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 58:1 | Isaiah 58:3 >> |
Isaiah 58:2
Yet they seek me daily - The whole description here is appropriate to the character of formalists and hypocrites; and the idea is, that public worship by sacrifice was celebrated daily in the temple, and was not intermitted. It is not improbable also that they kept up the regular daily service in their dwellings.
And delight to know my ways - Probably this means, they profess to delight to know the ways of God; that is, his commands, truths, and requirements. A hypocrite has no real delight in the service of God, or in his truth, but it is true at the same time that there may be a great deal of professed interest in religion. There may be a great deal of busy and bustling solicitude about the order of religious services; the external organization of the church; the ranks of the clergy; and the claims of a liturgy. There may be much pleasure in theological discussion; in the metaphysics of theology; in the defense of what is deemed orthodoxy. There may be much pleasure in the mere music of devotion. There may be pleasure in the voice of a preacher, and in the power of his arguments. And there may be much pleasure in the advancement of the denomination to which we are attached; the conversion of people not from sin, but from a side opposite to us; and not to holiness and to God, but to our party and denomination. True delight in religion is in religion itself; in the service of God as such, and because it is holy. It is not mere pleasure in creeds, and liturgies, and theological discussions, and in the triumph of our cause, nor even in the triumph of Christianity as a mere party measure; but it is delight in God as he is, in his holy service, and in his truth.
As a nation that did righteousness - As a people would do who really loved the ways of righteousness.
They ask of me the ordinances of justice - Their priests and prophets consult about the laws and institutions of religion, as if they were really afraid of violating the divine commands. At the same time that they are full of oppression, strife, and wickedness, they are scrupulously careful about violating any of the commands pertaining to the rites of religion. The same people were subsequently so conscientious that they did not dare to enter the judgment-hall of Pilate lest they should disqualify themselves from partaking of the Passover, at the same time that they were meditating the death of their own Messiah, and were actually engaged in a plot to secure his crucifixion! John 19:28. It is often the case that hypocrites are most scrupulous and conscientious about forms just as they are meditating some plan of enormous guilt, and accomplishing some scheme of deep depravity.
They take delight in approaching to God - There is a pleasure which even a hypocrite has in the services of religion, and we should not conclude that because we find pleasure in prayer and praise, that therefore we are truly pious. Our pleasure may arise from a great many other sources than any just views of God or of his truth, or an evidence that we have that we are his friends.
Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Isaiah 58:2:
Psalms 66:18
Isaiah 56:2
Isaiah 58:14
Isaiah 58:14
| << Isaiah 58:1 | Isaiah 58:3 >> |
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