Why does God call His house a house of prayer (Isaiah 56:7)?

243 We are called upon to know the time of God's visitation morally - to judge the time - to know our adversary in the way with Him. Now the Lord gives a great means of this immediately after He says so; Luke 19:42-46. The Word of God tells what His house is in His mind. It is a house of prayer, where man is in intercourse with a God of love - where he finds a home with Him, and a refuge in his need and distress. It may have been imperfectly known, but the Lord who knew the Father's heart knew it to be such. To Him it was a house of prayer. So to the spiritual mind - to him who fears God and so has the secret of the Lord - God's house has its character from Himself. Hence it knows by the Word which reveals it, what He would have - what His house ought to be, because he knows what He who dwells there is. The passages in the Word which speak of it have their force and suggest themselves to his mind, give him the clue to judge of the character of the time. It is remarkable how this characterises the Lord. How He draws out from the Word characteristic passages which give the central points of divine truth as what the essence of the Law was, the Son of David being Lord at the moment of His departure, and even the resurrection in connection with faithfulness to promises, and the future millennial glory on earth, in His reply to the Sadducees! But the Word also describes the evil as man's heart produces it, and judges it according to the good the child of God knows, dear to him as knowing God Himself, his Father, as its Source. And thus the state of things is judged, 'It is written, My house is a house of prayer, ye have made it a den of thieves.' Men speak of respect, and a right-minded person is imbued with a spirit of respect, but I am too ignorant, too imperfect in judgment, too evil to know what to respect. The disposition may even deceive me, without the Word of God. Then guided by it, I respect, jealously respect what is of God, with affections which hold to Him, and a submission to what His Word says - what touches that, has the character of evil, is the opposite to respectable. The heart is engaged in its thoughts towards God - the judgment guided by the Word, both for good and in its judgment of evil. Thus the state of things is known, and God's heart and judgment about it.

It follows that everything in God's house must take character from, and be consistent with, the One Who dwells in the house. Thus the first characteristic of God's house is holiness, as we read' "Holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever" (Ps. 93: 5). Further, every one in God's house must be dependent upon God, and subject to His will. This dependence finds its expression in prayer; so we lead, "Mine house shall be called the house of prayer for all people" (Isa. 56: 7). Further, if, in God's house, all are dependent upon God, then all in that house will be blessed by God; and the house in which man is blessed will be the place where God is worshipped.

It follows that everything in God's house must take character from, and be consistent with, the One Who dwells in the house. Thus the first characteristic of God's house is holiness, as we read "Holiness becomes thine house, O LORD, for ever" (Ps. 93:5). Further, every one in God's house must be dependent upon God, and subject to His will. This dependence finds its expression in prayer; so we read, "Mine house shall be called the house of prayer for all people" (Isa. 56:7). Further, if, in God's house, all are dependent upon God, then all in that house will be blessed by God; and the house in which man is blessed will be the place where God is worshipped.

The Holy Spirit therefore, in quoting the word of the prophet, only quotes so much as the Lord took upon Himself to fulfil at that time. Jesus then enters into the temple as prepared to fulfil the promise of the Lord by Isaiah (Isa. 56), which was made conditional upon the keeping of equity and the doing justice, but finds that, instead of being fit for a house of prayer for all people, into which place of honour and glory He would then have brought it, they had made it a den of robbers, according to the word of the Lord by Jeremiah. (Jer. 7:11.) They had refused to amend their ways and their doings — had refused to execute judgment between a man and his neighbour — had continued to oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow — had trusted in lying words while keeping up all the outward forms of religion, coming into the house of God as though it were their place, yet all the while filling their hearts with their covetousness: thus making it in truth in God's sight, and treating it in their own hearts, as being a den of robbers, laying themselves and the sanctuary open therefore to the curse which Jehovah had pronounced upon it in such a case. The Lord however comes in in this extremity of evil, casts out all that sold and bought, and makes what had been a den of robbers a place of healing and blessing; but this only brings out a more determined rejection of Him and the salvation He brought, for the scribes and Pharisees were indignant, and show how utterly they denied His claims by drawing attention to the acknowledgment of them as a thing worthy of rebuke, even though it proceeded from the mouths of children, so sensitive had jealousy made them. Replying to them, Jesus shows to them from Psalm 8 that God had expressly revealed His purpose to bring in the promised universal salvation and blessing upon the acknowledgment of His glory by the weak and ignorant ones, choosing the foolish and the weak things of the world to put to shame the wise and strong.

Cleansing the Temple. — Luke now hastens on, noticing in the briefest possible way an event of the next day, as Mark 11:12 informs us it was — the cleansing of the temple. "The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple," Malachi (3:1) had written. The fulfilment of this will be seen when the glory returns to the house (Ezek. 43:5). Was it a foreshadowing of the future that the Lord went direct to the temple on the day of His triumphant entry, though He did not cleanse it till the following morning? It was His house, and He asserted His right to cleanse it, quoting Isa. 56:7, and referring as to its condition to Jer. 7:11: "My house shall be a house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." On a previous occasion He had cleansed it (John 2:14-16), viz., at the commencement of His ministry; and now again He did it at the close. On the former occasion it was as Son He acted, declaring that the house was His Father's: "Make not My Father's house an house of merchandise." Now, as Jehovah Himself, He cleansed it: "My house," etc., He said. He had entered Jerusalem as Messiah; He visited the temple as Jehovah. For Jerusalem was to reject Him who was the King and Jehovah, and, as Matthew (21:16) teaches us by the Lord's application to Himself of the eighth Psalm, the Son of man likewise. This last, however, Luke wholly omits.

In the prophet Isaiah we read, "Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people." That is, God would have an house on earth, a worldly sanctuary, but it should be open to all, it should not be confined to Israel. The Israel of that future day would have a standing higher than that which belonged to them as the natural seed of Abraham, and in that standing others should be associated with them, even those who were naturally sons of the stranger. Joined to the Lord, these should be brought to his holy mountain, and made joyful in his house of prayer. The Lord Jesus, the Master of the heavenly house now, and in due time the builder also of the earthly house and worldly sanctuary, adverts to this scripture in the sequel of his ministry. Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, "Is it not written, My house shall be called an house of prayer for all nations?" (Mark 11:17.) It never was this in its first standing. But when it is of another building, then many nations will come and say, "Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Here we have most clearly a worldly sanctuary, a metropolitan temple on the earth the fountain of legislation and instruction for all who fear the Lord. Christians may perhaps think that to establish a cathedral on Mount Zion would be an approximation towards the fulfilment of this word. But if that were done the word would still be, "The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me, and where is the place of my rest? For all these things hath mine hand made, and all these things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word."

In the prophet Isaiah we read, "Mine house shall be called a house of prayer for all people." That is — God would have a house on earth, a worldly sanctuary; but it should be open to all, it should not be confined to Israel. The Israel of that future day would have a standing higher than that which belonged to them as the natural seed of Abraham; and in that standing others would be associated with them, even those who were naturally sons of the stranger. Joined to the Lord, these should be brought to His holy mountain, and made joyful in His house of prayer. The Lord Jesus, the Master of the heavenly house now, and in due time the Builder also of the earthly house and worldly sanctuary, adverts to this scripture in the sequel of His ministry. Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, "Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?" (Mark 11:17.) It never was this in its first standing. But when it is true of another building, then many nations will come and say, "Come ye and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Here we have most clearly a worldly sanctuary, a metropolitan temple on the earth, the fountain of legislation and instruction for all who fear the Lord. Christians may perhaps think that the establishment in the present day of a cathedral on Mount Zion would be an approximation towards the fulfilment of this prophecy. But if that were done, the word would still be, "The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool: where is the house that ye build unto Me, and where is the place of My rest? For all these things hath Mine hand made, and all these things have been, saith the Lord; but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word."

(Vv. 3–8). These verses that specially speak of the stranger and the hopeless – the eunuch – clearly show that the earthly blessings of God’s salvation will not be confined to the godly remnant of Israel. Such need not view themselves as shut out from blessing, by saying, “The LORD has utterly separated me from his people;” for if there are those among the nations that fear the LORD, by keeping His sabbaths and choosing the things that please the LORD, and avail themselves of the promise of blessing on the ground of grace, they, too, will have a portion in God’s house, and come into the everlasting blessing and joy, of God’s earthly people. For God’s house will be called “an house of prayer for all nations.” Not only will the outcasts of Israel be brought back to their land, but others from among the Gentiles will be gathered to God’s earthly centre of blessing.

Though Israel will thus have the sanctuary of God once more, they will be, as it were, but its guardians. God intends the Gentiles to have a part in the blessings and privileges of it. "Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon Mine altar: for Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people" (Isa. 56:7). Year by year the spared ones of the nations will go up to Jerusalem to keep the feast of Tabernacles (Zech. 14:16). This will not arouse Jewish enmity or jealousy then. They will no longer be the coldly conservative people that they have been. In the early days of Christianity it drew out all their rage that the Gentiles should even hear the Gospel, though they had no regard for it themselves. What changes grace works! In the Day of their blessing, they will gladly share with others the favours so richly bestowed upon them, and will thus fulfil their high and holy mission in the earth.

"Thus says Jehovah, Keep ye judgement and do righteousness: for my salvation [is] near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed [is] weak man [that] does this, and the son of man [that] holds fast by it; that keeps the sabbath from profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil" (vv. 1, 2). The following verse (3) is even more express: the most distant, "the son of the stranger," and the most desperate, "the eunuch," were not beyond the reach of God's merciful and mighty blessing. And this is repeated in the most forcible language as to both classes in the subsequent verses, concluding with the expression of Jehovah's mind to be known and read of all men, that His "house should be called a house of prayer for all peoples." "Neither let the son of the stranger that has joined himself to Jehovah speak, saying Jehovah has entirely separated me from his people; nor let the eunuch say, Behold, I [am] a dry tree. For thus says Jehovah, Unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose [the things] that please me, and hold fast by my covenant, to them will I give in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name better than of sons and of daughters; I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the stranger that join themselves to Jehovah, to minister to him and to love the name of Jehovah, to be his servants, every one that keeps the sabbath from profaning it, and holds fast by my covenant — even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices [shall be] accepted upon my altar: for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all the peoples. The Lord Jehovah who gathers the outcasts of Israel says, Yet will I gather [others] to him, with those of his that are gathered" (vv. 3-8).