1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
Nowhere in the Bible does it tell us to turn our face away and ignore it when we see someone sinning. “That is their lifestyle choice and none of my business.” Is NOT biblical.
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.
Judah at this time (under Hezekiah) is seeking God's will. They are trying to change their ways.
3 “Wherefore have we fasted,” say they, “and thou see not? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou take no knowledge?” Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labors.
Judah has been trying to please God by fasting, but when they do so they brag about it.
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.
They are trying to bully God into doing their will. I often hear this attitude today.
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? Will thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?
This isn’t what God wants from them; fasting and denying themselves to bully God and prove how much better they are than their neighbors.
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?
Though God does approve of fasting for the right reasons, He much prefers we spend our energies righting injustices and taking care of the poor.
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 see the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
The true gospel is wrapped up in meeting other’s needs.
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.
If Judah had left off the fasting and cared for the needs of others God would have been happy. That’s not to say fasting isn’t good, but that caring for others is better.If you are only going to do one, take care of others.
9 Then shall thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shall 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;
When we obey Jesus by caring for others God will listen to us. He won’t listen to empty words.
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:
God will bring us blessings when we care for others, not when we seek our own.
Note that the pronouns used here are singular. This is not a command for Judah as a collective to care for the poor, but each individual from his own heart, from his own pocket to meet the needs of his neighbor.
11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
God, you know the concerns of my heart; how this applies to today. We are in drought and it only looks like it’s going to get worse. Show us what your will is, give us the creativity to deal with life. Show us how to help others, not so we will be blessed but because as bad as the drought is, it’s worse for others.
12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shall be called, “The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.”
God will bless those we care for.
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, honorable; and shall honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
God wanted the Jews to take a day each week to focus on Him. It wasn’t a time to catch up on stuff or tackle big projects, but a time of learning Him and refreshing the soul.
Jesus is our Sabbath today. He wants to refresh us.
14 Then shall 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 has spoken it.
All who accept Christ are children of Jacob and heir to these promises.
God will provide.