“Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed
And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed?
Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord?” (58:5).

The scene is anything but holy. The people of God, so bent on their own ways, so dogged in their rebellion, so steeped in their sin, yet all the while, carrying out their holy, religious duties. And because they continue their routine to fulfill certain tasks prescribed in the Law, because they participate in the outer act of self-denial through fasting and spreading out sackcloth and ashes, they have convinced themselves that they are approaching Him in humility, that they are seeking Him and delighting in His ways, and that they are adhering to His ordinances. They live convinced in themselves but left wondering why God is not responding as He should.

‘Why have we fasted and You do not see?
Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ (58:3a).

And it is to this material mindset that God speaks His mind.

“Cry loudly, do not hold back;
Raise your voice like a trumpet,
And declare to My people their transgression
And to the house of Jacob their sins.
² “Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways,
As a nation that has done righteousness
And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God.
They ask Me for just decisions,
They delight in the nearness of God,” (58:1-2).

And God has determined that His response will be heard, loud and clear. Can you hear His exasperation, His dissatisfaction, His repulsion, and His weariness with their worship?

And as He rebukes them for their hypocrisy, He expresses what is in fact the Fast He Accepts.

“Is this not the fast which I choose…” (58:6).

Fast: “6685. צוֹם ṣôm: A masculine noun indicating a fast, fasting. It refers to the act or time of fasting, an act of worship in mourning, despairing while entreating God…” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.

While fasting was to be a time of worship and prayer, their fasting had become nothing more than a tradition. And in their own wisdom they determined this was all God required; simply check the “fasting” box off their to do list. Yep, we’re all good here.

But God will not be relegated to anyone’s to do list.

“Because this people draw near with their words
And honor Me with their lip service,
But they remove their hearts far from Me,
And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,
¹⁴ Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;
And the wisdom of their wise men will perish,
And the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed,” (Isaiah 29:13-14).

For the Law was never about the external keeping. The Law was given to reveal our utter inability of achieving His Acceptance apart from faith.

Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith, (Galatians 3:24).

But they missed it, clinging to their own wisdom and discernment, adhering to regulations, with hearts that grew farther and farther away from God, until their traditions became the most important aspect of their worship.

And when Jesus came, He would again address their hypocrisy that had so devalued the Word of God to the extent that they actually engaged in the empty worship of their traditions rather than the true worship of the True God.

And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. ⁷ You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:
⁸ ‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
⁹ ‘But in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men,’” (Matthew 15:6-9).

Fasting was never meant to do simply just to do. Fasting was, and always is, meant to be a matter of the heart. Through a period of denying the flesh, fasting is meant to draw the heart close to God. Being close to God is tantamount to being close to Truth. And this is the Fast He Accepts.

Consider the Fast He Accepts

• The Fast He Accepts denies the flesh that we would seek His Truth.
  •  “Is this not the fast which I choose, (58:6).

• The Fast He Accepts denies the flesh that we would convey the message of His salvation and freedom from sin.
  • “…To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
    To undo the bands of the yoke,
    And to let the oppressed go free
    And break every yoke?” (58:6).

• The Fast He Accepts denies the flesh that we would sacrificially meet the needs of others.
  • “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
    And bring the homeless poor into the house;
    When you see the naked, to cover him;
    And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” (58:7).

• The Fast He Accepts denies the flesh that we would walk in the Light of His righteousness and glory.
  • “Then your light will break out like the dawn,
    And your recovery will speedily spring forth;
    And your righteousness will go before you;
    The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard,’ (58:8).

• The Fast He Accepts denies the flesh that we would call out to Him in confession and repentance.
  • “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
    If you remove the yoke from your midst,
    The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,” (58:9).

• The Fast He Accepts denies the flesh that we would offer ourselves in faith.
  • “And if you give yourself to the hungry
    And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
    Then your light will rise in darkness
    And your gloom will become like midday,” (58:10).

• The Fast He Accepts denies the flesh that we would be satisfied and strengthened in His Truth.
  • “And the Lord will continually guide you,
    And satisfy your desire in scorched places,
    And give strength to your bones;
    And you will be like a watered garden,
    And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail,” (58:11).

• The Fast He Accepts denies the flesh that we would do the works of our Savior.
  • “Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;
    You will raise up the age-old foundations;
    And you will be called the repairer of the breach,
    The restorer of the streets in which to dwell,” (58:12).

How do we respond to the Fast He Accepts?

I will be the first to admit, this chapter was not easy to consider as I was reminded of how often I engage in the unacceptable. Because the truth is, denying the flesh is uncomfortable and anything but easy. And when called to step into the realm of sacrificial giving, which goes way beyond taking out the checkbook, those times are often accompanied by grumbling and complaining. Oh, not so others can hear, of course. But He hears.

And today I was left wondering, how many times has He been exasperated, dissatisfied, repulsed, and wearied with my outer acts of worship? And I felt my faith sag.

But also today, as God is so faithful do, He led me to what I needed most, Psalm 51, the prayer of repentance.

And in this prayer, I was reminded of what He desires most: truth in my innermost being. And I know that apart from Christ this is impossible, for all are born with the sin nature and all of us fall short of the glory of God. We all need the cleansing work that only Christ provides.

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
⁶ Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
⁷ Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow, (Psalm 51:5-7).

…but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God, (1 Corinthians 6:11).

When we place our faith in Christ, He does the supernatural work in our innermost being to purify us from sin and to sanctify us in His Truth, that we would then participate in the Fast He Accepts as we work out our salvation (work out what He has worked within) in fear and trembling.

“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth,” (John 17:17).

…work out your salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³ for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure, (Philippians 2:12-13).

Oh, that we would so grow in our desire to know His Truth in our innermost beings, that we would comprehend the Fast He Accepts, to deny the flesh and offer Him by faith, all that we are as a living and holy sacrifice.

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect, (Romans 12:1-2).

These first two verses of Romans 12 are two of my favorites I love to quote. And many times, I quote them separately. But today, in light of the Fast He Accepts, I saw these two verses as so interconnected that one really doesn’t happen apart from the other.

We can’t present Him all that we are as a spiritual service of worship (the Fast He Accepts) apart from His Word of Truth, for He desires Truth in our innermost beings. And we won’t be transformed by the renewing of our minds apart from presenting Him all that we are (the Fast He Accepts) through denying the flesh and committing our time and energy to seeking His Truth.

Oh, that we would respond today by relying on His mercies as we lay down our grumbling and complaining and commit to seek His Truth, that we would be transformed to become like Him. Let us participate in the Fast He Accepts as messengers of the gospel, willing to sacrifice for others as we walk in the Light of His righteousness and glory. Let us be quick to confess and repent of our sins as we offer Him all that we are in faith. And let us seek only to be satisfied and strengthened in His Truth in order to do the works of our Savior; for isn’t this the Fast He Accepts?

“Is this not the fast which I choose,
To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free
And break every yoke?
⁷ “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him;
And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? (58:6-7).

We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷ But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? ¹⁸ Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth, (1 John 3:16-18).

Let’s Grow Together!