Come to the Table

Kids, I think by design, have vivid imaginations. They love pretending to be something or someone else. As a matter of fact, my current blog profile picture shows both of my daughters doing just that. At least once a week, when I arrive home from work, I am received with not squeals of glee and shouts that daddy is home but rather with barks and meows. The thing is, I don't have any pets. My girls will crawl to me on their hands and knees pretending they are in fact puppies and kitties. They however, are still learning when to stop pretending and become little girls again when it is time to come to the table for dinner. We have to tell them that puppies and kitties don't belong at the table. The people of Israel had the same problem.

It is interesting that right after what the prophet Isaiah recorded right after chapter 57's extension of mercy to God's people. The LORD begins to address an issue with His people that we would do well to heed. Having been in Babylonian exile for 70 years pretty much cured the people of idolatry; however, they would embark on another sin that would intensify over the next 400 years that many of them missed the arrival of the promised Messiah. They began to pretend, and they did not when to stop.

You see the people had begun to go through the motions of ritual fast and legalism. But they were missing the point. The purpose of fasting, as God describes it, is to draw near to Him, not just to do it and check it off the "to-do" list. Their fasting wasn't affecting their lives. Notice what He says:

6"Is this not the fast which I choose,
To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free
And break every yoke?
7"Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him;
And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8"Then your light will break out like the dawn,
And your recovery will speedily spring forth;
And your righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9"Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; (Isaiah 58:6-9)

They were pretending to be what they were not, they were acting like they were being holy, and yet they were not drawing near to the One who could make them holy and consequently, they were not ministering to those around them. We can easily do the same thing. Only now, our rituals are different. We can do inherently good things, but do them for the wrong reasons and totally miss the point. We can lift our hands in worship but only be enamored with the music and the emotion of the moment, but then after the service, we do not live like it means something.

So what is the point? He wants us first to draw near to Him, and as He takes over every corner of our lives, He will begin to penetrate everything that we do and we will do things not to make ourselves feel better or out of empty ritual, but rather we will do the things for the glory of God as He manifests Himself in us.

It's time for supper, let's come to the table!