The Messianic Consciousness in Jewish Prophecy (LXXXIX) Isaiah

“I have brought them unto My holy mountain, and caused them to rejoice in My house of prayer. Their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices are for a pleasing thing on My altar, for My house 'A house of prayer' is called for all the peoples.” (56:7)

God brings the dispersed and assimilated members of His people throughout history back to His sacred mountain, which is the eternal bond with Him as the rejoicing in His house. Thus the goodness in their being and doing becomes the pleasing elevated offerings in His altar. Therefore goodness as the cause and effect of righteous deeds is the premise for all peoples to come to God's house of prayer. We call prayer the offering we elevate to Him as the goodness He wants us to be, to have and to do.

“An affirmation of the Lord God, who is gathering the dispersed of Israel: 'Again I gather to him [Israel] to his gathered ones'.” (56:8)

God reiterates His promise in the Torah “that then the Lord your God will turn your captivity and have compassion upon you, and will return and gather you from all the peoples where the Lord your God has dispersed you.” (Deuteronomy 30:3-5). He then spoke to Israel as one person, and now through the Prophet referring to Israel also in singular, mentioning his dispersed to be gathered for His Final Redemption.

“Every beast of the field come to devour, every beast in the forest. His watchmen are blind, they are all without knowledge. They are all mute dogs, they can't bark, dozing, lying down, loving to sleep.” (Isaiah 56:9-10)

The Prophet calls our attention regarding negative traits and trends in consciousness as the wild beasts that devour the goodness that makes life meaningful. These are also our inner and outer enemies that do as they please when our higher knowledge and principles become dormant as blind watchmen and mute dogs.

Isaiah also refers to the leaders of his generation that didn't care for the spiritual well being of their people, behaving as ignorant and blind guardians. The lessons from the past and the present are to keep eternally vigilant against the predicament of ego's fantasies and illusions.

“And the dogs are strong of desire, they have not known satiety, and they are shepherds! They have not known understanding, all of them to their own way they did turn. Each to his dishonest gain from his quarter: 'Come ye, I take wine, and we drink, quaff strong drink, and as this day has been tomorrow, great exceeding abundant!'” (56:11-12)

As we allow our negative trends to lead our thoughts, feelings, emotions, passions and instincts, they become the insatiable dogs that are our shepherds. There is no understanding or knowledge of what is proper and right as expressions of Love's ways and attributes. Ignorance provides its payoffs as the corrupted cause and effect of envy, coveting, greed, lust, haughtiness, wrath, indifference and indolence. These become the motivation for dishonest gains that don't last more than their fleeting moments.

Every day turns the same as yesterday and tomorrow, for they are as futile as their cause and effect. We even believe that there is abundance in futility, even if we already know that fantasies and illusions do not last. Thus we come to realize that only the goodness from Love's ways and attributes transcends, for it sustains life and transcends life.

The Messianic Consciousness in Jewish Prophecy (LXXXVIII) Isaiah

“Thus said the Lord: 'Keep ye judgment, and do righteousness. For near is My redemption to come, and My righteousness to be revealed'.” (Isaiah 56:1)

God reminds us that the common principle we share with His Redemption is righteousness, and it is the “nearness” between both. Hence He commands us to direct our judgment as discernment towards doing what is right. Again He calls our attention to understand righteousness as the cause, purpose and effect of being and doing goodness as Love's ways and attributes. Thus God reveals His righteousness in His Redemption as a fundamental principle for the Messianic Era. We bring it near as we do what is right.

“O the happiness of a man who does this, and of a son of man who keeps hold on it, keeping the Shabbat from polluting it, and keeping his hand from doing any evil. Neither let the foreigner, who has joined himself to the Lord, speak saying, 'The Lord will surely separate me from His people'; neither let the eunuch say, 'Behold, I am a dry tree'.” (56:2-3)

In this context righteousness is our happiness, for it is the goodness God wants us to be and to pursue. Interestingly, He encompasses righteousness into the Shabbat, for this day is the culmination of goodness as the eternal principle in His Creation. Keeping the Shabbat sacred is keeping righteousness in all levels and expressions of consciousness.

It is also essential that God refers to the foreigner as the outsider who finds his way and reason for living part of His will. Once as outsiders we embrace God's ways and attributes, He doesn't reject us. Hence, even in the most adverse situations and circumstances, we must never believe or say that God separates from us. This also applies for those who have lost essential organs or limbs. The lack or need of them are not basis to assume God's separation, nor to assume that our cripple prevents our relationship with Him. God makes this clear through the words of the Prophet.

“For thus says the Lord, 'To the eunuchs who keep My Shabbats and choose the things that please Me, and hold fast My Covenant: I have given to them in My house, and within My walls a station and a name, better than sons and than daughters, an eternal name I give to him that is not cut off'.” (56:4-5)

As long as we maintain our bond and connection with God by being and doing what pleases Him (His ways and attributes as expressions of His righteousness) in addition to keeping His Shabbats, He also holds fast His Covenant (His bond and connection with us). This means that we are never cut off, for He has named us in eternal bond. This bond occurs in His house as the place, time and name that unite us to Him, far better than being sons or daughters, for in this bond there is no separation or cut off.

“And sons of the foreigner who are joined to the Lord to serve Him, and to love the Name of the Lord to be to Him for servants, every keeper of the Sabbath from polluting it and those keeping hold on My Covenant.” (56:6)

God reaffirms in this verse His earlier words regarding the foreigners who join His Covenant and its implications of service and love for the righteousness of His ways and attributes, included again the observance of the Shabbat. This is the basis of the love of God as our reason to exist, for by loving Him we realize the His Love is our Essence and true identity.

The Messianic Consciousness in Jewish Prophecy (LXXXVII) Isaiah

“Forsake does the wicked his way, and the man of iniquity his thoughts. And he returns to the Lord and He pitied him, and unto our God for He multiplied to pardon. For not My thoughts are your thoughts, nor your ways My ways. An affirmation of the Lord. For high have the heavens been above the earth, so high have been My ways above your ways, and My thoughts above your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:7-9)

The first of these two verses reaffirms the eternal grace, compassion and loving kindness that encompass God's Love to liberate, to redeem and transform our consciousness from the negative traits and trends to the goodness of Love's ways and attributes. He reminds us that our negative ways and iniquities are destined to be forsaken as we return to Him.

In our return His forgiveness heralds the expansion of our consciousness to learn His revealed and concealed ways and attributes. Thus we understand that His thoughts are not our thoughts, and our ways are not His ways. Hence the imperative to know Him as He wants us to in the final stage of His promised Redemption.

“For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky, and doesn't return there but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater. So is My word that goes out of My mouth. It turns not back unto Me empty, but has done that which I desired. And prosperously effected that for which I sent it.” (55:10-11)

God wants us to be aware that His will has a purpose, beyond the evident sustenance for His Creation. He indicates that such purpose will flourish as He desired, and tells us that we are the bearers of the seed, the field and the harvest that will be multiplied in quantities only possible to be conceived in the Messianic Era. God is the sower and the harvester of His entire Creation.

“For with joy ye go forth and with peace ye are brought in. The mountains and the hills break forth before you with singing, and all trees of the field clap the hand. Instead of the thorn come up does fir, instead of the brier come up does myrtle. And it has been to the Lord for a name, for an eternal sign. It is not cut off!” (55:12-13)

Once more God refers to the new consciousness He is planting in us, filled with joy to live and peace as plenitude to be raised. Mountains and hills as values and principles to be delighted in, and trees as all good deeds that become a celebration of life.

The lower levels and negative trends in consciousness as thorns and briers will be turned into strong and fragrant plants and trees as constructive and positive deeds. These as expressions of the goodness of God's Love will be eternal, and never ending.

The Messianic Consciousness in Jewish Prophecy (LXXXVI) Isaiah

“Ho, every thirsty one, come ye to the waters. And he who has no money, come ye, acquire and eat, yea, come, acquire without money and without price, wine and milk. Why do ye weigh money for that which is not bread? And your labor for that which is not for satiety? Hearken diligently unto Me, and eat good, and your soul does delight itself in fatness.” (Isaiah 55:1-2)

God reminds us again that He is not only our Creator but our sustenance, to Whom we don't have to pay for support. These verses make us aware that our purpose in life is to know the source of His sustenance (“the waters”) by knowing Him.

As we have indicated often, in our Jewish tradition wine represents happiness and milk vital sustenance. Our connection and relationship with God is free of charge, for everything comes from God and He is accessible always and everywhere. Hence He questions our interests and motives in the material world, pointing out to our real needs in contrast to ego's fantasies and illusions.

Should we work to pay for what is not our basic needs? And what are those things that are not basic and not fulfilling? God repeats that His guidance is our complete satisfaction and satiety, for His counsel is goodness. Thus we realize that our material fulfillment (“fatness”) must be consonant with our soul's delight.

“Incline your ear, and come unto Me. Hear and your soul does live, and I make for you an eternal Covenant, the loving kindness deeds of David that are steadfast. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples.” (55:3-4)

These are two of the emblematic verses heralding the Final Redemption and the Messianic Era. Our transition from the mirages of ego's fantasies and illusions towards Love's ways and attributes begins with hearing (understanding) and attaching our hearts to the Creator.

Here our true life begins to transcend through the eternal Covenant of living in God's Love, which become manifest as the strong and constant goodness of loving kindness. This committed and determined Love is the cause, means, purpose and end of the Messianic consciousness represented by kind David, as the regency of Love in all aspects and dimensions of life.

“Lo, a nation you do not know you call. And a nation who does not know you does run unto you, for the sake of the Lord your God and for the Holy One of Israel, because He has beautified you. Seek the Lord while He may be found, call you on Him while He is near.” (55:5-6)

The Messianic consciousness is the promised new permanent awareness that embark us into the endless journey of knowing the Creator. This nation we don't know and doesn't know us will lead our consciousness for the sake (“in the name”) of God and His Love for Israel, the chosen nation He has beautified.

Israel is referred again as the positive creative potentials destined to rule and guide all levels and facets of life. Thus we realize that the pursuit of goodness is the way to seek God, the way to call on Him, the means and the nearness to find Him.