The centrality of prayer in the religious life of ancient Israel cannot be overstated. Prayer served not merely as a personal devotion but as a communal act of worship, a means by which the people of God could address their Creator and intercede on behalf of the nation. The prophet Isaiah, writing in the exilic or early post-exilic period, provides a vision of the temple that emphasizes this function. In Isaiah 56:6–7, the prophet articulates a vision of God’s house that transcends ethnic and social boundaries, declaring that the temple shall be “a house of prayer for all nations.”

This promise finds its foundation in earlier Old Testament precedent, particularly in Solomon’s dedicatory prayer recorded in 1 Kings 8. There, the first king of Israel to build the permanent temple articulates a theology of prayer that recognizes both the Jewish community and foreigners as potential participants in temple worship. The theological trajectory from Solomon to Isaiah reflects a consistent, though evolving, understanding of the temple’s purpose: it is fundamentally a place where God meets the prayers and supplications of God’s people, regardless of their national origin. This post examines the textual evidence for this theology, explores its foundations in Israelite religion, and considers its implications for understanding the nature of God’s house and the people who worship therein.

The Temple as a House of Prayer

When Solomon constructed the temple in Jerusalem, a central theological purpose animated the enterprise: the creation of a permanent, fixed location where the God of Israel would hear the prayers and supplications of the divine people. This represents a significant theological development in Israel’s religious thought. Prior to Solomon’s reign, Israel relied upon a mobile sanctuary, the tabernacle, which journeyed with the people through the wilderness and into Canaan. The permanent temple, by contrast, established a fixed location that would serve as the geographic center of Israel’s religious life.

The historical account in 1 Kings 8 explicitly frames the temple’s purpose in terms of prayer. Solomon states in his dedicatory prayer: “Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.” This pronouncement establishes a crucial theological principle: God has chosen to bind the divine name to this particular location, making it a place where prayer becomes efficacious, where God will hear and respond. This theology transforms the temple from merely a place of sacrifice to a place fundamentally oriented toward prayer and intercession.

Universality in the Temple’s Function

A particularly significant aspect of Solomon’s dedicatory prayer emerges in his explicit consideration of foreigners. In 1 Kings 8:41–43, Solomon prays concerning the foreigner who comes from a distant land. This foreigner, hearing of God’s great name and mighty hand and outstretched arm, comes and prays toward the temple. Solomon requests that God hear and answer this foreigner’s prayer “so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.”

This passage is remarkable for its theological inclusivity. Solomon envisions a temple that serves not only Israel but also foreigners. The religious meetings of God’s people gather together as evidence of their united faith and mutual love, yes, but the temple’s spiritual magnetism extends beyond the boundaries of Israel. The temple is presented as a sign and testimony to all the nations of the earth regarding God’s power and the reality of the divine name. By permitting foreigners to pray toward the temple and granting them hearing before God, Solomon articulates a vision of the God of Israel as a God who cares for all peoples, not merely the chosen nation.

The Text of Isaiah 56:6–7

The text of Isaiah 56:6–7 (NIV) reads as follows in English translation:

And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant—these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.

This oracle in Second Isaiah stands as a culmination and expansion of the earlier Solomonic vision. The prophet identifies specific characteristics that qualify foreigners for participation in the temple’s worship community. These characteristics merit individual examination, for they demonstrate that participation in God’s house is not merely geographical proximity or ethnic identity, but rather a conscious commitment to the God of Israel and alignment with the divine covenant.

The Character of Those Who Worship in God’s House

The first characteristic identifies those who “bind themselves to the Lord to serve him.” This language draws upon the terminology of covenant commitment. Those who bind themselves forsake other gods, all rivals and pretenders whatsoever, and join themselves to the Lord in such a manner as to become one spirit with God. The apostle Paul would later echo this theology in 1 Corinthians 6:17, noting that “he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.”

Binding oneself to serve God is not an occasional commitment, like one who serves a single turn at a task, but rather a constant devotion. Those who come to pray in God’s house are those who join themselves to God by an oath of fidelity and obedience, much like servants to their king or soldiers to their general. Their commitment to God takes precedence in their lives and shapes their entire existence. This represents a radical reorientation away from the worship of other deities and toward exclusive devotion to the God of Israel.

Loving the Name of the Lord and Worshiping

The second and third characteristics identify those who love the name of the Lord and worship him. In biblical theology, God’s name represents God’s character, reputation, and essential nature. To love the name of the Lord is to love the Lord’s character as it is revealed in history, covenant, and divine action. Serving God and loving God go hand in hand; those who love God truly will serve God faithfully. As the apostle John would write in 1 John 5:3, “This is love for God: to obey his commands.” Thus, obedience flows from a principle of love, and love is made manifest through obedient service.

To worship God is to recognize who God is and to orient one’s life accordingly. The worship described here is not mere ritual performance but existential reorientation toward the divine. Those who come to the temple to worship do so because they have come to understand something of God’s true nature and wish to align themselves with it. This is one of the chief reasons the people gather in the temple: not merely to bring offerings but to worship, to acknowledge and respond to the reality of God.

Keeping the Sabbath and Holding Fast to the Covenant

The prophet further specifies that those who worship in God’s house must keep the Sabbath without desecrating it. The Sabbath served as the central sign of covenant membership in Israel. By commanding all, including foreigners, to keep the Sabbath, Isaiah emphasizes that participation in God’s community requires adoption of the distinctive practices that marked Israel as God’s covenant people. In the law, the foreigner who lived with the Israelites was obligated to keep the Sabbath, and this same requirement appears in Isaiah’s vision.

Finally, those who hold fast to the covenant, that is, those who abide by the demands and stipulations of the covenant, are welcomed into God’s house. This language suggests that covenant membership is not automatic but rather something one must maintain and uphold. The covenant is not merely a formal status but an active commitment to live according to the divine will as revealed in the stipulations of the covenant.

God’s Blessings to Those Who Come

Having established the character of those who are welcomed into God’s house, the prophet turns to the blessings promised to them. Three fundamental blessings are articulated in the text: assistance, acceptance, and comfort. Each merits careful examination.

Assistance

The first blessing is assistance: “I will bring them to my holy mountain.” To be brought to God’s holy mountain signifies divine welcome, divine guidance, divine salvation, and divine direction. The imagery echoes Psalm 43:3, in which the psalmist prays, “Send forth your light and your faithful care, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy hill.” To believers today, the holy mountain is the church of Jesus Christ, which stands as God’s holy hill in the present age, the place where God makes the divine presence known and accessible to the people. This is the reason the gathered community gathers at God’s house: to be brought near to God, taught by God, saved by God, shown the way, and led in the way.

Acceptance

The second blessing promised is acceptance: “Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar.” In the theological framework of sacrifice, acceptance indicates that the offerings presented are pleasing to God, that they accomplish their intended purpose, and that the one bringing the offering is received with favor. By this promise, the prophet assures foreigners that their religious contributions, their prayers and praises, understood as spiritual sacrifices (1 Peter 2:5), will be as pleasing to God as those of the pious Jews. There is no discrimination before God’s altar based on ethnic origin; the offerings of all, Jew and foreigner alike, are received with equal favor.

Comfort and Joy

The third blessing is comfort and joy: “I will give them joy in my house of prayer.” This promise is profound in its implications. The joy that God grants is not a mere emotional experience but a deep well-being that flows from knowing oneself accepted by God and from experiencing divine presence. Even those who may come to God’s house mourning, burdened by cares and sorrows, shall go away rejoicing, for they have found divine help and have cast their cares and burdens upon God. God gives this joy so that those who serve may serve God cheerfully and with gladness, making their service all the more acceptable to God. This joy inspires worship and praise, transforming the worshippers so that they sing in the ways of the Lord and give glory to God.

The Universal Scope of God’s House

The final phrase of Isaiah 56:7 establishes the universal scope of the temple’s purpose: “my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” This statement represents the culmination of the prophet’s vision. Not only will individual foreigners be admitted to worship, but the temple’s very identity is to be redefined. It shall be known throughout the nations as a house of prayer. The prophet promises that multitudes of Gentiles shall come to the church, that the door shall be thrown open to them in unprecedented numbers, and that this inclusive hospitality shall become the defining characteristic of God’s house.

This vision of universality stands in marked contrast to any understanding of the temple that would restrict it to ethnic Israel. The prophet’s use of the term “all nations” emphasizes that the scope of God’s saving purpose extends far beyond the boundaries of the covenant people as ethnically defined. God’s heart, according to this vision, beats for all humanity, and the temple’s purpose is to gather into prayer and worship all those who bind themselves to the Lord.

The Church as God’s House of Prayer in the New Testament

The New Testament appropriates and applies the Old Testament theology of God’s house in light of the incarnation and the establishment of the Christian community. The physical temple in Jerusalem served its historical purpose in God’s redemptive plan. For believers, the church is now understood as God’s house in the present age. The vision articulated by Isaiah concerning prayer and the inclusion of foreigners finds its ultimate realization in the Christian church, which, from its inception, under the apostolic leadership of figures like Peter and Paul, welcomed both Jew and Gentile into the community of faith.

The continuity between Old Testament temple theology and New Testament ecclesiology is remarkable. Just as the temple was to be a place of prayer and a center of worship, so also the church is to be a house of prayer. Jesus himself emphasized this function when he drove the money changers from the temple, saying, “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17). The fundamental purpose remains constant: the community of God’s people gathers to pray, to intercede, to worship, and to experience the presence of God.

Conclusion

The declaration in Isaiah 56:6–7 that God’s house shall be called “a house of prayer for all nations” represents a pinnacle expression of Old Testament universalism and divine inclusivity. This vision builds upon the foundations laid by Solomon’s dedicatory prayer, which already envisioned a temple open to the prayers of foreigners. Yet Isaiah’s formulation goes further, making the inclusion of all nations the defining characteristic of God’s house.

The theology articulated in this passage has profound implications for understanding God’s nature and purpose. A God who establishes a house of prayer accessible to all nations is a God whose love transcends tribal boundaries and ethnic distinctions. A God who welcomes the prayers of the foreigner and the sojourner is a God of radical hospitality and inclusive grace. These theological commitments, once understood, reshape how communities of faith understand their own identity and purpose.

The modern church, understood as the continuation of God’s house in the present age, must embody this ancient vision. Like the temple in Isaiah’s prophecy, the church is called to be a house of prayer, a gathering place where the purposes of prayer are central and paramount. Like the temple in Isaiah’s prophecy, the church is called to be a place where all nations, all peoples, find welcome and acceptance in the presence of God. The mission of the church, therefore, is not merely to proclaim the gospel to all nations but to gather into its fellowship all those who bind themselves to the Lord, who love the divine name, who worship, and who commit themselves to the covenant demands.

In this way, the ancient vision articulated by the prophet Isaiah in the exilic period remains living and vital for the contemporary church. When Christian communities gather to pray, they participate in a practice rooted deep in Old Testament theology. When they extend hospitality and acceptance to the foreigner and the sojourner, they embody the inclusive vision that Isaiah proclaimed. When they make prayer central to their corporate life and practice, they fulfill the purpose for which God’s house exists: to be a center of prayer and intercession for all nations.

Note: This post is based on a sermon preached at Trinity Baptist Church, Chicago, Illinois, on January 6, 2008.

Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

If you enjoyed reading this post, you will enjoy reading my books.

VISIT MY AMAZON AUTHOR’S PAGE

BUY MY BOOKS ON AMAZON (Click here).

NOTE: Did you like this post? Do you think other people would like to read this post? Be sure to share this post on Facebook and share a link on X so that others may enjoy reading it too!

If you are looking for other series of studies on the Old Testament, visit the Archive section and you will find many studies that deal with a variety of Old Testament topics.