What Truly Pleases God?

 

Scripture

Isaiah 58:1-12

 

 (for a more 'traditional' version of the Psalm, here is the NRSV reading)

 Isaiah 58:1-12

¹   Shout out, do not hold back!
          Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
     Announce to my people their rebellion,
          to the house of Jacob their sins.
²   Yet day after day they seek me
          and delight to know my ways,
     as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness
          and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;
     they ask of me righteous judgments,
          they delight to draw near to God.
³   “Why do we fast, but you do not see?
          Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?”
     Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day,
          and oppress all your workers.
⁴   Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
          and to strike with a wicked fist.
     Such fasting as you do today
          will not make your voice heard on high.
⁵   Is such the fast that I choose,
          a day to humble oneself?
     Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,
          and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
     Will you call this a fast,
          a day acceptable to the LORD?

⁶   Is not this the fast that I choose:
          to loose the bonds of injustice,
          to undo the thongs of the yoke,
     to let the oppressed go free,
          and to break every yoke?
⁷   Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
          and bring the homeless poor into your house;
     when you see the naked, to cover them,
          and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
⁸   Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
          and your healing shall spring up quickly;
     your vindicator shall go before you,
          the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
⁹   Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
          you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

     If you remove the yoke from among you,
          the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
¹⁰  if you offer your food to the hungry
          and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
     then your light shall rise in the darkness
          and your gloom be like the noonday.
¹¹  The LORD will guide you continually,
          and satisfy your needs in parched places,
          and make your bones strong;
     and you shall be like a watered garden,
          like a spring of water,
          whose waters never fail.
¹²  Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
          you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
     you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
          the restorer of streets to live in.

 

 

Devotion

Today marks the beginning of Lent-- a season of penitence and reflection as we prepare ourselves for Jesus's trial, crucifixion, and resurrection.  During Lent, we try be honest with ourselves about our sinfulness and make a concerted effort to show God that we want to do better.  Some people fast by abstaining from certain foods, adornments, or activities.  Some commit to additional prayer time confessing their sins. Still others choose to humble themselves by taking up an activity like volunteering at a soup kitchen or "accompanying Jesus" by walking the distance between Capernaum and Jerusalem. All of these activities are laudable activities ..but are any of them enough to please God?

Isaiah 58 deals with the question of what makes an acceptable sacrifice to the Lord.  The people are accusing God of ignoring their fasting and praying.  God, though, sees things differently.  The people appealing to God may fast and pray on certain days of the week, but they remain mean-spirited, argumentative, violent, and unjust.  They oppress the vulnerable and put their own interests above everything and everyone else.  In other words, say they love knowing God's ways, but their actions prove otherwise. 

 Isaiah makes it clear that God is not interested in such empty displays of faith. The prophet writes, "⁵   Is such the fast that I choose,
          a day to humble oneself?
     Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,
          and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
     Will you call this a fast,
          a day acceptable to the LORD?"

The answer to these questions is obviously "no."  Great displays of sorrow and mourning are just that...displays.  We may fast and wear mourning clothes until the cows come home, but unless the outer appearance of our penitence is matched by an inner change of heart and a tangible commitment to abiding by God's will, then it is all meaningless.

So what kind of penitence does God find acceptable?  Well, Isaiah gives us some examples that come straight out of God's instructions throughout the Torah.  The type of "fast" that truly honors God is to:

• Loosing the bonds of injustice
• Feeding the hungry
• Clothing the naked
• Housing the homeless
• Satisfying the needs of the afflicted
  
• Removing people's burdens
• Refraining from making accusations or speaking evilly about people.

In other words, true penitence is about turning away from our sinful self-interest and actually lifting up people who are struggling.  It's about doing what we can to right what is wrong, help others, and build a more just, equitable, and merciful world.  When we commit to doing that kind of work, then God can tell that our hard hearts have truly softened and turned back to him.

Friends, I have learned anything in my 37 years, it is that it's easy to tell someone we are sorry.  It is harder to live in way that proves we mean it.  My little sister has tons of stories about times that my actions that my actions did not match my penitent words.  This Lent, let us try to show God that we are truly are repentant for the times we have put ourselves first, the people we have hurt, and the injustices we have allowed to flourish.  Whether we choose to volunteer for some organization, donate money to a good cause, or simply try to treat people better, let us all seek to be better, kinder, juster, and more merciful people.  This is the kind of fast that God wants... and that Jesus modeled for as he journeyed towards the cross.

 

 

Prayer

Jesus, as we enter into Lent we ask that you help us truly live into the the words of lament and repentance.  May our actions in the world show how deeply sorry we are for all the times we have put our own selfish wants above you, your teachings, and the other members of your Creation.  Help us to loose the bonds of injustice, set the free the oppressed, and give freely to all who are in need so that through our dedication to your teachings, we may be called Repairers of the Breach.  Amen.