Should This Matter?

As I came to Isaiah 58 in my Bible reading, I felt the all too familiar tug of conviction on my heart.  This passage deals with a subject that is applicable to every Christian.  It is vital that we don’t sweep these “difficult” and convicting passages under the rug, but it happens all the time.  The current Christian church is struggling with the concern addressed here, and sadly the failure of the church to correct this problem is turning people away from Christ right now.  Christians cannot stand by quietly and hope for things to get better but must speak up.

The issue at hand in Isaiah 58 is true worship.  The Israelites struggled with this same tendency to worship, not how God wanted them to, but how they wanted to worship.  This selfish desire has plagued man since the fall and it continues today.  Take a look at the passage below.

58 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. 2 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. 3 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. 4 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. 5 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 fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? 6 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? 7 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? 8 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 reward. 9 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; 10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day: 11 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. 12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. 13 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: 14 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.

Israel had set up complex man-made rituals and regulations which they considered worship.  The Israelites came to rely on these rituals so much that they even accused God of not hearing their pleas or blessing them despite their dedicated “worship” (verses 2-3).  The specific ritual addressed here in this passage is fasting.  Interestingly, fasting must have become a specific problem because it is addressed multiple times in the Bible as an issue (one example is Zechariah 7).  God had required only ONE fast: on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-30).  While additional fasting wouldn’t necessarily be wrong, the reason behind the fasting could be and that is the point of contention in Isaiah 58.

God points out the true reason behind Israel’s fast (note that the fast addressed was not God’s fast, but “your fast” in verse 3).  Israel’s purpose was not to please God, but to cause “strife and debate”.  Their “worship” was not worship at all but was all about them!

So what worship did God actually want from Israel?  He wanted OBEDIENCE!  He wanted His people to do what was right and care for others.  Only in obedience will Israel hear God’s voice and receive His blessings.

Jesus Christ reiterates this same point over and over again.  Check it out (this is only a small sample of the many times Christ addressed this issue).

Matthew 23:23-26 23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Luke 20:46-47 46 Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; 47 Which devour widows’ houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.

Matthew 6:16-18 16 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. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 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.

Today, the Christian church is guilty of this very same problem.  We worship how we want, not how God requires us to worship.  Notice that Jesus describes worship here as ACTION.  Why do we prefer another ritual or tradition over obedience or helping others?  Rituals and traditions can be difficult or time consuming (fasting is very difficult)!  I believe that one of the roots of this issue is that setting up God’s kingdom (helping others and true worship) isn’t about us.  We would prefer doing things that highlight ourselves.

We spend millions of dollars on new music equipment and fancy buildings for our churches.  We spend all our time on special functions.  How much would the world change if we just took half of what we spend on ourselves (both in money and time) and spent it on what God considers important?  What if we took our time and money and actually spent it on the poor and needy?  Not only would we help build the kingdom of God, but we would build a much better view of Christianity in the world.

While music, nice buildings, and other functions can certainly be good things, the reason behind what we do should always be focused on true worship and obedience to what God commands us to do.  Our sin nature tempts us to get carried away with superfluous items especially when they appeal to our pride.  I know that I am certainly tempted to make myself look good instead of doing the “hard” things I know God wants me to do.

Ironically, we kneel before God and wonder why He doesn’t seem to be listening to us.  We wonder why the world views Christians as hypocritical and cold.  If we are not hearing God, then we need to examine our lives.  We need to obey!  Only then will we call on God and “the Lord shall answer” (verse 9).  Only then will “the Lord guide thee continually” (verse 11).  We need genuine faith.  Their church is full of wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15) and apostasy just like Jesus said it would be.

Now you might say: “Hold on a minute!  I thought you said it isn’t about me but obedience is based on me and what I accomplish!”  True obedience (true worship) is based on FAITH.  The Bible is very clear about this.  Obedience is an external expression of your faith.  If you are not expressing anything externally, then internally or spiritually, nothing is there.  Anyone can say they believe, in fact that is exactly what Israel is doing in Isaiah 58, but living it is another matter.  Israel’s actions revealed that their faith wasn’t genuine.

James 2:14-18 14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Matthew 7:15-20 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

None of us can obey God perfectly all of the time.  Not even the best Christian can do that!  That is why our faith relies not on our works of righteousness but on Jesus Christ’s righteousness.  For it was only Christ who lived without sin.  So, as human beings still in our physical bodies, Christians are still infested with a sin nature that we must diligently combat.  We fight and sometimes fail, but genuine faith always repents and turns to the only true source of righteousness – Christ (not ourselves).

Do you have a question?  Do you have something to add?  Leave a comment below or on my contact page!  I am more than happy to engage in friendly discussions. Thank you!