Presented to Alberni Valley Ministries of The Salvation Army, 16 August 2020 by Captain Michael Ramsay
God is mad at Israel. He is like a parent or a boss here who is fed up. He says, Verse 1, 'declare to MY people, THEIR REBELLION and…sins',
God is upset with these people, HIS people who, Verse 2:
Ø Seek him out,
Ø Seem eager to know His ways
Ø Ask Him for just, right decisions
Ø And seem eager for Him to come near them
God is upset with these people, HIS people and, like children or a husband sometimes… they really don't know why. They know that they do all of the above and they wonder why God is upset with them.[1] Verse 3:
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’…
God does not really believe that they are trying to fast all. He replies. Verses 3b and 4:
“Yet on the day of your 'fasting', you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarrelling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
God does like fasting. God asks for fasting. And God's people claim to Him that they are fasting but God says what they have done doesn’t count as fasting. Fasting is making a sacrifice for God. It is giving up food for God but God says, 'what good is fasting if you…
Ø Exploit your workers (abuse your slaves)
Ø Are always arguing
Ø And punching each other
God says that's not a fast. We can’t do that and expect Him to be happy.
That is like if children decided that they would make dinner for mom and spend the whole evening fighting and arguing and yelling at each other. Mom is not going to be happy and mom is not going to even want to eat your dinner. It is like if you are trying to make something for your mom's birthday but you just can't stop fighting with and/or picking on your sibling. All that crying, screaming, arguing, and fighting: mom is not going to be happy God is not going to be happy. God is not happy.
God says, Verse 5:
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
It is akin to on her birthday, Mom saying, is that what I want?… for you all to sing happy birthday to me and give me a cake when you are all miserable and being miserable to each other making faces behind each others back and snide comments under your breath? Mom would then tell us then what she wants from us: how we should treat our brothers and sisters
God does then tells us exactly what He wants from us as well as fasting, humbling ourselves, and keeping the Sabbath. God desires, He wants us to:
Ø Verse 6, loose the chains of injustice, set the oppressed free and untie the cords of the yoke and then break every yoke
Ø Verse 7, share your food with the hungry
Ø provide the poor wanderer with shelter
Ø when you see the people in need of clothes, give them clothes
Ø not turn away from your own flesh and blood (are we not all children of God?)
Ø Verse 9: stop the malicious talk - don't gossip anymore. Don't say bad things about each other. Even more than that: I submit it includes don't say bad things about your boss. Don't say rude things about your Prime Minister or Premier. Don't maliciously mock the President of the US or of Russia. Stop saying mean things! Don't be mean about people.
Ø Verse 10, spend yourself on the hungry. (This is more than simply giving people food!, cf. 2 Cor 12:15)[2]
Ø satisfy the needs of the oppressed
Ø And He wants us to keep some things holy. Don't profane everything! Don't make everything secular, mundane, routine, and profane, Save some things for God. God here says to His children to make sure they save one day just for Him, They can work and visit their friends and play on any other day but God says just give me one day a week is that too much? Mom says is it too much to ask that you all get along and you all make it home for Sunday dinner - and when you are at the table, put your phone away! God says I am just asking for you to look out for your brother and sister and save this one day for the family, for Him.
God - like mom - says, if you look out for your brother or sister. If you make sure she eats, if you make sure she has some decent clothes on, if you stop fighting and arguing with her, don't pick on her, and don't say mean things about her.[3] And if we all come together to spend time with Him. God - like mom - says, I will be happy. You will be happy.
God knows life will be tough. Coronavirus, unemployment, and mean people are no surprise to God - He has been around for a while. He knows things don't always go as we want but He tells us quite plainly that if we love Him and want to make it through all we need to do is love our brother and sister:
Ø Make sure she eats properly
Ø Make sure she has decent clothes to wear
Ø Stop fighting and arguing with each other
Ø Stop picking on each other
Ø Don’t say mean things about one another - I don't want to hear it, God says.
Ø Finally, keep the Sabbath. Come see me every week. And when you do give me your attention
I want to give each of you here today a word of encouragement because - even though we can all continue to do better, I am sure - you have certainly been doing a good job.
As far as feeding the hungry and clothing those who need clothes many of you have been volunteering at the Army all through Covid-19. Since March 19 you have fed and taken care of your brothers and sisters more than 50 000 times. And those of you who haven't been able to volunteer, you have been able to donate your offerings and you have been able to pray for and encourage others. As a Salvation Army family within the community we have been blessed to be able to provide hot meals, groceries, goodies, toiletries, emotional and spiritual support, clothes, companionship, and so many other services more than 50 000 times since St Patrick's Day. And you have been able to encourage one another. Every week for many weeks we have been able to address the community on the television and the internet encouraging and thanking one another. Throughout this pandemic I have been so blessed and so thankful to God for each and every one of you working hard away to take care of your brothers and sisters in this community. And I am convinced too that God is pleased not only with this but with those of you who have been meeting together to pray, attending on-line church services, studying your Bibles, and worshiping God here as a community and home, alone and part of a family. As you are doing this I am confident that, Verse 8:
….your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 … you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
10 …your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
I truly believe that the Lord is doing a great work through each of you and that as we continue to be faithful, in our city here, in the Alberni Valley, Verse 12:
12 [our] people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
The Lord loves you. He loves all of His children. He wants us to look out for one another and today I would like to thank you because indeed that is what you have been doing. And today I would like to encourage you to continue to serve Him through serving your neighbour.
Let us Pray.
[1] William MacDonald: Believers Bible Commentary: Old Testament (Thomas Nelson Publishers:1985), 983-984
[2] Geoffrey W. Grogan, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Isaiah/Exposition of Isaiah/IX. God as Judge and Savior (58:1-66:24) through Isaiah/Exposition of Isaiah/IX. God as Judge and Savior (58:1-66:24)/A. The True Fast (58:1-14), Book Version: 4.0.2
[3] Edouard Kitoko Nsiku , 'Isaiah', Africa Bible Commentary, (Nairobi, Kenya: Word Alive Publishers, 2010), 873 58:1-14 True fast
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