Isaiah 58 Study Notes
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58:8-9 The people began by complaining that God did not respond to their fasting (v. 3). Fasting seems self-denying, but God recognized that the fasting of his people had been manipulative. True self-denial means helping others, and behavior that is other-centered rather than self-directed will be rewarded. On yoke, see note at v. 6.
58:10 Light and darkness stand for prosperity and need. True obedience and a turning from evil will transform darkness into light.
58:11-12 The pronouncement looks forward to the restoration when God’s people will leave their captivity and return to the land, but the land and its cities, especially Jerusalem, will be in ruins. Obedience will lead to prosperity and fertility. The parched land will turn into a watered garden. Obedience and true piety will also lead to the strength needed to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and its defenses.
58:13-14 While God’s people kept fasts not commanded in the Bible, they flouted Sabbath observance, which was one of the central commands of the OT. It was the fourth commandment, considered the sign of the Mosaic covenant (see note at 56:2). To observe the Sabbath meant turning away from self-absorbed behavior (see note at 58:8-9).