09/17/2007
Isaiah 58:3-5(NRSV)
3 “Why
do we fast, but you do not see?
Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?”
Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day,
and oppress all your workers.
4 Look, you fast only
to quarrel and to fight
and to strike with a wicked fist.
Such fasting as you do today
will not make your voice heard on high.
5 Is such the fast
that I choose,
a day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,
and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
Have you ever seen a kid in a toy store bawling and throwing a fit and as soon as the parent relents and give the kid what it wants, the crying stops immediately and you would never know the kid was crying at all had you not heard it moments before. That is because the kid is only pretending to cry to get what he wants. This type of crying is altogether different from the kind of crying that the kid does when he is hurt. One is fake and has no real emotion behind it; the other is genuine and comes from a valid sentiment.
Fasting as a religious act without the attitude to back it up is just the same. This passage opens with the persons who fasted, asking why God has not honored their act. The answer follows, that although they have performed the act itself, they have not recognized its significance. They would fast for a day, but aside from that, their hearts were wicked. They cheated in their business deals, withheld charity, and did not give any relieve to their laborers.
In verse 5, God answers: “Is this what I wanted?” Fasting should be a time of reflection for us; a time to remember God’s mercy and grace towards us. And since God wants us to be like him, we should also be merciful to our debtors and workers, and graceful to those in need. The mere act of fasting is meaningless without contrition and humility.
It is the same with any kind of religious act; whether you attend church regularly, participate in religious activities or even do daily devotionals, if you are not striving to make your life more Christ-like, then your religious acts are meaningless.
Jeff Justus
Cleff Publishing
www.cleffpublishing.com
©2007 Cleff Publishing, all rights reserved.
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