True Fasting

So how's your Lent going?

There's a lot of fasting going on during Lent. And in light of that I've been thinking a lot about the description in Isaiah 58 about "true fasting."

The passage starts with a question the people ask of God:

"Why have we fasted," they say,
"and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?"

It seems like a good question. Why fast and humble yourself if God isn't going to notice?

But God replies that the reason for the unresponsiveness is that during their fasting the people exploit their workers, among other things. And this economic exploitation nullifies the fast the people offer to God. If you exploit your workers you cannot "expect your voice to be heard on high." God wants a "true fast":

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?

So what does a true fast look like? The passage goes on to describe it in some detail:

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

This is such a wonderful passage. True fasting is described this way:

True fasting is...
to loose the chains of injustice
to set the oppressed free
to share your food with the hungry
to provide the poor wanderer with shelter
to clothe the naked
to not turn away from your own flesh and blood
to do away with the yoke of oppression
to stop the pointing finger and malicious talk
to spend yourself in behalf of the hungry
to satisfy the needs of the oppressed

And when we do this we get to claim cool names like "Repairer of Broken Walls."

Anyway, just something to think about as you contemplate fasting during Lent.