The Perils of False Religion (Isaiah 58:1-59:13)
The sermon outline can be found in the ministry guide.
When was the last time you made a complaint? Perhaps you complained how expensive a cup of coffee costs today. Perhaps you complained how long you had to wait in line. Perhaps you complained how inconsiderate someone has been. Perhaps you complained that your child is sick again. Perhaps you complained to God how trying life has been.
Surprise, surprise, the Israelites were no strangers to complaining. They complained when they were hungry and thirsty. They complained when they hadn’t eaten meat. They complained when life was hard.
In today’s text, Israel lodges another complaint. In Isaiah 58:3, they complained that God has not taken knowledge of their acts of piety. They complained that God has been unresponsive to their prayers and has failed to come to their rescue.
Perhaps we can identify with the Israelites’ complaint. Despite going to church every Sunday, reading the Bible daily, and praying before meals, we are disappointed that our desires have not been met. We are wondering why God has not delivered us from our trials despite doing everything right.
Thankfully, where Israel excelled in complaining, God excels in being gracious. In Isaiah 58-59, God addresses Israel’s complaint and incorrect conclusions. He explains to them why their prayers have not been answered and how they ought to worship Him.
From these chapters we shall learn three things:
God condemns false religion(Isa 58:1-5)
God desires true worship (Isa 58:6-14)
God is repulsed by sin (Isa 59:1-13)
God condemns false religion (Isa 58:1-5)
Let us read Isaiah 58:1-5.
When I was 16, I interned at a hotel. One day I was assigned to the back office where staff would answer calls from guests. Initially, I listened in on calls that the perm staff would take. It seemed simple enough to set wake up calls, arrange for housekeeping or even take a room service order.
After a while my senior asked me to help the next guest. When I picked up the call, a woman was all riled up and making a bunch of complaints. I panicked and hung up the phone. My senior looked at me in utter disbelief.
Sometimes our complaints do not get answered because an intern doesn’t know how to respond. Other times, people are not keen on addressing your issue. They may tell you to submit your complaint, but they don’t even read it.
God, however, graciously responds to the complaints of His people.
Even though God is not answerable to anyone and owes Israel nothing, God graciously addresses their complaint.
In Isaiah 58:1, He instructs Isaiah to proclaim to Israel their errors. Isaiah is to cry aloud and speak in a booming voice so that the nation receives God’s message loud and clear.
Israel complained that God was not giving them the treatment that they deserved. In their minds, Israel felt that they were doing everything right. They claimed that they were seeking God daily. They professed delight in knowing God’s ways. They felt that they were acting in righteousness and careful to uphold God’s laws.
They even went above and beyond some of the commands God had given them. Although they were only instructed to fast annually on the Day of Atonement, the Israelites had been fasting on their own initiative. They believed that their self-denial and forgoing of comfort would be viewed as humble devotion to God.
Therefore, Israel felt entitled to God’s favor. They expected God to be pleased with their piety and respond quickly to their prayers. Perhaps they thought that their devotion to God warranted the kind of elite status that frequent travelers have and that they had a priority line to reach God at.
And so when God did not respond to their prayers, they were rather upset. They expressed great disappointment with the level of customer service God was providing. They felt somewhat cheated that they had expressed so much devotion to God only to be ignored by Him.
Therefore, God defends His character. God had not reciprocated good with evil. God had not rejected well-meaning gifts that His children brought. Rather, God reveals to Israel the truth that what they thought was pleasing was in fact repulsive.
The Lord says in Isaiah 58:3, “Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure”. Although Israel fasted to show God their devotion, the Lord saw that in their hearts, they were doing it to please themselves. They fasted not out of a desire to worship God but as a way to demand something from Him. The real goal of their fasting could not be hidden from God. Their fast was not a pleasing offering but a form of payment. Israel wrongly thought that they could purchase God’s favor by acting religious.
The nation thought that they were righteous, when in fact God was very upset with the injustice they were perpetuating. Isaiah 58:3 singles out employers who were exploiting their employees. Perhaps they underpaid their workers and were harsh to them despite God’s laws regarding fair treatment. Perhaps they expected their workers to maintain their output even when they were fasting.
In Isaiah 58:4, God says, “Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist.” Instead of becoming holier, fasting brought out bad behaviour. All the lack of food made the Israelites hangry. Their hunger made them more agitated and prone to quarrelling and fighting.
Therefore, God explains to His complaining people the reason why their voice has not been heard on high. They had been practicing false religion. Their acts of devotion were not God-honouring but self-pleasing.
Having exposed their misguided practices, God rhetorically asks Israel if they could still call this kind of fast acceptable.
Friends, let us be mindful that those who appear religious are sometimes in a more dangerous position than those who are outrightly pagan. We are all quick to point out that a person who blasphemes against God or refuses to hear anything about Christianity is in spiritual danger. But it is very difficult to ascertain a person’s true spirituality when they attend church, do charity work and even pray before they eat. We can get all the outward forms of Christianity right, only to be far from God. We can give generously and serve faithfully in ministry, without realizing that what we thought is pleasing to God is actually not acceptable.
God desires us to worship Him and express our devotion to Him out of a sincere desire to please Him, not to get something from Him.
Although we tend to judge ourselves by our actions and appearances, God looks at our heart. Therefore, what is more important than attending church, serving, and giving, is doing so with the right attitude. Even as we seek to participate in church activities and draw near to God, we are reminded to check our attitude. We must discern if we are worshipping the Lord with a heart of gratitude or with a list full of demands. We must not think we can demand God’s favor by performing certain rituals. Just because we give 10% of our income to the Lord does not mean that He owes us and must answer our prayers. Just because we have served in church for many years does not mean that God must give us good health or deliver us from calamity. God desires us to worship Him and express our devotion to Him out of a sincere desire to please Him, not to get something from Him.
Friends, why do you come to church? What is the reason that you are giving of your time and resources to the Lord? What motivates you to serve God and care for others? Are we serving because we feel the church needs us or because we love God and His people? Is our service a reflection of our faith or do we serve to convince ourselves of our faith?
In many other religions, devotees go to the temple to perform rituals and do acts of service because they want to earn their god’s favour. They donate, pray and serve to get something in return. It is very transactional.
Christianity is different. Our faith is based on the Good News that God has done everything for us. He is the one who calls us and saves us when we are far from Him. He is the one who freely gives good gifts to undeserving children. Therefore, we must guard against having a transactional attitude towards the Lord. We must remind ourselves that God deserves our worship and devotion because He is our Creator, Savior and Provider. We are to worship and serve Him out of love and faith.
So how exactly are we to worship God? In Isaiah 58:6-14, God teaches us the kind of worship He desires.
God desires true worship (Isa 58:6-14)
In Isaiah 58:6-14, the first things we note is that God is less concerned with outward signs of piety like fasting and following a set of rules on the Sabbath. It really did not matter if the people were fasting or not. It did not matter if the people were restricting the number of steps they took on the Sabbath or if they spent the whole day at the temple or enjoyed a meal with friends.
What mattered to God was whether His people shared His values and delighted in Him. What pleased God was when His people emulated His desire for love and compassion for the weak. True worship is about God and not about ourselves. It is about doing what God wants not what we think He wants.
Instead of fasting from food, God desires a fast from wickedness. God desired the Israelites who were in positions of power to stop oppressing people. God desired the Israelites to share His compassion for the weak. To free their subordinates instead of exploiting them.
Instead of fasting from food, God desired the Israelites to feed the poor. He encourages them to share their bread with those who lack, to provide shelter to the homeless, to clothe the naked, to comfort the afflicted. God desired the Israelites to love their neighbours and care for the less fortunate in very practical ways.
Similarly, Jesus did not focus on fasting or Sabbath-keeping practices. Instead He exhorts us to love others. He assures us in Matthew 25:35-40 that caring for those who are weak and in need conveys love for Him. Those who feed the hungry and clothe the naked will be pleasantly surprised that they are doing good to Jesus.
So do not just direct people in need to our beloved Pastor for Member Care. God desires each one of us to love our neighbour. To care for the body of Christ. To think of those who need support. To offer practical help to those who are struggling. To befriend the lonely, to lend a listening ear to those who are in turmoil, to host people for a meal, to share the resources that God has given us.
Friends, how can you express God’s love and compassion to those who are vulnerable or struggling with financial burdens?
God also desires us to take stock of how we worship Him. Although the Israelites observed the Sabbath, they did not do so with the right attitude. They did not celebrate the Sabbath with the goal of pleasing God. Rather they continued to seek their own pleasure and engaged in unhelpful talk. They were more concerned about their affairs than about worshipping God.
Although Christians do not celebrate the Sabbath in the same way the Israelites observed the Sabbath under the Mosaic law, we are to follow the example of the early church in worshipping God on the first day of the week. We are to set aside time to express our delight in God. To show God how deserving He is of our devotion.
Sometimes when we go for weddings, we might be thinking about our own enjoyment. We wonder if we will like the food or enjoy the company or be entertained by the speeches. But actually, we are supposed to go to the wedding with the goal of making the host happy. We were invited to add to the joy of the wedding couple.
Similarly, we should consider our posture when we come to church. Do we attend church to please God or to meet a need? Are we eager to receive God’s Word or are we focused on critiquing the sermon? Do we believe the words of the songs and sing from our heart or do we treat the songs as part karaoke, part entertainment for ourselves? How do we feel about gathering as the body of Christ? Do we see it as a great inconvenience or as an act of worship? Do we see church as an opportunity to encourage one another or are we afraid of feeling uncomfortable?
And when we are at church, we should make our thoughts captive and be focused on glorifying God. Showing up physically is just one part of our worship. God desires our hearts and minds to be engaged. We are to be intent on pleasing Him, body and soul.
He knows when we are physically present in His house but our minds are thinking about lunch plans and the other things we have to settle. God desires us to take delight in Him. To enjoy being in His presence. God wants us to stop worrying about whether we are earning enough or whether we have prepared sufficiently for our exams. God wants us to be less anxious about our health and our kids.
True worship is never meant to be burdensome but leads to many blessings. God promises unhindered fellowship with Him and true satisfaction.
Friends, true worship is never meant to be burdensome. Rather, true worship leads to many blessings. God promises unhindered fellowship with Him and true satisfaction.
God assures us in Isaiah 58:8-14 that those who seek to please Him will never get the short end of the stick. When we turn away from evil and seek to please Him, He will bless us with light and healing. He will guide us continually. He will lead us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
God promises to hear our prayers. You do not have to fast for 100 days before God hears you. You do not have to go to a temple or embark on a pilgrimage. The Lord says that if you have a right relationship with Him through repentance and belief in the gospel, He will surely hear your prayers. God says that if you seek to please Him by upholding justice and caring for the vulnerable, He will answer you.
Isaiah 58:9 says, “you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’”
God will lead and satisfy us even in difficult circumstances. He will strengthen us and make us like a watered garden, like a spring whose waters do not fail. Jesus says that whoever drinks of the water that He gives will never be thirsty again (Jn 4:14). He will satisfy our thirst and make us a blessing to others.
God promises that there will be a time of rebuilding of what has been destroyed. In the same way that Jesus rose from the dead, there can be hope even in the bleakest of situations. There will be redemption and restoration of things that previously seemed to be beyond saving.
God promises to help us find our delight in Him. We will enjoy fellowship with God and long to be in His presence. He shall satisfy us and we will enjoy living with the Lord for eternity. Friends, we have a loving Father who delights in answering our prayers and giving us good gifts. Therefore, let us not fear the cost of true worship but simply focus on pleasing Him and trusting Him to take good care of us.
God’s point to Israel in chapter 58 is this. God is not Israel’s problem. God was not hard on hearing. God was not being mean and overlooking Israel’s devotion. God was not tightfisted and stingy. God desires to answer Israel’s prayers. God desires to bless Israel abundantly. He desires to lead and satisfy them. To restore their broken city and rebuild it. To refresh their souls and make them into a spring of water that gives life to others.
Israel had been misguided. Israel had failed to understand what truly pleases God. Israel had not given God the true worship and devotion that He deserved.
Therefore, in Isaiah 59:1-13, God uncovers Israel’s sin and warns them of the consequences of remaining in sin.
God is repulsed by sin (Isaiah 59:1-13)
I recently came across an article about a woman who had applied ten times to become an air stewardess with Singapore Airlines. Her determination is admirable and it paid off when she finally got her dream job. But I wonder if the application process could have improved if she had known the exact reasons for the earlier rejections. If only the recruiter had made clear to her what she had lacked during the first application, she could have improved on what she was deficient in and then had a much higher chance of success the second time round. Instead it seemed like she had to keep guessing what the issue was until she finally succeeded in round 10.
Perhaps you have been frustrated by the lack of information you were hoping your boss or colleague could provide so that you know what you need to work on.
Thankfully, the Lord helps Israel recognize their underlying issue in Isaiah 59. In Isaiah 58, God helped Israel recognize that what they thought was pleasing to God was in fact offensive. Here in Isaiah 59:1-8, God addresses the issue that was really plaguing Israel.
God had not ignored their prayers for help because he was weak or deaf. Instead, it is Israel’s iniquities that have made a separation between them and God. Their sins have caused God to hide His face from them and to reject their prayers. Whilst Israel thought they were innocent, Isaiah 59:3 says that their hands are defiled with blood. They practiced injustice and hurt people. Isaiah 59:4-7 says that they spoke lies with the intent to harm people. They used the courts to promote their own interest rather than to uphold justice for the weak.
Israel sinned with both their hands and their mouth. This sinfulness revealed that they had evil hearts. It was out of the overflow of their wicked heart that they committed sins in word and deed. Hence in Isaiah 59:5-8, the Lord uses imagery of dangerous animals and insects to describe how evil Israel was. They are likened to a poisonous snake that is treacherous in all circumstances. Anyone who goes near the adder or eats its egg will be harmed. Israel is like a spider who weaves a web to bait and kill others. They are constantly thinking how to benefit themselves at the cost of destroying others. They have no concern for justice and couldn’t care less about sowing peace. They behaved like Bernard Madoff and Charles Ponzi who sought to enrich themselves without care of the harm and destruction they would cause to those around them.
Although the Israelites were seeking the Lord at the temple, fasting and observing the Sabbath, their hearts were wicked. They had no love for God. They only cared about themselves. They were self-seeking people. Willing to even hurt and kills others to get what they wanted.
Friends, God is repulsed by sin. Isaiah 59:2 states that our iniquities separate us from the Lord. Our sins are like an iron wall that is erected between ourselves and the Lord. It prevents us from enjoying fellowship with God. When we sin, we lose contact with the Lord. It’s like when you are on the phone with someone and you walk inside the lift and the door closes. All of a sudden, the line drops and you keep saying, “hello, hello, can you hear me?” And all you hear is silence.
Because God is holy, He withdraws from sinners. He will not grace sinners with His presence. He will not entertain the petitions of transgressors. He will not respond to the cries of His people. The wicked will be left to suffer the consequences of their sins. They will experience the backlash from trying to be their own god. Their house of cards will fall. They will experience unfulfilled desires.
Listen to Israel’s lament over the consequences of sin in Isaiah 59:9-13.
The people lament their sad state of life. They admit that they have been unable to secure justice on their own strength. They had hoped for light but walk in darkness. Instead of securing their future, they are like the blind who stumble about. They have lost confidence in themselves. What they thought was certain is now in chaos. Instead of enjoying the fruit of their labours, they are dissatisfied with how things have turned out. They are growling like a bear who is trapped, moaning like wounded doves. They are being tormented by the lack of justice.
But the saving grace is that as they lamented over the brokenness they were experiencing, they concluded that they are in need of salvation. They acknowledged the underlying issue that God had been pointing them to. They recognized how much they had fallen short of God’s standard. They confessed that they have sinned against God. They acknowledged that they have denied God and not followed Him. They admitted that they had ungodly thoughts and spoken lies.
Confession of sin helps us turn to God for mercy and forgiveness.
Confession of sin did not originate with the Catholics when they created confession boxes. Confession is biblical and goes all the way back to Genesis. It is an important step in getting right with God. Confession of sin helps us turn to God for mercy and forgiveness.
This is why we have many patterns of confession in the Bible. After committing adultery and murder, King David famously confesses his sins in Psalm 51. The apostle John exhorts us to acknowledge our sins and confess them. Not because confession saves, but because confession aids us in seeing our need for salvation.
Confession speaks against the lie that we are fine, that we are ok. Confession makes plain our greatest need. We confess our disappointment with life. Our failures to deliver ourselves from our troubles. Confession makes clear our inabilities to secure lasting peace and joy.
This is why it is important for us to take time to confess our sins to God. It is healthy to reflect on our day and to confess the ways we have rejected God’s truths or done what displeases Him.
This is why we have a corporate time of confession during our gathered worship. If you notice, there is a progression in the way our service is planned. We start with a Call to Worship where we emphasize one of God’s attributes and respond in singing. Then we are led in confessing our sins. We take time to remind ourselves that we are sinners in need of grace. Then we hear the beautiful news of salvation.
Confession is an important step towards getting right with the Lord. And God acts graciously towards us whenever we confess our sins. This was true for Israel and is true for us today.
God repeatedly offered salvation to Israel. Even in Isaiah 59:1, God made clear that His power is not limited in any way. He is all powerful and can offer salvation to His people. He can remove sin and reconcile us to Himself. We are to call to mind God’s earlier promise in Isaiah 1:18 that though our sins are like scarlet, he can make them as white as snow.
God assures us in Isaiah 43:25 that He is a God who “blots out our transgressions for His own sake, and will not remember our sins”. The Lord has raised His Servant to suffer in our place. Isaiah 53:5 states that the Lord’s Servant “was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”
Friends, we confess our sins not because we are unashamed of our wrongdoings. Rather, we confess our sins because we are in need of saving and are assured of God’s promise to forgive. We confess knowing that God has sent Jesus to be the Perfect Servant who has suffered in our place so that we can receive full forgiveness. This is why 1 John 1:9 beautifully states that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Because we have a Savior in Jesus Christ, we can be pardoned.
So let us acknowledge our sins against the Lord today. See how remaining in sin leads to much brokenness. Recognize the dangers of trusting in ourselves. Turn to God for salvation. Let us put our trust in Jesus and rest from our own efforts to get right with God. In Christ, we are reconciled to God and can have fellowship with Him for eternity.
Friends, the God we worship is a good God. He desires us to be in close communion with Him. He wants us to bring our petitions before Him and He delights to hear our prayers. He desires to see us flourish and wants to pour out many blessings upon us.
Therefore, He will not let sin stand in the way of our relationship with Him. He graciously warns us through His Word and church of the danger of overlooking sin.
He wants us to realize the perils of practicing false religion and repent. He wants us to offer Him true worship that seeks to please Him rather than ourselves. He desires us to emulates His love and compassion for the weak and vulnerable. Do not listen to the devil’s lie that true worship is burdensome or will lead to losing out in life.
God assures us in Isaiah 58:8-14 that those who seek to please Him will never get the short end of the stick. When you call, the Lord will answer'. When you cry, he will say, ‘Here I am.’
When Jesus comes again, we shall enjoy unhindered and unending fellowship with our Heavenly Father. We shall experience healing from our present ailments and our desires shall be fully satisfied. We shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose waters do not fail. We shall take delight in the Lord forever.
Let us pray.