OUTWARD RIGHTEOUSNESS IS NOT ENOUGH ISAIAH 58:1-14

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1 1 OUTWARD RIGHTEOUSNESS IS NOT ENOUGH ISAIAH 58:1-14

2 2 Text: OUTWARD RIGHTEOUSNESS IS NOT ENOUGH Isaiah 58:1-14, 1. Shout loudly! Don t be quiet! Yell as loud as a trumpet! Confront my people with their rebellious deeds; confront Jacob s family with their sin! 2. They seek me day after day; they want to know my requirements, like a nation that does what is right and does not reject the law of their God. They ask me for just decrees; they want to be near God. 3. They lament, Why don t you notice when we fast? Why don t you pay attention when we humble ourselves? Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires, you oppress your workers. 4. Look, your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls, and fistfights. Do not fast as you do today, trying to make your voice heard in heaven. 5. Is this really the kind of fasting I want? Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, bowing their heads like a reed and stretching out on sackcloth and ashes? Is this really what you call a fast, a day that is pleasing to the Lord? 6. No, this is the kind of fast I want. I want you to remove the sinful chains, to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and to break every burdensome yoke. 7. I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When

3 3 you see someone naked, clothe him! Don t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! 8. Then your light will shine like the sunrise; your restoration will quickly arrive; your godly behavior will go before you, and the Lord s splendor will be your rear guard. 9. Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond; you will cry out, and he will reply, Here I am. You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully. 10. You must actively help the hungry and feed the oppressed. Then your light will dispel the darkness, and your darkness will be transformed into noonday. 11. The Lord will continually lead you; he will feed you even in parched regions. He will give you renewed strength, and you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring that continually produces water. 12. Your perpetual ruins will be rebuilt; you will reestablish the ancient foundations. You will be called, The one who repairs broken walls, the one who makes the streets inhabitable again. 13. You must observe the Sabbath rather than doing anything you please on my holy day. You must look forward to the Sabbath and treat the Lord s holy day with respect. You must treat it with respect by refraining from your normal activities, and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from making business deals. 14. Then you will find joy in your relationship to the Lord, and I will give you great prosperity, and cause crops to grow on the land I gave to your ancestor Jacob. Know for certain that the Lord has spoken. (NET)

4 4 Introduction: God commanded Isaiah to cry aloud or to preach strongly against the sins of the Jews, especially the sin of hypocrisy. The Jews were keeping the religious ceremonies outwardly, but they had left God out of their hearts and daily living. God said, Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1) The Jews were saying they were very religious; yet they had been unwilling to repent of their sins. They were living in sin and transgression and yet they were making the claim that they were serving God. They talked righteousness and yet did not practice it. They claimed to seek God and delight in His way, yet they had forsaken Him. Their service was only outward show. Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. (Isaiah 58:2) These Jews claimed righteousness, but they neglected any service to their fellow man. Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? (Isaiah 58:6-7) The Jews had not yet learned that the key to real joy is for God to rule their lives. (Isaiah 58:8-12, Then your light will shine like the sunrise; your restoration will quickly arrive; your godly behavior will go before you, and the Lord s splendor will be your rear

5 5 guard. Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond; you will cry out, and he will reply, Here I am. You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully. You must actively help the hungry and feed the oppressed. Then your light will dispel the darkness, and your darkness will be transformed into noonday. The Lord will continually lead you; he will feed you even in parched regions. He will give you renewed strength, and you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring that continually produces water. (NET) There are great blessings for those who serve God faithfully. Blessings were promised to the faithful Jews and God s blessings follow us when we are faithful. If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. (Isaiah 58:13-14) Outward righteousness is never enough; we must serve God with our whole hearts.

6 6 Commentary: The Jews Acted like a nation that Wanted to Please God Isaiah 58:1-3, Shout loudly! Don t be quiet! Yell as loud as a trumpet! Confront my people with their rebellious deeds; confront Jacob s family with their sin! They seek me day after day; they want to know my requirements, like a nation that does what is right and does not reject the law of their God. They ask me for just decrees; they want to be near God. They lament, Why don t you notice when we fast? Why don t you pay attention when we humble ourselves? Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires, you oppress your workers. (NET) Before captivity in Babylon, the Jews were a corrupt nation of people. God wanted His prophet to cry aloud against them. He wanted him to shout out His message and not hold back His truth concerning the hypocrisy of the people. He was told to shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. God did not want Isaiah to spare or hold back from speaking against the sin and transgression of the Jews. He had been so good to the Jews and yet they refused to serve Him faithfully. Isaiah 58:2 is a description of what the Jews thought about their own religious actions. This describes how they wanted to appear. Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. Jeremiah, another of God s great prophets, had written

7 7 concerning the Jews, And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 3:10) He said the Jews had turned to God feignedly or hypocritically. As we read Isaiah 58:3 we come to understand that God is simply recording the words of the people. They said, Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. They said, We do not understand why we fast and God pays no attention to it. On their fast days they focused only on themselves. They abused their workers, while at the same time pretending to be tender hearted and compassionate. Judah Needed to Understand that You Cannot Treat Your Brethren Wrong and Worship God Correctly Isaiah 58:4-6, Look, your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls, and fistfights. Do not fast as you do today, trying to make your voice heard in heaven. Is this really the kind of fasting I want? Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, bowing their heads like a reed and stretching out on sackcloth and ashes? Is this really what you call a fast, a day that is pleasing to the Lord? No, this is the kind of fast I want. I want you to remove the sinful chains, to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and to break every burdensome yoke. (NET) Judah claimed to be fasting in order to make their voice heard by God on high. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to

8 8 smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. (Isaiah 58:4) Even while they were fasting they would get angry and ready to fight. It was no wonder that their prayers were unacceptable to God. God asked them what they thought He wanted. Did they think He wanted them to sit bowed over like a bramble bush? Did they think He wanted them to dress in sackcloth and sit in ashes? Is that what they thought He wanted on their day of worship? Or was it the desire of God that the people worship and serve Him with humble and pure hearts? God told them that in order for their worship to be acceptable they must cease their wickedness and to begin to treat other people better. You cannot worship God and abuse your fellow man at the same time. Judah Needed to Understand that when You are Doing Right and You Cry to God for Help, He Will Answer Isaiah 58:7-10, I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! Then your light will shine like the sunrise; your restoration will quickly arrive; your godly behavior will go before you, and the Lord s splendor will be your rear guard. Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond; you will cry out, and he will reply, Here I am. You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully. You must actively help the hungry and feed the oppressed. Then your light will dispel

9 9 the darkness, and your darkness will be transformed into noonday. (NET) Judah should have taken the food they were not eating during their fast and shared it with those who were hungry. They should have shared with the poor and the homeless. They were taught to never turn away those who are in need. What does the Lord expect? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? (Isaiah 58:7) This sounds very much like the teaching of Jesus for those who would follow Him. (Matthew 25:31-46, It was said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a legal document. But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Again, you have heard that it was said to an older generation, Do not break an oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord. But I say to you, do not take oaths at all not by heaven, because it is the throne of God, not by earth, because it is his footstool, and not by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King. Do not take an oath by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black. Let your word be Yes, yes or No, no. More than this is from the evil one. You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer. But whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well. And if someone wants to sue you and to take your tunic, give him your coat also. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to the one who asks you, and do not

10 10 reject the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors do the same, don t they? (NET)) Just think of the powerful influence that a fasting Jew would have if he loved his fellow man, was kind to them and shared with them his blessings. The person who honors God will daily give to others; he will become a shining light for Him. Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. (Isaiah 58:8) Live right and treat others right and God will hear you when you cry out to Him. Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity. (Isaiah 58:9) Those who learn to serve others, in the name of God, shine as a light on the darkest day. (Matthew 5:13-16, You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people. You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven. (NET))

11 11 Judah to remember God s promised blessings that would follow loving obedience Isaiah 58:11-14, The Lord will continually lead you; he will feed you even in parched regions. He will give you renewed strength, and you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring that continually produces water. Your perpetual ruins will be rebuilt; you will reestablish the ancient foundations. You will be called, The one who repairs broken walls, the one who makes the streets inhabitable again. You must observe the Sabbath rather than doing anything you please on my holy day. You must look forward to the Sabbath and treat the Lord s holy day with respect. You must treat it with respect by refraining from your normal activities, and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from making business deals. Then you will find joy in your relationship to the Lord, and I will give you great prosperity, and cause crops to grow on the land I gave to your ancestor Jacob. Know for certain that the Lord has spoken. (NET) We are much better off when we conduct ourselves according to the will of God. Those who please God will be blessed. Righteousness leads to many blessings, both here and hereafter. To the righteous God said, And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. (Isaiah 58:11) Following the captivity in Babylon, the righteous would be allowed to return and rebuild Jerusalem. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt

12 12 raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. (Isaiah 58:12) However, before the Jews could honor God they had to stop using His Sabbath for personal pleasure and start using it in a way that would honor the Creator. If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words. (Isaiah 58:13) The promise was that if these people would truly return to God and do the things that He commanded them, that they would be blessed from on High. Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. (Isaiah 58:14) The Heritage of Jacob is a reference to the wonderful promises that God had made to their father, Jacob. The Lord has promised blessings to all those who will serve Him faithfully. Conclusion: God used Isaiah to cry out against a hypocritical nation. Before it is too late, let us turn to God; let us learn to serve God by serving others. God wants us to learn, through what is said in Isaiah 58, that sin, especially the sin of hypocrisy, brings certain and severe misery!

13 13 Questions on Isaiah 28: to or to against, especially the of hypocrisy. 2. In your experience, do today s preachers comply with the above command, or do they dilute the gospel in order to be popular with the people? Give information to support your answer. 3. The people were keeping the, but they had left of their and. 4. They were in and and yet they were making the claim that they were. They talked and yet they did not it. Their service was only.

14 According to Isaiah 58:6-7, what did God require of his people? 6. What is the key to real joy in life? 7. is ; we must with our. 8. Before in, the were a of. did not want to or from against their and. 9. How did the people view themselves in their relationship to God?

15 How did Jeremiah describe Judah in Jeremiah 3:10? 11. The people of Judah were focused on. They their, while at the same time to be and. They seemed as to why God did not accept their service. 12. Why were Judah s prayers unacceptable to God? 13. In order for their worship to be acceptable, Judah must cease their and to other. 14. Judah should have shared with the and the. What does Jesus expect of us regarding care for the unfortunate?

16 If we show our love for the unfortunate, God s shall break forth as the, and thine shall ; and they shall go before thee; the of the shall be thy. 16. and and will you when you to. 17. Those who, in the of, as a on the. 18. When are we much better off? Give reasons this is true. 19. Is it good to have fat bones? Give reasons for your answer. _

17 When was Isaiah 58:12 fulfilled? Give details about how it was fulfilled. 21. Judah had not been observing the Sabbath in the way God had commanded. How had they been observing the Sabbath? How should they have been observing the Sabbath? 22. Is it enough to worship God on the Lord s Day, or must we worship in a particular way to please God? If in a particular way, what is that way? 23. What is the Heritage of Jacob?

18 If God sent Isaiah to prophesy to us about our country, what do you think he would say? 25. What have you learned from your study of Isaiah 58?

Lectionary Readings. February Year A

Lectionary Readings. February Year A Lectionary Readings February 2017 Year A Sunday, February 5 (5 Epiphany) Isaiah 58:1-12 Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house