Contemplative Bible Reading

Isaiah 56:3-5 (New Living Translation)

3 “Don’t let foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord say,
‘The Lord will never let me be part of his people.’
And don’t let the eunuchs say,
‘I’m a dried-up tree with no children and no future.’
4 For this is what the Lord says:
I will bless those eunuchs
who keep my Sabbath days holy
and who choose to do what pleases me
and commit their lives to me.
5 I will give them—within the walls of my house—
a memorial and a name
far greater than sons and daughters could give.
For the name I give them is an everlasting one.
It will never disappear!

This passage is about people who are different from me. God includes these, they, them as well as me. Several things to note:

1 God includes them; I cannot exclude them. This passage discusses foreigners (Gentiles) and eunuchs. There were no eunuchs in the service of Jehovah God. To the contrary, those mutilated in the flesh were banned from some aspects of service and worship. Nevertheless, Jehovah God blesses them and gives them a name to be honored.

2 They commit themselves to Jehovah God. These foreigners and eunuchs have committed themselves to Jehovah God. He accepts their sacrifice, their commitment.

3 (AND THIS ONE IS HARD FOR ME!) How they commit themselves and how they do what pleases Jehovah God will appear different to me than how I do the same. That is because they are different, they come from a different place, they do the same as I, but differently. I must accept this different-ness because Jehovah God does.