Let us turn to that 58th chapter
in the prophecy of Isaiah that we were reading. Isaiah 58 and
I'll read again the portion from verse 3 to verse 7. You'll see it's marked as a paragraph
in our authorized version beginning at verse 3 and through to verse
7. Wherefore have we fasted, say
they, and they see us not? Wherefore have we afflicted our
soul, and they take us no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast
ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast
for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness.
Ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be
heard on high. Is it such a fast, that I have
chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his
head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Wilt thou call this a farce, and an acceptable day to the
Lord? Is not this the farce that I have chosen, to lose the bounds
of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed
go free, 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? He wants us to consider this matter
then that's being dealt with in this passage that we've just
read and therefore to take up the theme of God's fast, or the
fast that is pleasing to the Lord God. As he states it, the
end here in verses 6 and 7 is not this, the fast, that I have
chosen to lose 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 do thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring
the poor that are cast out of thy house, when thou seest the
naked, that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thyself from
thine own flesh? It is fasting then that is being
specifically spoken of in the whole passage from verse 3 through
to verse 7. But in a sense we might say all
of the religious duties of the Jews are being covered. They were the people who were
wont to very much trust in their external forms of religion. We see it in the passage that
we read first of all. We opened the public reading
there in chapter 1 before we came to chapter 58, and how the
Lord God, through his servant the Prophet, rebukes them right
at the outset. There in verse 11 of that opening
chapter, to what purpose, asks the Lord God, is the multitude
of your sacrifices unto me? I am full of the burnt offerings
of rams and the fat of fed beasts. I delight not in the blood of
bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats, when ye come to appear
before me. Who hath required this at your
hand to tread my courts? bring no more vain oblations,
incenses and abomination unto me, the new moons and sabbaths,
the calling of assemblies. I cannot away with it, its iniquity,
even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed
feasts, my soul hateth. They are a trouble unto me. I
am weary to bear them. And when you spread forth your
hands I will hide mine eyes from you. Yea, when ye make many prayers,
I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. What solemn words of rebuke!
These are God's own ordinances. what the Lord God himself had
appointed with regards to the worship that they were to offer
him under that Old Testament dispensation, all those Levitical
feasts and sacrifices and observance of days. And yet the Lord is
disowning their worship. Why? Because they were simply
trusting in the outward force. They knew nothing really of the
reality of those things that were being typified. by those
various sacrifices. And that clearly was very much
the religion of the Pharisees when we come to the New Testament.
When the Lord Jesus speaks of those two men going to the temple
at the hour of prayer, the Pharisee and the publican, the tax gatherer
working for the occupying forces of Rome that despised man, in
contrast to the Pharisee so much respected by the Jews. Remember
what the Lord says concerning the Pharisee and his boast. I
fast twice in the week, He says. I give tithes of all that I possess. Here is his boast before God
that he observes his religious duties. And of course, remember
how in the course of his own ministry, his preaching, the
Lord Jesus speaks of how the Pharisee's religion is something
that he's performed that it might make an impression with men. You know, the language that we
have there in the Sermon on the Mount, the words of Christ in
Matthew chapter 6, At verse 16, the following, Christ says to
his disciples, Moreover, when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites
of a sad countenance, for they disfigure their faces, that they
may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have
their reward. that thou, when thou fastest,
anoint thine head, wash thy face, that thou appear not unto men
to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father
which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." All these Jews
back in the days of Isaiah then, they were simply wanting to make
a spectacle of their religion. And so we see how the Lord God
rebukes them, and rebukes them really because of the sin of
formalism. In the opening verses of this
58th chapter, the command comes to the prophet, cry aloud, spare
not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression. and the house of Jacob their
sins 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 it was all just a formal religion
it was nothing more than a pretense when he says here In verse 2,
they delight to know my ways. They didn't really delight to
know the ways of God. It was just that outward show. They might seem to assent to
the ministry of the Prophet Isaiah. But did they really hear his
words? What was the effect? Did God's Word really touch them
at all? Oh, remember the Word of God
is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing
to the dividing the sun of soul and spirit, a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart. But that Word didn't really affect
them, it didn't search them, it didn't sift them, it didn't
strip them of all their self-confidence and all their self-righteousness.
No, they imagined that they were acceptable to God because they
desired the ordinances of his house. They diligently observed
all that they thought would make them acceptable to God. An interesting
verse at the end of Ezekiel chapter 33 where the Lord reassures in a
sense His prophets and the response that He's receiving to His ministry. What does He say there at the
end of Ezekiel 33? Thou art unto them as a very
lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play
well on an instrument for they hear thy words but they do not. Or they hear the words, but they're
not true to what they're hearing. All they're doing is attending
to the outward form. What does James say? Be ye doers
of the word, and not hearers only deceiving your own selves.
They were self-deceivers, these people. as the Prophet comes
and speaks to them and rebukes them. Or they might say that
they delight in other ways of God, but if they really did,
they would be doing the commandments of God. They even appear to delight
in prayer, as we see here in the beginning and also at the
end of the second verse. Yet they seek Me daily. They take delight in approaching
to God. But they're ironic words, as
I said. What do we read on a previous occasion here in the book, back
in chapter 29, and there at verse 13. Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch
as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips
do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and
their fear toward me is taught by the precepts of men. Therefore, behold, I will proceed
to do a marvellous work among these people. Oh, God will not
wink at their hypocritical religion. He will not wink at their formalism. But He will visit His judgments
upon such a people. Oh, how they come, you see, they're
so bold, they question God. because God isn't responding
to their services. Here in verse 3, wherefore have
we fasted, say thou? And they see us not. Wherefore
have we afflicted our soul? And they take us no knowledge.
But then, there's also the question that God brings to them in verse
5, is it such a fast that I have chosen? nor are they completely
misunderstood. A true fast, God's fast, which
is what is being spoken of in this whole passage from verse
3 through to verse 7, God's fast, is a spiritual fast. And so,
this morning I want to try to say something with regards to
what we might term God's fast, as it is spoken of in this passage
of Holy Scripture. and to observe some three aspects
with regard to the fast. First of all, it will involve
self-humiliation or soul humiliation. Is it such a fast that I have
chosen? A day for a man to afflict his
soul, asks the Lord here in verse 5. And so we're reminded of the
importance of the soul. Godly fasting is not just something
on the outside, it's inward, it's spiritual in its very nature.
Now, I'm not dismissing the obvious aspect of a fast. What is it
to fast? Well, it is to deny ourselves,
to go without food, or to lay aside other legitimate things,
to forego partaking of those things that are quite legitimate.
But we have to remember that there is nothing virtuous in
that sort of fasting simply in and of itself. Time and again
in scripture we see how that a true fast is associated with
prayers to God. That was very much the case with
Daniel, in that remarkable prayer that we have recorded in the
ninth chapter of the book of Daniel, when he understood in
his reading in the prophecy of Jeremiah that God was going to
accomplish 70 years in the captivity of Israel they would be there
in exile for 70 years and as that period was coming to an
end and they understood it through reading the scriptures he sets
himself to pray and as he prays so he fasts and when we come
to the New Testament when the Lord Jesus heals a child. His father says he's a lunatic,
he's possessed of a demon. The Lord makes it plain to his
disciples that the reason why they could not perform the miracle,
he must perform the miracle himself, was because there must be faith that's associated
with fasting. The fast indicates something
of the reality of the faith, the reality of the prayer of
faith. Now, as I say, I don't want to
dismiss the obvious aspects of a fast, and it's interesting.
Our spiritual forebears, if we go back in history, certainly
would recognize the importance of fasting. There would be fast
days. The hymn that we sang just now, that 808th hymn, you may
have noticed in the title of the hymn, it's a hymn for public
farce, or humiliation. And the whole content, you see,
of the hymn. Lord, look on all assembled here who in thy presence
stand to offer up united prayer for this as in for that. There would have been times when
there would have been fast days recognized throughout the land.
I'm not wanting to suggest for a moment that the United Kingdom
was ever a Christian country, but there was much of a Christian
culture in the land, and there was a time when, in a crisis,
the king might call for a day of prayer, a faster. when people would forego legitimate
things and give themselves to prayer to God, to seeking the
face of God and so in many of the churches they would gather
together for public prayer, to pray for the land all there is
then a place for those fast eyes but now we know degenerated from
those times. The important point I want to
make is the fact that the fast is not just an external thing,
not just a physical thing. There's a spiritual aspect to
it. We read of it here in verse 5, don't we? A day for a man
to afflict his soul, their soul affliction. And what is that
soul affliction? It's the inward humility, humbling
ourselves before God, just as we recognize that circumcision
is nothing. The Jews wanted to make so much
of that sign that was given to Abraham, the covenant, When we
come to the New Testament and we read an epistle like that
to the Galatians how there were those Judaizers who crept into
those churches in Galatia and wanted the Gentile converts to
submit to Jewish circumcision. But it's unnecessary. And Paul
makes that so clear time and again, not only in the Galatian
epistle It's brought out there in 2nd Corinthians, or rather
1st Corinthians, in the 7th chapter, it says circumcision is nothing,
uncircumcision is nothing. And writing there at the end
of Romans 2, it states quite clearly, he is not a Jew which
is one outwardly, neither is circumcision that which is outward
in the flesh, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and circumcision
is that of the heart. in the spirit and not in the
letter, whose praise is not of men but of God. And so too with
this matter of the fasting, it's not before men, it's before God. It's humbling ourselves before
God. It's grieving over the sinful uncleanness of our hearts. How the Lord Jesus, of course,
tells us that evil proceeds from the hearts of men every wicked
thing is there within us in me that is in my flesh there dwelleth
no good thing says the apostle all wretched man that I am who
are we those who grieve over our sins and repent of our sins
and look to the Lord God think again of those two men who go
to the temple the hour of prayer, and the contrast between what
we are told concerning the Pharisee and then what we are told concerning
the publican. What does the Pharisee say? I
fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess,
I deserve to be heard, I deserve to be answered. The publican,
standing afar off would not lift up his eyes unto heaven, but
smote upon his breast, and cried out, God, be merciful to me,
a sinner." Oh, there's the important thing then. The true fast, the
spiritual fast, involves great humility, that humility of soul,
but there's also a practical side here, and it's brought out
quite clearly in what the Lord God says concerning the fast
that He chooses, and He delights in. "'Is not this the fast that
I have chosen?' he asks there at the beginning of verse 6.
"'To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to
let the oppressed go free, and that she break every yoke. Is
it not to do thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the
poor that I have cast out of thy house, when thou seest the
naked, that thou cover him? and that thou hide not thyself
from thine own flesh. And as I said, it's not just
a matter of the fasting. It's all those ordinances that
the people in the days of Isaiah would give themselves to. They
would observe the various ceremonies, the fast and the feasts. But
again, it's interesting, isn't it, what the Lord goes on to
say, having disowned all their outward form of worship there
in chapter 1, He then goes on to say this, verse 16, wash you,
make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before
mine eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do well, seek judgment,
relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, pleads for the
widows. It's that practical aspect. Or the person is known by his
fruits, by their fruits. He shall know them, says the
Lord Jesus Christ himself in the course of his ministry. and
what we have here of course in verses 6 and 7 is that readiness
to address the needs of others to look to those who stand in
particular need and to minister to those needs the outward working
of that humiliation the outward working of that self-denial when
self is denied what follows others are preferred And isn't that
the call of the Christian? Isn't that the mark of those
who are the true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ? As the
apostle says there in Philippians chapter 2, Let nothing be done
through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind. Let
each esteem other better than themselves, he says. Look not
every man on his own things, but every man also on the things
of others. Let this mind be in you, which
was also in Christ Jesus." A remarkable chapter because we often refer
to it as a great chapter because it speaks so much of the doctrine
of the Lord Jesus Christ, that whole passage which speaks of
his person and speaks of his work, who being in the form of
God. "...thought it not robbery to
be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation." took upon
in the form of a servant, was made in the likeness of men."
And so it goes on. It's a great portion. We've referred
to it many a time and on occasions tried to preach, but it's all
set in a very practical context when we observe what he is saying,
let the mind of Christ be in you. What is the mind of Christ?
Well, nothing is to be done through strife and vainglory. but there's
that humility, that lowliness of mind esteeming others better
than self not looking on our own things but looking on the
things of others it's the very thing that's being spoken of
here in our texts and it's not only the prophecy of
Isaiah we have it in other of the Old Testament prophets we
turn to Zechariah's books And there in chapter 7 of that book,
verse 8, the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, saying,
Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment,
show mercy and compassion to every man to his brother, and
oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor
the poor, and let none of you imagine evil against his brother
in your hearts. They refused to hearken, and
pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they
should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as
an adamant stone, lest they should hear the Lord, and the words
which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his Spirit by the former
prophets. Therefore came a great wrath
from the Lord of hosts. O the Lord God, He does not wink,
at these things. It was the same here, was it
not, in the days of this prophet Isaiah as it was there in the
book of Zechariah. Look at verse 3 and the end of
the verse. Behold, in the day of your fast
ye find pleasure, and exact all your labors. Behold, ye fast
to strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness.
Ye shall not fast, as ye do this day, to make your voice to be
heard on high." God will not hear them. Oh, God will not hear
them. They may come and they may utter
words that we might say in many respects are right words. Oh,
they know the language. They can speak the language. As they do here in verse 3. Wherefore
Have we fasted, say they, and they see us not? Wherefore have
we afflicted our soul? And they take us no knowledge."
It wasn't that they just spoke in terms of the externals. They could use the right language
with regards to the matter of their souls, the afflicting of
their souls. It's just words. And nothing
more than words. No big words of ready talkers,
no dry doctrine. will suffice. Broken hearts and
humble walkers, these are dear in Jesus' eyes, how true it is. The broken hearts, the contrite
spirits, that humbling before God, that seeking to serve the
Lord God by seeking to serve others. Again, in the words of another
prophet, the prophecy of Micah. Micah 6 verse 8, He hath showed
the old man what is good, and what doth the Lord require of
thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly
with thy God. That true humility will be evidenced
by seeking to do justly. It's very practical where there
is that true spirit of the fast. It's soldier humility, but there's
also that other aspect, that outward aspect, that readiness
to be serving others. But then thirdly, and over all
of this surely, we have to recognize the importance of the seeking
of God. As he says here at the end of
verse 4, Ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your
voice to be heard on high. I said before, there is that
connection between the true fast and real prayers. We have it in that great prayer,
I'm sure you're familiar with the chapter, that ninth chapter.
and what we read concerning the determination of the prophet
Daniel to plead over the Word of God, it's written there in
the Word, he's reading in Jeremiah, and reading God's Word, it moves
him to pray. Or that that was the case with
us as we read the Word of God, we would pray over the Word of
God. That we would learn of the old
Puritan who said we need to be always thickening our prayers
with the words of God to remind the Almighty of what He has promised
and to hold Him fast to His own words. Daniel says, I set my
face unto the Lord God to seek by prayer and supplications with
fasting and sackcloth and ashes and He comes in and He makes
confession and He's so bound up in the prayer, he's not praying
against the nation. No, he includes himself. We have
sinned. Continually using that personal pronoun throughout his
prayer. He's part of that nation that
had sinned so grievously and he comes and he makes confession
and includes himself in the confession. And again, as I said in the New
Testament, when the Lord heals that lunatic child, how he tells
his disciples, this kind goeth not forth but by prayer and fasting. It's that... that one gives oneself
to. You lay aside legitimate things,
you say, well, I'm going to go faster. And I know some who would
do that. They say it's a good practice,
occasionally, to have a fast day, and what does it mean? Well,
it doesn't mean I just forego my meals. It means that when
I forego the time that it would take in preparing the meal, and
then partaking of the meal, I give that time to spiritual exercises. I read the Word of God, I pray
over the Word of God. It's prayer and fasting. It's wholehearted praying. It's
that recognition of our complete and utter dependence upon God. Why does our food benefit us? In a physical sense, because
it's the way God has made us, it's a provision God has given
to us, but the Lord can sustain His people in remarkable ways. How the children of Israel for
40 years in the wilderness, they had to live a miracle. They were
never sowing any seed, they were never reaping any harvest, and
yet the Lord fed them. Oh, we look to Him then, who
is the Great First Cause. He says, You shall seek Me, and
find Me, when you shall search after Me with all your hearts. And where there is the fast,
there is that wholehearted pleading with God, and pursuing God, and
the ways of God. And what does He come to here?
in verse 9, this is God's promise, Then shalt thou call, and the
Lord shall answer, thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I
am. Or we cannot seek his face in
vain if we are those who are earnest and wholehearted in our
seeking, if our affections are truly set upon those things that
are above. where Christ is, at God's right
hand. We don't despise the outward
forms of religion, we don't despise the ordinances of God's house, but we don't trust in anything
external. We see beyond these things, and
we look to the Lord God himself. And this really is what the cry
of the prophet is in this chapter. Cry aloud, spare not, lift up
thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression,
and the house of Jacob their sin. Oh, the Lord help us then
that we don't just delight in a form of godliness and congratulate
ourselves on that, but we want to understand something of the
spiritual significance of what the true worship of God is all
about. Well, the Lord grant His blessing
upon this work. We're going to conclude our worship
this morning as we turn to the hymn 852. The tune is
Trentum 73. Thine, man, to boastful bear, The knowledge in thy head, the
sacred scriptures this declare. Faith without works is dead. The hymn 852, the tune 73. And to go so near, the knowledge
in my head, That sacred creatures used to fear, And weep and weep,
she said. Built in thy deeds a righteous
will, That steadfast love renews. Virgin and hungry King, To follow Christ is to believe
that faith is part of being. will they be called to know His
Word, and do as Jesus did. Let every professor come Rejection seldom happens on dark
and eerie nights. But when it begins to strike, behold,
the ghosts will play. Trust in the Lord alone, for
thine is the kingdom,