God’s people were fasting and thinking they were worshipping. They said all the right things… but God wasn’t impressed! They thought they were seeking Him daily. They thought they were living righteous lives. They thought they were drawing near to God. They did all the religious stuff and then some… but God wasn’t impressed!
In fact, the opposite was true… so He used his prophet to call them out on it. God told his prophet to say… “Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their TRANSGRESSION, to the house of Jacob their SINS.”
What was this transgression? What were these sins that grieved the heart of God… yet were invisible to the eyes of His people? What was this dreadful hideous affront to God?
It’s not what you think! And it’s not what the current religious culture focuses on either. It’s not about fighting for laws about sexuality or gender issues. It’s not about religious politics to legislate morality for the masses. It’s not worldly compromise. It’s not a lack of calling out and standing up against the world’s ungodliness.
Are you sitting down? Here it is… the surprise punchline… God told his prophet to “cry aloud”, “do not hold back”, “lift up your voice like a trumpet”, and say…
- You oppress all your workers
- You are not sharing your bread with the hungry
- You are not bringing the homeless poor into your house
- You are not clothing the naked
- You are hiding yourself, isolating yourself, and ignoring the needs of humanity around you.
God’s accusations against his people were not sins of commission, but omission. They were trivializing the things that mattered most to God. They were neglecting the people they should have been ministering to… They were withholding services to the poor.
In the end, God calls them to repentance! To change their course. To humble themselves and look past themselves. To stop judging, dissing, ignoring the cry of the poor and start speaking up for and serving the poor!
God made a conditional promise… If you POUR YOURSELF OUT for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, THEN he would pour out blessings to them.
Are you obsessing over issues that God does not? Are you focusing on secondary issues while ignoring His primary concerns?
How can you begin or continue to POUR YOURSELF OUT for the overlooked and underserved?
(Read it for yourself: Isaiah 58)
Love this PD you did such an amazing job of summarizing Isaiah 58 for us thank you!!!
Very convicting, Dan, in a good way.
Thank you for this reminder!
Very convicting, Dan, in a good way.
Thank you for the reminder!
We have been overlooking Gods most important message. Thank you for the reminder.