seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Isaiah 58:1 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
a. Isaiah 58:8 Or your righteous One
Well.... this is from the easy English site.
Isaiah is passing on God’s message to God’s people. Their religion has become a mere series of ceremonies, for example, fasts. But true religion should also affect how believers live their lives. Especially, they should behave in a manner that helps weaker people.
God uses ‘fast’ as a picture word, to mean ‘not to do things only for oneself’.
· Although the law of Moses required only one fast a year (see Leviticus 23:27-32), the fast was important (see 2 Samuel 12:13-23; Zechariah 7:5).
To take care of poor and weak people in society is to practise self-denial. This what the Lord calls a true fast.
· The Lord approves of those who take care of other people in this way. They will find that the Lord takes care of them (see Luke 6:38).
· Among his other benefits, the Lord will protect and guide. This is what he did in ancient times, by cloud and fire in the desert (see Exodus 13:21).
Light is at its brightest at midday.
In a dry land like Israel, water is essential for life. It is not just essential for people. It is essential for everything that is alive. Without water, all die.
· Here ‘water’ is also a picture word for the Lord’s free gifts. He provides all that is good and necessary for human life (see John 4:14).
· ‘Plenty of water’ means a supply that never ends.
The ‘ancient properties’ were buildings that the Babylonians had knocked down a century earlier. The people had never repaired them, although Cyrus had given the order to do so (see Isaiah 45:13).
· To erect a building, people did not clear the ground first, as today. They simply knocked down the old property. Then they built the new building on top of the piles of rocks and stones of the old building. Because people did this, today great mounds (huge piles) mark the position of ancient towns. We call them ‘tells’. It would take many centuries to dig up the ‘tells’ of a large city like Babylon!
To ‘ride high in the land’ means ‘your happy life will attract favourable attention’.
· The Lord promised to supply all that his people need (see Deuteronomy 32:13-14).
I had a hard time finding Bible-studys.org this morning.... but here it is.... This section describes the future glory for God’s people Israel.
The closing chapters of Isaiah (chapters 58-66), introduce the reader to the Messiah’s program of peace for the world. Here we are lifted beyond His first coming to the time of His second coming as Lord, Judge, and King of the universe.
“Cry aloud … show my people their transgression” indicates that Isaiah was to shout against the sins of Israel and Judah.
God further warns them that though they delight to “seek me daily,” they will be judged for making a mere show of their religion. The true “fast” is contrasted with the false external show of piety. Thus God’s fast will “loose the bands of wickedness” and “undo the heavy burdens” for those who truly repent.
The people complained when God did not recognize their religious actions, but God responded that their fasting had been only halfhearted. Hypocritical fasting resulted in contention, quarreling, and pretense, excluding the possibility of genuine prayer to God.
Fasting consisted of more than just an outward ritual and a mock repentance, it involved penitence over sin and consequent humility, disconnecting from sin and oppression of others, feeding the hungry and acting humanly toward those in need.
It is not necessary to tell people you belong to God, when you have Christ living in you. They will know it by the life you live.
This little bit is from enduringword.com.Why have we fasted… and You have not seen: With this spiritual veneer, they felt God was unfair to them. “LORD, we have fasted, but You still don’t answer our prayer. Don’t you know that we seek you daily, delight to know Your ways, do righteousness, and take delight in approaching You? Yet You do not answer our prayers!”
Need a new ball field???? Do a fast. Need a new pulpit???? Do a fast. Got a roof leak??? Do a fast. Want to show off for your friends and enemies??? Do a fast. Fasting gets attention.I have heard this chapter preached..... fasting was supposed to be good for us.... clean out the "toxins of life" one preacher taunted..... fasting [according to what some preachers teach] is spending a day on a liquid diet. Fasting is a good way to lose weight..... and it was popular in a couple of churches I attended. Fasting gets attention.
I knew a couple people who were fasting.... they were mean as a hornet.... take away food and people get off kilter.... want to see an example.... take away a dog's bowl in the middle of a meal.... see the confusion???? I knew a couple of people who were fasting.... they were mean as hornets... and if I said something like "why so touchy?".... they would say.... "I'm fasting"...... Fasting gets attention.
So.... Hypocritical Fasting.... gets attention.... and it makes humans scratch their head..... If fasting makes everyone so miserable... then why would God want us to do it...... the answer is simple.... the way humans fast now.... well they're doing it wrong.....
You want to fast... the right way????? Give your food to someone who has none. Give your shelter to someone who has none. Treat people with respect and caring..... taking time out of you and giving it to them..... that's fasting.... to give is to fast....
Hypocritical fasting is more about "whoa is me, I'm doing without".... real fasting is about doing something for someone else....real fasting is "here, this is for you, I have had so much already"....... that's real fasting.... doing without so someone else can have..... Real fasting is not brash or mean.... Real fasting doesn't stir...... Real fasting is only noticed by God.... When I am really fasting.... no one really notices.... except God.... He'll notice.... quietly.....
