Read Isaiah 58:1-14.

Introduction⤒🔗

Suppose we are gathered in the sanctuary for worship one Sunday morning. You have barely managed to crawl out of bed to get to church because you had been out carousing until the wee hours of the morning, but somehow you manage to get here. You have been screaming at your wife all the while you have been putting on your Sunday suit, and the children have been fighting with each other all the way to church, but somehow you manage to walk into the sanctuary hand in hand with polite smiles on your faces and your children in tow.

As you backed out of the garage, under your breath you cursed the newspaper delivery boy for carelessly throwing the Sunday paper in the driveway. While driving down the street you made an obscene gesture at a motorist who thoughtlessly pulled out in front of you. In the church parking lot you avoided old Mr. Smith to whom you have not spoken ever since he cheated you in a business deal twenty years ago. But now you have a warm handshake for the greeters at the door.

As the organist plays the opening prelude, in your mind you replay last night’s ballgame, play by play, all the while your head is reverently bowed and your face displays an expression of pious solitude. Now the pastor steps forward to announce the opening hymn, now we all stand to sing, and now, at this very moment, the Lord Jesus physically appears at the back of the sanctuary: STOP THE MUSIC! He shouts.

DO YOU CALL THIS WORSHIP!?! DO YOU CALL THIS RELIGION!?! Then He walks to the front of the sanctuary and steps to the pulpit. Now He opens the Bible to Isaiah 58 and based upon that passage declares, “True religion does not consist in the outward observance of religious formalities, but in the sincere observance of the commandments of the LORD your God.”

Let us hear what our Lord has to say to us from Isaiah 58 about The Elements of True Religion.

True Religion Consists of More than Mere Religious Formalities←⤒🔗

Isaiah 58 confronts us with a paradoxical situation: the people of Israel are gathered together for worship, but the prophet of the LORD is commanded to rebuke them in the strongest terms. The LORD commands Isaiah, “Shout aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their transgressions; declare to the house of Jacob their sins.”

Verse two reveals the condition that is displeasing to the LORD and meets with His stern rebuke: “they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, like a nation that practices righteousness and has not forsaken the commandments of their God. They ask me for righteous judgments; they delight in drawing near to God.” There is the outward appearance of godliness, even accompanied by a deep display of interest in spiritual things. The LORD acknowledges, “they seek me daily;” here is the diligence observance of the outward forms of worship. “[They] delight to know my ways;” here is a desire to hear the Word of God expounded and explained. “They ask me for righteous judgments;” here is a desire to know the truth of God and even how it applies to life. “They delight in drawing near to God;” here is a desire and even the enjoyment of being in the presence of God. But all of this is divorced from a life of obedience. God’s criticism and chastisement of the people results from the fact that they are not practicing righteousness in their lives; on the contrary, they are forsaking the law of God in their daily living.

In verse three these bewildered worshipers raise the question, “Why is it that the LORD does not acknowledge our fasting?” It appears that, perhaps in the face of the economic and military crisis they faced, there had gone out the call for a national day of fasting, (similar to what is described in Judges 2:24-26),

Then the Israelites drew near to Benjamin the second day. ²⁵This time, when the Benjamites came out from Gibeah to oppose them, they slaughtered another eighteen thousand Israelites, all of them armed with swords. ²⁶Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the LORD. They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the LORD.

The eleven tribes of Israel had gone out to make war against the tribe of Benjamin for harboring the people of Gibeah after they had committed a horrible offense. But, having suffered defeat at the hands of Benjamin, the united tribes now call for a day of prayer.

Now, in the days of Isaiah, it appears that once again there went out the call for a day of prayer; and the nation has responded to the call with fasting, and have done so with earnestness: “we have afflicted our soul” (vs. 3). But there has been no response from God: no relief, no healing of their land, and no dispersing of the enemy. Now the people were asking, ‘Why not?”

In verses 3b-4 the LORD explains: “Look, on the day of your fast you conduct your business and you exploit all of your laborers.” Even as they engaged in sincere religious worship they were disregarding the commandments of God; they were doing as they pleased rather than what God commanded, one example being the unrighteous way in which they treated those who labored for them. The Apostle James presents a severe warning to employers not to exploit their employees as a means of gaining for themselves a measure of the “good life” at the expense of those laborers. He warns against getting the most out of them, giving the least to them, so that the owner can get rich at their expense:

Behold! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. ⁵You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. Jas. 5:4-5

The LORD continues to bring charges against the way in which His people are worshiping: “Look, as you fast you are contending and quarreling [with one another], and even striking each other maliciously with your fists.” Even as they sincerely engaged in acts of religious worship, they were at odds with one another. They were in conflict with one another; they were at enmity with one another and harbored bitterness towards one another; they bore grudges against one another and refused to be reconciled. We must take very seriously the words of our Lord Jesus Christ when He says, “if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matt. 6:14-15). Also, the Apostle Paul admonishes the church,

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Col. 3:12-14

In the latter part of verse four the LORD sums up their present condition by stating: “you are not fasting in a way that will cause your voice to be heard on high.” He goes on to inquire, “Is this the kind of fast that I desire: a day for a man to afflict his soul, [a day for a man] to bow his head like a reed and to spread out sackcloth and ashes for a bed? Will you call this a fast, a day that is acceptable to the LORD?” The LORD makes clear that He does not consider the mere offering of the formalities of religious observance—no matter how sincerely they may be offered—as acceptable worship, if they are not accompanied by obedience in all areas of life.

Are we practicing true religion? Or does our religion consist of mere formalities, however sincere those formalities may be? If we are a saint in matters of worship, but a practical infidel in matters of everyday life, our religion is not acceptable to God; on the contrary, it meets with His stern rebuke:

Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to pay attention is better than the fat of rams; ²³for rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is like idolatry. 1 Sam. 15:22-23a

True Religion Involves the Observance of God’s Commandments←⤒🔗

What is the kind of religion that is acceptable to God and pleasing to Him? According to verse six, true religion involves the practice of justice in our dealings with our fellow man: “Is not this the kind of fast I desire, [namely], to cut loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set free the oppressed and break every yoke [of bondage]?” The picture presented in Isaiah 58:6 is that of a man, (or a class or race of people), held captive by injustice; they are enslaved by a society that oppresses them and denies them equal opportunity. It appears to be much the same as the situation outlined in Jeremiah 34:13-16,

This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your forefathers when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I said, ¹⁴Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrew who has sold himself to you. After he has served you six years, you must let him go free. Your fathers, however, did not listen to me or pay attention to me. ¹⁵Recently, you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to his countrymen. You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name. ¹⁶But now you have turned around and profaned my name; each of you has taken back the male and female servants you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your servants again.

The people of Israel had abused the laws dealing with indentured servitude, making it impossible for a man to escape that condition and advance in the society. In contemporary terms, it would be the equivalent of making entry level and “dead end” jobs available to certain classes or races of people, but denying them the open opportunity for economic and social advancement—the way being barred by a convenient legal apparatus controlled by those who possess the wealth and power and are determined to keep it as their own special domain.

The Word of God defines injustice and oppression in these terms: The gaining of wealth by exploiting other men and/or preventing them from having an equal opportunity to gain wealth for themselves. Biblical justice is not defined as equality of outcome; it consists of equality before the law and equality of opportunity.

As Christians, we need to be sensitive to acts of injustice and be indignant against such acts and practices. We need to oppose such acts and practices in the name of Christ; and God forbid that we should ourselves engage in such acts or support them. We must take seriously and put into practice the admonitions of the prophets of the LORD:

These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; ¹⁷do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this, declares the LORD. Zech. 8:16-17

He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? [He requires that] you act justly and love mercy and walk humbly with your God. Mic. 6:8

Verse seven goes on to teach that true religion involves the practice of mercy towards our fellow man: “Is it not to share your food with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house? [Is it not] to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from helping your own flesh and blood?” The LORD declares that this is the kind of fasting and worship He desires. According to verse ten, we are to have compassion for the hungry. In Jesus’ parable, the Good Samaritan is moved with compassion when he comes upon the man who was stripped and beaten by robbers: it was his compassion that moved him to come to the man’s aid; it was compassion that set him apart from the priest and the Levite who had previously come across the beaten man:

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was: and when he saw him [i.e. the man who had been beaten by robbers], he was moved with compassion, ³⁴and came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on them oil and wine; and he set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. Lk. 10: 33-34

May the LORD help us to look upon those in need with godly compassion, instead of looking upon them with contempt or fear. Ephesians 4:28 instructs us to have a portion of our income available for the purpose of helping those in need: “He who has been stealing must no longer steal; rather, let him labor, doing honorable work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with the one who is in need.” Note that the Ephesians passage is speaking about a whole change of outlook and attitude; an attitude that shows tangible concern for those in need, as opposed to the old sinful attitude that puts one’s self first and seeks opportunity to exploit others: the selfish attitude of the thief is to give way to the attitude of Christ-like compassion.

Then, according to verse thirteen, true religion involves honoring the LORD’s Day, again, recognizing that the observance of the Sabbath was an expression of covenantal commitment:

If, to avoid breaking the Sabbath, you keep your feet from going about your business on my holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight—the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you will, indeed, honor it, not going your own way, or conducting your own business, or conversing [about business] matters...

The Hebrew word, חֵפץֶ, rendered, “pleasure,” in some Bible translations, also has the meaning, “business,” which is the preferable rendering in this present passage. Taking the word in the sense of “business” would cause the Hebrew phrase, which literally reads, “speaking your own words,” to be understood as a reference to pursuing business negotiations or conversing on the topic of business on the LORD’s holy Sabbath. The commentary of Jeremiah 17:21-22 supports this interpretation:

This is what the LORD says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. ²²Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your forefathers.

Old Testament Israel was commanded as the holy nation to sanctify the Sabbath by refraining from their normal course of business on that day; sabbath observance was meant to be a covenantal sign of their devotion to the LORD their God and the testimony that He occupied the place of first priority in their lives. As New Testament Christians, we are to honor the LORD by honoring His day: gathering for corporate worship on the LORD’s Day and abstaining from our everyday business affairs, as much as they are under our control.

Are we practicing true religion? Are we doing so by observing the commandments of the LORD our God? We must take to heart the rebuke the Lord Jesus issued against the Pharisees of His day:

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices­ mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law: justice, mercy and faith. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. Matt. 23:23

According to the Apostle James, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (Jas. 1:27). According to this passage, true religion, religion that is acceptable to the LORD our God, is religion that exhibits mercy and holiness.

Conclusion←⤒🔗

What benefits and blessings does the LORD confer upon those who practice true religion?

Isaiah 58:8 lists the following national, (as they pertained to the Old Testament theocracy), and community, (as they pertain to the New Testament church’s congregations), blessings as these: “Your light will break forth like the day” (vs. 8a). The favor of the LORD will shine upon the Old Testament theocratic nation, (or the New Testament congregation), lifting it to a position of honor and prominence. With regard to the Old Testament form of this blessing, note Deuteronomy 28:1-6,

¹If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commandments that I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. ²All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: ³You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. ⁴The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock: the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. ⁵Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. ⁶You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

Another blessing enumerated in Isaiah 58 is the LORD’s promise, “your healing will quickly appear.” Just as wounded flesh is restored to health, so will the nation or community be restored to wholeness; that is to say, it will experience the life and blessing of moral and spiritual soundness. The LORD further promises, “your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rearguard.” The Old Testament theocratic nation would enjoy the benefit of the invincible strength of righteousness and the guardian presence of the LORD, note Deuteronomy 11:8a, 25,

^8aObserve, therefore, all the commandments I am giving you today, so that you may have...strength... ²⁵No man will be able to stand against you. The LORD your God, as he promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.

For the New Testament church community, this promise would translate into the assurance of the LORD’s sustaining presence, even in the most difficult of times and situations.

The passage also lists a number of personal blessings, to be enjoyed by the believer in his relationship with the LORD. The first of which is the promise, “Then you will call and the LORD will answer” (vs. 9). The result of the practice of true religion is true communion and fellowship with Christ and with God His Father, note John 14:23, “Jesus responded to him by saying, ‘If a man loves me, he will obey my teaching; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and dwell with him.’”

Then there is the promise, “Your children will rebuild the ancient ruins and will re-construct the age-old foundations” (vs. 12a). That is to say, your life becomes a testimony and a benefit to succeeding generations, and you will have the pleasure of seeing them walking in the truth. As covenant faithfulness is lived out and passed on to succeeding generations, and as they in turn receive Christ, abide in Him and adhere to His commandments, there is the continued experience of God’s covenant faithfulness in blessing.

In verses 9b-10 the LORD reiterates the elements of true religion, what it truly means to live out the Christian life:

If you do away with the yoke of oppression, [if you stop threateningly] pointing the finger and uttering malicious threats, ¹⁰if you have compassion for the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like noonday.

Remove the yoke of oppression. Do away with the pointing of the finger and speaking maliciously; i.e. do away with angry accusations and threats of vengeance. Have compassion on the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul.

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. Addressing Judah prior to the Babylonian captivity, how does the LORD describe the covenant nation? See Isa. 58:2. To what degree is this also a description of the Christian church today? Note 2 Tim. 3:1-2, 3-5. To what degree is this a description of ourselves? As Christians, how are we called to live before God? See 2 Tim. 2:19 and Jas. 1:22,

...they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, like a nation that practices righteousness and has not forsaken the commandments of their God. They ask me for righteous judgments; they delight in drawing near to God. Isa. 58:2

¹But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come; ²for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money... ⁴...lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; ⁵holding a form of godliness, but denying its power... 2 Tim. 3:1-2, 3-5

...Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 2 Tim. 2:19b

be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Jas. 1:22

2. How does the LORD command His servants the prophets to address the covenant nation? See Isa. 58:1. Why would the prophets need such an exhortation, what had been the peoples’ attitude toward the faithful preaching of God’s Word? See Isa. 30:10-11. What kind of preaching did they insist upon hearing? See Isa. 30:10. How does the Apostle Paul describe what faithful preaching should be? See Acts 20:20-21, 26-27. Do you desire and support the faithful preaching of the Word of God? Do you ask the LORD to help your pastor to do so? Do you apply such preaching to your life?

Shout aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their transgressions; [declare] to the house of Jacob their sins. Isa. 58:1

¹⁰[They are children] who say to the seers, Do not see any more visions! and to the prophets, Do not prophesy to us what is right; [rather], tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions! ¹¹Get out of our way! Move out of our path! Stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel! Isa. 30:10­-11

²⁰I did not hold back from declaring unto you anything that was profitable, but proclaimed it to you...²¹testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ... ²⁶Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men, ²⁷for I did not hold back from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Acts 20:20-21, 26-27

3. What were the political conditions Judah faced in the times leading up to and finally culminating in the Babylonian captivity? Note Isa. 1:7-8. In those desperate times, what did the nation do, but with what result? See Isa. 58:3a. Was their fasting merely perfunctory, or was it sincere? See Isa. 58:3b, 5. What was lacking? Note, again, Isa. 58:2. Is the LORD ever pleased with the offering of heart-felt emotion that is not accompanied with obedience that originates from the heart? Can your love for Christ be expressed only with your emotions in the absence of an obedient devotion to Him? See Jn. 14:15,

Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire. Foreigners devour your land in your very presence; it is left desolate, overrun by strangers. ⁸The Daughter of Zion is left like a shack in a vineyard, like a hut in a field of melons, like a city under siege. Isa. 1:7-8

³[They ask], Why have we fasted, but you have not taken notice of it? Why have we afflicted our soul, but you do not acknowledge it? Look, on the day of your fast you conduct your business and you exploit all of your laborers...⁵Is this the kind of fast that I desire, a day for a man to afflict his soul; [a day for a man] to bow his head like a reed and to spread out sackcloth and ashes for a bed? Will you call this a fast, a day that is acceptable to the LORD?Isa. 58:3, 5

...they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, like a nation that practices righteousness and has not forsaken the commandments of their God. They ask me for righteous judgments; they delight in drawing near to God. Isa. 58:2

If you love me, keep my commandments. Jn. 14:15

4. When the people wonder why the LORD has not responded to their heart-felt fasting, how does the LORD reply? See Isa. 58:3-4. As you bring your worship to the LORD, are your business practices in keeping with God’s commandments (cf. Prov. 11:1)? Are you at peace with fellow believers, and, as much as is within your ability, with your neighbor? Note Col. 3:8-9,

[They ask], Why have we fasted, but you have not taken notice of it? Why have we afflicted our soul, but you do not acknowledge it? Look, on the day of your fast you conduct your business and you exploit all of your laborers. ⁴Look, as you fast you are contending and quarreling [with one another], and even striking each other maliciously with your fists. [At present] you are not fasting in a way that will cause your voice to be heard on high. Is. 58:3-4

A false balance is an abomination to the LORD; but a just weight is his delight. Prov. 11:1

But now you must also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. ⁹Do not lie to one another... Col. 3:8-9

5. What two things does the LORD emphasize that He desires to find being practiced by Christians, especially toward fellow believers? See Isa. 58:6-7. As a Christian, do you appreciate the importance of justice to the stability of a society; do you advocate for and personally practice such justice? Note Zech. 8:16-17. As a Christian, do you have compassion for those in need, and do you seek to minister to them, especially those who are fellow members of the body of Christ? Note Gal. 6:10,

Is not this the kind of fast I desire, [namely], to cut loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set free the oppressed and break every yoke [of bondage]? ⁷Is it not to share your food with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house? [Is it not] to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from [helping] your own flesh and blood? Isa. 58:6-7

These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; give judgment in your gates for truth, justice and peace. ¹⁷Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; and do not love a false oath; for all these are things that I hate, says the LORD. Zech. 8:16-17

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good works toward all men, but especially toward those who belong to the family of believers. Gal. 6:10