Isaiah 55:11

The Bible says in Isaiah 55:11, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” The work of God is performed by the Word of God. The Word of God is read and spoken and preached. And then the Word of God enters into the hearts of people and does its work. It says in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Whoever claims to be a teacher or a preacher of God’s Word, needs to be careful that they really teach God’s Word, and not their own ideas or their own words or their own opinions.

Those who hear and receive the Word of God will have tremendous benefits, because these are the people that God is dealing with and guiding in this life. It says in Isaiah 55:12-13, “For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” Isaiah 55:12 tells us about “joy,” and “peace,” and “singing” for those who receive the Word of God. If joy, and peace, and singing are not a significant part of your life, then you must ask yourself if the Word of God has been given its proper place in your life. Are you feeding on the manna that has been sent down from heaven? Of course, there is the written Word, which is the Bible; and there is the living Word, which is Jesus. The written Word tells you about Jesus and His love for you. As you read and think about what the Bible says, by faith you will be able to walk closer to Jesus in your daily life; and therefore you will have more joy, and peace, and singing.

It is important to notice the message that is in Isaiah 55:13. It says, “Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” The amazing truth from this verse has to do with consequences in life. We know that we reap what we sow. We know that for every action, there is a reaction. Those who sin will lose because of their sins. And yet there is another principle at work: the principle of forgiveness. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for sins, God is able to take any situation and turn it around and make it have good results. “Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree.” Yes, the general principle is that we reap what we sow. However, forgiveness in Christ can over-ride this principle with a higher truth and more powerful truth: the forgiveness of sins. That is because that which is eternal will always eventually over-ride and cancel out that which is temporal and temporary. And so Isaiah 55:13 speaks of “an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

The Bible says in Isaiah 56:1-2, “Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.” In spite of the fact that there is such abundant mercy in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, who loves us and who can forgive any sin; the Bible never gives a license to sin. It is never right to do wrong. The message of the Bible is always: you must do the right thing, and you must make the right choices. You must love good and hate evil. There is no other option if you are going to love God, if you are going to please God, and if you are going to walk in fellowship with Jesus. That is why it says in Isaiah 56:2, “Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.” Notice the mention of “the Sabbath.” The Sabbath in the Old Testament referred to days of rest that God instituted and gave to the children of Israel. On those days, the people were to do no work, but were to take time to celebrate and worship and remember God. Think of the Sabbath day as a day of rest. The word “rest” means “peace.” In the phrase “the Sabbath day” the emphasis should not be on the “day” but on peace and rest. The day of rest was only symbolic of real rest that was yet to come. In the New Testament Christ is our rest. It says in Romans 5:12, “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We have ceased from our own labors and have entered into the rest that only Christ can give. Do not pollute the Sabbath: in other words do not go about establishing your own righteousness with your own efforts. By faith honor the Sabbath by resting in Christ in your heart.

In the next few verses there are two groups of people to whom God is careful to give comforting words. One of the attitudes that can become a blockade to faith for some people is the idea that they just are not good enough, and that for some reason God cannot or will not bless them. The reason for the next two Bible verses is to emphasize that this is just not true. The Bible says in Isaiah 56:3-4, “Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant.” The words “the stranger” refer to the Gentiles: those who by their natural lineage are not part of the people of God. Through Christ God takes those who are far off and brings them near. Self-righteous religious people will try to alienate and condemn whomever they can, but as long as we look to the Lord and not to human beings we will be comforted by the truth that the Lord Jesus accepts us when we have faith in Him. Once again we see that the Old Testament emphasizes the same truths as the New Testament: not religion but a personal relationship with the Lord is emphasized. Notice that in Isaiah 56:3 it speaks of someone “that hath joined himself to the LORD.” Jesus is standing there with an open invitation to come to Him to find acceptance, and forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. All that anyone has to do is to repent of his or her sins, turn to Jesus, and he will have “joined himself to the LORD.”

The eunuchs that are mentioned in Isaiah 56:3 and Isaiah 56:4 of course are individuals that are not married and have had no children. They represent everyone in the world who does not have the traditional human relationships of family and marriage, and they also represent those who have lost those relationships through divorce or widowhood or even the failure of their children to develop into what they could have been for the Lord. The eunuchs are anyone who looks at their lives and their descendents or lack thereof, and think, “Behold, I am a dry tree.” In other words they feel like their lives have not yielded anything of value especially in regards to offspring or children. Never forget this: human children refer to that which is physical and material in this life. God is telling anyone who thinks they are “a dry tree” that what is really important is that they choose spirituality over the physical or material, and then God will take care of the rest. God tells such individuals to “choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant.” If you do that, you will not fail and your life will be meaningful and fruitful no matter what happens in regards to children of the womb.

The Lord continues to speak to those who think they are outcasts. The Lord says in Isaiah 56:5-8, “Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.” One of the truths that we see in these verses is that God loves the people of the earth who are the outcasts and the downtrodden. Those who have been neglected and rejected, God will seek out in order to abundantly bless them and gather them to Himself. Jesus said in Matthew 5:3-5, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” Jesus gave the invitation in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The Bible says in First Corinthians 1:26-28, “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are.”

We know that God is involved in every detail of every person’s life. Nothing happens except that God allows it to happen, and God is able to make a good result to be the final outcome. It is a terrible thing to be an outcast. But an outcast is much more likely to respond to Jesus’ invitation to come to Him and be saved. And then the outcast is an outcast no more. He or she becomes one of the brethren and accepted into the family of God. Of course, the greatest benefit to being saved by faith in Christ is eternal life. It says in Isaiah 56:5, “I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.”

Isaiah 56:8 gives us a very important revelation concerning the work of the Lord in this world. What did God do in the days of Isaiah? He gathered up outcasts and brought them into the Kingdom of God. What is God doing today? He is doing the same thing. It says in Isaiah 56:8, “The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.” God wants to save people, as many people as He can. Jesus said in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

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