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

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The different structures for communal worship in the Old Testament (tabernacle and temple) were considered the house of God (for example, see 2 Samuel 7:1–17) because that was where He “dwelled” with Israel. These structures included three sections—the courtyard, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place. The Most Holy Place included the ark of the covenant, and only the high priest could enter into it, and that only once per year (Exodus 25; Leviticus 16; Hebrews 9). In the Holy Place, among other items (Exodus 25—27), was an altar of incense (Exodus 30:1–10). There incense was to be burned each morning and evening. Incense often stands for prayer in Scripture (Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8; 8:3), so that is one way it which it could be said that the tabernacle or temple was a “house of prayer.” Consider, too, that the people went to the house of God to make sacrifices and worship the Lord, which would certainly include prayer (Luke 1:10).

The passage in Isaiah 56:7 talks about all the nations freely accessing God’s house. When Jesus died as the sacrificial lamb for humanity, the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place tore in two (Matthew 27:50–51), signifying that access had been opened for all believing people to come before God (Hebrews 4:14–16; 10:19–23). There will be a future day when we will travel to God’s mountain (the New Jerusalem) and enter His house in prayer and be with Him forever (Revelation 21—22).

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Isaiah 56:6–7 says, “And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant—these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” The context of this passage is about foreigners (Gentiles, that is, other nations) who now belong to God. Their sacrifices will be acceptable, and they will be able to be in God’s “house of prayer.”
• To understand what is meant by “house of prayer,” it is helpful to look at the design of the temple (God’s “house”) in the Old Testament. Below, in the New Testament section, we will see how salvation through Jesus opens up the “house of prayer” to the nations.
• In the design of the tabernacle (Exodus 25:1–9), and later in the permanent structure of the temple (1 Kings 5), God instructed that the altar of incense be placed just outside the Most Holy Place (Exodus 30:1–10). It was to be lit by the high priest twice a day, every day, from generation to generation. Incense often stands for prayer in Scripture (Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8; 8:3); the altar of incense is a picture of the rising prayers of the Israelites (Luke 1:8–10). This signifies how important prayer was to God in this system of worship.
• The temple was God’s chosen dwelling place, where He would meet with His people through worship and sacrifice. It was His earthly “house.” So, the combination of God’s emphasis on prayer and His earthly place of worship gives us His “house of prayer.”
• Burning incense on the incense altar was a priestly duty; no others were permitted to perform this duty (Numbers 3:10).
• The altar of incense was outside the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, where the ark of the covenant with its mercy seat resided. When first built, it was at the mercy seat that God would meet with Moses (Exodus 25:17–22). Later, only the high priest was allowed inside that inner-most space, and only once a year (Leviticus 16).
• As can be seen by the careful construction of the tabernacle, the curtains separating various sections, and explicit instructions regarding who could enter where and when, the “house of prayer” was highly restrictive. This is a reflection of God’s holiness. This restrictive nature makes its mention in Isaiah 56 especially meaningful as it says that “all the people” could access God’s house of prayer. The solution to this is found in the New Testament.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• In the beginning of the first century AD, priestly duties were still being performed. In Luke 1:8–10, we are given a picture of the ongoing use of the altar of incense and its relationship to prayer. A priest by the name of Zechariah, who would later become the father of John the Baptist, was at the altar burning incense. While he was doing that, “the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense” (Luke 1:10).
• That showed that the altar of incense was still being used for prayer, but also that only a few people could actually go inside the “house” (temple) to burn it. However, when Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, the curtain of the temple split in two (Matthew 27:50–51), opening access to the mercy seat by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 4:14–16; 10:19–23).
• The splitting of the curtain signified that anyone—regardless of whether they were Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female (Galatians 3:27–29)—could bring their prayers straight to God. Thus, Jesus effectively opened the “house of prayer” for everyone.
• All who put their faith in Jesus (Romans 3:21–26) have full access to God in prayer. Hebrews 4:16 says that we can “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” That is, we have full, direct access to God through prayer.
• While we now have direct access to God though Jesus, the Isaiah 56 passage is talking about more than that. There is a time in the future when we will literally go to His “holy mountain.” The idea is not just that all the nations will spiritually have access to God but will actually go to Jerusalem. Revelation talks about the New Jerusalem as the city that has no need for light because the Father and the Lamb are present (see Revelation 21:1–4, 22–23). Revelation 21:24 says, “By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.” Therefore, though Jesus has opened the way for all people to go directly to God in prayer, there will be a day in the future when we will also go to His holy mountain, to His physical “house of prayer.”

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

When Isaiah prophesied about God’s “house of prayer” being accessible by everyone, he must have been shocked! He knew that the separation within the temple was designed by God to protect the Israelites from His burning hatred of sin reaching out and destroying them. For “all peoples” to go into the temple meant that “all peoples” needed to be righteous.

But no one is! Paul, quoting various Old Testament passages, showed that everyone is a sinner (Romans 3:9–18) and deserving of God’s wrath (Romans 6:23). For God to be just, He has to destroy all sinners. How can there be anyone who enters into God’s presence without being destroyed?

In the Old Testament, God provided animal sacrifices to temporarily atone for sin. In the New Testament, He provided His Son, Jesus (Genesis 22; John 3:16–18). Jesus is fully God and fully human (John 1:1–4, 14). He was therefore able to atone for sin completely as our representative (Romans 5:6–21). He was the final sacrifice needed for our sin (Hebrews 8—10), and the one to whom the Old Testament sacrificial system always pointed (Genesis 12:3; Jeremiah 31:31–37).

When Jesus died and God poured out His wrath on Him, the curtain was torn because access to God had opened up. It was not opened because we are perfect but because Jesus is (Hebrews 10:19–23). It is also only open to those who have been covered by Jesus’ blood by repenting from their sin and turning to follow Jesus (Ephesians 1:3–14; 2:1–10).

Now, when a believer approaches God, he is clothed in the righteousness of Christ. In the Old Testament, if someone other than the high priest walked into the heart of the temple on a day other than the Day of Atonement, he would be struck dead. However, now we are welcomed in because God sees Jesus’ righteousness when He looks at believers.

UNDERSTAND

• God’s house is called a “house of prayer” because prayers rise like incense before Him.
• Isaiah foretells that all nations, not just Israel, will have access to God’s house.
• Jesus’ death tore the temple veil, opening full, direct access to God for all believers.

REFLECT

• How does knowing you have direct access to God in prayer through Jesus influence the way you approach Him daily?
• How do you treat God’s presence as a “house of prayer” in your life?
• How can you grow in faith to confidently draw near to God’s throne of grace, knowing Jesus opened the way?

ENGAGE

• What does Isaiah’s prophecy about all nations having access to God’s house teach us about God’s heart for humanity?
• How does the tearing of the temple veil at Jesus’ death redefine our understanding of access to God?
• How should the reality of direct access to God through Jesus impact the way we pray and worship together?