BREAK FORTH LIKE THE DAWN
ISAIAH 58:1-14
#SPIRITUALDISCIPLINES
INTRODUCTION… http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/2010/07/intermittent-fasting-joke.html
There was a man who went into see his doctor. He was overweight and the doctor wanted to see if fasting would produce any results for him. “I want you to eat regularly for 2 days, skip a day, and then repeat that for 2 weeks. Eat for 2 days, skip a day, and then repeat. The next time I see you, you should have lost about 5 pounds and gotten control of your appetite.
After 2 weeks, the man returned to his doctor and he had lost nearly 60 pounds! The doctor was utterly astonished. “That is amazing, did you follow my instructions?”
“I did,” the man said, “but I thought I was going to drop dead on that third day.”
“From the hunger you mean?” the doctor asked.
“No, all the skipping around!”
This morning we are going to dig into the subject of fasting. What is “fasting?” That might be a word that you have heard before, but really don’t know anything about it. You probably have fasted before getting blood drawn or having surgery, but when we speak about fasting in a spiritual context, it is the same, but a little bit different.
“Fasting” is when we “abstain in some significant way from food and possibly drink as well” (Willard pg. 166). More specifically, in the Bible, “fasting refers to abstaining from food for spiritual purposes” (Foster pg. 48). It is that last part, the purpose, which sets Christian fasting apart from hunger strikes, dieting, or not eating before surgery which could all be called fasts. There is a great spiritual purpose behind fasting for the believer in Christ and there are great benefits.
Before we get a little further, I want to mention what “fasting” is not. Fasting is not deciding to skip TV for awhile. Fasting is not deciding not to log into Facebook or Twitter or use the internet for an extended period of time. Fasting is not skipping shopping, listening to music, not being critical, or skipping hot showers. I am so sorry, but fasting is tied to the physical body and the spirit and is a discipline that connects those two parts of us. Removing TV or music or computers from our lives is not specifically the same thing.
In order to frame fasting for us, I want us to read from Isaiah 58 which has much to say about proper fasting before God. I selected this passage long ago and realized as I was digging deeper into it that Isaiah 58 is rich with so much meaning. Let’s read Isaiah 58 today in three sections and discover God’s truths for us about fasting.
I. UNDERSTANDING (verses 1-5)
READ ISAIAH 58:1-5
“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. 2 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. 3 ‘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. 4 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. 5 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?”
In this first section of Isaiah 58 we find Isaiah giving a message like a trumpet to the people of God. It is a message declared loudly to anyone who would listen.
The verses begin with phrases like “day after day they seek me out” and “they seem eager to know my ways” and “seem eager for God to come near” which give us, as we begin reading the passage, three purposes for fasting. I found it very helpful that three purposes for fasting were presented in this part of the passage. Each one of these is specifically mentioned in this passage and gives us good solid directions on when and why you and I should fast:
First, we fast so that we can seek God to know Him to follow His commands. God is not always easily understood. He is not easily understood because He is not like us and His ways are far above our understanding (Isaiah 55:8-9). One way that we can seek after understanding about what God has said, what He has done, or what He is doing is through fasting. Fasting, prayer, and reading His Word combined is a manner God has outlined to know Him and follow His commands.
Second, we fast so that we make God directed decisions. Our lives are often filled with monumental decisions. Do we take the job? Do we move? Do we ask her to marry? Do we accept the proposal when he asks? Do we start the business or wait? Rent or buy? Listen or ignore? Do we retire or stay working? Do we move doctors or get a second opinion? Do we have the surgery or treatment or let the illness go? Do we move in or stay away? There are so many decisions to make in our lives and God never wants or expects us to make those decisions on our own. Fasting is a manner that God has prescribed for making decisions. Fasting, prayer, and reading His Word combined is a manner God has outlined for us to consult Him when making decisions.
Third, we fast so that we have a general sense of closeness with God. We are physical beings with a spirit. God is Spirit. We are sinful. God is holy. We experience distance from God and drawing close to Him can be difficult. Sometimes we describe times when we are close with God as “mountain tops” and times when we feel far from God as “a valley.” I have heard times when people feel far from God described as “a dry time.” The ebb and flow of physical life and our spiritual life makes our relationship with God, like all other relationships, in need of effort. Fasting, prayer, and reading His Word combined is a manner God has outlined to draw close to Him.
Verse 3 says that these folks were fasting. So why the warning? Why does it seem that God is displeased with His people in this passage? Was their fasting not pleasing to Him? It seems that the people to whom Isaiah was speaking were a people who were going through the motions of their religion on the outside, but inside were not deep in their faith.
The fasting that the people of God were engaged in was not as God would want. What are God’s complaints and criticisms?
First, in verse 3, during their fast they do as the please and exploit the people around them. So while fasting, they consciously act sinful and mistreat the people around them.
Second, in verse 4, during their fast, they are arguing, angry, and bitter with the people around them. I suppose we might call that “hangry” in today’s terms. So while fasting, they consciously and unconsciously act sinful and mistreat the people around them.
Third, in verse 4, we find out that not only is their mistreatment of people an attitude problem and something that is verbal, but they actually physically hurt other people while they are supposed to be fasting to God.
Fourth, in verse 5, I cannot help but notice that God mentions twice that the people were giving “only a day” to fasting. Fasting, as we have already seen briefly, is done to understand God better, to help make decisions, and to draw close to God. In God’s opinion, throwing a day at Him in fasting and expecting immediate results is not what fasting is about. It takes time… or at least longer than one day.
ILLUSTRATION… Snickers Commercial Campaign, http://www.campaignlive.com/article/case-study-fame-made-snickers-youre-not-when-youre-hungry-campaign-success/1413554
I mentioned the word “hangry” earlier and some of you might not know what that word is. It is a word meaning “angry + hungry.” It is a real thing for most of us. The candy bar Snickers has been using this in its campaign ads for the last 7 years. The tag line is “You’re not you when you are hungry.” I think my favorite one is the commercial showing Danny Trejo taking the place of Marsha Brady from the Brady Bunch. The Super Bowl Commercial with Betty White is memorable as the first one in the campaign in 2010. They do this same campaign all over the world with local celebrities in those countries. I did some digging, and the whole campaign is based on sharing a common experience people have about being irritable, angry, bad tempered, or weak when not eating properly or missing a meal.
SHOW VIDEO https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GkAnLtqWDhc
It is exactly that type of attitude and action that we are seeing in this passage as we begin to talk about fasting. The people of God were “hangry” and they were allowing that to control them and dictate their attitudes, emotions, and actions. It was also making their fasting worthless before God.
II. COMPASSION (verses 6-7)
READ ISAIAH 58:6-7
6 “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? 7 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?”
I have to be completely honest with you, when I think about fasting, I think about:
#1 Abstaining from food
#2 Spending time in prayer
#3 Spending time reading God’s Word
#4 Obeying Jesus in looking normal (Matthew 6:16-17)
#5 Obeying Jesus in keeping it mostly private (Matthew 6:18)
Those are the things I (personally) think about when it comes to fasting. Isaiah 58 brings a whole other aspect to fasting that I do not normally consider. It is often something that is overlooked. Yes, fasting is for us to focus on prayer and understanding God. Yes, fasting is for us to aid us in making decisions in life. Yes, fasting is designed to help us spiritually grow close to God.
Apparently, fasting is meant to seed, fertilize, and harvest compassion in our hearts for the people around us as well. Proper fasting must be accompanied by an obedient life. Our outsides and our insides need to match. God wanted for His people so much more than them just denying themselves food. That can be an empty gesture. God mentions four compassionate actions that should accompany fasting:
#1 Freeing those illegally enslaved (verse 6)
#2 Feeding the hungry with what you have not eaten (verse 7)
#3 Clothing those in need (verse 7)
#4 Restored relationships in our families (verse 7)
All four of those actions have a root in compassion. Fasting, when done properly, will not only help us understand God better, help us make decisions, and draw us close to God, but fasting should also produce in us deep compassion for those who are hurting around us. Compassion is pity, sympathy, empathy, care, concern, sensitivity, warmth, love, tenderness, mercy, kindness, and charity. Compassion is feeling all those things, but more importantly, compassion is all of those feelings in action.
Matthew 9:36 tell us about Jesus, “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 14:14 says, “When Jesus landed and saw the large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick.” Matthew 20:34 says, “Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed Him.” Jesus Christ was a man of compassion. When I am full of compassion, then I am like Jesus. Seems to me that fasting so that compassion grows in me is only a good thing because it makes me more like Jesus.
ILLUSTRATION
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III. ACTION (verses 8-14)
READ ISAIAH 58:8-14
“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. 9 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, 10 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. 11 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. 12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. 13 “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, 14 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.”
God has described for us the kind of fasting that He approves of. The kind of fasting that God approves of is abstaining from food for the spiritual purposes of understanding Him, making decisions, and drawing close to Him. This in turn changes our emotions and thought life in a compassionate way for those around us. We become more compassionate and connected to God and most like Jesus.
This kind of fasting is blessed by God and the third section of Isaiah 58 lines out the eleven (yes I said eleven!!) extraordinary blessings from God.
Do you want to be blessed by God?
Do you want His favor in your life?
Do you want to be close to Him?
These eleven blessings and results of fasting “break forth” into our lives like light breaking forth over the horizon in the morning. Our lives might feel dark and damp. Our lives might feel still or away from God. Proper fasting changes all that.
#1 Blessing breaks forth in our lives (verse 8)
#2 Spiritual healing or physical healing happens (verse 8)
#3 Righteousness will be our guard and reputation (verse 8)
#4 God will guard our backs and protect us (verse 8)
#5 God will hear our prayers (verse 9)
#6 God will guide us (verse 11)
#7 God will provide for us (verse 11)
#8 God will give us strength to face each day (verse 11)
#9 Our faith, lives, and relationships will be repaired and restored (verse 12)
#10 Joy will be found in the Lord (verse 14)
#11 Overcome difficulties and obstacles (verse 14)
SUMMARY
Fasting is a spiritual discipline that can bring breakthroughs in our spiritual lives that sometimes happen in no other way. I want to encourage you today to incorporate fasting into your spiritual life if needed. It brings blessing from the Lord.
CONCLUSION WITH PRAYER
