Isaiah 58
“When people ask me stupid questions it is my legal obligation to give a sarcastic remark.”
The people of Israel during the time of the prophet Isaiah were asking the Lord some pretty stupid questions. If you heard that there was no such thing, well here’s two for the record from Isaiah 58:3
Please note the whine in their tone:
“Why have we fasted and you have not seen it. Why have we humbled ourselves and you have not noticed?”
Can you catch the sarcasm in the Lord’s response?
“Is this the kind of fasting I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself, only for bowing one’s head like a read and lying in sack cloth and ashes. Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?”
We as broken humans have an idea of what a super spiritual person ought to look like:
Someone who says “Praise the Lord at the end of every sentence.”
One who raises their hands in worship.
A person who gives up food or electronics for a whole month.
One who tithes a lot.
Those with a title of deacon,elder pastor, teacher or leader
These indeed are Biblical, good things when the heart is in the right place.
But in this chapter what really grabs the attention of the Lord, what touches the deepest place of His heart is people, particularly the ” least of these brethren of mine.” He loves and cares about people so much. How do we treat each other? Our spouse? Our family members? The socially awkward ones? The ones who drain us emotionally? The ones who annoy the living daylights out of us? Aren’t the needy broken outcasts the ones that have probably been pretty beat up by other broken people; oppressed by believed lies of Satan himself?
To be honest, I struggle with this. Recently we had spent the holiday with an a-sundry of family members. I woke up early the next morning to go on a holiday from the holiday and lo and behold my daughter was up with the same idea. So we went out for coffee and the barista said how lovely it was for us to have some mommy/daughter time. To which I replied “Well actually we are running away from home.” And here is the question, is this how I would treat Jesus, “ I need a break from you, you’re driving me crazy.” I hope not! Or worse, would Jesus treat me like that? Of course not!!! Over and over, we see how He loves to draw near us ( James 4:8& and Proverbs 18:24). Psalm 75:1 says this is His very name.
To other’s we can also be the awkward, annoying and draining ones. We want to be loved and valued. We want someone to genuinely desire our company, not those who just grind their teeth and tolerate us. Who will love me for me? Jesus does. He sincerely wants nothing more than to just be with me . But when it’s Jesus plus one, the one being you and I. The one who is warm and inviting to the outcast. The one who asks for extra measure of His grace to value others when they are draining. The one who makes a needy person feel like they are their most favorite person in the whole world. This grabs the attention of the Lord. He sees when we love others when it’s not easy. This is the fasting He desires.