Isaiah 58 Study Notes

58:1 God spoke to Isaiah and told him to proclaim loudly and publicly (like a trumpet) the sin of his people. They had tried to put on a show of piety, so it was necessary to expose them for what they were—rebellious.

58:2-3a God acknowledged that his people appeared pious on the surface. They made pretense that they wanted to know and follow God’s will for their lives as expressed in the commands. They had even fasted, expecting God to do something for them. They claimed to have denied themselves before God, but God had not responded. They challenged God’s silence. Fasts occur elsewhere in Scripture, but they are commanded by human rulers rather than God. Thus, the people of God complained about getting no divine response from their self-initiated fast, while they failed to observe the Sabbath, one of the OT’s most important commands (vv. 13-14).

58:3b-5 God responded to his people’s challenge. He did not respond to their fasting because it was superficial and inauthentic. It led to divisions in the community and exploitative behavior toward underlings, as well as self-absorption. God’s idea of fasting extended far beyond public expressions of mourning.

58:6 After condemning the people’s idea of fasting, God defined what he understood to be legitimate and effective fasting. The emphasis is on social justice. Fasting must be connected to behavior that helps the exploited find freedom. The yoke is often an image of exploitation and bondage.

58:7 Proper fasting is also connected to care for those in need, including the hungry and those who needed shelter and clothing (cp. Mc 6:6-8). Flesh and blood is a reference to fellow Israelites.

58:8-9 The people began by complaining that God did not respond to their fasting (v. 3). Fasting seems self-denying, but God recognized that the fasting of his people had been manipulative. True self-denial means helping others, and behavior that is other-centered rather than self-directed will be rewarded. On yoke, see note at v. 6.

58:10 Light and darkness stand for prosperity and need. True obedience and a turning from evil will transform darkness into light.

58:11-12 The pronouncement looks forward to the restoration when God’s people will leave their captivity and return to the land, but the land and its cities, especially Jerusalem, will be in ruins. Obedience will lead to prosperity and fertility. The parched land will turn into a watered garden. Obedience and true piety will also lead to the strength needed to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and its defenses.

58:13-14 While God’s people kept fasts not commanded in the Bible, they flouted Sabbath observance, which was one of the central commands of the OT. It was the fourth commandment, considered the sign of the Mosaic covenant (see note at 56:2). To observe the Sabbath meant turning away from self-absorbed behavior (see note at 58:8-9).