Advent December 20, 2006

Third Wednesday: The Boundaries Expand

This is what the LORD says:

"Maintain justiceand do what is right,for my salvation is close at handand my righteousness will soon be revealed.

Blessed is the man who does this,the man who holds it fast,who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it,and keeps his hand from doing any evil."

Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD say,"The LORD will surely exclude me from his people."And let not any eunuch complain,"I am only a dry tree."

For this is what the LORD says:"To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,who choose what pleases meand hold fast to my covenant---

to them I will give within my temple and its wallsa memorial and a namebetter than sons and daughters;I will give them an everlasting namethat will not be cut off.

And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORDto serve him,to love the name of the LORD,and to worship him,all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating itand who hold fast to my covenant---

these I will bring to my holy mountainand give them joy in my house of prayer.Their burnt offerings and sacrificeswill be accepted on my altar;for my house will be calleda house of prayer for all nations."

The Sovereign LORD declares---he who gathers the exiles of Israel:"I will gather still others to thembesides those already gathered."

Isaiah 56:1-8 (NIV)

We studied earlier how strict the rules for worship and sacrifice were for the Israelites in the beginning. Deuteronomy 23:1 states this: "No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the LORD." The Israelites did not condone the making of eunuchs, but it was a common practice in other cultures. So those taken captive and made to be eunuchs also suffered exclusion from worship in the temple. They were considered "unclean" because they had been cut as a sign they were set apart to serve other rulers. Thus they could not enter the place of God's holiness.

Realizing how drastic the measures were to maintain purity can bring us a much greater appreciation of what the New Covenant means to us today. Not only did Christ's sacrifice open the door for eunuchs and anyone considered "unclean" to worship him freely (see Acts 8:26-39), but it opened the door for us too. We are the foreigners to whom this passage refers. We are the ones who, if we bind ourselves to the Lord---to serve Him, to love His name, and to worship Him---and who, if we keep the Sabbath without desecrating it, will be invited to God's holy mountain and given joy in our places of worship!

What does this mean to you? How can God accept us when He established such stringent rules? Because Jesus provided the perfect sacrifice. His blood makes it possible for us to stand before God and be looked on as sinless. His blood makes it possible for us to worship freely without restraint. His blood makes it possible to approach God in prayer---in our churches, living rooms, cars, laundry rooms, and workplaces. His blood sets us free!

Reflect and discuss: Think about what it means to have the boundaries of God's chosen people expanded from just clean Israelites to all people, everywhere! How can you be a part of expanding the boundaries of Jesus to others?

For younger children: Take the wrapped gift to the person you and your children picked out during the last reading. When you go, have your children express they came because they wanted to share the love of Jesus.

Please Remember that these are coming from Lifeway.