Devotions: Blessings of Mercy!

Thus says the Lord,
“Preserve justice and do righteousness,
For My salvation is about to come
And My righteousness to be revealed.

How blessed is the man who does this,
And the son of man who takes hold of it;
Who keeps from profaning the sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

Isaiah 56:1-2 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

This is part of the prophecy against Israel, who strayed, turned away from the One True God to foreign gods, and committed horrendous sin, and was therefore doomed to experience God’s wrath. The previous chapters lay out God’s plan for salvation, foretelling the coming of Christ and His sacrifice for all. Through Him, God offers mercy to all who will accept it, to all who will turn and come to God. When God comes to offer us something, we must come to Him to receive it. In so doing…1-We must preserve justice. The land at that time was full of corruption, officials who took brides and leaders who lied and gave false witness for their own profit. But the children of God are to be honest and just. 2-We are to do righteousness. We are not to live in sin, contrary to the ways and laws of God. As God’s people, we are to be holy as He is holy. We are not to use His free grace as an excuse to live selfishly, but as the power to live as He does. 3-We are to keep from profaning the Sabbath. The Sabbath is not some ritualistic day with many rules and no meaning. It was meant as a time of rest, a time to realize our humanity and need for God, and a time to spend in the presence of God, seeking and enjoying Him. It is a day meant to bless us. 4-We are to refrain from evil. By God’s grace, we are not saved by observance of the law or sacrifices; we are saved by faith alone in Christ alone through grace alone. This is an awesome gift that we could never earn or deserve in any way. That gift demands a life of grateful service. The more we realize the great debt from which we have been saved, the more grateful we will be to our Savior and the more we will desire to serve Him with our whole lives. The best way that we can show God our gratitude is through obedience, not out of duty but out of love. 1 John 5:3 says that love is keeping His commands. By obeying God and avoiding sin, we are not earning salvation but loving God.

If we do these things we will be blessed. We will escape His wrath and punishment. We will have His grace and mercy. We will walk in His love.

This applies to all who come. The following verses include two groups of people who would ordinarily have felt excluded from the grace of God: eunuchs and foreigners. Foreigners were often excluded because they were not of the children of God, even if they were converted to Judaism. But under the new salvation God was bringing, heritage and nationality would no longer be grounds for exclusion, all are welcome! Eunuchs may have felt excluded even if they were Jews because they were limited. They could not have children. They lacked the ability to have that further blessing of a “full quiver”. But under God’s salvation, they have the opportunity of many children through faith! How great is the God we serve!