Isaiah 58: The True Fast and Repairing the Breach

Isaiah 58

1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.

3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?

6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.

9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:

11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Isaiah 58 presents a divine blueprint for a complete spiritual and physical reformation that restores the broken relationship between God and humanity. This chapter outlines the "true fast" that God chooses, which involves loosing the bands of wickedness, undoing heavy burdens, and letting the oppressed go free Isaiah 58:6DA 278.2. It serves as the foundation for the work of the "repairer of the breach," specifically calling for the restoration of the downtrodden Sabbath and the integration of medical missionary work with the gospel ministry Isaiah 58:12-136T 351.6+1.

The True Fast and Practical Godliness

True spiritual devotion is not found in formal services, idle mourning, or mere bodily humiliation Isaiah 58:5DA 278.2. Instead, God defines the acceptable fast as a surrender of self in willing service to others, such as feeding the hungry and housing the poor Isaiah 58:7DA 278.2.

• The Spirit of Service: True "divine service" consists of the same work Jesus rendered—cheering the heart of the widow and speaking words of courage to the repentant sinnerPTUK November 30, 1899, page 759.3.

• Physical Temperance: In a practical sense, the true fast also includes abstinence from stimulating foods and the proper use of simple, wholesome food that provides vitality to the religious experienceCD 90.1.

• The Promise of Health: When we draw out our souls to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted, God promises that our "health shall spring forth speedily" Isaiah 58:8Ev 515.3.

The Medical Missionary Work: The "Right Arm"

Isaiah 58 provides the mandate for medical missionary work, which is to be joined to the gospel ministry as the arm is joined to the bodyCH 516.1+1.

• An Entering Wedge: This work is the "pioneer work" of the gospel, breaking down prejudice and opening doors for the truth in new fieldsEv 515.3+1.

• Christlike Ministry: It involves tender compassion for the needy and suffering, demonstrating the power of God's grace through practical acts of healing4MR 133.3+1.

• Unifying the Message: No line should be drawn between the gospel ministry and genuine medical missionary work; they are to blend in giving the final invitation to the worldCH 516.1+1.

Repairing the Breach in the Law

A central theme of Isaiah 58 is the restoration of the Sabbath, which has been trampled upon and changed by the "man of sin"LSMS 165.4+1.

• Restoring the Foundation: The "breach" is the broken fourth commandment, and God's people are called to be "repairers of the breach" by teaching and observing the true Sabbath Isaiah 58:12PTJW September 1849, page 25.1+1.

• A Delight, Not a Burden: We are encouraged to turn away from doing our own pleasure on the holy day and instead call the Sabbath a "delight" and "honorable" Isaiah 58:132MR 227.1+1.

• The Reward of Allegiance: To those who honor God by keeping His commandments, He promises they will "ride upon the high places of the earth" and be fed with the "heritage of Jacob" Isaiah 58:14ST November 22, 1899, par. 6+1.

The Final Message and Reform

Isaiah 58 outlines the work for the last days, connected deeply with the third angel's message and the antitypical Day of Atonement10MR 314.1+1.

• Building Waste Places: This prophecy applies to the present time, calling for the rebuilding of spiritual foundations that have been neglected for generations Isaiah 58:123SM 407.1+1.

• A Complete Work: The truth for this time embraces the whole gospel, working to develop a "complete man" through the harmony of spiritual and health reformCH 516.1+1.

• Character of the Remnant: As we approach the final test, the trumpet must give a certain sound, characterized by a life-and-death question of obedience to the system of Bible truth10MR 314.1+1.