Isaiah 56:6, commentary and pictures

Foreigners from the nations may join themselves to the Lord to serve Him, to love His name and to be His servants, and they are known by keeping His Sabbath from defilement and by laying hold of His covenant. Those who so join learn to love Him as Creator and Redeemer and to keep His holy Sabbath as a memorial of His creative power and a blessing given for the good of humanity. Converts thus gathered from heathenism are counted as spiritual Israel, His church on earth, and their foreign birth does not shut them out from His people and their service. He will bring them to His holy mountain and make them joyful in His house of prayer, accepting their offerings on His altar, for His house shall be a house of prayer for all people. This promise reaches into the Christian age, so that Gentiles gathered by the gospel who honor the Sabbath share its blessing, and laying hold of the covenant means entering in loyalty and obedience into the pledge first given at Sinai (Exodus 19:5-6) to obey His voice and keep His covenant.

Strangers Joined to God

The sons of the stranger are foreigners from the nations who join themselves to the Lord to serve Him, to love His name, and to be His servants. They are marked by keeping the Sabbath from polluting or profaning it, keeping it holy, and by taking hold of His covenant and holding fast to it. People from among the nations may thus join the Lord as His servants, showing their love for His name in this way.

Those who so join learn to love Him as Creator and Redeemer. They begin to keep His holy Sabbath day from polluting it as a memorial of His creative power. The Sabbath is a blessing He gave for humanity's good, and keeping it from being profaned belongs with serving and loving the Lord and holding to His covenant.

Converts from heathenism who thus join are counted as spiritual Israel, God's church on earth. Their foreign origin does not separate them from His people, nor does it exclude them from faithful service to God. People from the nations who were not descended from Abraham can be counted among God's people and receive the spiritual blessings promised to Abraham's seed. When salvation is near to come and righteousness to be revealed, the stranger joined to the Lord is assured that he is not separated from His people.

God fulfilled His beneficent design in scattering Judah among the nations by having exiled Israel learn obedience and trust and then impart the knowledge of the living God to others, so that many converts from heathenism wished to unite fully with Israel. Even them He will bring to His holy mountain and make joyful in His house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted upon His altar, for His house shall be called a house of prayer for all people. Sabbath-keeping Gentiles thus share the blessing of God's people, and the Lord God who gathers the outcasts of Israel will gather others to Him besides those already gathered, until when He makes bare His holy arm to deliver His people from captivity all the ends of the earth see the salvation of God.

Sabbath for All Nations

The promise reaches into the Christian age, when through the gospel Gentiles are gathered to God. Those from the nations who join themselves to the Lord to serve Him and to love His name become His servants by keeping the Sabbath from polluting or profaning it and by holding fast His covenant. Those who thus honor the Sabbath are assured the blessing set forth in the following verse, to be brought to His holy mountain and made joyful in His house of prayer. The Sabbath obligation therefore was not ended by Christ's crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, but continues through the whole time when the good news is preached to all nations.

To take hold of His covenant is to enter loyalty and obedience to God. It is the covenant given at Sinai, where Israel pledged to obey His voice and keep His covenant in order to become a peculiar treasure, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation, and that same pledge is to be made in these last days. It is to be made by all who will obey Him in truth, earnestness, and sincerity, doing justice and judgment and keeping from evil. Acceptance with Him depends on faithfully fulfilling the terms of the agreement. Through that faithful keeping His people receive guidance, protection, provision, and blessing. To them belongs a place and an everlasting name in His house within His walls that shall not be cut off.

Message for Present Time

In Isaiah 56:1-10 two parties are brought to view, and those described as strangers joining themselves to the Lord belong to the party assured that the love of God shall be upon them. The chapter is a field of encouragement presenting an open door to meet with God, to seek Him earnestly, and to find Him. To be in that favored party every person must study the Scriptures carefully and stand in a position to glorify God. This requires humbling the heart before God and standing in right relation to Him.

The promise stands with Isaiah 55 and Isaiah 58 as a message for present experience, calling for right work done in right lines because time is passing rapidly. It belongs to Isaiah 50-58 that leaders in the cause and those connected with institutions must study. It brings reproof for disregarding His reproofs, for accepting only the word they choose, and for failing thorough consecration to God. It charges those in high positions carrying great responsibilities who have had great light to receive it with faith and follow on to know the Lord. It warns them under judgment for neglecting the duty to warn the people what is truth while many souls remain unwarned.

The verse is given as God's call for His people to cooperate with Him in the great work to be done by the institutions established by His direction. He is dishonored when unsanctioned human principles are allowed to rule. Self and pride of opinion pressing to the front give the enemy room to hinder that work.

The verse is a precious promise and assurance from a God who never fails, giving light in the Lord to those in darkness. It promises true honor and education, better than worldly honor and learning. It calls for the glad tidings of salvation to be carried to those who have not heard them, while warning that deception and defects in character can hinder the work of making truth known. Those who accept the truth, become loyal members, keep His commandments including the Sabbath, and suffer for obeying it are to receive care, welcome, and support. It defines the grand and noble work of faithful shepherds and guardians of the flock, in which minister and wife as co-laborers educate others, help struggling, ignorant and poor souls, and share their homes with orphans left by Sabbathkeeping parents.