“Yet they seek Me daily and delight to know My ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of Me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. ‘Why have we fasted, and You see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.” Isaiah 58:2-4
Devotional Thought For The Day
I suppose it shouldn’t be so, but I am always amazed and fascinated when reading biblical literature that is some 2,800 years old, and yet it is so incisive and insightful and directly applicable to the evils of our day, the kinds of evils that seed and feed in our own hearts. These verses describe the hypocrisy of the “externally” righteous, people who take great pride in how “godly” they are, who “seek God daily” and act as if they “delight to know His ways,” who pretend that they are fully committed to doing righteousness and not forsaking the judgments of God – but who in fact have no real love for others or even genuine regard for the welfare of others. What they do in “deference” to God is actually calculated for their own pleasure – whether it feeds their pride and sense of well-being, or supposedly earns them more privilege, blessings, and prerogatives, they are really concerned for themselves. And while taking pride in this, and fueling their own self-assurance and security, they oppress others – whether directly or by taking economic advantage of the poor. Their real goal is to garner greater power with which to pummel others into submission.
The hypocrisy worsens when such people then find fault with God – that He doesn’t properly appreciate their external piety and good works and sacrifices, but condemns them as loveless. They consider God to be evil for not playing their game with them and for not rewarding their evil, for not approving of their selfishness and ascendancy over others. When they learn that such wicked and loveless hypocrisy actually warrants the greatest condemnation of God they are utterly appalled, and actually grow in their rebellion and hatred of God. So they crucified Jesus who uttered the same condemnation upon the scribes and Pharisees of Judaism, and they stoned Stephen. And in many a congregation they have done similarly to true preachers and prophets of Christ who condemned the same arrogance and self-righteousness and refused to play this game with powerful parishioners. Worse, many preachers and pastors learn this game, how to manage it to their own advantage and to benefit from it, and who actually embrace and encourage the same pathetic hypocrisy. In the process, true believers in God, the truly repentant who embrace and trust completely in the gracious mercy and love of God have no place to go – and are further condemned and castigated by the hypocrites. And when God’s judgment comes down these “godly and righteous” people don’t understand why their voice is not heard on high. Lord, have mercy!
It is real righteousness, not feigned, that God’s law demands – and this righteousness is above our selfishness and hypocrisy. So, all people are called to repentance, to humility, and to come to Jesus for forgiveness, mercy, clemency, and the righteousness of God that is received by faith, that covers over our “filthy rags.” Having been forgiven much, we learn to love much – to turn away from selfishness and prideful demand for ascendency and prerogative and power. We learn to focus on the other – and to love God by loving the least, by becoming the least. While this righteousness remains incomplete and imperfect, at least it is a genuine righteousness, one centered in genuine love – rather than one faked to gain privilege and pride, a wickedness that actually abases and abuses others. The outcome is constant humility, meekness, gentleness, care, compassion, empathy, mercy, forgiveness, and real good toward others. This alone can be truly and properly addressed to God, with expectation that our voice will be heard.
It is so easy for us to slip into the other way of being; in fact, our sinful nature does nothing but compel us in this direction. So we find ourselves needing constant humbling, constant forgiveness and mercy, and constant guidance and direction in the ways of love. There is hope for us through a life of humble repentance, and the joy of God’s gracious love and His salvation in Christ Jesus. This is where our vision and focus must remain so that we may be transformed into His image. May God grant this blessedness to us, as He surely wills for us, even as He has always willed this genuine blessedness for all mankind.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, forgive us for our selfishness and the ease with which we abuse others. Have mercy on us, and reduce us to humble repentance, and lead us to true faith and joy in Your gracious forgiveness and love. Forbid that we get sucked into any kind of religiously based hypocrisy and bamboozled by evil. Keep all of your churches from becoming such wretched societies. Grant that we be growing in the fasts and sacrifices that You desire, those of true and genuine faith and love. Amen.