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Empty Ritual

Friday, July 10, 2009, 9:43 a.m. – When I sat down to read earlier this morning, I originally read the following passage from Isaiah 58, thinking that, perhaps, the previous passage (from Isaiah 57:14-21) went along with yesterday’s reading. Yet, as I contemplated the words to the song “I AM”, I realized that the Isaiah 57 passage was much more fitting to the words of that song, so I included the Isaiah 57 passage with the song “I AM” as today’s reading and song.

I was just about ready, then, to put the Isaiah 58 passage aside until tomorrow when I recalled that the Lord had spoken to me through that passage and that he had given me a song, as well, to go along with the passage and with my prayer, so here I am writing, as well, about Isaiah 58:

True Fasting
1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 'Why have we fasted,' they say,
'and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?'
"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
4 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.

5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?
6 "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?
7 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 him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 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.
9 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,
10 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.

11 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.
12 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.
13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

When I finished reading this passage of scripture, I prayed: “Lord, I pray that you will reveal to me where any of my worship of you is empty ritual and is not true worship of you, demonstrated by my actions.” Then, this song came to mind:

Teach Me Thy Way, O Lord / Benjamin Ramsey

Teach me Thy way, O Lord, teach me Thy way!
Thy guiding grace afford, teach me Thy way!
Help me to walk aright, more by faith, less by sight;
Lead me with heavenly light, teach me Thy way!

When I am sad at heart, teach me Thy way!
When earthly joys depart, teach me Thy way!
In hours of loneliness, in times of dire distress,
In failure or success, teach me Thy way!

When doubts and fears arise, teach me Thy way!
When storms o’erspread the skies, teach me Thy way!
Shine through the cloud and rain, through sorrow, toil and pain;
Make Thou my pathway plain, teach me Thy way!

Long as my life shall last, teach me Thy way!
Where’er my lot be cast, teach me Thy way!
Until the race is run, until the journey’s done,
Until the crown is won, teach me Thy way!

My Understanding: I believe this passage of scripture speaks for itself, though I don’t believe this is speaking just on the subject of “fasting.” Yet, to fast means not only to refrain from eating, but also to abstain, in general, from anything that is normally in our lives or lifestyles. For instance, one could fast from watching TV, or fast from sports, recreation, etc. It basically means to deny oneself of any worldly or earthly pleasure or even necessity of life for the purpose of gaining perspective, focusing on other matters of greater importance, for growing in one’s relationship with the Lord, and for prayer, etc. It is a part of our sacrificial worship to the Lord, or could be, or should be. Jesus said:

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:23-25 NIV)

And, in Romans 12:1-2 we learn this: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

So, we do know that God requires that we offer our bodies to him as living sacrifices; that we deny ourselves and daily take up our crosses (death to self) and follow Christ. This, in itself, is a form of fasting for it involves both sacrifice and denying the flesh. Only, this is a permanent fast, not one that we do for a few days or a few weeks in order to appease God. He doesn’t want just a few weeks or days or hours of sacrifice, he wants us 100% devoted to him! He wants our ALL on the altar.

Thus, the message in this passage of scripture is ever more critical because it is speaking of superficial sacrifice that does not affect heart change of the individual life. God speaks of this kind of sacrifice and self-denial as empty ritual. He said that the people were merely going through the motions of sacrifice and self-denial but that their lives and lifestyles contradicted their worship, which was false worship. He called them rebellious and sinful. He said that they prayed and asked God for just decisions as though they were a nation that does what is right – implying that they were not.

Yet, not only did God accuse them of empty ritual, but his accusation was even stronger because he said that while they were going through this religious ritual of fasting, which could apply to any religious rituals we might regularly go through, they were exploiting workers, quarreling, and striking each other with fists. Boy does that sound like the church here in the USA! Sadly, I’ve seen this a lot! God’s response to this is that they can not expect to behave in this hypocritical manner and expect their voices to be heard on high. Wow! He’s saying he won’t listen to us!

Instead of this false worship and these hypocritical and superficial religious rituals, God is calling to each and every one of us to worship him in truth and in acts that are righteous. He is calling to us to “loose the chains of injustice” and to “set the oppressed free.” Yet, so many churches actually oppress their congregants and put them under chains of bondage to men and to man-made religion. They forget that God has called us to be free from yokes of slavery to man, to man-made religion and to sin, but not free to indulge in the sinful nature. And, He is asking us to meet not only the spiritual needs of people, but their physical needs, as well.

Then, when our sacrifice and self-denial and worship of God are real, true, just, and giving of ourselves to God in obedience and to the needs of others, then God says that we will experience healing, we will call, and he will answer. This reminds me of this passage of scripture in II Chronicles 7:13-15:

"When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will 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. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.”

Then, the Lord promises blessing – he will guide us always; he will satisfy our needs; he will give us strength; he will help us to “rebuild” our ruined lives (revival); he will give us his joy; he will help us to be conquerors and he will give us an inheritance with him forever in heaven with him.

Again, I pray that the Lord will reveal to me any “empty religious rituals” in my own life where my worship of him is merely going through the motions and is not true worship of him. I also pray that he will reveal to me where I need to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of others and that he will show me any hypocrisy in my Christian life. I pray that He will teach me His ways and that He will help me to walk more by faith and less by sight. I pray that the Lord will speak to all of us through this passage of scripture and that we will do self-examination of our lives to see where our worship is empty ritual and where we need to change and to worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth.

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