Isaiah 58:1 says, Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. God commissioned Isaiah to cry out loud about the transgressions of the people of Israel, God’s chosen people. He was not sent to tell them how good they were or that their actions didn’t matter, but he was sent to tell them the truth about their sinful nature. When we witness for Jesus Christ, we are sent to call people to repent of their sins and to put their faith in Him. We are not sent to make them feel good about their sinful nature but are sent to make them aware of their need to repent and put their faith in God. We should never attempt to overlook sin in a person’s life just to get them to say they believe in Jesus Christ. We all must confess that we are sinners in need of God’s gracious gift of salvation, and this should be our message when we are witnessing, and we should proclaim it boldly.
Verse two adds, Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. God said that even though the people were in a sinful state, they were still ready to hear His message and even to seemingly do what He called on them to do. There are still people today who go to church regularly and listen to the teachers and preachers but who still do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Going through the motions without being saved does a person no good spiritually.
Verse three continues, Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. God said that the people asked Him why He hadn’t seen them when they fasted and afflicted their soul. Matthew Henry points out that they were attempting to make God be indebted to them. Since they were going through the motions of worshipping God, they felt that He owed it to them to accept them and not to condemn them. We can be the most religious person in the world, but God will never owe us anything. If we are just going through the motions of worshipping God without have a personal relationship with Him, then we should know that it does us no good spiritually.
Verse four states, Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. Isaiah said that instead of fasting to worship God, they did so for strife and debate. Instead of judging their own status with God when they were fasting, they tended to look around at others and point out their sins. They were being hypocritical. If we are claiming to worship God but aren’t looking to our own sinful nature while claiming to be better than others, God is not going to be fooled. We must worship acknowledging that it is by the grace of God that anyone is acceptable to Him, and it is not our purpose to look down on anyone else as being less worthy of God’s love.
Verse five adds, Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? Isaiah said that God asked if what they were doing to call fasting was something that He had directed them to do. They were going through the motions, making a public display of their fasting, but they weren’t doing so from wanting to bring honor and glory to God. They were wanting the praise for themselves. Some people still go through the motions of worshipping God while at the same time only wanting praise for themselves. Whether fasting or some other act of worship, if we are doing it for our glory and not out of a humble obedience to God, then we are accomplishing nothing spiritually.
Verse six continues, Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Isaiah said that God’s view of fasting was that it changed their lives and the life of others for the good. They were to let go of wickedness and let the oppressed go free while breaking every yoke. Our fasting should lead us to act to help others and not be done simply to make ourselves look better than other people. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, He completely frees us from the penalty of sin, and this should inspire us to reach out to others with His plan of salvation. We should never begin to feel spiritually superior to anyone based on our own goodness.
Verse seven concludes, Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? God said that true fasting would lead to helping others, feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. Fasting was to lead to action and not just be a display of self-sacrifice to bring honor to the one who was fasting. This is still our commission from God today. We are to be more concerned about the poor and needy than we are about how much we should be praised for being faithful in going through the motions of worshipping.
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