Isaiah 58:6-14 (ESV)
“Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the 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 speaking wickedness,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to dwell in.
and your gloom be as the noonday.
And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to dwell in.
“If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,
from doing your pleasure on my holy day,
and call the Sabbath a delight
and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
If you honor it, not going your own ways,
or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly;
Then you shall take delight in the Lord,
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Before I start taking apart this Scripture, I just want to take note of all of the "if -- then" cause and effect clauses in this passage. I'm not 100% sure what to make of it, but it is certainly present in this chapter.
Well, I had to take a break from trying to figure out this passage because I was stuck. I couldn't figure out why God tells His people that He doesn't want their actions in the first part of this chapter, but then He turns around and commands them to do other actions instead, at the end of the chapter. I kept trying to determine this one thing: Is this passage about actions or is it about the heart?
I think it's both. From the heart comes the words and the actions; they are inseparable, just as much as breathing and living are inseparable. In Luke 6:45, Jesus says,
"The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."
Well, I had to take a break from trying to figure out this passage because I was stuck. I couldn't figure out why God tells His people that He doesn't want their actions in the first part of this chapter, but then He turns around and commands them to do other actions instead, at the end of the chapter. I kept trying to determine this one thing: Is this passage about actions or is it about the heart?
I think it's both. From the heart comes the words and the actions; they are inseparable, just as much as breathing and living are inseparable. In Luke 6:45, Jesus says,
"The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."
At the beginning of the chapter, God expresses disappointment in the behavior of the Israelites because their actions are an indicator of their hearts, and the news wasn't good -- their actions revealed a bad heart.
Now He's telling them what He wants to see: actions that reveal a pure heart.
Another thing that helped me understand this passage was our sermon at church on Sunday. In the following New Testament passage, we see the put-off, put-on principle, which we find in various places throughout Scripture. I think we can even make application to the passage we are studying now.
The put-off/put-on principle says we are to put off certain sinful behaviors, and put on other godly ones in their place. If we just put off without putting back on, that void will fill again with something. If we put on something new to replace what we put off, the putting off is more likely to be a permanent change
Following is that principle at work in Ephesians. Notice that each "put off" is followed by a "put on:"
Ephesians 4:22-32 (ESV)
Now He's telling them what He wants to see: actions that reveal a pure heart.
Another thing that helped me understand this passage was our sermon at church on Sunday. In the following New Testament passage, we see the put-off, put-on principle, which we find in various places throughout Scripture. I think we can even make application to the passage we are studying now.
The put-off/put-on principle says we are to put off certain sinful behaviors, and put on other godly ones in their place. If we just put off without putting back on, that void will fill again with something. If we put on something new to replace what we put off, the putting off is more likely to be a permanent change
Following is that principle at work in Ephesians. Notice that each "put off" is followed by a "put on:"
- Put off the old self, put on the new.
- Put off falsehood, put on words of truth.
- Put off stealing, put on working and giving.
- Put off corrupt speech, put on godly words that build up.
- Put off bitterness, anger, slander; put on kindness, tenderhearted ways, and forgiveness.
Ephesians 4:22-32 (ESV)
to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.
Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
So what if we applied that same put-off/put-on principle to our passage in Isaiah? That sheds a whole new light on things! Put off pride and put on true humility Put off a sinful heart attitude and put on a Christ-like one.
Put off, put on. I think that's where this passage is going.
So what if we applied that same put-off/put-on principle to our passage in Isaiah? That sheds a whole new light on things! Put off pride and put on true humility Put off a sinful heart attitude and put on a Christ-like one.
Put off, put on. I think that's where this passage is going.
