58 “Cry loudly, do not hold back;
Raise your voice like a trumpet,
And declare to My people their transgression
And to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 “Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways,
As a nation that has done righteousness
And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God.
They ask Me for just decisions,
They delight in the nearness of God.
3 ‘Why have we fasted and You do not see?
Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not [a]notice?’
Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire,
And drive hard all your workers.
4 “Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist.
You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high.
5 “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it for bowing [b]one’s head like a reed
And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed?
Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord?
As this chapter beings, it seems to contradict itself. In verse 1, the prophet is told to “cry loudly” and “declare to the house of Jacob their sins.” Yet in v. 2, God says “Yet they seek Me by day and delight to know My ways… as a nation that has not forsaken the law of their God.” What in the world is going on? Are they following God or not?
Short answer? No, they were not. This is eerily similar to the words of Jesus when He called out the religious leaders (Matthew 23). He accused them of being “whitewashed tombs” and “full of dead men’s bones”. Further, Jesus called them out for laying immense burdens on the people, and not lifting a finger themselves to help (anyone).
So it is here, they ask God for justice, and delight that He is near. They even wonder, “Why have we fasted and You do not see?” Just like Jesus told the pharisees in Matthew 6, they already had their reward, so God told Israel, “you (already) find your desire, and drive hard all your workers.”
Ultimately, they weren’t fasting to humble themselves before God (v. 5), but to exalt themselves before men. All the while, they oppressed the poor and needy, and all they did was for their own desire. Finally, in v. 5, God tells them clearly the attitude they should have when they fast. And really, the attitude they should have before God always, and the humility that would serve them better in their dealings with others.
It’s a lesson for us all, when we are tempted to do things more for show than because of our love for God. When we do it for God, we don’t need any other reward, we don’t seek praise or accolades. Anything else is vain braying of trumpets. It is empty, hollow, and void of substance–and rather annoying and abrasive to others.
Rather, we serve others because God calls us to it, because His heart is our guide, instead of our vain ambition. As Paul told the church at Philippi, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves…” Those are words to live by, not just at church, or on special occasions, but every day, all day.