Meditation on Isaiah 58

By Dennis Edwards: YouTube Link

Today's meditation is on Isaiah 58. The chapter starts like this:

Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. 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.[1]

So here we see the people of God delight in making a show of seeking God. And this is what they say.

Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge?[2]

The Lord says,

Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. 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. 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? Is not this the fast that I have chosen?[3]

You see this is the fast instead of fasting, you know the church says lets take a fast and not eat and have just juices, we're going to really seek the Lord. But the Lord says here this is the fast I want you to do. So what, at the end of the week you'll feel so righteous that you've done some fasting? No, this is what the Lord wants you to do. It says,

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? 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?[4]

That you even help your own family that maybe need help and you don't want to help them, because you have hardened your heart against them, because they are your own family. If you do these things, in other words, if you loose the bands of wickedness, undo the heavy burdens, let the oppressed go free, and deal your bread to the hungry, and bring the poor that are cast out and don't turn your back to your own family,

Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward.[5]

Are you sick and need healing? Start helping other people. Start opening up the window of your life upon others. Do you want healing? Do you want God to hear your prayers? Then the Lord Himself is going to be your reward, your face is going to shine, because the Lord is going to be with you.

Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day: And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.[6]

And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.[7]

So there we have a beautiful chapter from the book of Isaiah where we learn how God will answer our prayers. It is not the fast of denying ourselves food or drink that the Lord wants where we feel righteous about what we've done, and we think God has to answer our prayer because of something that we've done. Yes, there is something we can do, and that's to open up our lives upon others and help others. And that's where God promises to hear our prayers, when we get busy helping the oppressed, and feeding the poor, and taking care of those in need, even those in our own family. That's what God's going to bless. So if you want healing, you want answers to prayer? Get busy helping others, and you're putting yourself in position for God to answer your prayers. God bless you as you help others.

Notes:

[1] Isaiah 58:1-2

[2] ibid 3a

[3] ibid 3b-6a

[4] ibid 6-7

[5] ibid 8

[6] ibid 9-11

[7] ibid 12-14