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. Isaiah 58:11
God chose a covenant nation who’s purpose was to bless all nations. In remaining Holy, God’s plan of redemption and complete restoration of mankind can be made full. Instead, these people, this nation, became self-centered. God’s promises became their entitlement. God’s love became their focus of abuse and exploitation.
Isaiah 58 speaks of fasting, one of the highest forms of worship and connection to God. Again, this became a self absorbed ritual centered on the whims, convenience, and lust of the people rather than the honor of God’s sovereign power and glory. As condemning as this passage is, it is also a call to correct relationship with God and sacrificial love for others.
God’s call to all who know Him is to show love toward one another. To bless others is to represent God’s infinite resource and sustenance for all mankind’s needs. Follow the laws of God/love. Find the purpose of your life in Him alone. You are called to Bless others. There is more than enough for you and those who come your way. That’s just the how God works.
Love,
Gretchen