Obadiah 1:15 “For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations.”
Amos 1:3-5
“This is what Yahweh says:
Because Damascus has committed three crimes, and now a fourth crime, I will not change my plans.
The Arameans have crushed the people of Gilead with iron-spiked threshing sledges.
I will send a fire on the house of Hazael and burn down the palaces of Ben Hadad.
I will break the bars on the gates of Damascus.
I will cut off those living in Aven Valley and the one who hold the scepter in Beth Eden.
The people of Aram will go into captivity at Kir.”
Amos poetically deals with the sin of the nations against God. Commentary notes, “or three . . . and for four: This stylistic device indicated the exhaustion of God’s patience—the Syrians had continued to sin, again and again. This device is repeated as Amos speaks God’s words against nation after sinful nation.” [1]
It was not the number of sins but that the people had continued to sin over and over again. Amos announces judgment after judgment upon nations for their sins. In most all the cases, the sins that God addresses as the one which caused Him to bring His judgment was one of using ones power and authority in a way that caused harm to others.
It was a failure to love their neighbor and be their brother's keeper that brought judgment.
God holds all nations accountable for their sin whether they consider themselves His people or not. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”
I have a tendency to absolve myself of responsibility for the sins of our nation. We consume too many resources, we waste food, we struggle with pride and greed, we oppress the poor and protect our “rights” for freedom, security and provision at the expense of other’s needs.
We let people die of starvation on the other side of the world while we go to the coffee shop and pick from 15 options of coffee beans for our specialty coffee. We teach our children to have values of materialism, sex appeal and vanity from the television while we let children in other countries go completely uneducated.
While I know God sees and cares what I tell Him is that it is not me personally. Is not my silence and lack of response guilt? Do I not have some responsibility for being part of the solution?
To be honest, I have no clue what to do about all the people suffering. It breaks my heart that there are kids living in tents with no home, no safety, no education, no purpose, and going hungry. I long to see God arise in all His goodness. All I can do is pray and hold hope for God's justice to break forth. One day I know it fully will... every tear will be wiped from their eyes.
While Amos starts out addressing Israel's neighbors, he spends much of his time addressing and dealing with the sin of Israel. In Amos 3:2 God tells them, “Out of all the families on the earth, I have known no one else but you. That is why I am going to punish you for all your sins.”
The purpose of this punishment was not to destroy them, but that they may repent and change. God goes on to ask in Amos 3:3, “Can two walk together without agreeing to meet?”
Israel had become prosperous, they were victorious in battle, thought they had no reason to fear. They saw themselves as the chosen people of God and considered themselves exempt from judgment.[2] In this place of a false sense of security, they were oppressing others – especially the poor - as they sat in their midst of their wealth and comfort. They were full of complacency and pride and far from being people of His justice.
It was very similar to the sin of Sodom who God reigned His judgment on and destroyed. Ezekiel 16:49 says, 'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.”
God speaks to to His people something like the following -
Malachi also speaks of Jesus coming like fire and purifying His bride during the end times. Malachi 3:2-3 says, “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiners fire and like a launderers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.”
Malachi 4:1-3 goes on to say about the great day of the Lord, “'For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedness will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,' says the Lord of hosts, 'That will leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be as ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,' says the Lord of hosts.”
Therefore wait for Me,' says the Lord, 'Until the day I rise up
for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations to My assembly
of kingdoms, to pour on them My indignation, all My fierce anger; All
the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy.
For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one accord. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, the daughter of My dispersed ones, shall bring My offering. In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds in which you transgress against Me; For then I will take away from your midst those who rejoice in your pride, and you shall no longer be haughty in My holy mountain.
I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; For they shall feed their flocks and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.'” (Zephaniah 3:1-13)
This verse speaks of purging the land of sin and purifying the people by the fire of God's jealousy. Zephaniah speaks of of this happening in the 'great day of the Lord.” Zephaniah 1:18 says something similar, “Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy, For He will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land.”
Commentary notes about this verse, “His judgment will spread throughout the entire land consuming all in its path. It will be so complete and awesome that it is likened to fire. All that dwell in the land will either be slain or taken captive. All of this because God is jealous for His people and will not permit them to continue in their sin.” [3]
When the Israelites would go into battle and were defeated, they knew it was probably because of sin. They knew that God was not with them in what they were doing. Sometimes they would search themselves or cast lots to determine who sinned. Most often it led to repentance.
To be cut off from the Promised Land and sent into exile is something that has came up as a regular pattern in the Bible for sin when the people are stubborn and hard-hearted. The first example of being exiled is in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:23). Adam and Eve were banished because of their sin. Then shortly after, Cain was further exiled (driven from the land) by God for murdering His brother.
“This is what Yahweh says:
Because Damascus has committed three crimes, and now a fourth crime, I will not change my plans.
The Arameans have crushed the people of Gilead with iron-spiked threshing sledges.
I will send a fire on the house of Hazael and burn down the palaces of Ben Hadad.
I will break the bars on the gates of Damascus.
I will cut off those living in Aven Valley and the one who hold the scepter in Beth Eden.
The people of Aram will go into captivity at Kir.”
Amos poetically deals with the sin of the nations against God. Commentary notes, “or three . . . and for four: This stylistic device indicated the exhaustion of God’s patience—the Syrians had continued to sin, again and again. This device is repeated as Amos speaks God’s words against nation after sinful nation.” [1]
It was not the number of sins but that the people had continued to sin over and over again. Amos announces judgment after judgment upon nations for their sins. In most all the cases, the sins that God addresses as the one which caused Him to bring His judgment was one of using ones power and authority in a way that caused harm to others.
It was a failure to love their neighbor and be their brother's keeper that brought judgment.
God holds all nations accountable for their sin whether they consider themselves His people or not. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”
I have a tendency to absolve myself of responsibility for the sins of our nation. We consume too many resources, we waste food, we struggle with pride and greed, we oppress the poor and protect our “rights” for freedom, security and provision at the expense of other’s needs.
We let people die of starvation on the other side of the world while we go to the coffee shop and pick from 15 options of coffee beans for our specialty coffee. We teach our children to have values of materialism, sex appeal and vanity from the television while we let children in other countries go completely uneducated.
While I know God sees and cares what I tell Him is that it is not me personally. Is not my silence and lack of response guilt? Do I not have some responsibility for being part of the solution?
To be honest, I have no clue what to do about all the people suffering. It breaks my heart that there are kids living in tents with no home, no safety, no education, no purpose, and going hungry. I long to see God arise in all His goodness. All I can do is pray and hold hope for God's justice to break forth. One day I know it fully will... every tear will be wiped from their eyes.
While Amos starts out addressing Israel's neighbors, he spends much of his time addressing and dealing with the sin of Israel. In Amos 3:2 God tells them, “Out of all the families on the earth, I have known no one else but you. That is why I am going to punish you for all your sins.”
The purpose of this punishment was not to destroy them, but that they may repent and change. God goes on to ask in Amos 3:3, “Can two walk together without agreeing to meet?”
Israel had become prosperous, they were victorious in battle, thought they had no reason to fear. They saw themselves as the chosen people of God and considered themselves exempt from judgment.[2] In this place of a false sense of security, they were oppressing others – especially the poor - as they sat in their midst of their wealth and comfort. They were full of complacency and pride and far from being people of His justice.
It was very similar to the sin of Sodom who God reigned His judgment on and destroyed. Ezekiel 16:49 says, 'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.”
God speaks to to His people something like the following -
You think I am small and weak – a
sentimental rag doll you can tote around with you wherever you go.
You think I am a magic jeanie who gives you whatever you want, making
you prosperous and secure. You use my name and invoke my presence
for your own purposes and not mine. You think that I don't care or
see the things that you do to oppress and crush people around you
while you call yourself my chosen people. Your religion is made up.
Your God is made up. You are poor, naked, blind and do not see
beyond your own pride and presumptuous self-confidence.
I'm going to show you what it means to
be chosen... what it means to be my people. I am going to introduce
myself to you in ways you have not known me. So now be prepared to
meet your God. As you do, here is what you need to know about me:
I am a consuming fire. I do not agree with your sin or support it.
In fact, I will no longer tolerate it or put up with your idea of
religion. I will humble you. I will rebuke you in your
circumstances and you will again be my people. Justice will flow
like water from my house and righteousness like an unfailing stream.
Love, God.
“Your justice will roll, all things
will be made new. Sing Zion sing, He is coming back to rule” sings.
He also describes in the Book of Amos
what His day of reckoning will look like for those who oppress the
poor and needy in their pride and complacency while they think their
made up religion will sustain them, refusing to repent or turn from
their ways:
“Woe to you who long for the Day of the Lord!
What will the Day of the Lord be for you?
It will be darkness and not light.
It will be like a man who flees from a lion
only to have a bear confront him.
He goes home and rests his hand against the wall
only to have a snake bite him.
Won't the Day of the Lord
be darkness rather than light
even gloom without any brightness in it?”
God speaks clearly that the Day of the
Lord will be one of judgment of sin for these.
At that time I will search Jerusalem
with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who
say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will He do
ill.’
This is the exultant city that lived
securely, and said in her heart, “I am, and there is no one else.”
Habakkuk 2:6b-13
“Woe to him who heaps up what is not
his own- for how long? – and loads himself with pledges! Will not
your debtors suddenly arise, and those awake who will make you
tremble? Then you will be spoil for them. Because you have plundered
many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you, for
the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who
dwell in them. ‘Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set
his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm! You have devised
shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited
your life. For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beams
from the woodwork respond. Woe to him who builds a town with blood
and founds a city on inequity! Behold, is it not from the Lord of
hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary
themselves for nothing?”
Peter speak about the 'last days' being
days of God's judgment and suffering. The 'last days' are those
from the Resurrection to His return. Peter says in 1 Peter 4:17-19,
“The time has come for the judgment to begin, and it will begin
with God's family. If it starts with us, what will be the end for
those who refuse to obey the Good News of God. If it's hard for the
person who has God's approval to be saved, what will happen to the
godless sinner? Those who suffer because that is God's will for them
must entrust themselves to a faithful creator and continue to do what
is good.”
Joel also prophesies that the 'last day' as ones where God pours out His Spirit on his servants. Where he “works miracles in the sky and on the earth: blood, fire, and clouds of smoke...” And just as the outpouring of His Spirit has been increasing more and more as the Day of the Lord draws nearer, so does the suffering of judgment.
Joel also prophesies that the 'last day' as ones where God pours out His Spirit on his servants. Where he “works miracles in the sky and on the earth: blood, fire, and clouds of smoke...” And just as the outpouring of His Spirit has been increasing more and more as the Day of the Lord draws nearer, so does the suffering of judgment.
At the time Amos prophesied, gloom and
judgment is what was in store for the nations as well as God's
people. Poetically Amos goes through many different forms of
judgment coming from fire, the sword, famine, and exile.
Knowing God's mercy, goodness, grace and justice, I sometimes struggle with what judgment looks like and how it fits. In my own life, I have experienced so much undeserved mercy, goodness and grace. God showed us what it looked like for His just judgments to come forth... He went to the cross, paid the penalty for us, and absorbed the blows and death that were due us.
When we think of all the doom and gloom of judgment, know it already has came upon Jesus so we do not have to experience it!
He even experienced exile - separation from God for our sakes: "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" While it is hard to wrap my mind around this one, I know it was probably more painful than anything else He experienced.... for a moment separated from God's presence in exile.
At the same time, while God is slow to anger and full of grace, He does not just overlook our sin. As a good Father, he deals with us in our complacency, self-sufficiency, pride and selfishness. He pursues us in it - not to harm us or punish us as an angry Father but to help set us free so we can come into places of life.
Isaiah 59 paints a beautiful picture of this. God is angry because he see's there is no justice and His people are filled with sin. He sees that there is no one to help or intercede. So he intercedes Himself and punishes His enemies. Then He promises to put His Spirit in us so we can live in freedom.
Knowing God's mercy, goodness, grace and justice, I sometimes struggle with what judgment looks like and how it fits. In my own life, I have experienced so much undeserved mercy, goodness and grace. God showed us what it looked like for His just judgments to come forth... He went to the cross, paid the penalty for us, and absorbed the blows and death that were due us.
When we think of all the doom and gloom of judgment, know it already has came upon Jesus so we do not have to experience it!
He even experienced exile - separation from God for our sakes: "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" While it is hard to wrap my mind around this one, I know it was probably more painful than anything else He experienced.... for a moment separated from God's presence in exile.
At the same time, while God is slow to anger and full of grace, He does not just overlook our sin. As a good Father, he deals with us in our complacency, self-sufficiency, pride and selfishness. He pursues us in it - not to harm us or punish us as an angry Father but to help set us free so we can come into places of life.
Isaiah 59 paints a beautiful picture of this. God is angry because he see's there is no justice and His people are filled with sin. He sees that there is no one to help or intercede. So he intercedes Himself and punishes His enemies. Then He promises to put His Spirit in us so we can live in freedom.
I will send fire... and burn
down...
“For our God is a consuming fire”
sings in the background.
Fire represents God's judgment – His anger and jealousy burning over sin. Numbers 11:1-3 says, “And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched. And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the LORD burnt among them.
Fire represents God's judgment – His anger and jealousy burning over sin. Numbers 11:1-3 says, “And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched. And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the LORD burnt among them.
Jeremiah 23:29 says, “Is not my word
like fire.” Like fire ignites the heart in passion, it also
burns up all the clutter – the hay and stubble. Fire purifies the
heart.
“Come burn in me, holy fire of love,
come consume my heart” sings in the background.
1 Corinthians 3:12-15 says, “Now if
any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day
will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the
fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s
work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If
any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself
will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
Malachi also speaks of Jesus coming like fire and purifying His bride during the end times. Malachi 3:2-3 says, “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiners fire and like a launderers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.”
Malachi 4:1-3 goes on to say about the great day of the Lord, “'For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedness will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,' says the Lord of hosts, 'That will leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be as ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,' says the Lord of hosts.”
All the earth shall be devoured with
the fire of My jealousy" (Zeph 3:8)
For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one accord. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, the daughter of My dispersed ones, shall bring My offering. In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds in which you transgress against Me; For then I will take away from your midst those who rejoice in your pride, and you shall no longer be haughty in My holy mountain.
I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; For they shall feed their flocks and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.'” (Zephaniah 3:1-13)
This verse speaks of purging the land of sin and purifying the people by the fire of God's jealousy. Zephaniah speaks of of this happening in the 'great day of the Lord.” Zephaniah 1:18 says something similar, “Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy, For He will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land.”
Commentary notes about this verse, “His judgment will spread throughout the entire land consuming all in its path. It will be so complete and awesome that it is likened to fire. All that dwell in the land will either be slain or taken captive. All of this because God is jealous for His people and will not permit them to continue in their sin.” [3]
I will break the bars on the
gates...
Breaking the bars on the gates speaks
of allowing entrance. The gates of a city controlled entrance,
provided protection and kept the enemy out.
God goes on to tell the Israelites,
“Look, I am about to crush you in your place as a wagon full of
sheaves crushes grain. Escape will fail the swift, the strong one
will not prevail by his strength, and the brave will not save his
life. The archer will not stand his ground, the one who is swift of
foot will not save himself, and the one riding a horse will not save
his life. Even the most courageous of warriors will flee naked on
that day – this is the Lord's declaration.” (Amos 2:13-16)
Sometimes we can stand securely in
ourselves and be totally wrong. Years ago, I used to have trouble with anger
that could be inappropriate at times. Coming from a long
family history of uncontrolled anger, I didn't think my temper was bad because it was significantly better
than what I had known. It would come up once and awhile when I got
really mad and then I became somewhat berating with my husband. I didn't fully respect and honor him as I wanted to in those moments.
Then one day God's judgment came. My
temper in the moment resulted in me being painfully humiliated. It
opened my eyes to see that it was wrong. I remember that I was so
sick at the time from the conviction of God, I felt like I wanted to
throw up for a week. I still remember the pain of it. But even
though the experience was painful and I felt crushed, it broke down
walls of lies that I was standing securely in. It gave me a new
freedom I never knew I could have.
Rather than standing behind our own
gates of self-righteousness, pride and self-sufficiency, we are to
enter in to His gates with praise and thanksgiving (Psalm 118:19-20)
for all that He does for us.
An enemy will surround the land; he
will destroy your strongholds and plunder your citadels.
When the Israelites would go into battle and were defeated, they knew it was probably because of sin. They knew that God was not with them in what they were doing. Sometimes they would search themselves or cast lots to determine who sinned. Most often it led to repentance.
Sometimes
being defeated can cause us to desire change. Defeats and failures
cause us to learn and grow. When we feel like we are winning, we
see no reason to change. There is an excitement and our actions are
reenforced by the fact we are successful. But when failure and
defeat comes, we are humble, welcome input of others and look for
ways we can make changes.
Locusts and
Famine
In different
places in the Bible the Lord sends locusts in His judgments.
Locusts devour the vegetation of the land, stripping it bare. It
leaves people hungry with no crop to eat. In the case of Amos, he
prayed and the Lord relented on sending them throughout the land.
Devouring the
crops speaks of eating the fruit of what is being produced.
Sometimes we can work and labor and end up inheriting the wind
-nothing fruitful comes of ones labors. When we come up empty, we
stop and reconsider what we are investing in.
A barren tree
has nothing to give others, it is empty. The righteous are as a
fruitful tree that bears fruit in it's season.
Sometimes we
can be doing all the right things for the wrong reasons. We can be
serving the poor and caring for others but be doing it to feel good
about ourselves or look good to others. The Pharisees who were like
“white washed tombs” looked great on the outside as the did their
activities for others to see but their was no real fruit being born
in their lives.
Being empty and
barren has often driven God's people back to Him.
There are
many examples of God bringing famine in the land as a result of sin.
Ez. 14:12-14 says, “The word of the LORD came again to me,
saying, Son of man, when the land sins against me by trespassing
grievously, then will I stretch out my hand on it, and will break the
staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine on it, and will cut
off man and beast from it: Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and
Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their
righteousness, said the Lord GOD. …
Famine represents lack of
blessing and abundance. Often it is in our lack that we see our
need and begin to hunger. We hunger for something to satisfy. The
prodigal son squandered his inheritance finally turned back to his
father when he was hungry and lacked.
Famine and lack is meant to
drive us to repentance. 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 says,…”If I shut up
heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour
the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people,
which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and
seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from
heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
I will cut off... the people... will
go into captivity.
To be cut off from the Promised Land and sent into exile is something that has came up as a regular pattern in the Bible for sin when the people are stubborn and hard-hearted. The first example of being exiled is in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:23). Adam and Eve were banished because of their sin. Then shortly after, Cain was further exiled (driven from the land) by God for murdering His brother.
Over and over in the Word, the result
of sin that is not repented of is exile. Unrepented sin drives one
further from God. During the time of Jeremiah, the people of God
were exiled from the Promised Land for their continued
hard-heartedness and sin.
In all the cases mentioned, the people
did not want to be exiled. They realized a loss and experienced
remorse when they went into exile. Rather than continuing to be
hard- hearted and stubborn, they longed for return into what they
had. In most cases, they repented for their sin.
One commentary notes, “'Exile'
conjures up many images: a wandering pilgrim or a group of
political leaders setting up a governmental structure to organize
resistance to an oppressive conqueror. The images may be courageous,
melancholy, hopeful, or lonely. But one common element in all the
images is a sense of homesickness—the yearning to get back to the
place where you belong. That feeling is evident in Psalm 137 which
was written during the Babylonian exile:
By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down, yea, we wept
When we remembered Zion.
We hung our harps
Upon the willows” [4]
Ever been
there? Lost something that felt significant to you because of your
sin. While you may not be able to get it back, sometimes the remorse
can begin to change your heart. I think of couples where one person
has an addiction and begins to experience losses. They may start by
losing some material items but eventually may lose their job and
families over it. In experiencing more and more significant loss,
eventually hopefully they 'hit bottom' and begin to make needed
changes.
Lord, We all
sin. We are so grateful for your grace and your mercy that covers
us . We are also grateful that you do not leave us there but do
whatever is needed to bring us in line with You. Thank You for the
'plumb line” of your Word that helps us to see our crooked places
and brings us back into line.
Cry out loudly, don't hold back!
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Tell My people their transgression
and the house of Jacob thier sons.
They seek Me day after day
and delight to know My ways,
like a nation that does what is right
and does not abandon the justice of their God.
They ask Me for righteous judgments;
they delight in the nearness of God.
'Why have we fasted, but You have not seen?
Why have denied ourselves, but You haven't noticed!'
Look, you do as you please on the day of your fst,
and oppress all your workers.
You fast with contention and strif
to strike viciously with your fist.
You cannot fast as you do today,
hoping to make your voice heard on high.
Will the fast I choose be like this;
A day for a person to deny himself,
to bow his head like a reed,
and to spread out sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord?
Isn't this the fast I choose:
To break the chains of wickedness,
to untie the ropes of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free,
and to tear off every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
to bring the poor and homeless into your house,
to clothe the naked with you see him,
and not to ignore your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will appear like the dawn,
and your recover will come quickly.
Your righteousness will go before you,
and the Lord's glory will be your rear guard.
At the same time, when you call, the Lord will answer;
when you cry out, He will say, 'Here I am.'
If you get rid of the yoke among you,
the finger-pointing and malicious speaking,
and if you offer yourself to the hungry,
and satsify the afflicted one,
then your light will shine in the darkness,
and your night will be like noonday.
The Lord will always lead you,
satisfy you in a parched land,
and strengthen your bones.
You will be like a watered garden
and like a spring whose waters never run dry.
Some of you will rebuild the ancient ruins;
you will restore the foundations laid long ago;
you will be called the repairer of broken walls,
the restorer of streets where people live...
(Is. 58:1-12)
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Tell My people their transgression
and the house of Jacob thier sons.
They seek Me day after day
and delight to know My ways,
like a nation that does what is right
and does not abandon the justice of their God.
They ask Me for righteous judgments;
they delight in the nearness of God.
'Why have we fasted, but You have not seen?
Why have denied ourselves, but You haven't noticed!'
Look, you do as you please on the day of your fst,
and oppress all your workers.
You fast with contention and strif
to strike viciously with your fist.
You cannot fast as you do today,
hoping to make your voice heard on high.
Will the fast I choose be like this;
A day for a person to deny himself,
to bow his head like a reed,
and to spread out sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord?
Isn't this the fast I choose:
To break the chains of wickedness,
to untie the ropes of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free,
and to tear off every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
to bring the poor and homeless into your house,
to clothe the naked with you see him,
and not to ignore your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will appear like the dawn,
and your recover will come quickly.
Your righteousness will go before you,
and the Lord's glory will be your rear guard.
At the same time, when you call, the Lord will answer;
when you cry out, He will say, 'Here I am.'
If you get rid of the yoke among you,
the finger-pointing and malicious speaking,
and if you offer yourself to the hungry,
and satsify the afflicted one,
then your light will shine in the darkness,
and your night will be like noonday.
The Lord will always lead you,
satisfy you in a parched land,
and strengthen your bones.
You will be like a watered garden
and like a spring whose waters never run dry.
Some of you will rebuild the ancient ruins;
you will restore the foundations laid long ago;
you will be called the repairer of broken walls,
the restorer of streets where people live...
(Is. 58:1-12)
- Radmacher, Earl D. ; Allen, Ronald Barclay ; House, H. Wayne: The Nelson Study Bible : New King James Version. Nashville : T. Nelson Publishers, 1997, S. Am 1:3
- HCSB Study Bible. Holman Christian Standard Bible. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN. 2010.
- KJV Bible Commentary. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1994, S. 1777.
- Hayford, Jack W. ; Snider, Joseph: Experiencing God's Faithfulness in Judgment and Hope. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997 (Spirit-Filled Life Bible Discovery Guides)
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