“‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not?
Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’
Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure,
and oppress your workers.
You fast only to quarrel and fight
and hit with a wicked fist.
Fasting like yours this day
will not make your voice heard on high.
Is such the fast that I choose,
a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it to bow down his head like a reed,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
“Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,..
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him?..
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke..,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
And… you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to dwell in.
“If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,
from doing your pleasure on my holy day,
and call the Sabbath a delight
and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly;
then you shall take delight in the Lord,
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth.” Isaiah 58:3-14
The exchange between man and God uncovers the sting man’s determination won’t remove. When he boasts of humility and what he doesn’t do, the Lord upends his pride. True delight in Him comes only by doing as He prescribes.
Human nature makes us think we please God by orchestrating our own parameters, deciding what we’ll forego, and feigning meekness, yet we persist in selfish business. We fashion our fasts to fit God into our busy and pretend a nod of honor. But life that revolves around us is anything but honoring to Him. Pursuing our own plans and pleasure hinders true sacrifice and disparages the God who would receive it.
The Lord takes pleasure when we fast from self to serve others. Living that glorifies Him isn’t about our manufactured don’ts, but substantive dos. How intentional are we about sharing the gospel and practicing its generosity and graciousness? How can we serve the oppressed and free the captive through prayer, encouragement, and meeting practical needs?
Lord, make sweet my every action and service to honor You alone.
As the rain and snow 