Isaiah 58

Observances of Fasts

1 "¹Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their ²transgression And to the house of Jacob their sins.

2 "Yet they ³seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways, As a nation that has done ⁴righteousness And ⁵has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just decisions, They delight ⁶in the nearness of God.

3 'Why have we ⁷fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?' Behold, on the ⁸day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers.

4 "Behold, you fast for contention and ⁹strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to ¹⁰make your voice heard on high.

5 "Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one's head like a reed And for spreading out ¹¹sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an ¹²acceptable day to the LORD?

6 "Is this not the fast which I choose, To ¹³loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to ¹⁴let the oppressed go free And ¹⁵break every yoke?

7 "Is it not to ¹⁶divide your bread with the hungry And ¹⁷bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the ¹⁸naked, to cover him; And not to ¹⁹hide yourself from your own flesh?

8 "Then your ²⁰light will break out like the dawn, And your ²¹recovery will speedily spring forth; And your ²²righteousness will go before you; The glory of the ²³LORD will be your rear guard.

9 "Then you will ²⁴call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you ²⁵remove the yoke from your midst, The ²⁶pointing of the finger and ²⁷speaking wickedness,

10 And if you ²⁸give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your ²⁹light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday.

11 "And the ³⁰LORD will continually guide you, And ³¹satisfy your desire in scorched places, And ³²give strength to your bones; And you will be like a ³³watered garden, And like a ³⁴spring of water whose waters do not fail.

12 "Those from among you will ³⁵rebuild the ancient ruins; You will ³⁶raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the ³⁷breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.

Keeping the Sabbath

13 "If because of the sabbath, you ³⁸turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a ³⁹delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, And honor it, desisting from your ⁴⁰own ways, From seeking your own pleasure And ⁴¹speaking your own word,

14 Then you will take ⁴²delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride ⁴³on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the ⁴⁴mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Isaiah 58 Commentary

Chapter 58

Hypocrisy reproved. (1,2) A counterfeit and a true fast, with promises to real godliness, and, (3-12) to the keeping the sabbath. (13,14)

Verses 1-2 The Holy Spirit had hypocrites of every age in view. Self-love and timid Christians may say, Spare thyself; dislike to the cross and other motives will say, "Spare the rich and powerful;" but God says, "Spare not:" and we must obey God, not men. We all need earnestly to pray for God's assistance in examining ourselves. Men may go far toward heaven, yet come short; and they may go to hell with a good reputation.

Verses 3-12 A fast is a day to afflict the soul; if it does not express true sorrow for sin, and does not promote the putting away of sin, it is not a fast. These professors had shown sorrow on stated or occasioned fasts. But they indulged pride, covetousness, and malignant passions. To be liberal and merciful is more acceptable to God than mere fasting, which, without them, is vain and hypocritical. Many who seem humble in God's house, are hard at home, and harass their families. But no man's faith justifies, which does not work by love. Yet persons, families, neighbourhoods, churches, or nations, show repentance and sorrow for sin, by keeping a fast sincerely, and, from right motives, repenting, and doing good works. The heavy yoke of sin and oppression must be removed. As sin and sorrow dry the bones and weaken the strongest human constitution; so the duties of kindness and charity strengthen and refresh both body and mind. Those who do justly and love mercy, shall have the comfort, even in this world. Good works will bring the blessing of God, provided they are done from love to God and man, and wrought in the soul by the Holy Spirit.

Verses 13-14 The sabbath is a sign between God and his professing people; his appointing it is a sign of his favour to them; and their observing it is a sign of their obedience to him. We must turn from travelling on that day; from doing our pleasure on that holy day, without the control and restraint of conscience; or from indulging in the pleasures of sense. On sabbath days we must not follow our callings, or our pleasures. In all we say and do, we must put a difference between this day and other days. Even in Old Testament times the sabbath was called the Lord's day, and is fitly called so still; and for a further reason, it is the Lord Christ's day, ( Revelation 1:10 ) . If we thus remember the sabbath day to keep it holy, we shall have the comfort and profit of it, and have reason to say, It is good to draw near to God.

Cross References

• 1. Isaiah 40:6
• 2. Isaiah 43:27; Isaiah 50:1; Isaiah 59:12
• 3. Isaiah 1:11; Titus 1:16
• 4. Isaiah 48:1; Jeremiah 7:9, 10
• 5. Isaiah 1:4, 28; Isaiah 59:13
• 6. Psalms 119:151; Isaiah 29:13; Isaiah 57:3; James 4:8
• 7. Malachi 3:14; Luke 18:12
• 8. Isaiah 22:12, 13; Zechariah 7:5, 6
• 9. Isaiah 3:14, 15; Isaiah 59:6
• 10. Isaiah 1:15; Isaiah 59:2; Joel 2:12-14
• 11. 1 Kings 21:27
• 12. Isaiah 49:8; Isaiah 61:2
• 13. Nehemiah 5:10-12; Jeremiah 34:8
• 14. Isaiah 1:17
• 15. Isaiah 58:9
• 16. Job 31:19, 20; Isaiah 58:10; Ezekiel 18:7, 16
• 17. Isaiah 16:3, 4; Hebrews 13:2
• 18. Matthew 25:35, 36; Luke 3:11
• 19. Deuteronomy 22:1-4; Luke 10:31, 32
• 20. Isaiah 58:10
• 21. Isaiah 30:26; Isaiah 33:24; Jeremiah 30:17; Jeremiah 33:6
• 22. Psalms 85:13; Isaiah 62:1
• 23. Exodus 14:19; Isaiah 52:12
• 24. Psalms 50:15; Isaiah 55:6; Isaiah 65:24
• 25. Isaiah 58:6
• 26. Proverbs 6:13
• 27. Psalms 12:2; Isaiah 59:13
• 28. Deuteronomy 15:7; Isaiah 58:7
• 29. Job 11:17; Psalms 37:6; Isaiah 42:16; Isaiah 58:8
• 30. Isaiah 49:10; Isaiah 57:18
• 31. Psalms 107:9; Isaiah 41:17
• 32. Isaiah 66:14
• 33. Song of Songs 4:15; Isaiah 27:3; Jeremiah 31:12
• 34. John 4:14; John 7:38
• 35. Isaiah 49:8; Isaiah 61:4; Ezekiel 36:10
• 36. Isaiah 44:28
• 37. Isaiah 30:13; Amos 9:11
• 38. Exodus 31:16, 17; Exodus 35:2, 3; Is 56:2, 4, 6; Jeremiah 17:21-27
• 39. Psalms 27:4; Psalms 42:4; Psalms 84:2, 10
• 40. Isaiah 55:8
• 41. Isaiah 59:13
• 42. Job 22:26; Isaiah 61:10
• 43. Deuteronomy 32:13; Deuteronomy 33:29; Isaiah 33:16; Habakkuk 3:19
• 44. Isaiah 1:20; Isaiah 40:5

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "know"
• [b]. Lit "his"
• [c]. Lit "for"
• [d]. Lit "sending out"
• [e]. Lit "furnish"
• [f]. Or "soul"
• [g]. Or "soul"
• [h]. Or "deceive"
• [i]. Lit "paths"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 58

From the wicked and antichristian party the prophet is bid to turn to the professors of the true religion, and openly, boldly, and sharply, reprove them for their sins, particularly their hypocrisy and formality in worship, Isa 58:1,2, who yet were angry, and complained that the Lord took no notice of their religious services, particularly their fasting, which is put for the whole; the reason of which was, because they did not fast aright; it was attended with much cruelty, strife, and wickedness, and only lay in external appearances, Isa 58:3-5, when they are directed how to keep a fast, and are shown what a true fast is, and what works and services are acceptable to God, Isa 58:6,7 on doing of which, light, health, prosperity, and hearing of their prayers, are promised, provided the yoke of oppression is taken away, and compassion shown to the poor, Isa 58:8-10, yea, a very fruitful and flourishing estate of the soul is promised, and a rebuilding of waste places, delight in the Lord, and great honour and dignity; so be it that the sabbath of the Lord, or public worship, is attended to in a proper manner, Isa 58:11-14.