58:1  Proclaim it aloud without restraint; raise your voice like a trumpet! Declare to my people their transgressions, to the house of Jacob its sins.

This is the one that talks about Sabbath Keeping in more detail. It’s a really interesting chapter because it kind of leads you in a progression. What happens in these chapters, as you are already beginning to notice, is that the Righteous become more righteous, and the Wicked become more wicked. And this dichotomy of peace for the one and no peace for the other becomes more and more acute, more and more pointed. You see in Chapter 57, which we just covered, there are people literally choosing to be cultists and committing murders: little children and so forth. And on the other hand, in this Chapter 57 there is the Lord’s Servant and those who mourn for him, who attain peace. In 56 we saw the foreigners attaining exaltation and covenant blessings; and those prophets incurring covenant curse. And so it goes, right to the very end, this dichotomy keeps growing more and more acute.

The voice and the trumpet are, again, terms, metaphors alluding to the mission of the Lord’s Servant. He’s the one who comes at some point and wakes people up from their sleep. Proclaims aloud to them, raises his voice like a trumpet. He is the Lord’s voice to His people. He is also the Angel that sounds the trumpet in the Book of Revelations, the Angel from the East. The trumpet also alludes to the Jubilee Year. It is also a warning of trouble to come, or of something to come, in this case the Lord’s coming and all the events that precede it. Jesus said His coming will be like a thief in the night. Certainly the King of Assyria is that thief. When there is peace and everything is quiet, then he comes and robs people. He’s the plunderer, the spoiler. Destroys the wicked and then the Lord comes. Declare to my people their transgressions, to the house of Jacob their sins. My people, the house of Jacob, not the house of Israel, meaning those who have not renewed the covenant with the Lord, namely the ethnic lineages of the Lord’s people who are alive at that time: Jews, Ten Tribes are those. Not those who are the house of Israel now, the covenant people. Those who are actually apostatizing, those who are rebelling.

58:2  Yet they importune me daily, eager to learn my ways, like a nation practicing righteousness and not forsaking the precepts of its God. They inquire of me concerning correct ordinances, desiring to draw nearer to God:

So there is hypocrisy going on here. There are people who importune the Lord. They pray, in other words, every day. They are eager to learn His ways, or they seem to be so. like a nation practicing righteousness But are they a nation practicing righteousness? and not forsaking the precepts of their God. They inquire of me concerning correct ordinances, desiring to draw nearer to God: It is the ordinances that bring people nearer to God. That’s in parallel. That’s true. That’s a true principle. But there is something wrong in their lifestyle. This is just Sunday or Sabbath observance, or the outward show of their religion. But there is a lot more going on.

58:3  Why, when we fast, do you not notice? We afflict our bodies and you remain indifferent!

Of course, things don’t seem to change. We’re not getting answers from God. We’re not getting covenant blessings like we think we should see. And the answer is:

58:3–4  It is because on your fast day you pursue your own ends and constrain all who toil for you. You fast amid strife and contention, striking out savagely with the fist. Your present fasts are not such as to make your voice heard on high.

It is because on your fast day you pursue your own ends and constrain all who toil for you. Business is usual on the Sabbath Day. You have to keep the business going, the service station, the supermarket. If we employ you, you’ll have to work on the Sabbath. We employ you, so you have to realize that we need you to work on the Sabbath Day. We pursue our own ends on the Sabbath. We watch football game on the Sabbath. That’s okay, isn’t it? Doesn’t hurt. That’s pursuing our own ends, doing our own thing. On the Sabbath Day we’re not supposed to do our own thing. We keep holiday in the presence of the Lord, as it’s taught in the Old Testament. We fast from doing our own thing. You fast amid strife Verse 4, and contention, Striking our savagely with the fist. Your present fasts are not such as to make your voice heard on high. Why are you fasting? Even though you are going through religious observance, you really are an oppressor. There is no justice in the way you relate to people or deal with them. You are oppressing people. You are putting them into bondage, treating them like slaves. You are vicious, you are angry.

58:5  Is this the manner of fasting I have required, just a time for men to torment themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and making one’s bed of sackcloth and ashes? Do you call that a fast, a day of the Lord’s good graces?

The torment and the sackcloth and ashes of fasting or refraining from food, what’s it for? What’s it intended to do? If not accompanied by a good attitude, what’s the point of it all? It is very similar to what we saw in Chapter 1, where people are going to the temple, but on the side, they are treating each other unjustly.

58:6  Is not this the fast I require: To release from wrongful bondage, to free from repressive constraints, to set the oppressed at liberty and abolish all forms of subjection?

You are putting people into bondage. But the Lord says, if you fast, then do that, and that itself is a fast: to untie the harness of the yoke, to set the oppressed at liberty and abolish all forms of subjection? Then fast. And then you will be heard of God. And in Isaiah Chapter 1 when that similar idea is presented: it is to stand up for the oppressed, or demand justice, to plead the cause of the fatherless, to appeal on behalf of the widow. Chapter 1 verse 17. Then when you convene meetings at the new month on the Sabbath, your meetings will be approved. But right now, wickedness with a solemn gathering I cannot approve. says the Lord. Your monthly and regular meetings my soul detests.

So there are many parallels to Chapter 1, here. That’s also what the Servant does, he releases people from bondage. He brings them out of bondage, out of darkness, into the Lord’s light. He does what Moses did in Egypt, releases the slaves. They are following a paradigm of the Servant, who in turn follows the paradigm of the Lord in doing these things.
It’s not right that men should be in subjection one to another, but all men are created equal. And there should be freedom and liberty for all: to release from wrongful bondage, to untie the harness of the yoke, to set the oppressed at liberty and to abolish all forms of subjection.

58:7  Is it not to share your food with the hungry, to bring home the wretchedly poor, and when you see men underclad to clothe them, and not to neglect your own kin?

My old mother is in a rest home. We’ll just put her in the rest home, they’ll take care of her. We’ll never have to visit her. That’s neglect of our own kin, isn’t it? Or we have a disabled child and we don’t care for them. The child is given us, to take care of. That’s part of our trial. That’s part of our ministry, our duty toward them. Part of our covenant with God is that we should do these things: sharing our food with the hungry, to bring home the wretchedly poor. Well I don’t want to bring home the wretchedly poor, the homeless, they smell. You never know if they are going to rob me.

58:8  Then shall your light break through like the dawn and your healing speedily appear; your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

So we start off with a people who are an outward form of observance, but are inwardly lacking the essence, they haven’t really caught on. And the Servant is sent to them, to call them to repentance, to declare their transgressions to them. Even though they are going through religious observance, it means very little, because they are two-faced. Then he says, “Do this and this and this. And if you will do that, then your light will break through like the dawn, like the dawning of the Millennium.” … your healing speedily appear; your righteousness will go before you, …the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

That is exodus imagery. In other words, you will participate in the Exodus. Which Exodus? The one that comes before the Destruction. When Lot is taken out of Sodom, before Sodom is destroyed by a rain of fire and brimstone. The Lord’s Servant will lead them out as Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. And the plagues or covenant curses come upon Babylon. They will be led out to safety. Who will? Those who release from wrongful bondage, who untie the harness of the yoke, who set the oppressed at liberty, who abolish all forms of subjection, who share their food with the hungry, who bring home the wretchedly poor, who, when they see men underclad, clothe them, and who don’t neglect their own kin: they will. And the light and righteousness are metaphors of the Lord’s Servant. Their light shall break through like the dawn. Like the dawn appears, and starts to get light over the mountains, over the horizon. The sun hasn’t come up yet, but it’s getting lighter and lighter and lighter. That will be like for these people. They’ll come out of darkness, from the state of darkness that they are in now, which caused them to be so two-faced. One the one hand they think they are righteous: they pray every day, they go through the motions of religious observance, but they’re not getting any blessings. Well, that darkness will disappear and they will be brought into His marvelous light. So it’s a conversion process. And then when the Lord comes, He’s like sun that pops over the horizon and they will be prepared to receive Him at that time. The Servant is the light that prepares the way. He is appointed as a light to the nations in Chapters 42 to 49. And as the Lord heals him, so he heals them. The Servant does for the Lord’s people what the Lord does for him. They are healed then.

Your righteousness will go before you, That’s the Servant. Yes, first of all it is your literal righteousness. It is because you are righteous in doing those things. When you do those things that He says here, you are righteous. That’s the terms of God’s covenant that He requires of you. And then you will qualify for salvation, salvation in the form of an Exodus. Who leads the Exodus? The Servant does. So on a metaphorical level the one who leads the Exodus is the Servant. Your righteousness goes before you like Moses leading the Exodus of the Lord’s people out of Egypt. And the glory of the Lord accompanies them, will be there rear guard, protect them from the Egyptians who try to harass them from the rear. Is that all? No, there’s more.

58:9  Then, should you call, the Lord will respond; should you cry, he will say, I am here.

Right now, you are calling, every day you call upon the name of the Lord. It says here: …they importune me daily, Verse 2. They inquire concerning correct ordinances. Then, should you call, the Lord will respond; Should you cry, he will say, I am here. If He says I am Here, that means He is here. In other words, you can see Him. If He’s there you can see Him and hear Him. In Chapter 1 you had those people lifting their arms and praying at length, right? And the Lord didn’t hear them. He turned His face away because there was blood on their hands and so forth. And now, if you want answers, He will respond. This is what you do and the Lord will give you the answers. Is that all? No, there’s more.

58:9–10  Indeed, if you will banish servitude from among you, and the pointing finger and offensive speech, if you will give of your own to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then shall your light dawn amid darkness and your twilight become as the noonday.

So go on and banish servitude totally from around you, where ever you have influence. If you are an employer, don’t put up with servitude or subjection of one person to another. Banish it from your own business and then try to influence other businessmen or others around you to do the same. No pointing finger or accusations, offensive speech, don’t make a person feel intimidated or embarrassed, deal with it in other ways. if you will give of your own to the hungry …satisfy the needs of the oppressed, Not just your spare things, not just the change in your pocket, but really care for people. Adopt a family or do something more, over and above the usual. then shall your light dawn amid darkness The darkness of apostasy, in the Book of Isaiah’s Chapter 60: Arise, shine, your light has dawned; the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! Though darkness covers the earth, and thick mist the peoples, on you the Lord will shine; over you his glory shall be visible. [60:1]

That’s the dawning of the Millennium, when the Elect return from the Four Corners of the Earth and the rest of the world is left in darkness. Darkness is a chaos motif, a covenant curse. And light is a creation motif, a covenant blessing. It is also the Servant. He is the light. And darkness is the King of Assyria. Darkness comes first. The King of Assyria comes to power first. Then comes the Servant. The counterfeit always comes first. The King of Assyria is a counterfeit messiah. People like him because he promises peace and all that, deceives people with smooth words. And when he’s doing these things, the light comes. The Lord’s Servant is raised up to warn people of the coming destruction by the King of Assyria. then shall your light dawn amid darkness and your twilight become as the noonday. You will be in the light continually. You will be happy. It will be a bright, shiny day, every day.

58:11  The Lord will direct you continually; he will satisfy your needs in the dearth and bring vigor to your limbs. And you will become like a well-watered garden, like a spring of unfailing waters.
He won’t just respond when you call, He will be guiding you all the time. You will be refreshed. You will experience rebirth. You will have your limbs regenerated, like those who are sent as on eagles wings, who run and don’t grow weary, who walk and do not faint. You will be guided by the Lord, like a well-watered garden, like a spring of unfailing waters, springing up to everlasting life. You will be cared for, and you, yourself, will be a well-spring.

58:12  They who came out of you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the foundations of generations ago. You shall be called a rebuilder of fallen walls, a restorer of streets for resettlement.

In other words, if you do those things that He said at the first you can come on the Exodus. If you do these things you will inherit the Promised Land. There you will settle and rebuild the desolate places and you will have offspring there. They who came out of you
Your offspring will rebuild the ancient ruins as they expand and increase the dominions of the Lord throughout the Earth. …foundations of generations ago …will be restored, broken places will be rebuilt. You will get a name for that, become famous for that. Stage two. Is there more? Yes.

58:13  If you will keep your feet from trampling the Sabbath—from achieving your own ends on my holy day—and consider the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord venerable, and if you will honor it by refraining from your everyday pursuits—from occupying yourselves with your own affairs and speaking of business matters—

Now you are beginning to fine-tune all of your activities. You are going on from the things that were said at first, to this: the Sabbath Day is the day of rest. And in Hebrew Shabbat doesn’t just mean rest, it also means to cease, to leave off from doing your normal thing, from achieving your own ends. Consider the Sabbath a delight. There is something really wonderful in keeping the Sabbath Day holy. When I was in rabbinic school I observed the way of the Jews, observed the Sabbath, and, truly it is a day of renewal and you feel renewed, ready to start another week. When you keep the Sabbath in that way, there is a special blessing that comes with it. And they say you never need a vacation and you really don’t when you have that kind of renewal. And also, if you keep the Sabbath Day, you will live in the Sabbath of the Earth, which is the Millennium. That’s a Jewish teaching. …consider the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord venerable, In other words, you honor it and refrain from everyday pursuits. You don’t turn the TV on, or listen to the radio, or occupy yourself with any of those secular, mundane things. In Judaism they teach that an extra spirit comes and you are given the Holy Ghost in more abundance than on regular days because you open yourself up for it. You receive the Holy Ghost, because you put yourself in a position to receive it. And you don’t speak of business matters. Sometimes you see people sitting in the foyer of the church discussing their next business deal together, whatever, sports, the last game. If you do that,
then shall you delight in the Lord,

58:14  then shall you delight in the Lord, and I will make you traverse the heights of the earth and nourish you with the heritage of Jacob your father. By his mouth the Lord has spoken it.

Third blessing and the third condition. The first one was going on the Exodus. The second one was having inheritance of land and offspring there. And then you shall traverse the heights of the earth. “Heights of the earth” is above the earth, alluding to Celestial Exaltation, like those who are sent as on eagle’s wings. This is the heritage of Jacob; of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in fact: offspring as endless as the sands of the seashore and as the stars of the heavens above you. And we saw that view from the heights of the earth in Chapter 40. There is a great cosmic view described in Chapter 40 by Isaiah the Prophet there. Of course we learn in the New Testament that people will be translated, meet the Lord at His coming and so forth. And no doubt, this is an allusion to that. By his mouth the Lord has spoken it. …is the Lord’s Servant, or mouthpiece, or the Lord speaking through His Servant at a particular time when the Servant commences his mission. Or at any time through His Prophets: they say these same kinds of things. But in Isaiah’s context it is particularly an end-time context, that these things will be taught, declared. And it’s a decree. It’s a promise of the Lord that He can’t break. If you will do this, this and this, then these and these and these blessings will be yours.