8-26-2023 Why do we Fast?
Weaken Submit
As I read
Isaiah chapter 58, Father had me focus on several verses, but also had me read the
whole chapter to fully understand what was happening.
The first
four verses speak of how Israel fasts and prays and honors the Sabbath, but as
they do, it is for their own satisfaction.
They ‘do’ the right things, but for the wrong reasons, personal
gain. Then they wonder why God does not
hear them.
Father
starts explaining “His” fast in verse 5.
First, He asks us to afflict our soul.
That is to anah (H6031) deal
harshly with, weaken or – submit – totally to Him.
Then to bow
down as a bulrush (in the wind). Bulrush
comes from the Hebrew gome (H1573)
the papyrus plant which is very absorbent, and gome comes from gama (H1572) which is to absorb, drink,
swallow. When we fast, we are to
completely absorb ourselves in the Lord to take in what He wants us to
know.
Father then
says we should spread sackcloth, sprinkle it with ashes then ‘have a seat’. The word used for Sackcloth is saq (H8042) which is a porous cloth (like
a burlap bag) so water can pass through, not spoiling any grain which it might
contain. It is also used for mourning
(showing remorse). The ashes (epher H665) carries the connotation of
ashes being strewn around. I is also
akin to apher (H666) which is using
ashes as a covering (literally pouring them over oneself). We should cover ourselves in submission and
receive a cleansing form the Lord as all the negatives in our lives wash down, to
and through the sackcloth with nothing sticking (stays) to us as it passes on. Isaiah asks that if we fast in this way, is
it acceptable to the Lord? Total
submission, total surrender.
Then Father
asks “isn’t this the fast I have chosen” (v6)?
It will loose the bands of wickedness and unload our heavy burdens. All who are oppressed shall be set free and
yokes shall be broken. So what does
fasting do? We are freed from the sin
that has us bound!
Should we
feed the hungry? Take into our homes the
castaways? Should we give clothing to
the naked? Hide ourselves from our own
flesh (that is not yielding to fleshly desires)? I think this is being honest with ourselves, who
we are and not pretending we’re something that we are not. And a desire to help others to be free of
their bonds. To me, that means cleansing our sins as we fast being totally
honest, totally open with the Lord.
Shedding the undesirable so the ‘new man’ can emerge and so,
then, we might be able to help others.
So then what
happens? The light will come on and we
shall see as (just like) the rising sun brings light to the world, we will see
the answer to that which we are fasting.
We will heal quicker and our righteousness (in Jesus) will walk before
us. Our reward? The glory of the Lord (v8) will lead our way.
Once we’ve
cleansed ourselves and are living as Father intended, THEN He will hear us and
answer our call. We cry, He will say
“Here I Am”, when you have shed the yoke holding you down, quit pointing your
finger (accusing others) and setting aside all prideful speaking (v9).
When our
compassion urges us to feed the hungry and satisfy the needs of those
afflicted, then the light will come out of nowhere and make the darkness of
night like the noonday sun (V10).” There
is no greater love than for a man to lay down his life for his friends (John
15:13). That is when we consider the
welfare of others ahead of own.
Isaiah
continues with God’s promises that He will always guide us. In times of drought He will satisfy our
soul. We will be fully prepared for what
comes our way. We shall be like a
garden, fed by springs of water that do no fail (v11).
We shall be
called that (he/she) who repairs things broken and our offspring shall rebuild
the wastelands. We shall raise up a
foundation for many generations and restore places where people can live safely
(v12).
If you turn
your foot which has strayed from the Sabbath, quit doing your ow pleasures on
the Holy days and (now) call the Sabbath a delight, acknowledge that that which
is holy of the Lord and that which honorable, as you honor Him, not seeking
your own pleasures (what’s in it for me) nor seeking you own desires or
speaking you own words (speaking your own mind, your words not considering
their impact (v13).
Then delight
yourself in the Lord and I will cause you to ride upon high places of the earth
and feed you with the heritage of Jacob’s father ((Isaac)(v14). What was Jacob’s heritage? Canaan, the ‘promised land (Exod. 3:8).
Keep in mind
that the Jews knew how to all the
right things – even when their heart turned from the Lord.
Today, are
we any different? Do we know what the
bible says and impress people with our knowledge? But where is our heart? Are we content in delivering the Word of God
or do we expect “Great preaching, brother!”, praises and compliments? Do we truly love God above all else (Mark
12:29-31)? Are friendly with those in
our fellowship but ignore all others? Are we truly concerned about our brothers and
sisters in the Lord, much less our ‘neighbors’?
Paul tells us to ‘edify’ those around us (Rom. 14:19) and that means all
with whom we come in contact. Treating each
of them with dignity and respect.
When we
confess Jesus Christ as Lord and savior, we are confessing that He has come in
the flesh (1 John 4:2) and that He is exactly who He says He is. Our Lord and Savior! As we love God, we discover that He truly
loves us and because He loves us, He hears us!
When one truly does not love, He has no part in God. Why?
Because God is love! We love because God first loved us (1
John 4:1-11).
We love
because we are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27) and God is love! Image is the Hebrew word tselem (H6754) and means a phantom, illusion or resemblance,
ergo a representative or image.
God is Spirit (John 4:24) but we are flesh, made of the earth (Gen.
2:7). So, how are we made in the image
of God. Back to 1st
John. God is love and we love
because we are the image of love so as we love others, we express our imagery
of the Father.
So why do we
fast? So we can be true exponents of
God’s love. We also discover as we
pursue this image we are changed into a new beginning – each day!
Amen
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