Psalm 69:10
King James Version
10 When I wept,
and chastened my soul with fasting,
that was to my reproach.
I had no idea I'd be writing about fasts today.
Much less create this 65th blog.
Don't I have enough blogs already?
Can't help it.
SPIRIT led me to an intriguing verse this morning:
Isaiah 58:6
King James Version
6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen?
to loose the bands of wickedness,
to undo the heavy burdens,
and to let the oppressed go free,
and that ye break every yoke?
That woke me up.
You mean, GOD has ANOTHER kind of fast??!!
We know of how JESUS, prophets, and believers fast, as they pray.
We know of how people fast, to slim down, or for medical reasons.
And yet, in the verse above, GOD was speaking of another kind of fast.
So, I searched Scripture for what GOD meant when He said:
"Is not this the fast that I have chosen?"
And here's what other Bible versions told me:
Isaiah 58:6
Contemporary English Version
6 I'll tell you
what it really means
to worship the Lord.
Remove the chains of prisoners
who are bound unjustly.
Free those who are abused!
Isaiah 58:6
Easy-to-Read Version
6 “I will tell you the kind of day I want—a day to set people free. I want a day that you take the burdens off others. I want a day when you set troubled people free and you take the burdens from their shoulders.
Isaiah 58:6
International Children’s Bible
6 “I will tell you the kind of special day I want.
I want you to free the people you have put in prison unfairly.
Undo their chains.
Free those to whom you are unfair.
Free them from their hard labor.
Isaiah 58:6
The Message
6 “This is the kind of fast day I’m after:
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.
Yeshayah 58:6
Orthodox Jewish Bible
6 Is not this the tzom that I have chosen? To loose the chartzubbot resha (chains of wickedness, injustice), to undo the aguddot motah (bindings of the yoke bar), and to let the retzutzim (oppressed ones) go as chafeshim (free ones), and that ye break kol motah (every yoke of oppression)?
In SUMMARY, "Is not this the fast that I have chosen?" means:
I'll tell you what it really means to worship the Lord.
I will tell you the kind of day I want—a day to set people free.
I will tell you the kind of special day I want.
This is the kind of fast day I’m after:
Is not this the tzom that I have chosen?
Whoa, that's so cool!
"A day to set people free", according to the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV).
In other words, a "freedom fast"!
Let's not be so quick to claim we know fasts.
Whether you're born again, or not, it's time to know GOD's truth.
Also, we won't pepper this blog with food pictures.
That will make you hungry, and defeat the whole purpose of a fast, as defined by GOD throughout.
So, let's move on to the second part of that Isaiah 58:6 verse.
On to the next post, on the context of this "freedom fast".
