先「有應」後「再求」的信仰(賽五十六)中英bilingual
你們當守公平，行公義；因我的救恩臨近，我的公義將要顯現。
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A Faith That Receives Before It Asks(Isaiah 56)
June 17, 2026
"This is what the Lord says:
“Guard justice and do righteousness,
For My salvation is about to come
And My righteousness to be revealed.”
“Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
To attend to His service and to love the name of the Lord,
To be His servants, every one who keeps the Sabbath so as not to profane it,
And holds firmly to My covenant;
Even those I will bring to My holy mountain,
And make them joyful in My house of prayer.
For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
(Isaiah 56:1, 6–7 NASB 2020)
After the first half of Isaiah, also known as “Miniature Bible”(chapters 1–39, corresponding to the 39 books of the Old Testament)speaks of righteousness and judgment, chapters 40–66, (corresponding to the 27 books of the New Testament)present the comfort of God. This is not only comfort for the captives who would return, but also redemption for the “all peoples” in the future. However, the word and reminder of God do not convey only one single message. Within righteous judgment, there is the tone of God’s mercy; and within the many beautiful hopes of salvation in this chapter, there are also requirements and standards of righteousness. Not only do “justice and righteousness” run through this chapter, but it also rebukes and reminds the watchmen, that is, the leaders, who are living in drunkenness and indulgence.
"This is what the Lord says:
“Guard justice and do righteousness.”
“Blessed is a man who does this,
And a son of man who takes hold of it;
Who keeps from profaning the Sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
(Isaiah 56:1–2 NASB 2020)
Different from chapters 54–55, which warmly and unconditionally call people to come, this chapter states directly from the beginning the basic conditions for those who will be “blessed, set apart, remembered, given a name better than that of sons and daughters, and given an everlasting name” (Isaiah 56:2–3, 5 NASB 2020). This is also very different from the attitude of modern people in seeking faith. Many people think that faith means freely receiving grace or having a smooth life, yet they have never thought that there should first be practice and giving. The true God in whom we believe should not be regarded by us as a God who “answers whatever we ask.” Instead, it should begin with us personally: first, we respond to God, and then we ask of God. In this way, our faith will not become something we treat lightly or use to test God; rather, in the process of first practicing God’s commands, we will experience how precious His grace is. “Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, Even those I will bring to My holy mountain, For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
The Lord God declares, “I will yet gather others to them, to those already gathered.”
(Isaiah 56:6–8 NASB 2020)
How blessed we are that, in this age when grace has come to the Gentiles, we can gather together on the mountain of God and pray to Him in the “house of prayer for all the peoples.” Here, it especially mentions “keeping the Sabbath” and “holding firmly to the covenant.” This is not only an important doctrine of the True Jesus Church; “holding firmly to the covenant” is also the core attitude by which we receive God’s lovingkindness. In this present generation, which changes rapidly and is filled with dazzling attractions, our thoughts and intentions are often drawn away. We may not only break the covenant we made with God because of the temptations of the world, but may even find it difficult to practice a commandment such as “keeping the Sabbath.” Many people may think, “Since Saturday is so rare, we should eat, drink, and enjoy ourselves. Why waste a whole day at church?” However, this one half-day out of seven days in a week, when compared with the data we see after opening our phones to check “App usage time”—with all the time spent on social media, games, videos, etc.—how could those things possibly take up only one-fourteenth of our daily time?
May we all, in the book of Isaiah, feel God’s mercy within His righteousness and His comfort within judgment. May we keep ourselves watchful, do what is pleasing to God, keep the covenant between God and us, maintain spiritual sobriety, and practice the duties of those who have received grace. May the time we draw near to God no longer be only the one-fourteenth on the Sabbath, but may we continue to make progress each day, until we can think of God at all times, be mindful of the Father’s business, and bear beautiful fruit.
“And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain.”
(2 Corinthians 6:1 NASB 2020)
“Making the most of your time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
(Ephesians 5:16–17 NASB 2020)
By Mu-En Zseng
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