Sunday, February 13, 2011
FASTING THAT HONORS GOD
Isaiah 58
Are we here to worship God this morning? Certainly that isn’t the only reason we come together. We are also here to fulfill the instructions of Heb 10:24-25, "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Nevertheless, I think all of us would say that our desire is to worship God, to declare His worth, as we sing, pray, and fellowship together. So, yes, we are here to worship the true and living God.
Now I have a question for us: What is the test of our worship? We say we are here to worship God, but how do we know if what we are doing is true worship? How do we know that we aren’t just kidding ourselves? What is the test of our worship? (Might give a little bit of time for response)… Surely the quality of our worship has to do with the motives of our heart, does it not? But that raises another question: How can we be sure of the motives of our heart? Yes, God knows the heart, but do we always know our own hearts? How do we know that we are not deceiving ourselves into believing that our motives are pure? This is a very important question.
In order to answer that question, I want us to turn to a passage that we looked at briefly three weeks ago. You will find that passage in Isaiah 58. Let’s read it again this morning. Isaiah 58:1-14…
Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show 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 rereward. 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.
I. The Power of Deception
When we think about the quality of our worship, our tendency is to look at the sincerity of our hearts. We might ask questions like, “Are we doing what we are doing to be seen of men? Is our desire to have others think that we are spiritual?” If we can give the right answer to such questions (No), then surely our worship is genuine and pleasing to God. But now let’s weigh that approach against what we find here in Isaiah 58. Notice what the Lord says about their worship…
1. They seek me daily
2. They delight to know my ways
3. They appear to be a righteous nation
4. It appears they have not forsaken the ordinances (judgments -- ESV) of your God
5. They ask me for righteous judgments
6. They delight in approaching God
Then the people themselves bring up the fact that they punctuate all their acts of worship with fasting. If seriousness is a test, if zeal is the test, then surely they pass the test, because they are willing to deny themselves food in their pursuit of God. Who can find fault with this description of worship? What if I were to speak to you about a friend who seeks God every day, delights to know the ways of God, has not forsaken the Word of God, seeks righteous judgments from God, and delights in coming near to God? And my friend is so serious about pursuing God that he is in the habit of fasting. What more could you ask?
The Lord tells His prophet Isaiah, “Lift up your voice like a trumpet and declare to my people their transgressions. Don’t cut them any slack, but point out their sins to them.” Don’t whisper about their sins, but thunder! Remember, “Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (I Sam. 16:7). We know that; the Lord examines the depths of our hearts. But is there anything in this passage that reveals what was the test of their worship? Clearly, their worship did not please God; it was not . Were they doing anything that should have alerted them to the problem? Could they have known that God was not pleased with their acts of worship?
If you would have asked the people, they would have argued that they couldn’t have known there was anything wrong with their worship, because there wasn’t anything wrong with their worship. Listen to their questions to God Himself in verse 3: “Why have we fasted, and you have not seen? Why have we afflicted our soul, and you have not noticed?” They found fault with God, not with their own worship. And the clincher for them was, “We have even fasted.” The implication is, “Surely you can’t find fault with us, because we have humbled ourselves to the point that we have done without food in order to please you. We have been zealous for you, Lord.”
So how do we know they were deceived, that they were not worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth (see John 4:24)? The Lord’s answer begins at the end of verse 3. Let’s read again verses 3-4, "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." The Lord points to their behavior. In spite of their fasting, their daily lives revealed the depth of their sins.
Notice what they were doing? “Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure.” The NASV says, “You find your desire.” NIV, “You do as you please.” ESV, “You seek your own pleasure.” Listen to the rather interpretive rendering of the Amplified: “Behold [O Israel], on the day of your fast [when you should be grieving for your sins], you find profit in your business.” Then the words that follow, “and exact all your labors.” That is, “You drive hard all your workers” (NASV). “You exploit all your workers” (NIV). “You oppress all your workers” (ESV). They certainly didn’t give their laborers an opportunity to seek God, because they demanded much from them. One commentator puts it like this: “Behold, on the day of your fasting ye carry on your business, and ye oppress all your laborers” (Keil & Delitsch, Isaiah, p. 315). Though they fasted, it was business as usual for them and those who worked for them. They may have abstained from food, but their fasting did not get in the way of what they wanted to do.
Furthermore, the Lord says, “Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness.” It is a bit difficult to understand exactly what the Lord had in mind, but it certainly isn’t a pretty picture. Most believe that their fasting made them more irritable than normal. Try going without food for a while and you might better understand that. As a result, they were even more harsh with their workers than before. They claimed to be fasting before God, but they were looking for a fight with any man who crossed them.
Is it any wonder that the Lord then says, “Ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high” (4b). “This kind of fasting is not going to give you an audience with God.”Do you see how deceived they were? They had convinced themselves that their fasting and other religious observances would obligate God to hear and answer their prayers. The Lord assures them that their kind of fasting would not be an aid to their prayers. This is very similar to what we read in Isaiah 1:10-15… (ESV)
10Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom!
Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
11 "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
12"When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts?
13Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
14Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
Now back to Isaiah 58:5 (ESV), “Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?” There was nothing wrong with a person humbling himself through fasting. Nor was there anything wrong with the sackcloth and ashes. These were outward ceremonies that went along with fasting (and prayer). But God was looking for expressions of inward humility and brokenness, rather than outward rituals. We see this all throughout the Old Testament prophets. The problem wasn’t the bringing of the sacrifices and the fasting; the problem was in the fact that these outward expressions were not true reflections of the heart.
May the Lord give us ears to hear. The performance of outward duties must never become a substitute for love of God and neighbor. There is a constant tendency to replace the inward reality with outward forms. Those outward forms may even be commanded by God. Nevertheless, those forms can become empty and hollow, when the heart isn’t right. That is exactly what we see here in Isaiah 58, as well as in chapter 1. They were fasting, but it was not a fasting that pleased God.
The test of our worship is not how loud we sing or how well we pray? It isn’t even enough to examine our hearts, because we are capable of fooling ourselves, even as these people did. Our worship may even include fasting or other forms of self-denial, but the true test of our worship is the life we live. The quality of our worship on Sunday is tested by the life we live on Monday. I had a professor who used to say, “It isn’t how high you jump, but how straight you walk when you come down.”
So if the Lord was not pleased with their fasting, then what kind of fasting did He desire?
II. The Lord’s Chosen Fast
Praise God that He tells us exactly what kind of fasting pleases Him. Let’s read it in verses 6-7…
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?
We could continue reading, and we will go through some of the rest of this passage, but the rest of the passage is pretty much an elaboration of what we have here in these two verses. In these few words, the Lord clearly tells us what kind of fast He is looking for, the kind of fasting that pleases Him. You cannot miss the fact that He says nothing about refraining from eating. Rather, He speaks about a certain kind of lifestyle.
Notice first of all that the fast which pleases the Lord is not focused on the one who is fasting, but rather upon those around him, particularly the oppressed and the poor. Verse 6 focuses on delivering those who are oppressed. The very first thing mentioned is loosing the bands of wickedness. This world is full of people who bear heavy burdens because powerful people are dealing with them in a wicked manner. Throughout the scriptures, we find that the Lord pours out His love and mercy on those who are oppressed. When we truly seek God, we will by necessity share His heart toward the oppressed. It will be our desire to see them set free.
Notice that last phrase in verse 6, “and that you break every yoke.” While there are rulers of nations that oppress their own people, that is not the greatest enslaving yoke known to man. The greatest yoke is the yoke of sin. We who belong to Christ know well that we were once dead in our trespasses and sins. We were the slaves of the prince of this world, Satan himself. There is no greater yoke. Fasting which does not concern itself with such a burden quickly becomes hypocrisy. Why? Because when we fast to seek the Lord, He will open our eyes to the spiritual bondage of others.
If verse 6 seems a bit fuzzy and lacks specifics, then move to verse 7. What kind of fast does the Lord prescribe? “Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out (homeless poor -- ESV) into your house. When you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you hide not yourself from your own flesh.” What could be clearer? When someone needs food, give it to him. When someone needs shelter, provide it. When someone lacks clothing, make sure that he gets it. Don’t hide from fellow-human beings by pretending that you don’t see their needs. If you would like a summary of verse 7, you can find it in the words Jesus quoted from Lev. 19:18, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you are hungry, you feed yourself. How do you prove that you love your neighbor as much as yourself? Feed him.
You say, “But what does this have to do with fasting? Surely we can do these things without fasting?” Please allow me to explain. The people to whom the Lord is speaking here in Isaiah 58 were fasting, but they were not concerned about the oppressed and they were not providing the needs of the poor. As a matter of fact, the note at the end of verse 3 about them oppressing their workers indicates that they themselves were among the oppressors. The height of their hypocrisy was that they were totally missing the heart of their God, while they claimed to be seeking Him through fasting. The Lord isn’t saying there is no value in fasting, but rather that true fasting would lead them to rescue the oppressed and provide for the poor. Their lives were steeped in sin, and their fasting did nothing to address that sin. The truth of the matter is that they were using fasting and other religious disciplines as a substitute for true righteousness. We find the same thing in James 1:27, "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." The test of their religion was the way they lived, and they failed the test. Regardless of the wonderful worship experiences they may have claimed, it was all hypocrisy.
So should they have discontinued their fasting? No. They should have related their fasting to reality. How they needed to pray and fast, begging God to break their hard hearts and convict them of their sins. An ancient Rabbi once said, “Not eating is a natural fast, but abstaining from sin is a spiritual fast.” In other words, if fasting isn’t an attack on sin, then it is not the fast that the Lord desires. Fasting that does not result in greater practical righteousness and holiness is not worthy of the name. God-pleasing fasting touches the heart. If it is the fast which God chooses, it will drastically affect the way we view people around us.
Brothers and sisters, it is at this point that we are in great danger of concluding that Isaiah 58 doesn’t have much to do with us at the present time. After all, we don’t oppress people. We don’t withhold what we have from the poor, do we? If we are not careful, we will conclude that we live in a different era and because of our circumstances, Isaiah 58 is not really applicable to us. I want to ask you point blank: Does this passage have direct application to your life? If you think, “No,” I want to suggest that you are blind.
So here is the question: “Do you know any people who are in bondage, anyone who is oppressed?” Let’s cut right to the heart of the matter. Whether or not we know people who are physically oppressed, we know plenty who are spiritually oppressed. They are all around us. The great majority of people around us are without Christ, having no hope, and without God in the world, as Eph. 2:12 states it. They are oppressed by the devil. They are held captive by the god of this world, who has blinded the minds of those who do not believe (II Cor. 4:4). God sent His Son Jesus into this world to destroy the works of the devil (I John 3:8), to loose those whom the devil holds through captive the fear of death (Heb. 2:14-15). When Jesus was in the synagogue at Nazareth, He quoted from Isaiah 61:1-3…
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2. To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3. To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
We read these words in Acts 10:37-38…
That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38. 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.
Since we belong to Jesus, we are involved in the work of delivering those who are oppressed by the devil. We pursue that work by prayerfully and truthfully showing people that they can exchange their heavy yoke of bondage to Satan for the yoke of Jesus, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light (see Matt. 11:28-30).
Now move from Is. 58:6 to verse 7 and consider this question: “Are there still people who are hungry and who do not have adequate clothing and shelter?” How do you answer that question? Some of us have a tendency to say, “If there are, I don’t know any.” May the Lord grab us and pull our heads out of the sand. I am reading a quote from John Piper: “Our fast is not merely to deny ourselves but to supply the needs of others. About 40,000 children a day die from hunger and from easily preventable childhood diseases. ‘About a billion of the world’s people live in conditions of absolute poverty without even the most basic resources available--no adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical care…400 million are severely malnourished--including more than 200 million children’” (A Hunger for God, John Piper, p. 143; the quote within the quote is from The Cry of the Poor, Larry Libby, pp. 7-8). Can we say, “Too bad they don’t live in New Mexico, so that we could help them”?
This is where fasting comes into play. We don’t need to fast so that we can check off a box of religious duty. We don’t need to fast because we think we might not be spiritual enough, if we don’t. Brothers and sisters, we need to fast in order that the Lord might break our hard hearts. Can we live comfortable lives, while billions are starving both physically and spiritually, and our hearts not break? We might say, “But our hearts do break for those people.” Then Jesus says to us, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” What would I do for myself, if I didn’t have enough food to eat? I would go get me the food I needed. Do I love my neighbor like that?
But are these hurting people our neighbors? When Jesus told people to love their neighbor as themselves, He was asked that same question. He answered with the story we often call “The Good Samaritan.” A bunch of thugs jumped a man, beat him half to death, and took everything he had. A priest came by, saw him, crossed the road and passed by on the other side. A Levite soon came along and did the same thing. The third person to come along was one of those hated Samaritans, but he wasn’t like the priest and the Levite. Instead, filled with compassion, he dressed his wounds, put him on his own donkey, brought him to a lodge, and took care of him through the night. The next morning, he left this wounded man with the owner of the lodge, along with $250, adding, “And when I come back through, I will pay you for the additional costs to take care of this man.” Let’s suppose that came to another $100. This Samaritan interrupted his schedule, gave of himself freely in taking care of this man, and then shelled out $350 from his own wallet, expecting nothing in return. He had compassion on that man, and he proved it by pouring himself out on that man’s behalf. When Jesus finished the story and asked His listener which one of the three was a neighbor, he immediately said, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.” So who is your neighbor? The one who has a need. It doesn’t matter where they live. You say, “But I don’t know if the money or food I send will get to them.” Then deliver it personally. Oh, I couldn’t do that. You would do it for someone you love. Love your neighbor yourself.
III. The Results of Choosing the Lord’s Fast
This passage is so rich that we obviously can’t get through all of it this morning, but nothing prevents you from spending more time in it. It isn’t extremely difficult to understand. In the rest of the passage, we see more of the same. Let’s note a few more phrases which speak of the kind of fasting that pleases the Lord… (ESV wording)
… if you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness (9)
… if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted (10)
… if you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day… (13-14)
But now let’s look at what happens, when a person is obedient and lives this kind of life. I may not list all of the results, but let’s look at a few of them. Start in verses 8-9a (ESV), “Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’” Down to verses 10b-12 (ESV), “Then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” Wow!
Notice those words, “Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.” These words are particularly interesting, in light of the context. Remember what they were saying in verse 3, “Why have we fasted and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves and you have taken no notice?” They were complaining because God wasn’t answering their prayers, even prayers aided by fasting. How do you think they were praying? Perhaps it was like this, “Lord, thank you for all your blessings. We pray that you will continue to take care of us and meet our needs. May we glorify you in all things and may you bless us abundantly.” Surely if they prayed for God to be glorified in all things, He would answer. No. Their lifestyle revealed that regardless of what words they used, their prayers were selfish and shortsighted. But now, when they begin to relieve the oppression of the afflicted, feed the hungry, and shelter the needy, the Lord will answer their prayers. Why? Because their prayers take on a different character. Their prayers are no longer focused on themselves, but on their neighbors. Surely they are praying that God will pour them out as a blessing to others. This is what we find Paul doing in II Cor. 4:7-12…
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9. Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 11. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 12. So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
Can we pray like that? Even if death and suffering comes to me, that’s fine, as long as life comes to those around me.
And then notice those words at the end of verse 11, “And you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” Doesn’t it kind of remind you of John 7:38, where Jesus said, “Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” But don’t miss this -- before he speaks of them being a spring of water, he says that they will be like a watered garden. They themselves will be refreshed like a watered garden. When you go out in the heat of the afternoon and look at the garden plants that have not been watered in a while, what do you find? They are dry and droopy. They have a wilted look. It’s almost as if they are saying, “Won’t you please give me some water.” How they thrive, when you put the water to them. Now they are an oasis in the desert.
Please hear me. To the degree that we live to deliver others from oppression and go about meeting the needs of the afflicted, we will be like a watered garden. We will experience the refreshing that only God can bring. That refreshing does not come from physical rest, from guarding our comfort; it comes from loving God by extending ourselves to our neighbors, wherever they may be found.
Please allow me to read the testimony of a pastor who found this truth to be life-changing…
I recall a testimony from Bill Leslie, the former pastor of LaSalle Street Church in Chicago, who had a long and remarkable ministry in the city, not unlike the one described in Isaiah 58. He came to Minneapolis once and told of a near breakdown that he had had and how a spiritual mentor directed him to this chapter. He said it was verse 11 that saved him from a dead-end street of exhaustion and burnout.
And if you give yourself to the hungry, And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness, And your gloom will become like midday.
And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places [like urban Chicago]
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. (Is. 58:10-11)
What struck Pastor Leslie so powerfully was the fact that God promises to make us like a watered garden (not just a watering ministry, but a watered ministry). That is, we will receive the water we need for refreshment, and we will become a spring of water that does not fail--for others--for the demanding, exhausting, draining ministry of urban self-giving. This gave him a pattern of divine life that got him through his crises and kept him going for years more. The amazing thing we need to see here is that Isaiah calls this experience of being watered as a garden for others a kind of fasting.
Conclusion
So ultimately the fast the Lord chooses cannot be expressed by simply abstaining from food. Physical fasting from food is only a means to an end. When it becomes an end in itself, it ceases to be pleasing to the Lord. When we look at Isaiah 58, we might conclude something like this: “The fast the Lord chooses has nothing to do with abstaining from food. Rather, it is all about sharing our food and our lives with others in need. As long as I am concerned about othes, I don’t need to fast.”
But now let me tell you about a man I know. He was recently sitting quietly in his home reading a Christian book. The author was talking about being obedient to God and being willing to take risks in order to follow Jesus. It was good reading and packed a powerful message. The man reading was thoroughly enjoying it. Suddenly it occurred to him that the temperature was dropping dangerously low and there were people who might not have enough shelter to get them through the night. After a moment, he dismissed the thought and went back to reading his book.
Think about it. How can this man sit there in the comfort of his home, knowing full well that his neighbor could freeze to death? How is it possible? Doesn’t this man know that he and his neighbor were fashioned by the same Creator? Doesn’t this man know that Jesus left the glory of heaven and came to this messed-up world in order to rescue him from his sin? Has he not read the words from his Bible, “Love your neighbor as yourself?” Doesn’t he fear hearing Jesus say, “Depart from me, you cursed ones, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels… Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not unto me” (Matt. 25:41,45)? How is it possible for that man to sit there and read his book while his neighbor is in such danger?
Chances are, he will be in a worship service this Sunday alongside many others who are living in the same fairytale world, where people will not let the suffering and death around them interrupt their nice worship routines. They will read about Jesus making Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, humbling Himself, and becoming obedient even unto death. But when they hear the call, “Let this same mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,” they interpret it to mean that they should sing louder and pray with a more sincere heart.
Brothers and sisters, I was that man who sat there in his easy chair. Were it not for the persistence of a merciful and gracious God, I would have continued to sit there and never moved. I fear that I and we are in desperate need of hearing the message of Isaiah 58, that we could be the people who are so addicted to our religious routines that we turn a deaf ear to those who are in bondage.
In order that we not turn a deaf ear to our Lord, we need to seek Him with holy desperation and ask Him to deliver us from the deception that rules the religion around us. We need to pray, “really pray,” as Norman put it Wednesday evening. We need to spend some extended time on our knees or on our faces before God. In that desperate kind of praying, there just might be a place for fasting, for saying to God, “Lord, I so want you to open my eyes to your truth that I am going to set outside the physical in order that I might seek You and You alone.”
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