Isaiah 56

CHAPTER 56THEME: Grand particulars of the future Kingdom; predicament of the present kingdomThe chapter before us follows a pattern that goes back to that marvelous fifty-third chapter, which tells of the salvation of the Lord provided for lost mankind by the sacrifice of His Son upon the Cross. Now Isaiah the prophet returns to the nation of Israel and is speaking to his own people. What we have in this chapter is not a retreat to Mount Sinai (as some seem to think) but rather a victory march through the arch of triumph into the Millennium. It is a forward movement which is the logical outworking of what has preceded. It pertains particularly to Israel and radiates out into a widening circle of global benefits. This all rests on the new covenant which God has made with Israel. It will be the blessing for the earth in the future. At that time the Mosaic Law, which the Lord Jesus lifted to the nth degree in His Sermon on the Mount, will be enforced on the earth because Christ will be reigning. It will be His will and it will be His law. The emphasis in this chapter is on ethics, not on events. The emphasis is on practice, not prophecy. All of this should influence our living today. The study of prophecy is not to entertain the curious or to intrigue the intellect but to encourage holy living. Remember that the apostle John wrote: “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1Jn_3:3). The study of prophecy gives us a purifying hope. Isaiah now is looking forward into the Kingdom Age, the Millennium. The Lord Jesus is reigning. As we said, our Lord lifted the Mosaic Law to the nth degree in His Sermon on the Mount, which makes it absolutely impossible for anybody to be saved by keeping the Law. For instance, He said, “…Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca [a word of contempt], shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Mat_5:22). On that kind of basis, very few of us would escape. How, then, are we going to be saved?

Well, we have a Savior who saves us. But when He is reigning on earth, there will be no hijacking of planes, no kidnapping, no murdering, no mugging. We will be able to walk in safety down Glory Boulevard and Hallelujah Avenue in Jerusalem; the earth will be a safe place in that day. Every man will dwell in peace under his own vine and fig tree, which means he is going to be a capitalist. Everyone will own property and will not be taxed for it. That’s going to be great, isn’t it!

Isaiah 56:1

GRAND PARTICULARS OF THE FUTURE KINGDOM"My salvation is near to come"apparently the prophets expected the establishment of the Kingdom immediately. Although they made allowance for the possibility of an interval, they speak of it in the immediate future. “Salvation” is the national salvation of Israel. This is what was in the mind of the apostle Paul in Rom_11:26 when he said, “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” Anticipation of the coming salvation was to be an incentive to do justicejust as our hope of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is an incentive today to lead a holy life.

Isaiah 56:2

This, you see, is for a people who are back under the Sabbath. The Sabbath will be restored to this earth during the Millennium. During this present day of grace we are definitely told: “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days” (Col_2:16). Therefore, you and I are not under the Sabbathwhich ought to be evident to everyone. But God intends to restore it to the earth when Christ reigns, for the law will go forth from Jerusalem.

Isaiah 56:3

The Gentile in that day is not to feel that he is an outsider because of God’s peculiar arrangement with Israel. On the contrary, he is invited to step up and share the blessings. A eunuch could not serve as a priest under the Mosaic economy. In other words, a physical handicap will shut no one out in that future day.

Isaiah 56:4

The handicapped, the strangers, and all outcasts are invited to accept God’s gracious overture of a position that is better than a son or daughter and a security that is everlasting. This the Law did not give. He is talking about the Millennium, of course.

Isaiah 56:6

The stranger will be given a new heart that he might love the Lord in that day.

Isaiah 56:7

This is the verse from which the Lord quoted when He cleansed the temple the second time. It was God’s original intention that the temple was to be for all people irrespective of their race, tongue, class, or condition. It had long ceased to function as such in Christ’s day. Also the present-day church is as far removed from its primary objective as the temple. The church has become like a suburban country club. It has moved from the downtown area and into the suburban area where it is serving good meals and has good volleyball and basketball teams. But there are few personal workers bringing the lost to the Lord.

Isaiah 56:8

The Kingdom is to be worldwide in its extent and will include members of every family of the human race. God says in that day they are going to go out after folk. I believe that the greatest time of turning to Christ will take place during the Millennium.

Isaiah 56:9

PREDICAMENT OF THE PRESENT KINGDOMNow that we have seen the marvelous view of the future Kingdom, Isaiah returns to the predicament of the kingdom of his day. And we see the same problems as we look around us today. Our vision is now shifted from the lofty contemplation of the glorious future Kingdom to the sorry condition of the then existing kingdom. God was permitting the nations of the world to come in like wild and ferocious beasts, and they were robbing and pillaging His people. Assyria had already broken in, and Babylon was soon to break in; later others would come to plunder and destroy. If you have ever seen pictures of the walls of Jerusalem and the wailing wall, you can see that they are built of stones from different periods of civilizations. It is quite evident that the city has been destroyed repeatedly. History tells us that Jerusalem has been destroyed at least twenty-seven times, and today it is built upon debris.

To go down to the place where Christ walked this earth you would have to dig thirty to fifty feet below the present surface. God permitted nations to come against Israel. Why? Because Israel failed Him so. Note this remarkable verse

Isaiah 56:10

This is a picture of the prophets and priests who spoke for God in that day. God permitted the enemy to take Jerusalem because of the weak and inadequate leaders of the people. They were blind. They were ignorant. They were dumb dogs. In the New Testament Paul warned the people to beware of dogs (see Php_3:2).

What did he mean? Well, he’s not talking about being wary of a stranger’s dog that barks at you. He is referring to false teachers and preachers who are not declaring the full counsel of God. In Isaiah’s day every shepherd had a dog to help him watch the sheep. The dog would lie down at night and keep one eye open. The minute a dangerous animal or a human being came to harm or to steal a sheep, the dog would bark.

Watchmenthe prophets and the priests who should have been warning God’s people and giving out the Word of Godwere ignorant of it. They were like dumb dogs who did not bark when there was danger. It was easier for them to keep quiet. Liberalism, in my judgment, came into being because of the cowardly position that many ministers took. When you preach the Word of God, you step on toes. I know thisI have been doing it for years. I try to be as nice as I can about preaching the Word, but it is strong and this verse is very strong. The man who stands in the pulpit and won’t give out God’s Word is a dumb dog! I didn’t say that, but Isaiah did say it, and Isaiah wrote at the direction of the Holy Spirit of God. A dumb dog is a man who won’t give out the Word of God. He lies down and sleeps. He cannot bark. He loves to slumber. It is much more comfortable for the pastor to try to please his people. Over the years I have received many letters from pulpit committees asking me to recommend a pastor. Then they list the qualifications they want him to have. The top priority qualification is personality. They want a friendly pastor who knows how to communicate to all groupsa man that the senior citizens will love and the young people will love. Some of the letters don’t even ask for a man with the ability to teach the Word of God! As a result, there are a lot of dumb dogs in pulpits. I am sorry to say this, but it is true, and Isaiah said it before I did.

Isaiah 56:11

“They are greedy dogs.” They are concerned with their own personal interests rather than the welfare of their people. One day I had lunch with a preacher friend of mine who is retired. He said to me, “McGee, you are making your message on the radio a little strong, aren’t you? Suppose people turn against you and won’t support your program?” I replied, “Then I’ll go off the air and just tell the Lord about it. If He intends for me to stay on the air, He intends for me to give out His Word. Very frankly, I think that this is His problem, not mine. I’ll just give out His word.”

Isaiah 56:12

These people drowned their sad plight and condition in drink, and they faced the future as drunkards and blind optimists. There are many people today who are facing life like that. They drown their troubles in drink. In our nation today, my friend, we have an alcohol problem among adults and young peopleand even children! I am seeing more drunkards today than I have ever seen before in my long life. When I was on a plane the other day, I was seated near a dear old grandmother.

She was the sweetest looking little thing, and I just wished she were my grandmother. I was thinking, Well, she is one person on this plane who won’t be ordering a cocktail. And, do you know, she ordered a Bloody Mary! Oh, boy, she tossed them down! Obviously she was accustomed to that sort of thing. The morality of our nation is gone, my friend.

And a great many Christians don’t want to hear about it; they would rather listen to soft, sweet music. Well, you don’t get into trouble when you play soft music, but you do when you give out the Word of God. But Isaiah told it like it was, and that’s what I intend to do also.