Isaiah 56:7

The Bible says in Isaiah 56:7-8, “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.” It is important to notice the statement in Isaiah 56:7 where God said, “for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.” In the Old Testament the temple was the house of God. Jesus Himself quoted this Bible verse in Mark 11:15-18, “And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.”

As we stated above in the Old Testament the temple was the house of God, and therefore should have been the place that was known for prayer. What is the house of God in the New Testament? What is the place that is symbolic of God’s presence and the place that should be characterized by prayer to God? That “place” is the body of the believer. It says to Christians in First Corinthians 3:17, “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” And it says in First Corinthians 6:19, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” Believers should be characterized by their prayers to the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice that in the introduction to First Corinthians the Apostle Paul wrote in First Corinthians 1:2, “with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.” If you have the kind of relationship with Jesus that Paul was talking about, then you do not only claim to be saved by Jesus, but you have a relationship with Jesus whereby you are known as someone who calls upon the name of Jesus. In other words, you are a person of prayer who prays to Jesus on a regular basis. It says in First Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” It says in Romans 12:12, “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.” God wants us to pray because He enjoys communication with us. Everyone likes to communicate with those that they love. Of course, we need to pray because our needs are great, and because Jesus can answer any prayer. He can do anything because He has all power. We certainly have a lot to pray about. We need hope, and strength, and faith, and wisdom that can only come from Him. We need His will to be done in every event of our lives. We need His care, and His leadership, and His provision, and His protection. And we need to pray for others also. Ephesians 6:17 says that we should pray for all other Christians. This means to pray for all Christians, not just the ones who agree with you. It says, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” We are told to pray about “every thing” in Philippians 4:6. It says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” We are told to pray about the food that we eat in First Timothy. It says in First Timothy 4:4-5, “For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” In James we are told to pray for those who are sick. It says in James 5:15-16, “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” We are told to pray for all people and for all who are in authority that they might be saved. It says in First Timothy 2:1-4, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

Jesus lived a life of prayer. We are told about Jesus in Hebrews 5:7-8, “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” It also says about Jesus in Luke 6:12, “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” The question for every believer should always be, “Is your life characterized by prayer?” Remember that the Lord said in Isaiah 56:7, “for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.”

The Bible says in Isaiah 56:9-12, “All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest. His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.” The verses previous to these in Isaiah were telling us about the abundant blessings and benefits that are promised for those who believe in Jesus and who serve Him. Now we are being told some details about those who do not trust in the Lord. Isaiah 56:9 makes it clear that the wicked are headed for destruction. It says, “All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.” Animals eating the carcasses of human beings is not a phenomenon that we are familiar with in our society, but it was more common during the Old Testament times; especially after some great battle when the losers’ dead bodies would lay on the battlefield. The implication of these verses is that the world is heading for a great battle when the enemies of God will come together to oppose the Lord, but the enemies will all be destroyed. Speaking of this future battle where the wicked are destroyed, the Bible says in Revelation 19:17-21, “And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”

What happens that leads these people to become so wicked? Often the problems start at the top. Those in positions of leadership too often fail. It says in Isaiah 56:10, “His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.” The “watchmen” are those who should be warning people of the wrath to come. They should be warning people about right and wrong, and the consequences of doing wrong. The political leaders, the educational leaders, and the religious leaders all share in this responsibility. In the home parents have a responsibility to at least warn their children of what will happen to those who go the wrong way in life. It can get so bad that those who should be watchmen are “ignorant.” In other words they do not even know what warnings should be given. One of the primary problems with our leaders is that they just do not know the solution to the problems. They are ignorant. Isaiah 56:11 says, “they are shepherds that cannot understand.” They are wealthy men and women who live in a world that is much different than that of the average person, and the leaders just do not know what to say or what to do. They are ignorant. And they do not ask wisdom from the Lord. “If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.”

Of course, these bad leaders have other problems in addition to their lack of wisdom. They are called “greedy dogs” in Isaiah 56:11. Instead of making decisions based upon what is best for the country or what is best for the future, they make decisions based upon what is best for themselves personally. They are selfish, and selfishness is the same as sinfulness. It says in Isaiah 56:11, “they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.” It cannot be proven that they do this, but basically what happens is that they are selling their votes for money. Nothing can be more corrupt.

Isaiah 56:12 talks about substance abuse. The leaders are inept and corrupt partly because of substance abuse, and the substance that is being spoken of here is alcohol. It says in Isaiah 56:12, “Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink.” There are many warnings in the Bible against the use of alcohol. Of course, if the abuse of alcohol is condemned, then this condemnation and warning applies to other drugs as well. It says in Proverbs 20:1, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” In the short term alcohol numbs the brain, slows the reactions, reduces motivation, results in great loss of productivity, causes thousands of fatal accidents every year, and yields other sinful activity. In the long term alcohol damages the mind and the body, is habit forming, and it ruins relationships, marriages, and careers. Knowing that these things and even more are the result of the use of alcohol, it is easy to see that “whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” Turn to Jesus and you will find the wisdom and forgiveness that you need.

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