ISAIAH 58

Pastor Michael Talley | October 13th, 2024
Isaiah 58
God’s people had been made righteous by God’s grace; now they must learn how to live righteous lives. This isn’t as easy as it seems. If you have ever tried to live the Christian life, you know how tricky it can be. There are plenty of Christians who have trusted God for eternal salvation, but who have never learned how to work out their salvation in a joyful & meaningful way. As a result, their Christian life is shallow & empty. God is strangely distant. There is a major disconnect in a lot of people’s lives. The same God who invited them to a feast doesn’t want to answer their prayers. Do you ever feel that way?
This is what Isaiah 58 is all about. Isaiah will teach us how we can enjoy a satisfying, life-giving relationship with God after we’ve been redeemed. This chapter is divided into 2 sections. In the 1st half of the chapter, Isaiah will show us the pathway to a frustrating relationship with God. In the 2nd half, Isaiah will show us the pathway to a fulfilling relationship with God. It’s a very simple outline this morning.
First, let’s consider the pathway to a frustrating relationship with God. Why does it seem like God is distant sometimes? Look at ch.58, v1-5. – [1] “Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. [2] Yet they seek me daily & delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness & did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. [3] ‘Why have we fasted, & you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, & you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, & oppress all your workers. [4] Behold, you fast only to quarrel & to fight & to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. [5] 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, & to spread sackcloth & ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD?
In these verses, Isaiah highlights the frustration that God’s people were feeling. The key to the passage is found in v.3 – why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it? Do you ever feel that way? They were giving God what he wanted, but God wasn’t giving them what they wanted. Something was off. I put my money into the coke machine, why isn’t my drink coming out? What is happening? Is God just being mean?
But the ungodly reader will encounter these stories & see an opportunity. Fasting is a spiritual discipline that gets results. If you encounter a problem in your complex life, just plan a fast day & God will come to your aid. This is exactly what was happening by Isa58. The people were skipping a few meals to buy God’s favor, but there was no repentance. There was no change of heart. And it was repulsive to God. Look at the end of v3. God calls them out. Behold in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure. There was no humility.
But it also left them confused. They were genuinely shocked that God was so distant. On the outside, they were doing everything right. Verse 2 says that they delighted in God. They drew near to him daily. They couldn’t understand why God refused to accept their worship. Isaiah will very easily expose their selfish hearts. In v.3-4 he told them to look around. Their relationships were a mess. Behold in the day of your fast… you oppress all your workers. You fast only to quarrel & to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. It’s easy to see. A selfish attitude toward God will always be exposed in our selfish attitude with others. When you try to manipulate God, you will certainly try to manipulate the people in your life. You will fight with anyone who gets in your way. A selfish life is a miserable life. It destroys your relationship with God & with anyone in your path.
I wonder how many people live their Christian lives in this frustrating place. They show up at church, read their Bibles, & even fast to get God’s attention to fuel their own dreams & ambitions. And as a result, their spiritual lives are hollow. Their prayers hit the ceiling. They have never experienced the joy of their salvation. Because of this, their relationships are marked by conflict & adversity. I imagine some people in this room have lived in this place for so long that you feel like this is normal for the Christian life. It’s not! If you are grinding your way through the spiritual disciplines, something is off. God wants us to enjoy a rich & fulfilling relationship with him. And Isaiah tells us how!
In these verses, Isaiah shows us what a true fast looks like & has nothing to do with food. It has everything to do with our relationships. In short, God wants us to spend our lives on other people who are less fortunate than we are. He wants us to sacrifice our dreams & ambitions to meet people’s needs. Let’s look at a few of the examples that Isaiah highlights.
•First, in v6, Isaiah highlights the issue of exploitation. God wants us to remove the bonds of wickedness & the yoke of slavery. This is a bit harder than skipping lunch. Listen, if you are living for yourself, like the Jews in the first part of the chapter, you would stay a mile away from the world of oppression & injustice. Because where there is a yoke, there is a powerful & evil force behind it. If you meddle in the field of human slavery & trafficking or any other kind of injustice, you will get hurt, perhaps very badly. But God has a special heart for the oppressed – for those who are caught up in the snares of injustice & he wants his people to be active in breaking bonds. I don’t know what this looks like for you, but I can assure you that there is corruption & injustice all over the place, even in Boone. This is the fast that God desires. This type of work is pleasing to him.
•Next, Isaiah highlights the issue of food & shelter. In v7, God wants us to share our bread with the hungry & bring the homeless poor in our homes. God has a special place for the hungry & the orphan & the displaced, & he wants his people to have a heart for them as well. I hope you noticed how personal these commands are. God wants you to share your bread with the hungry & invite the homeless poor into your home. In v.10, he says to pour yourselves out for the hungry. Listen, food banks are wonderful. Our church has turned into a food bank over the past 2 weeks, & this is most appropriate. The church should feed hungry people. But I really hope that we don’t allow our food bank to be the extent of our obedience to this command. Start with the blue bag, but don’t end with the blue bag.
But I believe this is the point of the whole text. Our ministry should cost us something. Our ministry should resemble the ministry of the suffering servant in ch53, who spent himself entirely. It should leave us empty. It should leave our pantry empty, & perhaps even our bank account. I think God wants us to get tired & depleted as we pour ourselves out for others. (This is a message that will not fly very well in our self-care world. But if you read the Bible,) this is the fast that God desires. Skipping a few meals is easy. Bringing a traumatized child into your home is not easy. Giving up lunch is easy. Giving up your life in service to a handicapped person is not easy. This type of self-sacrificing lifestyle gets in the way of your plans & goals & dreams, but this is the life that God desires from his people. The Bible calls this true religion.
Over the past 2 weeks, I have watched the members of our church give up so much to personally care for the needs of hurting people. It has been one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. They are working to the point of exhaustion, both in the church & in the community. They’re not doing it to get ahead in life, or to get God’s attention. They’re doing it because they see a need & want to meet it. This room is filled with weary & tired souls. But I want to encourage you this morning because this is the fast that God desires. And I think that explains why we have seen God work in so many powerful ways the past 2 weeks. He has been among us, guiding us, leading us, healing us, restoring us.
Of all the shocking depictions of God in the book of Isaiah, this one might take the cake. Little boys, like Samuel in the temple, say, “Here I am” to God. It’s the response of a humble, obedient servant. But in this text, God says it to us! When you pour yourself out in service to others, God pours himself out in service to you. If it weren’t in the text, I wouldn’t dare say this out loud. And if I had not received this ministry of the Holy Spirit myself, I wouldn’t mention it. But God delights in helping his people. This is the pathway to a fulfilling relationship with God. Pour yourself out & he will be there for you. I promise your prayers won’t hit the ceiling.
Second, God heals us. I have been making the case that the ministry God desires for us comes at great personal cost. You will become wounded & weary in the process. But this is where you get to experience God’s healing power. In v8, God says that our healing will spring up speedily. I love this image. We all know what a gentle mountain spring looks like. But I had a friend tell me this week that during the flood, the spring on his property was gushing water. That’s the image here. God’s healing power will gush out speedily on his weary servants. In v11, he says that our bones will be strong & we will be like well-watered gardens. When you pour your life in service to others, God will abundantly replenish you to keep on giving. This is not a health, wealth, prosperity message. Christians will still get sick & die, but even as they get sick & die, they gush life. They go from strength to strength. I visited a 92-year-old brother in the hospital this week, & he preached a sermon. That is a well-watered garden.
Our enemy prowls around like a lion, seeking to kill, steal, & destroy, but he is never fully successful, because wherever he goes to destroy, God’s servants come in his wake, in the power of the Spirit, to rebuild what was lost. There is an army of orange & yellow shirts waiting to respond.
The hurricane created an overwhelming situation where the need was significant. But, by God’s grace, I believe that our church rose to the occasion. We have poured ourselves out to provide food & shelter & to rebuild what was lost. There are a lot of weary people in this room. But don’t give up, because this is where the blessing is found. This is the fast that God desires!
Church, don’t give up. We have an opportunity right now. Let’s keep pouring ourselves out for the sake of the gospel & rebuilding what was lost. In due season, we will reap. Let’s pray.
•Heavenly Father, thank you for these powerful promises in your word. We want to enjoy a fulfilling relationship with you more than anything. Sin is so deceptive. We confess that we are so selfish. Give us eyes to see where we fall short, & then give us the strength to obey.
•Holy Spirit, we need your help. We cannot obey any of these instructions on our own. We need your guidance, your wisdom, your vision, & most of all, your strength. We rely on you completely.
•Jesus, may you receive all the glory in our lives. When we rebuild & restore what was lost, may the world see a picture of the gospel. May they worship you, and not us. Thank you for pouring yourself out completely for our sake. Thank you for rebuilding our ancient ruins. We were lost, but Jesus, you came to save us & to restore our souls. It cost you everything. We worship you this morning.