Isaiah · chapter 58 of 66
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Isaiah 58 rebukes a people who fast and seek God every day yet oppress their workers and quarrel among themselves. The Lord defines the fast he wants: loosing the bonds of wickedness, sharing bread with the hungry, bringing the homeless poor into the house and clothing the naked. To those who live it he promises light like the dawn, an answer to their call and the restoration of the ruins.
Isaiah 58 continues the third part of the book with a question about the religious practice of the community that returned from exile. The people fasted and expected God to see it, but the Lord answers that their religion did not change how they treated others. The chapter is one of the clearest teachings of the prophets on the union of worship and justice.
The Lord tells the prophet to cry aloud, like a trumpet, and declare to his people their transgression. They seek him daily and delight to know his ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness. They ask why they fasted and he did not see, why they humbled themselves and he did not notice. The Lord answers that on the day of their fast they find their own pleasure and oppress all their workers. They fast only to quarrel and fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting will not make their voice heard on high.
Verses 6 and 7 describe the fast God wants: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke; to share bread with the hungry, to bring the homeless poor into the house, to cover the naked and not to hide from your own flesh. Then your light will break forth like the dawn, your healing will spring up speedily, your righteousness will go before you and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. You will call and the Lord will answer: Here I am. If you give yourself to the hungry, your light will rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, satisfy your desire and you will be like a watered garden. You will rebuild the ancient ruins and be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.
The chapter ends with the Sabbath: if you turn back your foot from the Sabbath and from doing your pleasure on my holy day, if you call it a delight and honor it by not going your own ways, then you will take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The people complain that they fasted and God did not see, but the Lord answers that on the day of their fast they pursue their own business and oppress their workers. Religion that does not change conduct does not reach God.
The fast that pleases God is to loose the bonds of wickedness, free the oppressed, share bread with the hungry, bring the homeless poor into the house and cover the naked. What God wants to see is love for neighbor.
Then the people's light will break forth like the dawn, healing will spring up speedily and the glory of the Lord will be their rear guard. The promise of blessing comes to those who live justice, not to those who merely practice the rite.
The people will rebuild the ancient ruins and be called repairer of the breach and restorer of streets. Practical justice rebuilds what has been damaged, both in the community and in people's lives.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: That they fasted and humbled themselves and the Lord did not see or notice. — Isaiah 58:3
Answer: They pursued their own business and oppressed all their workers, and they quarreled. — Isaiah 58:3-4
Answer: To loose the bonds of wickedness, share bread with the hungry, bring the homeless poor in and cover the naked. — Isaiah 58:6-7
Answer: Their light will break forth like the dawn, their healing will spring up and the Lord will answer when they call. — Isaiah 58:8-9
Answer: Their light will rise in the darkness and they will be like a watered garden. — Isaiah 58:10-11
Answer: Repairer of the breach, restorer of streets to dwell in. — Isaiah 58:12
Isaiah 58 tests any form of piety. Fasting, praying and going to church are important, but the text asks what happens afterward: how do we treat those who work for us, those who are hungry or cold? In a class you can talk about concrete actions, such as a food project, a visit or fair pay.
The chapter does not belittle fasting but connects it with love of neighbor. A practical question for the small group: what chain can I help loosen this week? And the promise of being a repairer of the breach encourages those who work in broken situations: marriages, neighborhoods, communities. God uses ordinary people to rebuild what is old.
Isaiah 58 shows that God desires a life of justice and compassion more than an empty rite, and promises light to those who live it. Chapter 59 explains why salvation has not yet come: the people's sins have built a barrier, and the Lord himself will intervene.
No. The text does not ask them to stop fasting but to join fasting to justice and compassion. What it criticizes is a fast used to fight, exploit others or seek one's own benefit. Jesus teaches something similar in Matthew 6:16-18, where he asks his followers to fast without seeking people's admiration.
The expression can be understood as not turning your back on needy relatives or, more broadly, on any person, who shares the same human flesh as you. The context speaks of sharing bread and home, so it stresses responsibility toward those who are near.