Another week, another piece of scripture to study! This week I’m looking at Isaiah 58 and asking the usual questions: What is it saying about God? What is it saying to me? How should I respond?
Context
In this passage God is telling Isaiah the Prophet to address the issue of false/fake religious observance. The root problem is that the people are observing spiritual disciplines like fasting and observing the sabbath to gain God’s blessing, instead of to glorify Him or to help the homeless, poor or people in need. The people’s hearts are not truly devoted to God, as the motives for their actions are selfish and not born of love for God. As God’s love is not the source of their obedience, they are not showing compassion or love to the people most in need of their help in society.
Studying this context has really convicted me of my motives. Often I think in January I’ll do a fast to get closer to God, to hear from Him and feel blessed. Really my desire should be to get filled up with God’s love to give it away.
The Passage
Isaiah 58 (The Message Bible)
1-3 “Shout! A full-throated shout!
Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout!
Tell my people what’s wrong with their lives,
face my family Jacob with their sins!
They’re busy, busy, busy at worship,
and love studying all about me.
To all appearances they’re a nation of right-living people—
law-abiding, God-honoring.
They ask me, ‘What’s the right thing to do?’
and love having me on their side.
But they also complain,
‘Why do we fast and you don’t look our way?
Why do we humble ourselves and you don’t even notice?’
3-5 “Well, here’s why:
“The bottom line on your ‘fast days’ is profit.
You drive your employees much too hard.
You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight.
You fast, but you swing a mean fist.
The kind of fasting you do
won’t get your prayers off the ground.
Do you think this is the kind of fast day I’m after:
a day to show off humility?
To put on a pious long face
and parade around solemnly in black?
Do you call that fasting,
a fast day that I, God, would like?
6-9 “This is the kind of fast day I’m after:
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.
What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’
A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places
9-12 “If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again.
13-14 “If you watch your step on the Sabbath
and don’t use my holy day for personal advantage,
If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy,
God’s holy day as a celebration,
If you honor it by refusing ‘business as usual,’
making money, running here and there—
Then you’ll be free to enjoy God!
Oh, I’ll make you ride high and soar above it all.
I’ll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob.”
Yes! God says so!
What do I learn about God?
In this passage I learn that God wants to help us live the life He desires from us. He wants us to get rid of sinful behaviour first and He says, “I will always show you where to go,” or in the New Living Version in v 11, “Then the Lord will guide you continually.” God puts the onus on us to change our behaviour, to start acting generously. I think this Psalm shows that God is very fair. A well known phrase that modern pyschology has introduced to today’s society is, we “You cannot control others’ behaviour, you can only control your own.” It’s amazing that as our maker and father God made us like this and in this Psalm we see him reinforcing this idea.
What do I learn about me?
I know that the scriptures often bring to light parts of me that I don’t like. This passage highlights my selfishness: I too have observed Christian spiritual disciplines to try and help me and not necessarily to consider or respond to the plight of others. I learn in this passage that I have potential when I operate under God’s guidance. That if I am obedient and change how I behave, it will change my motives and if I am motivated for others, with God’s help I can rebuild and renovate the community!
How should I respond?
My response can only be obedience. If i ignore what God is showing me, then I’m choosing a way outside of His will and help. I need to identify where I am behaving like a Pharisee and seek to change it. I need to decide to keep my spiritual ears open to His leading and allow Him to use me to serve those in need.
Here are the areas in my life that need work:
1)My driving: I am a very selfish, angry driver
2)Gossip: I have a tendency to share information from one friend with others
I plan to ask God to show me those in need of my help.
Grace Powered 