QT 27/04/2025 Sun. Isaiah 56. The performance or character of the Servants of God? 上帝仆人的表现或品格？
QT 27/04/2025 Sun. Isaiah 56. The performance or character of the Servants of God?
READ http://www.esvbible.org/isaiah56
Inclusiveness might be far from the foreigners’ minds—“The LORD will surely separate me from his people” (56:3b), as these people could not imagine how they can have any status in their relationship with Israel’s God, The LORD.
Satisfactory performance might also be far from the eunuchs’ minds—“Behold, I am a dry tree” (56:3), as these people resign to their destiny of being unable to contribute to the nation in procreation.
But CHARACTER, rather than PERFORMANCE, is the deciding factor which God considers in His evaluation of salvation and inclusion.
Isaiah 56:1–2 Salvation for Foreigners
[1] Thus says the LORD: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed.
[2] Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.” (ESV)
The prophet had spoke of (1) the Servant’s ministry to bring God’s justice to the nations (Isaiah 40–55) and (2) the ministry of being living examples for each Israelite as witnesses to the nations. Now in Isaiah 56, the prophet sets out the implication of following that Servant’s example.
The results of the twin ministries would be that all nations would flow to Jerusalem to learn the Law of God, to participate in the covenant offered there, and to love His name.
Isaiah 56:6–7
[6] “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—
[7] 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.” (ESV)
REFLECTION: Isaiah 53:6b speaks of “everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it”. Isn’t keeping the Sabbath also a performance, rather than character?
The verbal declarations by a husband of love but who does not come home, the piety of children who do not support ailing parents, or the dating relationship participants who no longer have any desire to go out and meet—these situations point to deeper issues that cannot be cured merely by increasing performance.
A spouse or friend might detect in-authenticity. But the LORD knows the genuineness of the action. Isaiah 56 evaluates our religious performances and duties, by re-examining the underlying inclinations and motivations that are lived out visibly. Are these “action only” and “for show” for other purposes?
Who pleases God? Not the physical descendants of Abraham, but the people who evidence a living relationship with God by living a type of life that is God-like. The foreigners and the eunuchs can truly be the children of God. Character, rather than genealogy, is the mark of God’s servants.
QT 27/04/2025 星期日. 以赛亚书 56。上帝仆人的表现或品格？
阅读 http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/isa/56
外邦人的心目中可能远远没有包容性--““耶和华必把我从他的子民中分别出来”（56:3b），因为这些人无法想象他们在与以色列的上帝耶和华的关系中会有什么地位。
令人满意的表现也可能远离太监们的心灵--“看哪！我是一棵枯树”（56：3），因为这些人甘心接受自己无法为国家生育做出贡献的命运。
但品格，而不是表现，才是上帝在评估救赎和包容时所考虑的决定性因素。
以赛亚书 56:1-2 外邦人的救恩
耶和华这样说：“你们要持守公平，实行公义；因为我的拯救快要来到，我的公义快要显现了。2谨守安息日，不亵渎这日，保守自己的手不作任何恶事，这样行的人和坚持这样作的人，是有福的！”
先知曾提到：（1）仆人的使命是将上帝的公义带给列国（以赛亚书 40-55）；（2）仆人的使命是每个以色列人成为的活榜样，为列国作见证。在以赛亚书第 56 章中，先知阐述了以仆人为榜样的含义。
这两项事工的结果是，所有国家都会涌向耶路撒冷，学习上帝的律法，参与那里所立的约，并爱上帝的名。
以赛亚书 56:6-7
6 至于那些与耶和华联合的外族人，为要事奉他，爱耶和华的名，作他的仆人的，就是谨守安息日，不亵渎这日，又持守我的约的，7 我必领他们到我的圣山，使他们在属于我的祷告的殿中喜乐；他们的燔祭和祭品，在我的祭坛上必蒙悦纳；因为我的殿必称为万族祷告的殿。”
反思：以赛亚书 53：6b 提到 “谨守安息日，不亵渎这日”。守安息日不也是一种“表现”，而不是“品格”吗？
丈夫口口声声说爱却不回家，儿女虔诚却不赡养生病的父母，或者约会关系的参与者不再想出去见面--这些情况都指向更深层次的问题，而这些问题是无法仅仅通过提高表现来治愈的。
配偶或朋友可能会察觉到不真实。但耶和华都完全知道行动的真实性。以赛亚书第 56 章评估了我们的宗教表现和职责，重新审视了那些显而易见的潜在倾向和动机。这些 “表演的行动 ”和 “作秀 ”是否另有其他目的？
谁能取悦上帝？不是亚伯拉罕肉身的后裔，而是那些通过过一种像神品格一样的生活来证明与神之间活生生关系的人。外国人和太监可以真正成为上帝的儿女。品格，而不是家谱，才是上帝仆人的标志。
