Isaiah 64, We Are Wasted

Isaiah continues to describe some future Day of judgment and restoration.

Isaiah 64:1-3, Please come down!

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,

    that the mountains would tremble before you!

As when fire sets twigs ablaze

    and causes water to boil,

come down to make your name known to your enemies

    and cause the nations to quake before you!

For when you did awesome things that we did not expect,

    you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.

Isaiah begs for YHWH to show Himself. His appearance would disrupt the nations, just like a fire causes water to boil. This poem has an envelope structure, beginning with an appeal to "rend the heavens and come down" and ending with "came down and the mountains trembled."

Isaiah 64:4-5, How can we be saved?

Since ancient times no one has heard,

    no ear has perceived,

no eye has seen any God besides you,

    who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

You come to the help of those who gladly do right,

    who remember your ways.

But when we continued to sin against them,

    you were angry.

    How then can we be saved?

In this short praise piece, Isaiah acknowledges that there is no one but God and then confesses that the people of Israel do not deserve salvation.

Isaiah 64:6-7, All unclean

All of us have become like one who is unclean,

    and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;

we all shrivel up like a leaf,

    and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

No one calls on your name

    or strives to lay hold of you;

for you have hidden your face from us

    and have given us over to our sins.

"All our righteousness like filthy rags", says Isaiah. None of us, he continues, seek YHWH or calls on Him, and yes, He hides His face. The term "filthy rags" represents the bloody cloths from a woman's menstrual period.

Grogan (p. 343) writes "Verses 5-7 present a many-sided doctrine of sin, remarkably full for an OT passage."

Isaiah 64:8-9, Clay and potter

Yet you, LORD, are our Father.

    We are the clay, you are the potter;

    we are all the work of your hand.

Do not be angry beyond measure, LORD;

    do not remember our sins forever.

Oh, look on us, we pray,

    for we are all your people.

In this metaphor, the clay challenges the potter -- why have you made me so? This is like those who ask the same of YHWH. Jeremiah gives a clear parable in Jeremiah 18:1-6 of God being the potter working with clay. This becomes a favorite metaphor for the prophets, showing up here and in Isaiah 29:16 and Isaiah 45:9. In the New Testament, Paul quotes this passage in Romans 9:19-21. 

Isaiah 64:10-12, Destroyed

Your sacred cities have become a wasteland;

    even Zion is a wasteland, Jerusalem a desolation.

Our holy and glorious temple, where our ancestors praised you,

    has been burned with fire,

    and all that we treasured lies in ruins.

After all this, LORD, will you hold yourself back?

    Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure?

In Isaiah 63:15, God's throne is called qāḏ·šə·ḵā wə·ṯip̄·’ar·te·ḵā, translated "(your) holy and glorious" throne. In verse 11 here, that phrase is repeated. The temple in Jerusalem is described as "(our) holy and glorious" (qā·ḏə·šê·nū wə·ṯip̄·’ar·tê·nū) temple. The temple in Jerusalem is a "shadow" of the throne of YHWH in heaven. (This is made explicit in the New Testament, in Hebrews 8:1-6, where the Messiah serves as high priest in that heavenly temple.)

The city of Jerusalem and its beautiful temple have been laid waste and are destroyed. The chapter ends with a cry for YHWH to respond to the ruins and to not be silent. The next two chapters bring the answer to this prayer.

Isaiah 63, Winepress of Judgment

Isaiah continues to describe some future Day of judgment and restoration.

Isaiah 63:1-3, Red garments

Who is this coming from Edom,

    from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson?

Who is this, robed in splendor,

    striding forward in the greatness of his strength?

“It is I, proclaiming victory,

    mighty to save.”

Why are your garments red,

    like those of one treading the winepress?

“I have trodden the winepress alone;

    from the nations no one was with me.

I trampled them in my anger

    and trod them down in my wrath;

their blood spattered my garments,

    and I stained all my clothing.

The winepress, staining one's garments red, is a metaphor for bloody justice. The winepress of blood appears in the New Testament in Revelation 14:18-20 and Revelation 19:11-21.

This passage plays on the name Edom, which means "red" and Bozrah which means "vintage" (Motyer,) Edom was long an enemy of Israel (see Numbers 20:14-21.) Bozrah was a major city of Edom, and so the nation of Edom and the city of Bozrah represent the nations opposed to Israel and YHWH.

Isaiah 63:4-6, YHWH alone

It was for me the day of vengeance;

    the year for me to redeem had come.

I looked, but there was no one to help,

    I was appalled that no one gave support;

so my own arm achieved salvation for me,

    and my own wrath sustained me.

I trampled the nations in my anger;

    in my wrath I made them drunk

    and poured their blood on the ground.”

God alone has the power to judge the nations. In the last verse it is clear that the red of the winepress is really the blood of the nations. If these six verses are the voice of the Messiah, then here the Messiah is a conquering warrior, not a sacrificial servant.

Isaiah 63:7-9, Loved and redeemed

I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD,

    the deeds for which he is to be praised,

    according to all the LORD has done for us—

yes, the many good things

    he has done for Israel,

    according to his compassion and many kindnesses.

He said, “Surely they are my people,

    children who will be true to me”;

    and so he became their Savior.

In all their distress he too was distressed,

    and the angel of his presence saved them.

In his love and mercy he redeemed them;

    he lifted them up and carried them

    all the days of old.

Isaiah (or the Messiah) breaks up this prophecy with praise, telling of the kindness of YHWH in caring for His people. The Hebrew word ahabah is translated "love" while chemlah is translated "mercy." The Hebrew word ahabah is one of the first words one might learn in Hebrew -- it is written out just after 11:25 in this introductory video.

The word hesed occurs twice in verse 7, translated "kindness(es)" by the NIV.

Isaiah 63:10-14a, Rebellion

Yet they rebelled

    and grieved his Holy Spirit.

So he turned and became their enemy

    and he himself fought against them.

Then his people recalled the days of old,

    the days of Moses and his people—

where is he who brought them through the sea,

    with the shepherd of his flock?

Where is he who set

    his Holy Spirit among them,

who sent his glorious arm of power

    to be at Moses’ right hand,

who divided the waters before them,

    to gain for himself everlasting renown,

who led them through the depths?

Like a horse in open country,

    they did not stumble;

like cattle that go down to the plain,

    they were given rest by the Spirit of the LORD.

The people rebelled against God. We recall the miracles of the Exodus, achieved by God's "Holy Spirit."

Verses 10 and 11 give a rare occurrence where "spirit" (rū·aḥ) is matched with "(his) Holy" (qā·ḏə·šōw.) Grogan cites Psalm 51:11 for the only other Old Testament occurrence.

Isaiah 63:14b-15, Come back

This is how you guided your people

    to make for yourself a glorious name.

Look down from heaven and see,

    from your lofty throne, holy and glorious.

Where are your zeal and your might?

    Your tenderness and compassion are withheld from us.

God is called to return with His miraculous saving power.

Isaiah 63:16, Remember!

But you are our Father,

    though Abraham does not know us

    or Israel acknowledge us;

you, LORD, are our Father,

    our Redeemer from of old is your name.

Even if Abraham has forgotten them, but still, YHWH remembers. Here Isaiah address YHWH as "Father", a more personal intimate plea.

Isaiah 63:17-19, Sanctuary trampled

Why, LORD, do you make us wander from your ways

    and harden our hearts so we do not revere you?

Return for the sake of your servants,

    the tribes that are your inheritance.

For a little while your people possessed your holy place,

    but now our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary.

We are yours from of old;

    but you have not ruled over them,

    they have not been called by your name.

The people blame YHWH for their rebellion. Why did He harden their hearts? Despite God's promises to Israel, the sanctuary has been trampled by invaders.

Motyer sees verses 7-19, along with the next chapter, as a prayer by an intercessor for Israel. A response to that prayer is given in chapters 65 and 66, in the future appearance of a new Jerusalem.

Isaiah 62, A New Name for Zion

Righteousness and salvation for all nations will come in some future Day, says the speaker. (It is not clear whether the speaker is the Messiah or Zion/Jerusalem personified. Or both.)

Isaiah 62:1-3, Called by a new name

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,

    for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,

till her vindication shines out like the dawn,

    her salvation like a blazing torch.

The nations will see your vindication,

    and all kings your glory;

you will be called by a new name

    that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.

You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD’s hand,

    a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

Jerusalem, with a new name, will be a royal jewel, beautiful crown in God's hand. All the nations will see her salvation.

Isaiah 62:4-5, Not Deserted, Not Desolate

No longer will they call you Deserted,

    or name your land Desolate.

But you will be called Hephzibah,

    and your land Beulah;

for the LORD will take delight in you,

    and your land will be married.

As a young man marries a young woman,

    so will your Builder marry you;

as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,

    so will your God rejoice over you.

Instead of Deserted or Desolate, the city will be called Hephzibah ("my delight is in her") and Beulah ("married"). The city will be the bride of God. The metaphor of marriage and renaming occurs in the book of Hosea (for example, Hosea 2:16-23.)

Isaiah 62:6-7, Watched over day and night

I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem;

    they will never be silent day or night.

You who call on the LORD,

    give yourselves no rest,

and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem

    and makes her the praise of the earth.

God will not rest until Jerusalem is restored.

Isaiah 62:8-9, Right hand and mighty arm

The LORD has sworn by his right hand

    and by his mighty arm:

“Never again will I give your grain

    as food for your enemies,

and never again will foreigners drink the new wine

    for which you have toiled;

but those who harvest it will eat it

    and praise the LORD,

and those who gather the grapes will drink it

    in the courts of my sanctuary.”

The riches of Jerusalem will not be stolen; those riches will be enjoyed within the city. 

During the Exodus, when God confronted Pharaoh, God is described as having a "mighty hand and outstretched arm" (see Deuteronomy 5:15, 26:8, for example.) This took an Egyptian image and threw it back into the face of the Pharaoh, making it clear Who was more powerful. That image appears again at the beginning of verse 8.

Isaiah 62:10-12, Get ready!

Pass through, pass through the gates!

    Prepare the way for the people.

Build up, build up the highway!

    Remove the stones.

Raise a banner for the nations.

The LORD has made proclamation

    to the ends of the earth:

“Say to Daughter Zion,

    ‘See, your Savior comes!

See, his reward is with him,

    and his recompense accompanies him.’”

They will be called the Holy People,

    the Redeemed of the LORD;

and you will be called Sought After,

    the City No Longer Deserted.

Motyer says that the word "you" in the next to last line is feminine singular, typical for identifying Zion. 

"Get ready!" calls Isaiah, for YHWH comes. The nations will rally at a banner in Jerusalem.

Isaiah 61, Ministers to the Nations

The future Jerusalem is being described.

Isaiah 61:1-3, Messiah's proclamation

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,

    because the LORD has anointed me

    to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

    to proclaim freedom for the captives

    and release from darkness for the prisoners, 

to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor

    and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, 

the oil of joy instead of mourning, 

and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

    a planting of the LORD

    for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah prophesies of a time when the captives will be set free and people released from darkness. Comfort, royalty, joy, praise will replace mourning, grief, sadness, despair. The righteous people will be like strong tall oak trees.

Jesus, in Nazareth, picks up the scroll of Isaiah and reads this passage (see Luke 4:16-21) and identifies Himself as this Servant.

At the end of verse 1 here, the Masoretic Text is translated "release from darkness for the prisoners" while the Septuagint might be translated "recovery of sight for the blind." Jesus apparently uses a scroll closer to the Septuagint in Luke 4.

Motyer, after identifying four Servant Songs in Isaiah, calls this passage (verses 1-3) a "poem about the Anointed One", the second poem of three. (The third poem is 61:10-62:7. The first poem, according to Motyer, may be 59:20-21.) Grogan suggests that this passage echoes the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25.)

There is wordplay in verse 3: Instead of ashes (’ê·p̄er ) the people will have a crown (pə·’êr).

Isaiah 61:4-6, Restoration

They will rebuild the ancient ruins

    and restore the places long devastated;

they will renew the ruined cities

    that have been devastated for generations.

Strangers will shepherd your flocks;

    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.

And you will be called priests of the LORD,

    you will be named ministers of our God.

You will feed on the wealth of nations,

    and in their riches you will boast.

When Jerusalem is restored the citizens of Jerusalem will be priests and ministers, feeding the nations.

Isaiah 61:7, Double portion

Instead of your shame

    you will receive a double portion,

and instead of disgrace

    you will rejoice in your inheritance.

And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,

    and everlasting joy will be yours.

Shame will be replaced by an inheritance, doubled in size.

Isaiah 61:8-9,

“For I, the LORD, love justice;

    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.

In my faithfulness I will reward my people

    and make an everlasting covenant with them.

Their descendants will be known among the nations

    and their offspring among the peoples.

All who see them will acknowledge

    that they are a people the LORD has blessed.”

The people of Israel will be especially blessed, representatives of God's goodness to the nations.

Isaiah 61:10-11, Clothed with salvation

I delight greatly in the LORD;

    my soul rejoices in my God.

For he has clothed me with garments of salvation

    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,

as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,

    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the soil makes the sprout come up

    and a garden causes seeds to grow,

so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness

    and praise spring up before all nations.

The first person singular here is no longer God, but either God's Servant (Motyer) or Zion personified (Grogan.) The speaker ends this passage with a praise psalm, rejoicing in God's ministry of righteousness and in their role in salvation. In this future Day, righteousness will sprout up like weeds among the nations.

Some Random Thoughts

Oh that righteousness would spread like weeds among the nations. This is clearly futuristic, beyond our human history.

Isaiah 60, Light Dawns on Jerusalem

Isaiah has been describing a future Jerusalem.

Isaiah 60:1-3, YHWH rises as a sun

“Arise, shine, for your light has come,

    and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth

    and thick darkness is over the peoples,

but the LORD rises upon you

    and his glory appears over you.

Nations will come to your light,

    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

The light of YHWH, like the sun, rises to push back darkness and bring glory to Jerusalem.

Isaiah 60:4-7, Radiant, with daughters on your hip

“Lift up your eyes and look about you:

    All assemble and come to you;

your sons come from afar,

    and your daughters are carried on the hip.

Then you will look and be radiant,

    your heart will throb and swell with joy;

the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,

    to you the riches of the nations will come.

Herds of camels will cover your land,

    young camels of Midian and Ephah.

And all from Sheba will come,

    bearing gold and incense

    and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.

All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you,

    the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;

they will be accepted as offerings on my altar,

    and I will adorn my glorious temple.

Prosperity will return to Judah. Joyful mothers, carrying their daughter on their hips, will see the riches of the land. (The riches, as described for the people of the ANE, include herds of camels.) As previously, the people come "from afar", whether Jewish refugees or Gentile converts.

Midian was an ANE region along the Gulf of Aqaba on the Red Sea. Midian and Ephah were descendants of Abraham, according to Genesis 25:1-4. Sheba was another ancient kingdom in that region. Kedar/Qedar was a son of Ishmael and the region of Kedar is mentioned in Song of Songs 1:5. Nebaioth was another son of Ishmael.

Isaiah 60:8-9, Ships from afar

“Who are these that fly along like clouds,

    like doves to their nests?

Surely the islands look to me;

    in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,

bringing your children from afar,

    with their silver and gold,

to the honor of the LORD your God,

    the Holy One of Israel,

    for he has endowed you with splendor.

Everyone (even the islands of the sea) will look to Israel. People will come from far away. To the people of the ANE the "islands" (of the Mediterranean) and the "ships of Tarshish" represent the ends of the earth.

Isaiah 60:10-12, Foreigner serve

“Foreigners will rebuild your walls,

    and their kings will serve you.

Though in anger I struck you,

    in favor I will show you compassion.

Your gates will always stand open,

they will never be shut, day or night,

so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations—

    their kings led in triumphal procession.

For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish;

    it will be utterly ruined.

Notice the emphasis on foreigners. They will rebuild the walls; their kings will serve Jerusalem. The gates will be perpetually open, the city full of wealth.

There is no historical event that matches this, so presumably a Christian reader might view this as describing a future prophetic time such as the Millennium (eg. Revelation 20:1-6.)

Isaiah 60:13-16a, Oppressors bow down

“The glory of Lebanon will come to you,

    the juniper, the fir and the cypress together,

to adorn my sanctuary;

    and I will glorify the place for my feet.

The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you;

    all who despise you will bow down at your feet

and will call you the City of the LORD,

    Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

“Although you have been forsaken and hated,

    with no one traveling through,

I will make you the everlasting pride

    and the joy of all generations.

You will drink the milk of nations

    and be nursed at royal breasts.

Jerusalem will be the Holy City, and her citizens will be a source of everlasting pride. The joy of all nations will focus on Zion. Psalm 87 gives an image of the excitement of coming back to Zion. It includes recognition that Gentiles will be attracted to Jerusalem.

The last part of this passage has Zion treated as a princely baby, nursing at the royal breasts of nations!

Isaiah 60:16b-17, Ruled by peace and well-being

Then you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior,

    your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,

    and silver in place of iron.

Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,

    and iron in place of stones.

I will make peace your governor

    and well-being your ruler.

The final glory of Jerusalem will be proof that God is their Savior.

Isaiah 60:18-20, No more violence

No longer will violence be heard in your land,

    nor ruin or destruction within your borders,

but you will call your walls Salvation

    and your gates Praise.

The sun will no more be your light by day,

    nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,

for the LORD will be your everlasting light,

    and your God will be your glory.

Your sun will never set again,

    and your moon will wane no more;

the LORD will be your everlasting light,

    and your days of sorrow will end.

YHWH will be the light of the city. See Revelation 22:5. There will no longer be violence or destruction.

Isaiah 60:21-22, Possessing the land forever

Then all your people will be righteous

    and they will possess the land forever.

They are the shoot I have planted,

    the work of my hands,

    for the display of my splendor.

The least of you will become a thousand,

    the smallest a mighty nation.

I am the LORD;

    in its time I will do this swiftly.”

The future Jerusalem, the "shoot" that God has planted, will grow into a permanent mighty nation. This event will happen swiftly.

Some Random Thoughts

What time is portrayed in these last seven chapters of Isaiah? Of course some seems (to the Christian) to partly represent the time of Jesus. But some of this clearly has not happened and some of these scenes are repeated in the book of Revelation.

Isaiah 59, Blinded by Sin

The judgment and eventual salvation of Jerusalem, indeed the renewal of all of Israel, is the context of these last chapters of Isaiah. In the previous chapter, the people of Jerusalem were accused of fasting for appearances sake and were told to "call the Sabbath a delight" (verse 13.) Here we return to an analysis of the real state of the people.

Isaiah 59:1-3, Separated from God

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save,

    nor his ear too dull to hear.

But your iniquities have separated

    you from your God;

your sins have hidden his face from you,

    so that he will not hear.

For your hands are stained with blood,

    your fingers with guilt.

Your lips have spoken falsely,

    and your tongue mutters wicked things.

It is sin and disobedience that (says Isaiah) makes us distant from God, unable to hear Him.

Isaiah 59:4-6, Eggs of adders

No one calls for justice;

    no one pleads a case with integrity.

They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies;

    they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.

They hatch the eggs of vipers

    and spin a spider’s web.

Whoever eats their eggs will die,

    and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.

Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;

    they cannot cover themselves with what they make.

Their deeds are evil deeds,

    and acts of violence are in their hands.

No one takes a stand for justice and integrity. Instead, rationalizations are given, rationalizations that justify evil. The lack of interest in justice and integrity is seen as the output of vipers, as the eggs of adders.

Isaiah 59:7-8, Swift to shed blood

Their feet rush into sin;

    they are swift to shed innocent blood.

They pursue evil schemes;

    acts of violence mark their ways.

The way of peace they do not know;

    there is no justice in their paths.

They have turned them into crooked roads;

    no one who walks along them will know peace.

The people hurry to violence and sin, far from justice and integrity. Their roads are "crooked", not the straight roads of those who seek peace. In the New Testament, Paul quotes this passage in Romans 3:15-17., declaring that all of us are broken in this way.

Isaiah 59:9-13, Blinded by sin

So justice is far from us,

    and righteousness does not reach us.

We look for light, but all is darkness;

    for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.

Like the blind we grope along the wall,

    feeling our way like people without eyes.

At midday we stumble as if it were twilight;

    among the strong, we are like the dead.

We all growl like bears;

    we moan mournfully like doves.

We look for justice, but find none;

    for deliverance, but it is far away.

For our offenses are many in your sight,

    and our sins testify against us.

Our offenses are ever with us,

    and we acknowledge our iniquities:

rebellion and treachery against the LORD,

    turning our backs on our God,

inciting revolt and oppression,

    uttering lies our hearts have conceived.

The text changes from third person to first person, now with the people expressing their own sins and sufferings. The people are blinded, living in darkness, because of their rebellion. They are like growling bears and mournful doves, animals without insight. (See Psalm 73:21-22 for a similar statement by Asaph on the effect of disobedience and stubbornness.)

Isaiah 59:14-15a, Justice and honesty pushed back

So justice is driven back,

    and righteousness stands at a distance;

truth has stumbled in the streets,

    honesty cannot enter.

Truth is nowhere to be found,

    and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

Righteousness and justice are portrayed as pushed away, prevented from coming into the home. Truth, personified, staggers in the street and Honesty is blocked from entering the house.

Isaiah 59:15b-17, Only God's righteousness

The LORD looked and was displeased

    that there was no justice.

He saw that there was no one,

    he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;

so his own arm achieved salvation for him,

    and his own righteousness sustained him.

He put on righteousness as his breastplate,

    and the helmet of salvation on his head;

he put on the garments of vengeance

    and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.

YHWH looks for righteousness and sees no one. But He, Himself, has righteousness on His breastplate and helmet, on His clothing and garments. (In the New Testament, Paul takes up this metaphor in Ephesians 6:10-17.)

Isaiah 59:18-20, To the islands, to the east, to the west...

According to what they have done, 

so will he repay

wrath to his enemies

    and retribution to his foes;

    he will repay the islands their due.

From the west, people will fear the name of the LORD,

    and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory.

For he will come like a pent-up flood

    that the breath of the LORD drives along.

“The Redeemer will come to Zion,

    to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”

declares the LORD.

The final day will bring justice for all people in all directions. In Romans 11:25-27, Paul cites this passage as evidence of God's plans to draw in the Gentiles to His kingdom.

Note the typical Hebrew parallelism in lines like "From the west, ... and from the rising of the sun..."

Isaiah 59:21, My Spirit remains

“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the LORD.

God's Spirit will continue to speak through Isaiah.

Isaiah 58, Fasting Or Renewal?

Isaiah describes Israel's abandonment of true worship. This chapter emphasizes the difference between artificial religion and true renewal. Here artificial religion includes outward acts such as fasting. True renewal includes a commitment to genuinely celebrating the Sabbath.

Grogan sees this chapter as the beginning of a final treatise on God's role as both Judge and Savior. (Motyer includes chapters 56 and 57 in this final portion.)

Isaiah 58:1-2, Is our fasting noticed?

 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back.

    Raise your voice like a trumpet.

Declare to my people their rebellion

    and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.

For day after day they seek me out;

    they seem eager to know my ways,

as if they were a nation that does what is right

    and has not forsaken the commands of its God.

They ask me for just decisions

    and seem eager for God to come near them.

The passage begins with a loud, prophetic call. (See Hosea 8:1 for another example.) The people appear to be fasting and eager to please God. Are they?

Isaiah 58:3-4, Violence in fasting

‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,

    ‘and you have not seen it?

Why have we humbled ourselves,

    and you have not noticed?’

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please

    and exploit all your workers.

Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,

    and in striking each other with wicked fists.

You cannot fast as you do today

    and expect your voice to be heard on high.

The ritualistic fasting seems to be a way to impress God.  Instead of real fasting, ritualistic abstention from food makes people abusive, exploitive, violent. The employer takes a day of fasting but still abuses his workers (who, Motyer suggests, are not given that day off.) 

Isaiah 58:5-7, True fasting

 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,

    only a day for people to humble themselves?

Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed

    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?

Is that what you call a fast,

    a day acceptable to the LORD?

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

to loose the chains of injustice

    and untie the cords of the yoke,

to set the oppressed free

    and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry

    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—

when you see the naked, to clothe them,

    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Fasting should be an opportunity to examine injustice and provide food for the needy. But instead the people of Israel fast without examination or thought, allowing the vulnerable to be oppressed. Indeed, these ritualistic fasters deny the needs of their own family.

Isaiah 58:8-10, From oppression into true light

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,

    and your healing will quickly appear;

then your righteousness will go before you,

    and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;

    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,

with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry

and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,

then your light will rise in the darkness,

    and your night will become like the noonday.

Fasting should be associated with genuine reliance on YHWH and genuine righteousness. Righteousness is associated with the removal of oppression and malicious talk, with care for the hungry and the oppressed. Done correctly, this genuine righteousness leads to true light and healing.

Isaiah 58:11-12, A well-watered garden

The LORD will guide you always;

    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land

    and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden,

    like a spring whose waters never fail.

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins

    and will raise up the age-old foundations;

you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,

If, instead, Israel concentrates on righteousness and taking care of the vulnerable, they will prosper like a well-watered garden in a sun-drenched land. The ancient ruins will be rebuilt.

Isaiah 58:13-14, If you honor the Sabbath

“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath

    and from doing as you please on my holy day,

if you call the Sabbath a delight

    and the LORD’s holy day honorable,

and if you honor it by not going your own way

    and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

then you will find your joy in the LORD,

    and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land

    and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”

For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

For the Jew, honoring the Sabbath implied a full holy day of delight in God. If the people of Israel honor the Sabbath, they will find joy in YHWH, they will triumph in the land.  In that way, honoring the Sabbath may represent honoring all of the covenant law.