June 4, 2024

Passage Read: Isaiah 55-58
Meditation Verses: 58-1-3

Thought

The Lord has a lot against Judah, even though they seek Him day by day and delight to know His ways. They believe they are a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the Lord's commands. They call out to Him for guidance and leadership, and delight in His nearness. But He is not pleased with them, because in all their spirituality, they have not learned to do good and right, but while they do the one, they also oppress the weak and pursue all their own desires. They think they are giving God what He wants, by praying for His help and praising Him for His nearness, by offering sacrifice and fasting on certain days. They think God is pleased by all this religious stuff, but they don't actually do what His Law commands: loving their neighbor and doing what is good and right, and upholding God's standards of righteousness. They don't order their lives and their society around God's righteous commands, they just do religious things and think God's good with that.

Application

God is pleased when we treat one another like He commands, when we care more about others knowing Him and walking in His ways than just praying before meals and going to church on Sunday. God wants His people standing up for righteous behavior and standards in their community; He wants us fighting against things that ensnare men; He wants us treating each other with dignity and respect, and leaving no one ensnared in sin. He wants us interfering in each other's lives for good, to teach what is good and right and rebuke what is evil. He doesn't want us caring only for ourselves, taking advantage of every possible circumstance for our own benefit, but caring equally for every other person and their need to know God and walk in His ways and to be set free from Satan's grip.