Isaiah 58:1-12 (NRSV)
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Chapter 58Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. Verse 2Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God.
Verse 3"Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?" Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. Verse 4Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. Verse 5Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Verse 6Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Verse 7Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Verse 8Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Verse 9Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, Verse 10if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. Verse 11The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. Verse 12Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.
Devotion
The prophet Isaiah declares words that are as true today as they were when they were spoken. The people of Israel appear to be contrite, too fast, and consider themselves righteous. But God desires more. God desires for us to take care of our neighbor, to work for justice for all people, and to share what we have. The cross has often been used as a symbol of our relationships with God and humanity. The vertical post is our relationship with God and the horizontal post is our relationship with people. In order for our connection with God to be strong, God calls for our relationships with people to be vital and life-bringing. The example for our relationship with people is Jesus Christ. 1 John tells us that “We love because God first loved us.” As we begin our Lenten journey, may our words and deeds be shaped by the cross.
Prayer
Almighty God, we ask for faith that is genuine and credible. Enable us to worship you in both word and action this day as we seek to obediently follow Jesus our Crucified Lord and Savior. Amen.