Isaiah 58 begins with a strong rebuke from the Lord about the way Israel was observing the Fast, and goes on to reveal the design God really had in mind when He instituted both the Fast and the Sabbath. Regretfully, much of the present-day church is in the same condition as that of Israel when this rebuke was first issued — their love of the world and unbelief has kept them enslaved to a carnal mindset wherein they are unable to grasp the spiritual intent of God’s ordinances. Therefore, this rebuke from the Lord is still applicable today! However, those who have truly repented and believed the gospel are now partakers of the divine nature, have spiritual discernment, and are being conformed to the image of Jesus (2 Peter 1:4, Romans 8:5-8, 1 Corinthians 2:10-16, Romans 8:29). The purpose of this teaching is to provide these individuals with encouragement and confirmation in the power of the gospel by showing the true intent and holy manner of observing the Sabbath. I had hoped to cover the scriptures on the Fast and the Sabbath together because they are so closely related, but space would not allow it. Therefore, it will be helpful if you read the teaching titled, “What About Fasting” before going on.
Isaiah 58:13 reveals how the Sabbath is to be kept — “(13) If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:”. There is an immeasurable amount of confusion about the Sabbath among those who consider themselves to be the people of God. Some are convinced it must be observed on Saturday while others believe it should now be observed on Sunday. Most believe that whether Saturday or Sunday, a proper observance consists of attending some kind of church service and resting from any physical labor. Some even go further and believe that no business should be conducted on the given day. And there are still others who have adopted more requirements that are necessary to properly observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. Here, in Isaiah 58, you see that the intent and proper observance of the Sabbath is exactly the same as that of the Fast. Look at verse 13. The proper observance of the Sabbath is to; turn from doing our pleasure on God’s holy day, to delight in the Sabbath, honor it and honor God BY. . .not doing our own ways, or finding our own pleasure, or speaking our own words. God instituted the observance of the Sabbath to show man that the way to holiness and heavenly peace is through self-denial. And, as with the Fast, observing the Sabbath is to deny ourselves the worldly pleasure and satisfaction of the fleshly passions — pride, lust, envy, wrath, bitterness, greed, vengeance, and selfish ambition. The word “Sabbath” means “rest, interruption, cessation, cease”. The correct observance is to cease from our own fleshly pleasure, our fleshly ways, and our fleshly words. Theworks we are to rest, or cease, from on the Sabbath are “the works of the flesh”. Look at Galatians 5:19-21 saying, (19) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, (21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God”. Have you considered that someone can go to church on Saturday or Sunday and sit on the porch the rest of the day, not lifting a finger, and still not be resting from the works of the flesh? This form of observance, while continuing in the works of the flesh, has nothing to do with holiness and will do nothing to serve the purposes of God. It is merely a hypocritical act that stems from rebellion against God and seeking to establish one’s own righteousness. I hope you see, through what has been shared so far, that the Fast and the Sabbath are all about the spiritual condition of the heart!
The 3rd and 4th chapters of Hebrews exhort us to heed God today and believe Him while reminding us that the Hebrew people failed to enter into rest through hardness of heart and unbelief. This place of rest, the promised land of the Old Testament, is a type or picture of the New Testament spiritual life a person possesses when he/she has repented and believed the gospel to be crucified with Christ and regenerated by the Holy Spirit to have the divine nature. I urge you to read both of these chapters before going on. In Hebrews 4:4-11 we read, “(4) For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. (5) And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. (6) Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: (7) Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. (8) For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. (9) There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. (10) For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. (11) Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” The Sabbath is based upon God resting from His works on the 7th day and in these verses it is clearly referring to the Sabbath rest. Here, we see that believers are to enter into this rest NOW! Before going on, you need to understand that the 7th day is not so much about a physical day of the week. The number seven, in the Bible, represents perfection, completion, or wholeness. It is the number of godly perfection or completion. Once God’s work of creation was complete, it was perfect in that all was just as it should be, and He rested. In verse 9 we see that a rest (Sabbath rest) remains for the people of God. Then, in verse 10 we see that those who have entered into this rest, the Sabbath rest, have CEASED FROM THEIR OWN WORKS as God did from His. To enter the Sabbath rest, or in other words, to observe the Sabbath according to God’s will, is to have ceased from the works of the flesh. Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, God’s work in our heart can be completed and perfected, freeing us from the nature that produces the works of the flesh and regenerating us with the divine nature which produces the fruit of the Spirit. When a person truly repents and believes the gospel, he is a new creature; old things have passed away and all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). The works of the flesh have ceased through the death of the cross (Read Romans 6). I’m simplifying this a great deal, but the Sabbath is linked to the 7th day because the new man, having ceased from the works of the flesh, has come to rest in God’s perfect and completed work in his heart. Verse 11 says we are to labor to enter into this rest lest we fall through unbelief. Our “labor” is to exercise faith in being dead to sin and alive to righteousness. This is the manner in which a believer honors God and honors the Sabbath. We keep the Sabbath holy by dying daily to sin and having our words and deeds generated by the Holy Spirit. Like the Fast, the Sabbath is not something to be observed on certain occasions; it should be lived day by day!
Anyone having a conviction that a day of the week should be set apart to reverence God should definitely do it, they are under no condemnation. The same holds true for those who feel led to abstain from food or some other activity from time to time. God will honor their convictions if their heart is right. But, understand that these efforts are nothing more than religious, hypocritical works of self-righteousness if a person is not denying himself and taking up his cross daily. Read the 14th chapter of Romans and the 2nd chapter of Colossians for more complete understanding.
Finally, the last verse of Isaiah 58 declares the results of keeping the Sabbath holy – “(14) Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it”. Those who keep the Sabbath, as God intended, have their delight in Him because His love has compelled them to cease from the love of self and the works of the flesh. He has become their supreme love. God also causes those who keep the Sabbath to ride upon the high places of the earth. This speaks of a life generated by the Holy Spirit which is higher than the beastly life of carnal man. Read Ezekiel 36:25-28, Ecclesiastes 3:18, & Psalm 49:12. And lastly, to be fed with the heritage of Jacob is to be a citizen in God’s kingdom and partaker of all the blessings made available to us through Jesus (Ephesians 1:1-3 & 2:1-13).
The gospel is the power of God to live a righteous, holy life, and I trust this teaching has encouraged you in the faith. Through Jesus, and by the Holy Spirit, we have divine ability to both fast and keep the Sabbath according to God’s divine plan.