Isaiah 58 Study Notes: True Fasting and the Sabbath
God tells the prophet to expose a people who seem devout yet oppress workers and quarrel while they fast. The fast He wants is freeing the oppressed and caring for the hungry and homeless, which brings light, guidance and renewal, and He promises joy to those who honor His holy day.
General
In 58:8-9, what does the LORD promise will happen when His people live out the fast He has chosen?
Answer: Their light will dawn, and God will answer when they call
The promise follows directly: their light will burst out like the sunrise and their healing will come swiftly. Their righteousness will go ahead of them, and the LORD's glory will protect them from behind (58:8). When they call, God will respond, and when they cry for help, He will assure them of His presence (58:9). Such obedience does not earn God's favor; it is the fruit of a true relationship with Him, and God delights to bless it. The picture of God going before and behind His people echoes 52:12, where the LORD leads His people out and guards their rear. The psalmist says the LORD watches the righteous and listens when they cry out (Psalm 34:15). Jesus told His followers to let their light shine through good deeds so that others would give glory to the Father (Matthew 5:16).
- Isaiah 58:8-9 (BSB)“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry out, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and malicious talk,”God promises light, healing, protection and answered prayer to those who live out the fast He has chosen.
- Isaiah 52:12 (BSB)“For you will not leave in a hurry nor flee in haste, for the LORD goes before you, and the God of Israel is your rear guard.”Isaiah earlier pictured the LORD going ahead of His people and guarding them from behind.
- Psalm 34:15 (BSB)“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry.”The psalmist says the LORD watches over the righteous and hears their cry.
- Matthew 5:16 (BSB)“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”Jesus calls His followers to let their light shine through good deeds that bring glory to God.
Theological
What does 58:8-9 promise to those who practice the fast the LORD has chosen?
Answer: Their light will dawn, and God will answer when they call
The promises are light rising like the dawn, swift healing, righteousness going before and the LORD's glory as rear guard (58:8), and answered prayer, the LORD responding with the assurance of His presence (58:9). Obedience is the fruit, not the ground, of covenant blessing, yet God is pleased to reward it. The vanguard and rear guard imagery recalls the new exodus of 52:12. Psalm 34:15 speaks of the LORD's attentiveness to the righteous, and Jesus applies the image of light to the good works of His disciples that glorify the Father (Matthew 5:16).
- Isaiah 58:8-9 (BSB)“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry out, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and malicious talk,”God promises light, healing, protection and answered prayer to those who live out the fast He has chosen.
- Isaiah 52:12 (BSB)“For you will not leave in a hurry nor flee in haste, for the LORD goes before you, and the God of Israel is your rear guard.”Isaiah earlier pictured the LORD going ahead of His people and guarding them from behind.
- Psalm 34:15 (BSB)“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry.”The psalmist says the LORD watches over the righteous and hears their cry.
- Matthew 5:16 (BSB)“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”Jesus calls His followers to let their light shine through good deeds that bring glory to God.
General
In 58:1-2, what is ironic about the people whose sins the prophet must announce?
Answer: They seem eager for God, as if they were a righteous nation
God commands the prophet to shout without holding back, making his voice ring out as loud as a ram's horn, to declare to His people their rebellion and sins (58:1). The irony is that these people look very religious. Every day they pursue God and seem to delight in learning His ways. They ask Him for just decisions and enjoy drawing near to Him, acting as if they were a people who practice righteousness and have not abandoned God's justice (58:2). Their outward devotion hid real sin. Micah described his own calling, empowered by the LORD's Spirit, as declaring Jacob's transgression and Israel's sin (Micah 3:8). Isaiah 29:13 exposes people who honor God with their lips while their hearts remain distant from Him.
- Isaiah 58:1-2 (BSB)““Cry aloud, do not hold back! Raise your voice like a ram’s horn. Declare to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins. For day after day they seek Me and delight to know My ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not forsake the justice of their God. They ask Me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God.””The prophet is told to announce the people's sins, though they appear eager to know God's ways.
- Micah 3:8 (BSB)“As for me, however, I am filled with power by the Spirit of the LORD, with justice and courage, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.”Micah describes his calling in the same terms: to declare Jacob's transgression and Israel's sin.
- Isaiah 29:13 (BSB)“Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.”Isaiah elsewhere exposes worship of the lips while the heart is distant from God.
Theological
What irony marks the people addressed in 58:1-2?
Answer: They seem eager for God, as if they were a righteous nation
The prophet is commanded to cry out unrestrained, his voice as loud as a ram's horn, exposing the transgression of Jacob's descendants (58:1). The irony is that the accused are outwardly devout: they seek God daily, profess delight in His ways, request righteous judgments and enjoy His nearness, as though they were a nation of righteousness that had not forsaken His justice (58:2). Religious appearance masks covenant unfaithfulness. Micah 3:8 describes the same prophetic task, and Isaiah 29:13 diagnoses the same gap between lips and heart.
- Isaiah 58:1-2 (BSB)““Cry aloud, do not hold back! Raise your voice like a ram’s horn. Declare to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins. For day after day they seek Me and delight to know My ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not forsake the justice of their God. They ask Me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God.””The prophet is told to announce the people's sins, though they appear eager to know God's ways.
- Micah 3:8 (BSB)“As for me, however, I am filled with power by the Spirit of the LORD, with justice and courage, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.”Micah describes his calling in the same terms: to declare Jacob's transgression and Israel's sin.
- Isaiah 29:13 (BSB)“Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.”Isaiah elsewhere exposes worship of the lips while the heart is distant from God.
General
According to 58:13-14, what will result if the people honor the Sabbath instead of pursuing their own pleasure on God's holy day?
Answer: They will find joy in the LORD Himself and be lifted to the heights
The Sabbath was the weekly day of rest God commanded Israel to keep holy, the seventh day set apart to the LORD (Exodus 20:8-10). Here it is described from the heart. The people are to stop trampling the Sabbath by doing whatever they like on God's holy day. Instead they are to call it a delight and treat it with honor, not following their own path, chasing their own pleasure or talking idly (58:13). Then they will find their joy in the LORD Himself, and He will lift them up over the high places of the country, feeding them with the inheritance promised to their father Jacob (58:14). The chapter ends with the assurance that the LORD's own mouth has spoken. Jesus taught that the Sabbath exists for people's good (Mark 2:27), and the psalmist also connects delighting in the LORD with receiving the heart's desires (Psalm 37:4).
- Isaiah 58:13-14 (BSB)“If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable, if you honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or speaking idle words, then you will delight yourself in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”God promises joy in Himself and an inheritance to those who honor His holy day.
- Exodus 20:8-10 (BSB)“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates.”The Sabbath command given at Sinai set apart the seventh day as holy to the LORD.
- Mark 2:27 (BSB)“Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”Jesus taught that the Sabbath was given for the good of people.
- Psalm 37:4 (BSB)“Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”The psalmist also links delighting in the LORD with receiving the heart's desires.
Theological
What does 58:13-14 promise to those who honor the Sabbath rather than pursuing their own pleasure on God's holy day?
Answer: They will find joy in the LORD Himself and be lifted to the heights
The Sabbath, instituted at Sinai as the seventh day holy to the LORD (Exodus 20:8-10), is here viewed from the heart. Turning the foot from desecrating it, calling it a delight and honorable, and refraining from self-pleasing and idle speech (58:13) leads to delight in the LORD Himself, being raised over the high places, and feasting on the heritage of Jacob (58:14), all sealed by the word of the LORD's own mouth. Jesus affirms the Sabbath as a gift for human good (Mark 2:27), and Psalm 37:4 likewise joins delight in the LORD with the satisfying of the heart's desires.
- Isaiah 58:13-14 (BSB)“If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable, if you honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or speaking idle words, then you will delight yourself in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”God promises joy in Himself and an inheritance to those who honor His holy day.
- Exodus 20:8-10 (BSB)“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates.”The Sabbath command given at Sinai set apart the seventh day as holy to the LORD.
- Mark 2:27 (BSB)“Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”Jesus taught that the Sabbath was given for the good of people.
- Psalm 37:4 (BSB)“Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”The psalmist also links delighting in the LORD with receiving the heart's desires.
General
According to 58:6-7, what kind of fast has the LORD chosen?
Answer: Freeing the oppressed and sharing food, home and clothing
God asks whether the fast He wants is merely a day of self-denial, bowing the head like a bending reed and lying on sackcloth and ashes (58:5). These outward signs of grief can be done without a changed heart. Instead, the fast He has chosen is to loosen the bonds that wickedness has fastened, release the ropes that hold the yoke in place, free the oppressed and break every yoke. A yoke was the wooden bar on an animal's neck, here a picture of oppression (58:6). It means sharing food with the hungry, taking in the homeless poor, clothing those who have nothing to wear, and not ignoring one's own relatives (58:7). Jesus taught that fasting should be done for the Father who sees in secret, not to impress others (Matthew 6:16-18). James says pure religion cares for widows and orphans who suffer (James 1:27), and John asks how God's love can live in someone who sees a fellow believer in need and shuts off compassion (1 John 3:17).
- Isaiah 58:5-7 (BSB)“Is this the fast I have chosen: a day for a man to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the LORD? Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke? Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”God contrasts outward self-denial with the fast He has chosen: justice and generosity toward the needy.
- Matthew 6:16-18 (BSB)“When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”Jesus teaches that fasting is to be done for the Father who sees in secret, not for show.
- James 1:27 (BSB)“Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”James describes religion that God accepts as care for the distressed and personal purity.
- 1 John 3:17 (BSB)“If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?”John asks how God's love can remain in someone who refuses compassion to a brother in need.
Theological
What fast does the LORD say in 58:6-7 that He has chosen?
Answer: Freeing the oppressed and sharing food, home and clothing
God rejects a fast reduced to external self-affliction, the head bowed as a reed bends, and sackcloth and ashes (58:5). The fast He has chosen is to loosen the bonds that wickedness has fastened, release the oppressed and shatter every yoke (58:6), and to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless poor, clothe those without clothing and not neglect one's own kin (58:7). Such deeds are the fruit of genuine devotion, not a means of earning God's favor. Jesus directs fasting toward the Father who sees in secret (Matthew 6:16-18), James defines acceptable religion in terms of mercy and purity (James 1:27), and 1 John 3:17 makes compassion the evidence of God's love abiding in a person.
- Isaiah 58:5-7 (BSB)“Is this the fast I have chosen: a day for a man to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the LORD? Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke? Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”God contrasts outward self-denial with the fast He has chosen: justice and generosity toward the needy.
- Matthew 6:16-18 (BSB)“When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”Jesus teaches that fasting is to be done for the Father who sees in secret, not for show.
- James 1:27 (BSB)“Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”James describes religion that God accepts as care for the distressed and personal purity.
- 1 John 3:17 (BSB)“If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?”John asks how God's love can remain in someone who refuses compassion to a brother in need.
General
In 58:10-11, what image pictures the life of those who give themselves to the hungry?
Answer: A garden with plenty of water and a spring that never fails
If they put away oppression, finger-pointing and malicious talk from among them (58:9), and pour themselves out for the hungry and meet the needs of those who suffer, their light will rise in the gloom and their night will become as bright as midday (58:10). The LORD will guide them continually, satisfy them in a parched land and strengthen their bodies. They will resemble a garden with plenty of water and a spring that never runs dry (58:11). Their people will build again the ruins of long ago and lay again foundations from past ages, and they will be given names that honor them as those who repair broken walls and restore streets for living (58:12). Jeremiah promised that the restored people would flourish like a garden with abundant water (Jeremiah 31:12), and Isaiah 61:4 repeats the promise of rebuilding long-ruined places. Jesus spoke of living water pouring out from within everyone who believes in Him (John 7:38).
- Isaiah 58:10-12 (BSB)“and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go forth in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday. The LORD will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of the Streets of Dwelling.”God promises guidance, refreshment and restoration to those who pour themselves out for the needy.
- Jeremiah 31:12 (BSB)“They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will be radiant over the bounty of the LORD—the grain, new wine, and oil, and the young of the flocks and herds. Their life will be like a well-watered garden, and never again will they languish.”Jeremiah uses the same garden image for the flourishing life of God's restored people.
- Isaiah 61:4 (BSB)“They will rebuild the ancient ruins; they will restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.”Isaiah elsewhere promises that God's people will rebuild long-ruined places.
- John 7:38 (BSB)“Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’””Jesus speaks of streams of living water flowing from within whoever believes in Him.
Theological
What image in 58:10-11 depicts the life of those who pour themselves out for the hungry?
Answer: A garden with plenty of water and a spring that never fails
Removing oppression, accusing gestures and malicious speech (58:9), together with self-giving toward the hungry and afflicted, brings light rising in darkness and gloom turned to noon (58:10), continual guidance, satisfaction in a scorched land and renewed strength, so that they become like a well-irrigated garden and a spring that never runs dry (58:11). Restoration follows: the long-ruined places built again and old foundations raised, with titles honoring them as repairers and restorers (58:12). Jeremiah 31:12 uses the same garden image for the restored people, Isaiah 61:4 repeats the rebuilding promise, and Jesus speaks of living water flowing from within the believer (John 7:38).
- Isaiah 58:10-12 (BSB)“and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go forth in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday. The LORD will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of the Streets of Dwelling.”God promises guidance, refreshment and restoration to those who pour themselves out for the needy.
- Jeremiah 31:12 (BSB)“They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will be radiant over the bounty of the LORD—the grain, new wine, and oil, and the young of the flocks and herds. Their life will be like a well-watered garden, and never again will they languish.”Jeremiah uses the same garden image for the flourishing life of God's restored people.
- Isaiah 61:4 (BSB)“They will rebuild the ancient ruins; they will restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.”Isaiah elsewhere promises that God's people will rebuild long-ruined places.
- John 7:38 (BSB)“Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’””Jesus speaks of streams of living water flowing from within whoever believes in Him.
General
When the people complain that God ignores their fasting (58:3), what does He say they are doing on their fast days?
Answer: Pursuing their own interests, oppressing workers and quarreling
The people ask why God has not seen their fasting or noticed how they humbled themselves (58:3). Fasting means going without food for a time, often as a sign of sorrow or seeking God. God answers that on the very day of their fast they do whatever they like and drive their workers hard. Their fasting ends in arguing and fighting, even violent blows, so their prayers will not reach heaven (58:3-4). A religious act done while mistreating others is empty in God's eyes. Zechariah later asked the people of his day whether their fasts had truly been for God (Zechariah 7:5), and Isaiah's opening chapter shows God refusing prayers from hands covered with blood and calling the people to seek justice instead (Isaiah 1:15-17).
- Isaiah 58:3-4 (BSB)““Why have we fasted, and You have not seen? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You have not noticed?” “Behold, on the day of your fast, you do as you please, and you oppress all your workers. You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice be heard on high.”The people complain that God ignores their fasting, and He exposes how they behave on fast days.
- Zechariah 7:5 (BSB)““Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for these seventy years, was it really for Me that you fasted?”Zechariah asked whether the people's fasts had really been for the LORD at all.
- Isaiah 1:15-17 (BSB)“When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil! Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.””God refuses the prayers of people whose hands are stained with wrongdoing and calls them to seek justice.
Theological
In His answer in 58:3-4 to the complaint that He has disregarded their fasting, what does God say the people do on their fast days?
Answer: Pursuing their own interests, oppressing workers and quarreling
The complaint is that self-humbling has gone unnoticed (58:3). God's reply exposes the contradiction: on the fast day they pursue their own pleasure and exploit their laborers, and the fast itself issues in strife and violence, so their voice will not be heard in heaven (58:3-4). Ritual divorced from justice is void before God. Zechariah 7:5 asks the same searching question about Israel's fasts, and Isaiah 1:15-17 shows God refusing prayer from blood-stained hands while calling for justice.
- Isaiah 58:3-4 (BSB)““Why have we fasted, and You have not seen? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You have not noticed?” “Behold, on the day of your fast, you do as you please, and you oppress all your workers. You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice be heard on high.”The people complain that God ignores their fasting, and He exposes how they behave on fast days.
- Zechariah 7:5 (BSB)““Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for these seventy years, was it really for Me that you fasted?”Zechariah asked whether the people's fasts had really been for the LORD at all.
- Isaiah 1:15-17 (BSB)“When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil! Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.””God refuses the prayers of people whose hands are stained with wrongdoing and calls them to seek justice.