Fasting that Pleases God
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
aTell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins.
And delight to know My ways,
As a nation that did righteousness,
And did not forsake the ordinance of their God.
They ask of Me the ordinances of justice;
They take delight in approaching God.
Why have we bafflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’
“In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure,
And exploit all your laborers.
And to strike with the fist of wickedness.
You will not fast as you do this day,
To make your voice heard on high.
bA day for a man to afflict his soul?
Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush,
And cto spread out sackcloth and ashes?
Would you call this a fast,
And an acceptable day to the Lord?
To aloose the bonds of wickedness,
bTo undo the1 heavy burdens,
cTo let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
And that you bring to your house the poor who are1 cast out;
bWhen you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from cyour own flesh?
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
bThe glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
“If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and aspeaking wickedness,
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your1 darkness shall be as the noonday.
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
aShall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of1 Streets to Dwell In.
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the Lord honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
And I will cause you to bride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
cThe mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
| << Isaiah 57:21 | Isaiah 58:2 >> |
What Does Isaiah 58:1 Mean?
Isaiah 58:1
Trumpets symbolize a loud, warning cry of impending danger. These verses from the prophets impart a dire warning to those living in the end time: The day of the Lord is at hand, a day of darkness, gloominess, and clouds over man's society! The prophets strongly admonish the ministry to raise their voices as trumpets to warn of sudden, terrifying destruction!
Though originally intended for Israel, these warnings apply specifically to the called-out children of God since we are the ones living in the end time with the understanding of God's plan! In fact, we have the most to lose by ignoring these stern prophecies of death and destruction. They are admonishments to prepare ourselves spiritually for the tumult ahead. Notice that these verses stress repentance, fasting, and prayer, and who but God's elect truly understand them?
Staff
Holy Days: Trumpets
Isaiah 58:1
This verse describes a prophet's major responsibility, but here and there in the Bible a prophet is called a "watchman" or "man of God." They are also described as pastors. Whatever they are called, there is always some indication that they were set apart from the normal system, even if they happened to be Levitical priests. Jeremiah and Ezekiel were both priests, but they were not part of the system, standing apart from it despite being of Aaron's family. What God did in setting them apart made them recognizable to the people as "a man of God," as a "watchman."
Although the biblical record appears to show gaps between prophetic activities, it is probable that, until the New Testament times, there were always prophets among the people. The last Old Testament prophet was John the Baptist, who, although appearing in the New Testament, was still operating under the Old Covenant. His father, Zechariah, was a priest, and even though John came from a priestly family, he was definitely different from the priests of his day. In fact, he stood out like a sore thumb. This standing apart is always an identifying mark of a prophet. Though a prophet may be a priest, he is definitely not part of the priesthood system.
The prophets whose writings make up much of the biblical record tend to appear just before a time of crisis or during the crisis itself. Sometimes they were well organized, as in Samuel's or Elijah's day, when schools of the prophets existed. However, these schools tended to produce - not prophets in the classic sense like Samuel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, or Isaiah - but the equivalent of modern-day theological seminarians. We can speculate that they were probably mostly Levites, who, as part of their Tabernacle/Temple service or priesthood training, attended these schools. Undoubtedly, some of these spoke under the inspiration of God, but they were not prophets in the same sense as the well-known prophets of Scripture.
Sometimes a prophet's ministry was accompanied by tremendous miracles, as with Elijah and Elisha. God used these signs and wonders to reinforce their ministry. At other times, as with John the Baptist, no miracles at all were performed (John 10:41). In other words, no one pattern emerges on this point. The chief distinction is that they were men set apart.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Prophets and Prophecy (Part One)
| << Isaiah 57:21 | Isaiah 58:2 >> |
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This verse describes a prophet's major responsibility. A prophet, whether called a watchman, man of God, or pastor, is always set apart from the normal system, even if of Levitical descent, as with Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and John the Baptist. This standing apart is an identifying mark. Prophets typically appear just before or during a crisis. Trumpets symbolize a loud, warning cry of impending danger, admonishing the ministry to raise their voices and warn of sudden destruction in the day of the Lord. Though originally intended for Israel, these warnings apply specifically to God's called-out children living in the end time. Here, God tells Isaiah to cry aloud and declare the people's sins, even though they sought Him daily and fasted.