Isaiah 57 & 58 - True Devotion

LINK: Isaiah 57 & 58

Isaiah 57 continues a condemnation of the wicked that started in Isaiah 56:9. He makes the statement that the righteous are better off dead because they can live in peace and be spared the evil of the day! The rest of the Israelites were involved in pagan practices that included idol worship, sorcery, adultery, religious prostitution, and even child sacrifice to the Ammonite god, Molech (2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 32:35). Even in the face of dying (57:9) for those practices, they still did not give up their sinful ways but found renewed strength to continue (57:10)!

Israel had forgotten God, but He would not forget them. His anger would not be forever because He is a gracious and forgiving God and would heal the contrite and humble.

Isaiah 58 starts the final section of the book (58-66) which looks to the present and future for God's delivered people. The present is bleak, but the future will bring the Messiah who will shine on Jerusalem, and Jerusalem will shine on all the peoples of the world!

Isaiah 58 is a call for obedience that was not merely external. They were going through the motions of religion without an inward faith. Their religious fasts did not change the poor relationships they had with others and their treatment of the poor, helpless, and oppressed. "True fasting is more than what we don't eat; it is pleasing God by applying his Word to our society" (Life Application Bible, p. 1268).

There is a promise of great blessing for those who practice inner righteousness revealed in outward acts of justice and mercy (58:6-12).

REFLECTION - True Devotion and Social Justice

Isaiah 58 is so timely. My friend, Patty, and I were just talking about our primary goal as believers. She was questioning the value of these one-year Bible training schools that emphasize devotional life and discipleship without an outreach component to them. I pointed out that some of these schools emphasize a deep devotional life for these young people, and that devotion leads to an overflow of service to others. We are involved with several young adults who went to this type of school, and they are deep in devotion and serve the Lord in many ways. In fact, I have a prayer letter for one of them right next to my computer. She is leading a team serving in Southeast Asia this summer!

Let's face it, it would not be true devotion if it did not go beyond personal devotion and growth to acts of kindness, charity, justice, and generosity! But would it be true service for the Lord if a person had no devotion to the Lord behind it? I have seen plenty of very busy believers, but I see no evidence of devotion to the Lord in their lives. They are running on empty. Anyone can "do" service. In fact, there are many people involved in community service who are atheists!

In our discussion, Patty and I concluded that it was all about balance and overflow. We really cannot have devotion without service or service without devotion if we are sincerely walking in obedience to the Lord!

What do you think?

APPLICATION - It is All About Balance Baby! 

Is your service running on empty because your devotional source in the Lord has dried up?

Is your devotional life leading you to look at the world through God's eyes of compassion, kindness, charity, justice, and generosity? Are you acting upon it?

Here is a challenging book that I read lately about service: The Externally-Focused Church

We all struggle with that balance. Thankfully, I live under church leadership that believes in blessing the community and world! So, I am not seen as a "flake" when I do not make it to every church activity and choose to spend time with non-believers instead. Some churches are not like this, and they are constantly demanding our time and attention for internally-focused events.

Our family is purposeful about blessing the community because if we are not, our time gets gobbled up in more internally-focused things. So, we volunteer for our library by delivering books to shut-ins. We also help with the Linn Benton Food Share and its special projects. We try to look for projects throughout the year where we can bless others. We also try to bless our neighborhood by keeping our eyes open for service and by baking bread. God has orchestrated some pretty providential deliveries that have ministered to people.

Another way to bless the community is just by "Random Acts of Kindness." There are little things we can do every day. We just need to keep our eyes open!

Pray for opportunities to bless others this week!

Now, off to do Dial-a-Book deliveries. What a rewarding ministry that we have done since 2002!

2023 Update: COVID killed our Dial-a-Book delivery service because they started delivering to everyone (not just shut-ins) and have continued the service for all patrons who request it. I still bake bread for people in my neighborhood, and here is a story of a more recent delivery that turned out to be such a blessing (when we cast our bread, it comes back to us - Ecclesiastes 11:1).

Also, about outward service flowing out of inward devotion. Here is a video I made regarding that:

Living in the Cycle of Grace

PRAYER

Lord, teach us to walk in devotion to You through time in prayer and Your Word and acts of service. We ask us in the name of the One who came to serve and give His life as a ransom for many. Amen.