April 4, 2001
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 me
and hold fast to my covenant
to them I will give within my temple and its walls
a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.
Isaiah 56:3-5
God here is speaking of a new order of things!! He promises that no foreigner will ever be excluded from worshipping him. There will no longer be any rank, order or superiority in who can come to God. Obviously things are very different today but this helps me practically because its so easy to see myself as less deserving than others, that's an insecurity on my part not a humility as expressed by Paul in recognizing he was the worst or sinners. I do God a great injustice, in fact I sin against him when I look at myself that way... God goes further to point out that even the eunuchs, who had previously been forbidden under Mosaic law to worship in the same way (Dt 23:2) would now be as welcomed into God's house and among his people a anyone else. All barriers are removed - everyone is entitled an opportunity to come before God. None of us deserve what we have in our relationship with God but none of us are less deserving than anyone else and its important to have the right perspective.