19 February 2021

19 February 2021

Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Isaiah 59:1-9, NRSV

Isaiah’s words were addressed to a people who had been through great suffering and trial. After their time of exile in Babylon, the people of Judah returned to find their city in ruins and their temple destroyed. For many years they followed the practice of fasting for two months of the year hoping to regain God’s favour. They did all that that the ritual aspects of the Jewish Law required and yet still felt abandoned by God. It is easy to feel some sympathy for them when Isaiah told them they were getting it all wrong. In concentrating on the outer observances of prayer and fasting, they had failed to realise the many injustices in their behaviour towards the poor and dispossessed members of their community. Isaiah made it very clear that prayer and fasting was not a means of earning God’s notice and favour. Instead, prayer and fasting would only gain meaning when expressed in their values and generous treatment of others.

    • Why do you think the people of Judah relied so much on their observance of ritual practices?
    • What forms of fasting would be pleasing to God now?

What might you fast from this Lent – and how will this translate into a benefit for those in need?