Isaiah 58:6 “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?
The book of Isaiah begins in chapter 1 by exposing false religion that had the right form and ritual, but no true sincerity. Isaiah 58 presents the other side: the spiritual work God prefers. This week in our Sunday morning Adult Bible Study we will wrap up Isaiah 58 and move into Isaiah 59.
In Isaiah 59 God yearns to save the people but will not do so as long as they treat each other with violence, oppression, and injustice. In Isaiah 59 the themes of Isaiah 58 continue. Isaiah 59 is a dialogue between the prophet and the sinful people. The prophet, inspired by God, declares that the Lord is ready and able to save the people. Their fundamental sin is injustice, unrighteousness in dealing with other people. Their hearts devise wicked plans to hurt others. So Isaiah charges that their hands are stained with the blood of the innocent, unsuspecting victims they killed or mistreated in evil deeds and acts of violence. In addition the people rush into evil, in other words they can’t wait to do wrong.