I'm looking for some feedback on this passage. It's one of the passages I may use for my article. What do you think?
Isaiah 58:6-14
6"Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke?
7"Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8"Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9"Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am ' if you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,
10And if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday.
11"And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
12"Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; and you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell.
13"If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot from doing your own pleasure on My holy day, and call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, and honor it, desisting from your own ways, from seeking your own pleasure and speaking your own word,
14Then you will take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; and I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Isaiah 58:6-14 Tell Me What You Think...
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2 comments:
hi jen, this talks about the right reasons for fasting, which is to break the bonds of those strongholds in our lives and the lives of those around us. fasting weakens our flesh, yet strengthens our inner/spiritual man and draws us close to God because as we fast, we're also seeking God thru prayer.
as we pray and fast, yokes are destroyed, bondages are broken, health is restored, we get understanding in areas where we didn't understand.
many times, people fast for the wrong reasons--to be seen of men, for vanity, etc., but God looks for the fast that will express true sorrow and humility, drawing us closer to Him.
this is the gist of the scriptures. someone else may break it down more, or give some additional feedback. there are different kinds of fasts. sometimes, people think on fasts, you don't eat anything, but there are times when God puts me on fruits and vegetables fasts. people even get hung up on the length of time you fast, but God is more interested in the quality of the fast. you can fast a meal you normally eat, but it's what you do during that fast that God is more interested in.
i'm not sure if this helps you out any, but i'd be interested in reading your article when you do it.
If you read the beginning of Isaiah 58, I think it’s more clear that what God wants is not a physical fasting, but a “fasting” that is in our behavior—turning away from our self-centeredness and helping the oppressed and hungry. It’s kind of like Micah 6:8, that what God wants from us is to live justly and humbly. Fasting isn’t about us, it’s about God, and when we put our heart and our efforts into the things of God, we will see God and have intimacy with him.
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