You know you’re in trouble when…

“This is a difficult verse to interpret because of its elliptical style and the alternation of number. In the first and last cola the subject is singular; in the second colon is it plural. When this variation is coupled with the paucity of words, many commentators despair and with Odeberg call it a collection of glosses. But that is hardly a solution, becuase glosses are for the purpsoe of clarifying, and it is hard to imagine persons who felt free to add something to the prophetic text not taking the care to help rather than hinder.”

John Oswalt on Isaiah 57:2

Emphasis mine

Happy slavery…

John Oswalt on Isaiah 56:6…

“Also the sons of the foreigner
Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him,
And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—
Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And holds fast My covenant—

Israel has been called to become the Lord’s servants for the sake of the world and ultimately so that the world can join that happy slavery.

No distinction…

E. J. Young on Isaiah 56:3…

Do not let the son of the foreigner
Who has joined himself to the Lord
Speak, saying,
“The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”;
Nor let the eunuch say,
“Here I am, a dry tree.”

Inasmuch as the Lord’s salvation is near, all personal and national distinctions and disabilities are to be abolished.

The Lord’s law and character…

Alec Motyer on Isaiah 56:1…

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

Isaiah is not inviting people to seek salvation by their own works of righteousness but urging (along with the rest of the Bible) those who belong to the Lord to devote themselves to the life that reflects what he has revealed to be right. Taken together, justice and what is right/’righteousness’ point respectively to the Lord’s law (what he has ‘judged’ to be right) and the Lord’s character (his righteous person).

Concern with maintaining Sabbath

John Oswalt on Isaiah 56:2…

Blessed is the man who does this,
And the son of man who lays hold on it;
Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

The concern with maintaining the Sabbath with its emphasis on God as Creator (Gen. 2:3; Exod. 20:11)  and Savior (Deut. 15:5) speaks of a life that understands good and evil in a firmly covenant-ordered framework. Thus avoidance of evil is to be an expression of worship, and true worship must issue in a life of hatred for all that the adored one hates.

At hand…

E. J. Young on Isaiah 56:1…

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

This is the Old Testament proclamation of “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Central sign…

E. J. Young on Isaiah 56:2…

Blessed is the man who does this,
And the son of man who lays hold on it;
Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

The weekly observance of the sabbath was tantamount to an acknowledgement that the God of Israel was indeed the Creator of heaven and earth, and that he had delivered his people from the bondage of Egypt and had set them apart to himself as a peculiar nation. He who in sincerity and truth observed the sabbath was truly devoted to the religion of Israel, for next to circumcision, the sabbath was teh central sign of the covenant.