ISAIAH 58:1-9a

THE BACKGROUND

This section from the writings of Isaiah was written around the time of the Israelites return from exile. The people of God are struggling to establish a better relationship with God in the hopes that they will never again need to return to a state of exile.  One of the practices they engaged in was fasting.  While some modern Christian groups still practice this, many do not.  Allow me to explain fasting, at least from my perspective.

Fasting is the practice of restricting one’s diet in order to sharpen spiritual focus.  By fasting, many seek to improve their relationship with God.  Some believe that the simple act of fasting wins them favor with their Lord.  Others, like me, don’t believe that I can win “Divine Brownie Points” by fasting; I fast to remind myself of God’s grace and His sacrifice of His son for my sins.  Every time I desire whatever I have chosen for my fast, it is a call to prayer.  In my church, we often fast during the upcoming season of Lent.  For the people of Isaiah, according to verse 3, they were trying to get God’s attention.

THE DETAIL

  • God is speaking in the first paragraph.  He tells his prophet to shout out and proclaim the message which follows.  Proclaim this message to His people, because it is clear that they want to have a better relationship with Him.  (vv. 1-2)
  • Now, Isaiah quotes the people.  They question God about why he appears to be unresponsive to their fasting and other religious actions.  (v. 3a)
  • God’s response is swift and to the point.  Their religious fervor does not carry over into their everyday lives.  They claim to love the Lord, but then they act with injustice to their neighbor.  (vv. 3a-4)
  • In verse 5, God is almost mocking them.  He seems to say “You call THIS a fast???” (v. 5)
  • Now, God tells them what a good fast really is.  (vv. 6-7)
  • The rest of the passage, and even beyond the verses listed, are a series of “if-then clauses”.  Remember that they  conditional clauses—“if you do this, I will do that”.  For example, a parent might say to a child “If you clean your room, I’ll take you to get an ice cream cone.”  God is telling his people that if they focus on sincere fasting, especially the type that God has listed here, that they will truly win God’s favor.  They will be acting like His people, and they will be blessed. 

 

THE TAKEAWAY

In the past, I have given up drinking wine, my favorite beverage, for Lent.  This does help me to keep in sharper spiritual focus—not because I’m sober.  I don’t drink that much.  But, what God is telling me in this passage is that a better fast is doing more for others. That is more difficult, isn’t it? 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

If you were to fast, to sharpen your spiritual focus, what would you chose for a fast?


 

1 CORINTHIANS 2:1-12

THE BACKGROUND

In last week’s second lesson, we learned that Paul was criticizing the eloquent preachers who had been working the crowd in Corinth.  They were filling their minds with fancy thoughts, giving them many false pearls of wisdom.  These preachers were also putting down Paul’s preaching, and placing themselves above him. In today’s passage, Paul challenges their eloquently concocted teachings.  He tells the reader to keep it simple.   

THE DETAIL

  • In the first paragraph, Paul tells the reader that he intentionally kept his preaching simple.  He did not need to make it complicated, because the truth is very simple-- Jesus died on the cross for us. Paul let the power of the Holy Spirit be the main preacher, not eloquent speeches steeped in wisdom. He finalizes this paragraph, by contrasting human wisdom with the power of God. (vv. 1-5)
  • Paul tells us that for Christians, the only wisdom that counts is God’s wisdom, not human wisdom. The only one who truly knows God’s wisdom is the Holy Spirit. (vv. 6-11)
  • Paul concludes it nicely here.  We have received God’s wisdom through the Holy Spirit. (v.12)
  • In verse 14, which follows this passage, Paul says They, “the unspiritual” do not receive the Holy Spirit, and are not able to understand.

THE TAKEAWAY

We know from Paul’s other writings that he is capable of complex, theological thought. In fact, sometimes it is so complex that it will make your head spin.  But here, he gets to the heart of the matter—it is not about us. It is about Christ crucified. (v.2b)

It is human nature to overanalyze everything.  Because our religious convictions are so strong, our conclusions often separate us from other believers.  Often, we become like these divisive preachers in Corinth. It is good to remember that it is simply Christ crucified.                                                                       

                                                                                                                                                                     

MATTHEW 5:13-20

THE BACKGROUND

This passage is the continuation of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  This follows the Beatitudes we studied last week.

THE DETAIL

  • In this first paragraph, Jesus encourages his listeners to not let their spirituality fade. He likens it to seasonings for food. We all know that herbs and spices in our pantry lose their kick over time, and need to be replaced.  And we now have a fun little song about not keeping our little gospel light under a basket.  Jesus is encouraging us to keep our faith sharp and active.  (vv. 13-16)
  • In the second paragraph, Jesus talks about keeping the law.  What he says is a little puzzling, given his subsequent actions. We’ll discuss that in the takeaway. But here, Jesus states that he did not come to eliminate any of the many Laws of Moses; he came to fulfill them. Many use this statement to defend the need for Christians to comply with (most of) the laws of Old Testament. (vv. 17-20)

THE TAKEAWAY

Many of the older members of the churches I have attended have an attitude.  When asked to help with a church project, they have told me that they “used to do” this and that, but now they don’t.  They think that they can retire from serving God.  Here, Jesus tells us to never retire from doing the Lord’s work. 

It is interesting that Jesus says that he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.  If I look at Jesus’ actions, I see many cases where he directly violated the Law of Moses, especially the one about working on the Sabbath.  But we must remember that the Number One Law is the Law of Love.  Loving God and one another overrides the rest.  In  every case where Jesus breaks a Law of Moses, it is done for the love of others.