Tag Archives: Isaiah 58

August 4, 2023 Bible Study

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 57-59.

In today’s passage Isaiah addresses a complaint often lodged against God when someone dies young, “But he (or she) was such a good person, why did he (or she) die so young?”  Of course, the answer does not just apply to those who die young, it applies to anyone who dies “before their time.”  God sometimes takes the devout and the righteous sooner than we would wish in order to spare them evil.  Isaiah goes on to show the conceit and arrogance of those who condemn God when someone who was truly good dies young (as opposed to those who merely cry out in grief).  God seeks those who are contrite and humble, not those who arrogantly parrot how righteous they are.

Many put on a false front, Isaiah uses the example of fasting here. but there are many ways that people proclaim how they seek to do what is right while in secret (and sometimes not even all that secret) doing what they please at the expense of those less able.  God desires that we share our food with the hungry, provide shelter to without, clothe the naked, and aid our relatives.

 

 

The Lord looked and was displeased
    that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no one,
    he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm achieved salvation for him,
    and his own righteousness sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,
    and the helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments of vengeance
    and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
18 According to what they have done,
    so will he repay
wrath to his enemies
    and retribution to his foes;
    he will repay the islands their due.
19 From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord,
    and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory.
For he will come like a pent-up flood
    that the breath of the Lord drives along.[d]

20 “The Redeemer will come to Zion,
    to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”
declares the Lord.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

August 4, 2022 Bible Study — Remembering What Is Acceptable To The Lord

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Isaiah 57-59.

I think I understand what the prophet wrote here, but I am not sure I can put it into words.  Today’s passage begins with the prophet writing that sometimes the righteous die young so as to be spared from suffering, or perhaps from falling into wickedness.  Then the prophet accuses those to whom he is primarily writing of seeking some other. any other, god to the true God.  They indulged their lust and sacrificed their children, exhausting themselves in pursuit of an alternative to doing God’s will, seeking a righteousness not of God’s making.  But, the prophet tells us, that seeking will be, and is, in vain.  When trouble inevitably comes the replacements we have for God will fail us.  Only those who take refuge in God will be saved from those troubles.  And yet, even that will not be of our own doing.  God will punish the wicked, which is all of us, as the prophet wrote previously (“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”).  But God will heal us and give us peace.  Unfortunately, some will reject His healing because they are unwilling to humbly accept His deliverance, they are unwilling to admit that they sinned.

And this brings me to where it gets tricky and easy to get mislead.  The prophet actually condemns two types of people: those who reject God outright, and those who seek God on their own terms.   In chapter 57, he wrote of those who rejected God outright.  In chapter 58, he turns his attention to those who seek to clothe their own desires and wishes in God’s righteousness.  If you are reading this, I doubt you fall into the first group, but all of us must be wary of finding ourselves in the latter.  It is all too easy to take the path of visible righteousness, while profiting from injustice and wrong.  We see those reveling in sin and point our fingers at them, crying “Sinner”, without acknowledging our own sin.  The prophet makes clear what God asks of us; feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless.  Let us seek to do these things and we need not fear the coming turmoil.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

August 4, 2021 Bible Study — No One Pleads A Case With Integrity

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Isaiah 57-59.

Since I am going to be on vacation from July 31-August 9 I have already written my blog posts for these days and scheduled them to be posted.  However, I may not be able to post a link to them on FaceBook, Gab.com, or MeWe.com during every day (or any day) during this time period.  So, please continue to visit my site to read my daily devotional.

I wrote yesterday how I saw Isaiah’s writings as applying to our society today.  I see more of that in today’s passage.  The following passage seems to me to describe our society:

You burn with lust among the oaks
    and under every spreading tree;
you sacrifice your children in the ravines
    and under the overhanging crags.

I think the first part needs no further exposition.  In the past, I saw the way our society deals with abortion as being related to passage like the second part.  However, today I realized that there is much more to our society’s sacrifice of children then just abortion.  There is the way we encourage them to see themselves as sexual beings before they reach puberty.  There is the way in which we permanently alter their bodies on the basis of childhood fantasies. In seeing the ways in which our society fulfills this, let us not lose sight of the important part of this: all of this happens because we choose not to obey God.  Which leads me to one of the most hopeful passages in the Bible:

“I have seen their ways, but I will heal them;”

God will bring healing to those willing to repent of their sin.  Despite our knowing embrace of sin, God will pour out His Spirit upon us, inspiring us to turn from that sin to Him.  Let us call on God to do so for our society today.

Many people use what Isaiah says in Chapter 58 to argue their case.  There he writes of people who call on God while mistreating their fellow man, people who practice religious rituals but exploit their workers. Isaiah goes on to tell us that the religious practices which God truly desires is for us to share our food with the hungry and to provide shelter to the poor wanderers. However, many of those who appeal to this passage forget where he also tells us to do away with the pointing finger and the malicious talk.  More importantly, they do not follow what Isaiah tells us is the biggest problem in our society, “no one pleads a case with integrity.”  Too many, on every side of every issue, are willing to make their case by presenting misleading information.  We cannot have justice and righteousness unless we plead each case with integrity.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

August 4, 2020 Bible Study The Lord Will Restore The Humble

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 57-59.

Isaiah condemns those who mock both God and those who worship Him while worshiping their idols with great passion.  I see a connection with those in today’s society who have made a sacrament out of abortion while laughing at those who follow the traditional practices of Christianity.  Isaiah refers to how they keep seeking after new and different idols, yet refuse to consider God when their idols fail them.  And yet I also see a warning to those who have continued to worship God when Isaiah tells us to clear the road for their return.  We must seek out what obstacles we have placed in the way of those who may turn back to God.  Each of us must examine our lives to see if there is something we have done, or are doing, which presents an obstacle to others turning back to God.  If we find such a thing in our lives, we must immediately remove it, we must humbly seek God and change so that He can call the sinners back to Himself.

We must examine ourselves to see if we are the ones to whom Isaiah is referring when he talks of those who act pious, but are not.  When we follow the traditional practices of Christians, are we doing so in order to serve God?  Or, are we merely putting on a show for those around us?  Do we do the things which God commands in order to demonstrate God’s love? Or, are we seeking to be honored by others?  Rather than seeking honor for our piety, let us be humble and contrite about our sins.  Then, and only then, God will forgive us, welcome us, and bless us.

August 4, 2019 Bible Study — Worship God In Spirit And In Truth

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.  I am going to be on vacation through August 10th.  I have prepared my daily Bible Studies for each day throughout that time in advance since I will have limited access to the Internet during this time.  The timing on when I publish these blogs may be erratic during this time.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 57-59.

The prophet tells us, almost as an aside, that when the good die before what we would consider “their time”, God is protecting them from coming evil.  Those of us who survive them should be more concerned about what God is leaving us to face than about grieving over those who will face no more suffering.

The rest of the passage contains messages about our sin and what true worship of God looks like.  Attending Church every Sunday, singing the good songs, listening to sermons about the Bible do not compose true worship of God.  No, true worship involves feeding the hungry, freeing the oppressed, and providing shelter for the homeless.  There is nothing wrong with that first set of actions, but they will not bring us into a relationship with God unless we are doing the second set.  Our sins cut us off from God.

OK, changing direction here a bit.  Isaiah was explaining to the people of Jerusalem why bad things were happening to them, even during King Hezekiah’s reign.  When people are more concerned with what is in it for them than in what is fair and honest, bad things will happen.  As I read Isaiah’s condemnation of the people to whom I speaks, I see parallels to our society today.  They worship idols, constantly seeking out new and different idols to satisfy their cravings.  They sacrifice their children and demand the right to call on others to sacrifice theirs.  They redefine “good” and call those who call people to righteous behavior evil.  People pay lip service to God while refusing to listen to His commands.  Yet, for all of our sin and rejection of God, He still offers us healing and salvation.

August 4, 2018 Bible Study — Are Those Who Believe In God Gullible?

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 57-59.

    Today’s passage begins with a condemnation of those who mock believers as credulous fools while themselves believing in many implausible things. I remember a comedian who made a name for himself by mocking Christians as gullible and believing incredulous things. It turned out that he himself was willing to believe the incredulous, as long as those making the claims did not believe in God. In my experience, those who most emphatically do not believe in God are often the most gullible when it comes to other claims. However, perhaps even more relevant to how today’s passage starts are the people who spend their lives looking for spiritual fulfillment. Often times, they started their search for spiritual fulfillment by rejecting Christianity without ever actually learning what Jesus taught. Despite the fact that people often rejected God without ever listening to what He had to offer, if they accept it from Him, He will heal them.

    Worse than those who pursue other gods rather than worshiping the one true God are those who go through the motions in order to appear righteous. They worship God in order to advance their own interests, not to serve Him. God does not want our worship to be about going through the motions or performing the correct rituals. God wants us to treat our fellow man well and care for those in need. In many ways what Isaiah is talking about here reminds me of those who practice “Prosperity Gospel”, who think that being a Christian is a way to become prosperous. Serving God is not about what is in it for me. The benefit of serving God is doing good for others. Perhaps the part of this which strikes closest to home for me is Isaiah’s command to keep the Sabbath Day holy. Isaiah tells us not to pursue our own interests on that day, but we should still enjoy it. I do not believe that the Sabbath Day must be celebrated on either the 7th day of the week, as Jews generally do, or on the 1st day of the week as Christians generally do. However, I do believe that we should set aside one day a week to dedicate to God. That does not mean that we need to spend the whole day at worship services, or reading the Bible, but it does mean that we should not spend time on that day doing things we just did not get to on another day.

August 4, 2017 Bible Study — The Righteous Do Not Fear Death

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Isaiah 57-59.

    The passage begins with a short explanation that sometimes the reason good people suffer an untimely death is to save them from experiencing evil later on. For those who love the Lord, death is not a terrible thing. For those people, death is not the end. They will enter into the presence of God and know peace that we can never experience in this life. It is worth noting that the prophet contrasts the untimely death of the righteous with the lives of wickedness and sin lived in an attempt to avoid what they dread and fear. Yet, in the end they will fail to escape judgment. They will experience that which they fear and dread.

    Chapter 58 contains a great summation about hypocrisy. Fasting does not serve a useful purpose if we do not use the time to examine our lives and see how we can better serve God. God does not want us to fast, or pray, or go to Church, or any of many other things for themselves. Going to Church and worshiping God are good things, but if we do not come out of them inspired to care for those in need our worship is empty. I want to emphasize that this about examining our lives to see how we can feed the hungry, free the oppressed, or clothe the naked, not to condemn others for not doing so. I just realized that most of the time when people go over this passage they stop before they get to the end of this passage, where the prophet says exactly that, “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,…” Notice how he puts blaming others for doing wrong right alongside of oppressing people yourself. The writer actually expands on this in chapter 59. If we do not make our arguments with integrity, if we attempt to win with deception and lies, then God will not give us justice. Yet, God will come, indeed he has come, as a redeemer for those who repent of their sin.