Isn’t
this the fast that I have chosen: to release the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Isn’t it to distribute your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor who are cast out to your house? When you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Isaiah 58:6-7
Isaiah 58 [4.] Behold, you fast for strife and contention,
and to strike with the fist of wickedness.
You don’t fast today so as to make your voice to be heard on high.
Is this the fast that I have chosen?
A day for a man to humble his soul?
Is it to bow down his head like a reed,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under himself?
Will you call this a fast,
and an acceptable day to Yahweh?
Isaiah 58 [6.] “Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen:
to release the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and that you break every yoke?
Isn’t it to distribute your bread to the hungry,
and that you bring the poor who are cast out to your house?
When you see the naked,
that you cover him;
and that you not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light will break out as the morning,
and your healing will appear quickly;
then your righteousness shall go before you;
and Yahweh’s glory will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and Yahweh will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
Meaning:
In Isaiah 58 the people of Judah complained that God ignored their religious devotion. “Why have we fasted,” they asked, “and you don’t see?” God answered through the prophet that their fasting was empty. On the very days they went without food they oppressed their workers and quarreled with one another. These verses describe the kind of fast God really wants.
- “Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen?”
Fasting was meant to humble the soul before God. The people had kept the outward form, bowing their heads and lying on sackcloth and ashes, but their hearts and conduct were unchanged. God does not reject fasting itself; he rejects religion that is cut off from love and justice. True humility before God shows itself in humility and mercy toward people.
- “To release the bonds of wickedness … to let the oppressed go free”
The first group of images concerns injustice. Bonds, straps and yokes describe oppression: unfair debts, exploited laborers, people trapped by the greed of others. God calls his people to undo such burdens, not merely to stop adding to them. The same call rings through the prophets: “Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother. Don’t oppress the widow, nor the fatherless, the foreigner, nor the poor” (Zechariah 7:9-10).
- “Distribute your bread to the hungry”
The second group concerns generosity. A fast means giving up food; God asks that the bread not eaten be shared with the hungry. He calls his people to open their homes to the homeless poor and to clothe the naked. “Your own flesh” means fellow human beings, and especially one’s own relatives: no one should look away from a person in need.
John asks a searching question: “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him, how does the love of God remain in him?” (1 John 3:17).
- Promises for true worship
The following verses promise that when God’s people live this way, “your light will break out as the morning,” and “you will call, and Yahweh will answer.” The worship God accepts is joined to justice and mercy.
- Jesus and the true fast
Jesus taught his disciples to fast without display, for the eyes of the Father alone (Matthew 6:16-18). He also identified himself with the needy whom Isaiah describes: “for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me” (Matthew 25:35-36).
The Significance of Isaiah 58:6-7
- Worship and justice belong together
These verses warn against a faith that is busy with religious practice while neglecting the poor and oppressed. Prayer, fasting and worship are meant to shape hearts that care for others.
- Practical mercy
A fast today might include giving what we save to those in need, serving the homeless, or working to free people from unjust burdens.
Cross-References:
Zechariah 7:10: "Don’t oppress the widow, nor the fatherless, the foreigner, nor the poor;" The prophets’ call to justice.
Matthew 25:35: "for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat." Serving Christ in the needy.
1 John 3:17: "and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him," Love shown in deeds.
Conclusion: Isaiah 58:6-7 describes the fast that God chooses: not only going without food, but freeing the oppressed, sharing bread with the hungry, sheltering the poor and clothing the naked. True worship cannot be separated from justice and mercy. Jesus affirmed sincere fasting and identified himself with the needy, calling his followers to the same practical love.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible