“God Does Want to Bless His People”
Isaiah 58: 1-14
Isaiah must have been just a bit frustrated with God’s people, as he keeps returning to topics he has covered previously in his book. Today’s Scripture takes us back to Isaiah having to explain to the people again that they are not going at this righteous way of living correctly. In fact, they are going at it all wrong. Isaiah instructed them on how righteousness worked back in chapter 56, verse 1:
“Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without descrating it, and keeps his hand from doing evil.”
Back in chapter 56, the people were seen as being idolatrous, in today’s Scripture, Isaiah focuses on their selfish and oppressive behaviors.
Isaiah points out that instead of their religion making them a blessing to themselves and those around them, the way in which they practice it, has made them a curse. The people had chosen to focus on fasting as their way to prove they had their focus on God. However, when looked at carefully, there are only two instances given in the law where God commands fasting. One with the Day of Atonement and one in the book of Joel. All other references to fasting are when leaders have chosen it or individuals have chosen it during a moment of crises. Ironically, the very thing they neglected by fasting, was the command by God to remember and participate in the Sabbath feast, in other words, to eat.
Chapter 58 begins demonstrating how the people have done their utmost to be seen as pious and genuine in their concern to know God’s will. But in verse two, Isaiah claims the Israelites had actually forsaken the commands of God and were in rebellion.
Why does Isaiah make this claim?
Because their behavior does not show gratitude and submission to God,
but rather,
you can tell by their questions to God,
they were revealing their cultic behavior.
Their concerns addressed in their questions to God in verse three prove their behavior was similar to the pagans. Their questions demonstrate their concern as to why God had not acted favorably in their desires.
In their minds they were doing the “right” thing.
What gives?
Why wasn’t God giving them what they wanted? Questions we often hear, still today?
What have I done wrong?
Why isn’t God giving me what I ask for?
As we continue to read, later on in this chapter, it is God’s desire to bless His people, look at verses 8 through 12. The problem is that God will not bless those who are attempting to receive that blessing through cultic manipulation. God’s blessings are given to those who are in an unbroken covenant relationship with Him.
How does one recognize they are in an unbroken relationship with God?
By looking at one’s ethical behavior.
Choosing to fast must have seemed like an easy way out in order to demonstrate you were ethical.
Think about it.
Your giving up of eating, means you are making a personal sacrifice.
The problem was, fasting was not one of God’s prominent commands. Like I stated before, there are only two times it is mentioned in the Bible.
However, there are hundreds of places in God’s Word where His people were commanded to treat other people, especially those who are weaker than they, with respect, justice, and kindness. Verses 6 and 7 is where God tells those who have chosen to stop eating for their pious activity that a better thing to do would be to stop their oppressing the poor.
Not only that, Isaiah points out that they were fasting for the very opposite reason God intended it, in the first place. God presented fasting as a way of abandoning themselves to others and God, but instead, as verse 5 suggests, there was a self-serving aspect. Whereas in verse three Isaiah states it even more explicitly, “you do as you please.”
But what type of behavior does God desire?
Verse 6 begins to reveal the answer,
“Loose the chains of injustice”
“Untie the cords of the yoke”
“Set the oppressed free”
“Break every yoke”
“Share your food with the hungry”
Provide shelter for the poor wanderer
“See the naked, clothe him”
“Don’t turn away your own flesh and blood.”
What did that look like then? The same it looks like now.
Eat less in order to have food to give to the hungry.
Wear less expensive clothes in order to clothe the naked.
Stop pointing the finger and talking maliciously.
And when we behave like God desires, what happens?
Our light will break forth like the dawn.
Our healing will quickly appear.
Our righteousness will go before us and
the glory of the Lord will be our rear guard.
Then, when we call, the Lord will answer,
we will cry for help and He will say, “Here I am.”
Basically, we will be “in relationship” with God and it will be like sharing with our best friend and having Him be there.
The reference to “light” in verse 8 and 10 has been a previously mentioned theme in chapters 42 and 49, as a promise to the Servant and is a future theme in chapter 60, to which this chapter is preceding.
God’s method of giving His blessings of the covenant to the whole earth, is through God’s people. Those people who are “in relationship” with Him and shining His light, not their own.
When people continue to do “as they please,” when they choose to try to get to God by doing what they want, God’s blessings are not being given to the whole world.
The blessings are being sucked up by individuals and hoarded.
However, when we stop activities that benefit ourselves and cease self-enhancing activities the world sees it as “not attractive.”
The world says, “me first.” If I don’t watch out for myself first, who will? Even our country has bought into this idea, “America First.”
When we are “in relationship” with God, whether it is an individual, church or nation, we are to put God first. And God tells us to take care of each other. It is through a relationship with God that we are blessed.
Not so we receive a blessing,
but so we receive a relationship with our creator
which becomes the blessing.
Doing His will goes beyond the motions,
it stems from the heart.
When we focus on rigorous self-disciplined behavior and particular forms of worship, we are told by Paul in Colossians 2, that although they have the appearance of wisdom, they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. The actions themselves become the purpose.
This can be seen today in the case of a wealthy evangelical employer, who is known for giving generously to missions, but refuses to pay their employees anything above minimum wage and also refuses to contribute to retirement plans or health-care plans for them. I don’t think the Lord wants them to stop giving to missions, however, their contributions to missions in no way justifies their mistreating people.
God’s Word is alive and sharper than a two edged sword. It was written by Isaiah over 2,700 years ago, and still needs to be said today.
Christians are still tempted by society to use religious behavior as a way of manipulating God in order to get our own selfish ends met. Fasting is still sometimes used by religious people today in order to develop a more disciplined life. I think other activities have also stepped in there, such as, church attendance, daily devotions, prayer, and tithing.
Each of these activities are useful but have the ability to be used in order for the participant to gain a blessing from God, should we perform them. When this attitude is present, whether consciously or unconsciously, our behavior has become idolatrous.
Contrast this with the religious life that is characterized by self-forgetful service, freely given with no return expected, the exact mirroring image of Jesus himself. Don’t tell me that does not exist.
I sat here a couple of weeks ago and listened to Juan Pablo Garcia share what he and his family was doing in Peru to reach those who are handicapped and disabled, so they could hear the loving Word of God and come to know Jesus. A prime example of self-forgetful service, freely given with no return expected. I contend, this demonstration of what it looks like to be in a relationship with God can manifest itself in America, beginning right here in Damariscotta.
What if we are walking “in relationship” with God, so closely, that we show those around us that we don’t have to worry about our needs. God has them under control. Now, I did not say, we do not have to work to meet our needs, I said we do not have to worry about them. We are secure that we know God, and we are not in a relationship for what we can get from Him, but for love. And that love we want to share and give to others.
However, we need to remember the larger context Isaiah is presenting here and what the New Testament also points out. We are not able to live this kind of covenant life on our own strength.
“The joy of the Lord is my strength,”
“Christ in me the hope of glory.”
It is only when God empowers us with His grace, that we no longer have a need to put ourselves first, we instead, can lay aside our self-serving attitudes, and give ourselves away, reckless abandon, in love, to God and to others.
No worries.
Relationship with God.
Amen.
Let’s pray.
