The Specific Behavior Demanded by God Is Spelled Out (V.5b–7).
The prophet must explain God’s demands as well as the phony behavior of hypocrites. Hypocrites must understand exactly what they must do to become truly acceptable to God. Five specific behaviors are discussed.
The Specific
Behavior Demanded by God
5Is
this what I want—this doing of penance and bowing like reeds in the wind,
putting on sackcloth and covering yourselves with ashes? Is this what you call
fasting?
6No, the kind of fast I want is that you stop oppressing those who work for you and treat them fairly and give them what they earn. 7I want you to share your food with the hungry and bring right into your own homes those who are helpless, poor, and destitute. Clothe those who are cold, and don’t hide from relatives who need your help.[1] (Isaiah58:5b–7)
A. Hypocrites
Must Become Humble (V. 5).
Humbling oneself or afflicting one’s soul means acknowledging the Lord and one’s total
dependence upon Him. It is not enough for people to set aside one day a week to
seek the Lord through worship or fasting. God is to be acknowledged seven days
a week. If people profess the Lord, they are to humble themselves before Him,
acknowledging that He alone is to be worshipped and served. As Lord, He is to
be obeyed. His holy commandments are to be kept. People are God’s subjects, created for the very purpose
of worshipping and serving Him. None of us have the right to act as though we
were Lord, living as we please and
doing whatever we want. On the contrary, all people must walk humbly before the
Lord, day by day, acknowledging that He alone has the right to dictate how life
is to be lived.
V “But Jesus called them unto him, and said, suffer little children to come unto me and
forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, whosoever
shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter
therein” (Lu. 18:16–17).
V “For godly sorrow [humility] worketh
repentance to salvation not to be repented of but the sorrow of the world
worketh death” (2 Co. 7:10).
V “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit” (Ps. 34:18).
B. Hypocrites
Must Continually Bow Their Heads, Seeking and Praying to The Lord (V. 5).
Again, it is not
enough to set aside one day for fasting and prayer. True believers pray
continually throughout the day, offering up praise to the Lord for His great
salvation and blessings. Moreover, when they spend daily time in worship
(devotions) or sense the need to set aside a special time for seeking the Lord,
they do it privately, in secret, without attracting attention. Understanding
the richness of God’s salvation and the preciousness of His fellowship, they
have a very special place where they meet with the Lord in their daily
devotions. Whether in a prayer garden, a private closet, or elsewhere, they
fellowship and commune with the Lord on a daily basis as well as on special
occasions. Communing and fellowshipping with the Lord are an ongoing,
continuous experiences for believers. When their minds are not focused upon
their work or another essential activity, they take moments here and there to
acknowledge and praise their Savior. What a contrast between true believers and
hypocrites!
V “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into
temptation: the spirit indeed is
willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mt. 26:41).
V “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name:
ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (Jn. 16:24).
V “Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our
infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the
Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the
saints according to the will of God”
(Ro. 8:26–27).
V “Praying always with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and
supplication for all saints” (Ep.
6:18).
V “Pray without ceasing” (1 Th. 5:17).
C. Hypocrites
Must Make Every Day Acceptable to The Lord by Obeying Him (V. 5c).
Seeking to make one
day a week pleasing to God is not enough, not to the Lord. Every day is to
belong to the Lord. Every day is to be a day of prayer, a day of seeking His
guidance and protection. God is not interested in people, just one day a week.
God loves and cares about what happens to us all the time—seven days a week,
twenty-four hours a day. He also cares about what we do every moment of every
hour of every day. Obeying God is a continual demand. It is never optional. We
cannot choose which of the commandments we want to obey and when we want to
obey them. God’s commandments are to be the pattern of our lives, determining
how we behave and conduct ourselves. A day becomes acceptable to God when we
follow His holy commandments and live righteous and pure lives.
V “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father
which is in Heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name
done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you:
depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Mt. 7:21–23).
V “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth
them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my
Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (Jn. 14:21).
V “Jesus answered and said unto him, if a man loves
me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto
him, and make our abode with him” (Jn.
14:23).
V “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Tit. 1:16).
D. Hypocrites
Must Be Just in Their Dealings with
Everyone (V. 6).
To God, a true fast
is living an honorable and equitable life, treating others as we wish to be
treated (Mt. 7:12; Lu. 6:31). The chains of unrighteousness and
injustice must be broken. Every yoke of bondage must be removed. Any control or
restraint that subjects or enslaves must be loosened, untied. The oppressed and
exploited must be set free. Mercy must be shown to all who suffer and are burdened.
It is only the merciful who will be blessed by God. Only the merciful will
receive the mercy of God (Mt. 5:7). Think about people down through
history and in everyday life who oppress other people (dictators, world
leaders, criminals, employers, next-door neighbors, even family members). Yet
many of them profess to know the Lord and are faithful in their worship and
religious activities. “Hypocrites,” God says. “Cry aloud! Shout it aloud!” They
are hypocrites. Unacceptable. Even though they worship God and go to church,
when they manipulate or mistreat others in any way, they are hypocrites. No
matter what they proclaim or what religious activity they engage in, they are
unacceptable to God.
V “Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would
that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the
prophets” (Mt. 7:12).
V “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Mt. 22:39).
V “This is my commandment, that ye love one
another, as I have loved you” (Jn.
15:12).
V “Let
love be without dissimulation [hypocrisy]. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to
that which is good” (Ro. 12:9).
V “Be
kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one
another” (Ro. 12:10).
V “Charity suffereth long and is kind; charity
envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up” (1 Co. 13:4).
V “And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath
forgiven you” (Ep. 4:32).
V “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy
and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness,
longsuffering” (Col. 3:12).
V “Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy
strangers that are in thy land within
thy gates” (De. 24:14).
V “He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor” (Pr. 14:31).
E. Hypocrites
Must Minister to The Needy (V. 7).
The only behavior
acceptable to God is feeding the hungry, providing shelter for the homeless, and
clothing the poor (Ga. 6:10). Turning a blind eye to the needs of others
is clearly disgraceful. Furthermore, a person must not turn away from helping a
family member who truly needs help. Note this fact: the Lord is talking
not only about making a gift to meet the needs of the poor but also about sharing one’s own food, shelter, and
clothing if needed.
V “And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho,
and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came
down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other
side. And likewise, a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw
him, he had compassion on him, And
went to him, and bound up his wounds,
pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an
inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two
pence, and gave them to the host, and
said unto him, take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come
again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor
unto him that fell among the thieves?” (Lu. 10:30–36).
V “He saith to him again the second time,
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?
He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him,
Feed my sheep” (Jn. 21:16).
V “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the
Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good and healing all that were
oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Ac. 10:38).
V “Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore,
love is the fulfilling of the law”
(Ro. 13:10).
V “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault,
ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness;
considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens,
and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Ga.
6:1–2).
V “And let us not be weary in well doing for in
due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity,
let us do good unto all men,
especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Ga. 6:9–10).
V “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (Js. 1:27).[2]
Our Prayer for Help to
Accomplish the Specific Behaviors Demanded by God
Father God, we
read in your Word what you expect of us individually and corporately, and we
acknowledge that we fail and fall miserably short of your expectations. Sin in
our lives is the root of our failures, as we look to fulfill the desires of our
flesh. We do not want to be of help to others, and we want to satisfy our
selfish wants first, second, and last. We want to rule, control, direct, and
lead our lives without consequence. Not only do we want to live without penalty
for our choices, like coveting what others have and then taking it for ourselves,
but we do not want to repent for our life choices. This is natural to our
sinful nature, and it goes along with our beliefs of earning our way to good
standing before the community and our family. The problem with all our selfish
pursuits is that the sin of hypocrisy not only ultimately destroys us but kills
others.
Lord, we do
not naturally want to help our relatives because we believe they should be
capable of caring for themselves. We do not want to help the destitute. We do
not want to help the homeless, the starving children of this world. We see the media
promote starving animals and would instead send our money to feed and shelter
animals before we give to non-profits helping the homeless. Our sin Lord is
strangling us of any desire to do good for others. We throw our hands up in frustration
because of the overwhelming nature of sin. And then, we pretend to care for
others through a pretense of fasting to get what we want for our selfish
pursuits. We function as if we are reciprocating with you, Lord, “If I do this
for you, then you need to do this for me.”
Our sin Lord
is ugly. As the prophet Isaiah said, “our righteous deeds, they are
nothing but filthy rags…” – “For we are not godly. We are constant
sinners; how can people like us be saved? We are all infected and impure with
sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like
autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind. Yet
no one calls on your name or pleads with you for mercy. Therefore, you have
turned away from us and turned us over* to our sins. And yet, O
Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are
formed by your hand. Don’t be so angry with us, Lord. Please don’t remember our
sins forever. Look at us, we pray, and see that we are all your people”[3] (Isaiah64:5–9).
Lord, this is our
need, we are your people; you have created us and know our failings, so please
be merciful to us. You know how weak we are, and you know we cannot do anything
that is of good and valuable unless you enable us to do so. So please, Father
God, enable us to do what is pleasing in your sight. Save us from ourselves and
help us to sincerely look to you for help not only in our time of need but
always. Help us to realize how beneficial it is to seek you continually. Help
us to seek you for our physical strength but primarily for our spiritual
strength. For it is in our spiritual strength that we can do those things like
caring for others above ourselves and being willing to give to those in need.
Help us, Father God, to fulfill your will here on earth as it is fulfilled in
Heaven.
In Jesus’ name,
we pray, Amen.
For We Are Not Godly. We Are Constant Sinners. How Can People Like Us Be Saved? We Are All Infected and Impure with Sin. When We Display Our Righteous Deeds, They Are Nothing but Filthy Rags.
[1] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible,
Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.
[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2005. Isaiah: Chapters
36–66. Vol. II. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible.
Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
* 64:7 As in Greek, Syriac,
and Aramaic versions; Hebrew reads melted
us.
[3] Tyndale House Publishers. 2015. Holy Bible: New
Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
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