spirit would grow faint before me,

the life-giving breath I created.

57:17 I was angry because of their sinful greed;

I attacked them and angrily rejected them,

yet they remained disobedient and stubborn.

57:18 I have seen their behavior,

but I will heal them and give them rest,

and I will once again console those who mourn.

57:19 I am the one who gives them reason to celebrate.

Complete prosperity is available both to those who are far away and those who are nearby,”

says the Lord, “and I will heal them.

57:20 But the wicked are like a surging sea

 that is unable to be quiet;

its waves toss up mud and sand.

57:21 There will be no prosperity,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

The Lord Desires Genuine Devotion

58:1 “Shout loudly! Don’t be quiet!

Yell as loud as a trumpet!

Confront my people with their rebellious deeds;

confront Jacob’s family with their sin!

58:2 They seek me day after day;

they want to know my requirements,

like a nation that does what is right

and does not reject the law of their God.

They ask me for just decrees;

they want to be near God.

58:3 They lament, ‘Why don’t you notice when we fast?

Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’

Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires,

you oppress your workers.

58:4 Look, your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls,

and fistfights.

Do not fast as you do today,

trying to make your voice heard in heaven.

58:5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want?

Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves,

bowing their heads like a reed

and stretching out on sackcloth and ashes?

Is this really what you call a fast,

a day that is pleasing to the Lord?

58:6 No, this is the kind of fast I want.

I want you to remove the sinful chains,

to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke,

to set free the oppressed,

and to break every burdensome yoke.

58:7 I want you to share your food with the hungry

and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people.

When you see someone naked, clothe him!

Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood!

58:8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise;

your restoration will quickly arrive;

your godly behavior will go before you,

and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard.

58:9 Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond;

you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’

You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you

and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.

58:10 You must actively help the hungry

and feed the oppressed.

Then your light will dispel the darkness,

and your darkness will be transformed into noonday.

58:11 The Lord will continually lead you;

he will feed you even in parched regions.

He will give you renewed strength,

and you will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring that continually produces water.

58:12 Your perpetual ruins will be rebuilt;

you will reestablish the ancient foundations.

You will be called, ‘The one who repairs broken walls,

the one who makes the streets inhabitable again.’

58:13 You must observe the Sabbath

rather than doing anything you please on my holy day.

You must look forward to the Sabbath

and treat the Lord’s holy day with respect.

You must treat it with respect by refraining from your normal activities,

and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from making business deals.

58:14 Then you will find joy in your relationship to the Lord,

and I will give you great prosperity,

and cause crops to grow on the land I gave to your ancestor Jacob.”

Know for certain that the Lord has spoken.