Bible Commentaries
Isaiah 58

Verses 1-3

Isa 58:1-3

Isaiah 58:1-3

(The beginning of Section C of Division VI (Isaiah 58-66)

As Kidner observed, "God’s trumpet call to the formalists is related to the previous indictment in Isaiah 57:1-13"; and this indicates that the period of Isaiah’s own times and reaching down to the captivity is the historical era to which the chapter evidently refers. Hailey, a very dependable scholar, agreed with this, and fixed the period after the invasion of Sennacherib (that is, in the times of Manasseh) as the times visible in this chapter, stating that, "This is the most reasonable of the theories.” Barnes’ analysis indicated that this prophecy applied to, "the reign of Manasseh, at or near the time of one of the public fasts; and the fact that the external rites of religion were observed among the abominations of that wicked reign led to the severe reproof here.”

Most of the writers, however, it appears to us, missed the real reason for the denunciations here. Barnes thought that the rebuke was, "of their formality and hypocrisy"; and Archer supposed that it was due to the failure of the Jews to conform their lives to the moral requirements of true religion, writing that, "No religious observance has value (in the eyes of Jehovah) that is not supported by a godly law-abiding life.”

As they stand, such opinions are true enough, except that they do not address the principal reason for God’s vehement denunciations. And what is that? It is simply this, "that God had never commanded all of those fasts the people were having!" The only fast God ever commanded the Jews to observe was that on the day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-31); and all the rest of their many fasts were purely of human origin with no divine authority or sanction whatever.

Of course, the critical community, hunting some excuse to date these chapters after the exile, point out that the Pharisees of Jesus’ times fasted "a hundred times in the year" (twice a week, Matthew 9:14); but this habit of Israel’s multiplying the number of their fasts was going on long before the times of the return from Babylon, as witnessed by Zechariah 7:7. The prevalence of that habit cannot be divorced from the times of Manasseh.

In view of these facts, therefore, we believe that the great sin of Israel was their departure from the Word of God in the multiplication of their fasts. Of course, we also admit their formality and hypocrisy in this; but even if they had been "sincere," which Rawlinson believed many of them were,^[6] God would never have approved and accepted all of those man-commanded fast days. There are many people of our own times today who are perfectly sincere and faithful in following human forms and systems of worship who stand in the same jeopardy as did those whom God so severely condemned here. Men simply do not have the right, or the authority, to change what God has required of his human servants.

The continued strong evidence of Isaiah’s authorship of all of Isaiah should not be overlooked here. As Cheyne noted, "Hoffman in particular uses this chapter as evidence of Isaiah’s authorship.”

This is the beginning of Section 3 of Division VI of Isaiah, and Douglas professed to have found a three-fold division of this section, three chapters each, corresponding to admonitions connected with, "The kingly office of Christ in Isaiah 58-60, his priestly and prophetic offices in Isaiah 61-63, and with the final messages of Jehovah in Isaiah 64-66.” Such divisions do not appear very distinct to this writer, and they have not proved to be very helpful.

Isaiah 58:1-3

"Cry aloud, spare not, lift tip thy voice like a trumpet, and declare unto my people their transgression, and to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways: as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God, they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near unto God. Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find your own pleasure, and exact all your labors."

"Voice like a trumpet ..." (Isaiah 58:1). One would not warn a man that his house was on fire in a soft casual voice. Isaiah was here commanded to deliver this warning in a manner consistent with the urgency of it. We wonder if some of the soothing, casual, and conversational voices of many of our modern preachers should not be more consistent with the urgency of the Divine call to repentance.

Isaiah 58:2 states that Israel were transgressors and sinners "as a nation, etc.," "as if they were a nation" that did righteousness and had not forsaken the ordinance of their God. Note the singular "ordinance." What was it? It was that single fast that God had commanded on the day of Atonement! That is precisely the thing they had omitted in favor of all kinds of fasts proclaimed by their false leaders. God’s further word in Isaiah 58:3 notes that, "In the day of your fast (not mine), ye find your own pleasure, and exact all your labors." Some have applied this to the exaction imposed upon servants by their masters; but we fail to see how "your labors" can be applied to servants, as they have not been mentioned here. We believe the reference is to all the work and bother that the hypocritical Jews were going about in order to observe their own fast days, while neglecting God’s one sacred fast day on the day of Atonement. Adam Clarke thought the reference meant that, "Some disregarded the most sacred fast (the day of Atonement); but obliged their servants to work all day long (on that day), in numberless cases, having changed the fast day into feast day!"

Many of the things written about the situation here are in error because they are founded upon the mistake that God is not concerned with anything except social justice. It is very significant here that the very first sin God mentions is their neglecting "God’s ordinance." Of course, God is also concerned with social justice; but all social justice, in the final analysis, derives from honor paid to the Word of God and the holy worship He has commanded.

Isaiah 58:1-3a HAUGHTINESS: Isaiah is told to cry a “throaty” call. The Hebrew words kera’ vegaron mean literally, call with the throat. The Jerusalem Bible translates, “Shout for all you are worth.” Apparently the Lord knew there would be a few in Judah who would hearken to the prophet’s call and wisely repent. There were some who would become covenant-keepers. Presently, however, the majority of people were covenant-breakers. Not only so, they were hypocrites as well. The Hebrew word thakhesek, translated spare not, means do not withhold. The point is that Isaiah is not to hold back declaring the hypocrisy of the majority even when they may appear to be righteous by their great show of religiosity or their attempts to justify themselves (as in verse three) or by their threats against the prophet himself. Isaiah is to become a shophar (ram’s horn or trumpet, the instrument used to sound a warning).

For the most part, the nation went right on, day after day, haughtily tramping into the courts of the Temple (cf. Isaiah 1:12 ff), pretending to seek Jehovah and pretending to find satisfaction in obeying His appointed fast days. Publicly they have a finely practiced facade of not being caught disobeying the rituals and ordinances of the Law. They have put on an ostentatious show. Then they reasoned that Jehovah should reciprocate with goodness toward them (material goodness, no doubt) and judgments upon their enemies. It appears they think they have fooled God with their outward show and now expect Him to reward them accordingly. They took pleasure in their religiosity because they had deceived themselves into thinking Jehovah’s righteousness could be compromised by their hypocrisy. They believed they could have their sin and Jehovah’s blessing at the same time. But obviously, Jehovah had not responded to their sham-fasting as they had expected. He had not healed the social depravity of the day; He had not removed the growing threat of Assyrian or Babylonian invasion of their country. They had so thoroughly calloused their own consciences they blamed Jehovah for what was very evidently about to befall them. They accuse God of insensitiveness, of carelessness and unconcern. Usually, the hypocrite plays his part so well, he fools himself more than anyone else. These haughty hypocrites had so deceived themselves they were incredulous that God should not be impressed with their self-righteousness!

Verses 4-12

Isa 58:4-12

Isaiah 58:4-6

"Behold, ye fast for strife and contention, and to smite with the fist of wickedness; ye fast not this day so as to make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I have chosen? the day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down as a rush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to Jehovah? Is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?"

"Ye fast for strife and contention ..." (Isaiah 58:4). Barnes quoted the Syriac version here which rendered the place, "In the day of your fasting, you indulge your lusts, and draw near to all your idols." The strife and contention associated with those ancient fasts could have been with reference to the "new religion" of the day that the leaders had introduced to replace the old. Also, there could have been instances like that described in Philippians 1:15, in which men actually preached the gospel through envy and strife.

"Ye fast not this day so as to make your voice heard in high ..." (Isaiah 58:4). This means, "You do not keep the day of Atonement, as God has commanded," because that is the only possible day, the observance of which, was able to cause one’s voice to be heard "on high." Note too the singular designation of it in the next verse, and the purpose of the day "to afflict the soul." Note also that God is speaking of the "day I have chosen," the day of Atonement being the only fast day God commanded.

"Is it to spread sackcloth and ashes under him ..." (Isaiah 58:5)? The question that follows this question requires a negative answer; and the meaning is that they were sitting on sackcloth and ashes when they required their servants to provide them a feast; and they called that a fast!

Isaiah 58:6 indicates that there were widespread violations of the requirements of social justice, which should have resulted from the "afflictions" and meditations of the day of Atonement; but that day was not being observed in the manner God commanded.

Isaiah 58:3b-5 HYPOCRISY: Now Jehovah exposes the hypocrisy of their religiosity. Jehovah makes it plain that He does indeed know what they are doing! They are not fasting to afflict their souls. While they pretend to fast, they are really indulging in their favorite occupation—making money. The Hebrew words ‘atzevyekem negoshu are from root words that literally mean, grieve and oppress respectively, but translated labors and exact respectively. Obviously, these people were not gathering at fasts to grieve and oppress their own souls so they must have been plotting business deals that would grieve and oppress one another or the poor.

A word about fasting may be in order here. The Hebrew word used for fast in the Pentateuch is ‘innah and means literally to afflict (the soul) (cf. Leviticus 16:29). The Hebrew word most often used after the Pentateuch (and not used in the Pentateuch) is tzum meaning literally to abstain. Both words are used in verse three. Actually, fasting was commanded in the Law of Moses only once (Leviticus 16:29) and that on the Day of Atonement. Apparently, the Hebrew people amplified this command and extended it to most any time of sorrow or need for repentance. The nation and individuals were capable of fasting with proper motives (cf. 1 Samuel 7:6; 2 Samuel 1:12; Judges 20:26; 1 Kings 21:12-29; Psalms 109:24; Jeremiah 36:9; Esther 4:1-3; Esther 4:16; Nehemiah 1:4). The Jewish people who came back from the captivities had doubts about the efficacy of so many fasts and inquired of the prophets and priests whether they should keep them all or not (cf. Zechariah 7:1-6; Zechariah 8:13). In Isaiah’s day these fasts were being exploited for mercenary purposes.

The fasts, rather than providing an opportunity for men to abstain from worldly pursuits, afflict their souls and concentrate on God’s holiness, provided opportunities for them to haggle, strive, contend, argue and even physically strike one another over profiteering. Leupold visualizes these verses: “The prophet follows them to their place of assembly on a fast day. There, off in a corner, two men are not evaluating their own conduct and that of their nation; they are not seeking the face of God in true repentance. They are carrying on a business transaction. Or . . . while they are publicly engaged in holy exercises, at home the laborer who is working for them is slaving under heavy burdens and is being oppressed.”

Rhetorically the Lord asks, Do you think this is the kind of fast I would approve? Their humility was mockery. The long, tender rush-was easily bent double without breaking and furnished a graphic figure for the bent-over false humility of these hypocrites. Jesus described the false humility of the fasting hypocrites of His day as skuthropos (Greek for sad, dejected, sullen, morose). Jesus said the hypocrites of His day made their normal faces to disappear (aphanizousin, Gr.) so they might put on faces (hopos phanosin) of fasting, (Matthew 6:16-18). These men of Isaiah’s day were extreme in their pretentions even to spreading under themselves a “bed” of sackcloth and ashes. But none of it fooled God! Let every man who reads this be forever impressed with this—God is not mocked! Religious ritual (no matter how scriptural and orthodox and correct) if it is coerced, “psyched,” or played-at, if the heart is not right, is an abomination to God! We cannot put on a sad face and fool God; we cannot put on a happy face and fool God; we cannot put on any face and fool God!

Isaiah 58:7-8

"Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out into thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy healing shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of Jehovah shall be thy rearward. Then shalt thou call, and Jehovah will answer; thou shalt cry, and he will say, Here I am."

Here is a beautiful description of what composes true righteousness. It is shaft ng one’s bread with the hungry; it is bringing the homeless, the dispossessed poor, into one’s house; it is clothing the naked, etc. The great fault of the human race is that people who have plenty frequently have faces of flint toward the poor, hungry, helpless and downtrodden of the earth.

"Is it not to deal thy bread ..." (Isaiah 58:7). This means, "Is not the affliction, fasting, and worship of God in such services as the day of Atonement for the purpose of causing one to be thoughtful and concerned for the less fortunate, and leading to their relief provided by the worshippers of God?

Isaiah 58:9-12

"If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking wickedly; and if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul: then shall thy light rise in darkness, and thine obscurity be as the noonday; and Jehovah will guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in dry places, and make strong thy bones; and thou shalt be as a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places; thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and Thou shalt be called the Repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in."

Here is a continuation and enlargement upon what has already been stated. "The yoke" refers to burdens and oppressions imposed upon the less fortunate; "pointing the finger" is a reference to accusations against others; and enough of this type of evil can destroy any society on earth, or any church.

"Draw out thy soul ..." (Isaiah 58:10). "This means to impart of thy own substance to those in need.”

"Light in darkness ... Jehovah will guide thee ... satisfy thy soul in dry places ... make strong thy bones ... etc." All of these are promises of the wonderful blessings of God for those who will heed his word. The watered garden and the spring with unfailing waters are also metaphors of the same gracious blessings.

"Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations ..." (Isaiah 58:12). "The literal and spiritual restoration of Israel is meant by this; and it was prophesied that by this means marvelous results would be produced in the whole Gentile world.” These marvelous developments never occurred, because Israel refused to be restored spiritually, becoming instead a bitter enemy of the Messiah and opposing the preaching of his gospel with every device they could muster, including violence, murder, political intimidation, and mob violence. This was no denial of the great prophecy here. Note that tremendous IF that stands at the beginning of Isaiah 58:9 b!

We believe that Rawlinson was wrong in his supposition that the returning Israelites from captivity would be the ones who would repair the breach and restore the old paths in which to dwell. Man’s sin is such a weight that no nation can lift itself into a state of restoration. These words point to the Messiah

Isaiah 58:6-9 a REPENTANCE: God promises wholeness to those who will keep His covenant. But Judah needs to repent before it can meet God’s standards of holiness. That is, the nation must change its direction theologically (repenting of idolatry) and morally (repenting of social transgressions). This has to be done individually, of course. If Judah will keep her covenant with the Lord as He wishes her to she will “loose the bonds of wickedness, unto the . . . yoke . . .,” feed the hungry, clothe the naked, etc. The word “fast” in verse six may be used generically to mean the total relationship of man toward God which would be covenant relationship. Micah’s prophecy gives an excellent parallel to Isaiah; they were, after all, contemporaries. Micah, chapters 1–3, document the atrocious sins of the powerful against the weak; chapters 4–5 promise the messianic destiny of the Jews; chapters 6–7 announce to the people of Micah’s day what they must do to cooperate with Jehovah in that destiny. The essence of covenant-keeping, according to Micah, is not spectacular religious ritual or sacrifice but simply being Godlike in the everyday, mundane relationships with both God and man. Micah puts it this way, “He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

It should not be strange to the people of Judah that one of their prophets would exhort them to care for the poor. The Law of Moses was very clear on caring for the poor (cf. Deuteronomy 14:28 to Deuteronomy 15:18). The Law of Moses was also explicit as to responsibilities toward one’s own flesh and blood (family relationships). In such areas as training and discipline of children, levirate law of provision for in-laws, divorce, inheritance laws, etc., the Law is plain. It seems almost incredible that people should have to be reminded to take care of their families, yet even in the New covenant scriptures Christians are admonished, “if any one does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his own family, he has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8). The Pharisees, rather than “honoring” their fathers and mothers by financial support in their old age, declared their assets “Corban” (devoted to God and unavailable for “social security” support). And the Pharisees were very religious people who were certain that they, above every one else, were covenant people of Jehovah!

If the people will repent (change) and turn back to the instructions of God in the Law of Moses, God promises three distinct changes will take place in their society: (a) “Healing” of the wounds and sicknesses of society will take place suddenly and brilliantly like the morning sun. In the land of Palestine, the sun seems to come up instantaneously, not gradually, as in lands with an abundance of trees and other things to block the horizon. (b) The righteousness they practice will be a source of safety and security for life and at the same time Jehovah will give His glorious providential safety and security. Judah will be surrounded by a security of righteousness. (c) Repentance will also bring renewed access to God. Jehovah cannot countenance a kingdom in rebellion. Man is created with a free will and the freedom to choose his spiritual Sovereign. If man wishes God to be his Sovereign, man must conform to the Sovereign’s rule. As long as man rebels against the sovereignty of God, he cannot (because he does not want) have access to God. Jehovah will answer all who surrender to His sovereignty and call upon Him.

Isaiah 58:9 b – Isaiah 58:12 RESULTS: There are grander and more gratifying results to add to the nation if it repents. The qualification is restated, but still the same: repentance. Evidently the “putting forth of the finger” was a kind of derisive, contemptuous pointing of the finger (cf. Proverbs 6:13). It is listed here in connection with “speaking wickedly” and must have reference to slander or unjust accusations. God says men must repent of that. It is graphic evidence of a hateful heart—one that would despise the hungry and have no compassion on the afflicted.

But look at the promised results of repentance: (a) continual guidance of Jehovah who is absolute truth, absolute justice, absolute righteousness. To the individual who repents will come a personal satisfaction of the soul like the desert nomad’s thirst is satisfied when he finds a cool, shady, bubbling spring of water. There will come personal wholeness and spiritual integration like a man feels physically when he is young and strong and in the prime of health. (b) The man who repents and keeps God’s covenant will also produce something for the benefit of others. He will become like a “watered garden” and a “spring of water, whose waters fail not.” Jesus said His disciples would become “rivers of living water” (cf. John 7:37-39). The disciples of Jesus are to become salt of the earth and light of the world (cf. Matthew 5:13-16). (c) The man who repents will build the kingdom of God. Obviously, the rebuilding work of those who repent here is the rebuilding of the people’s covenant relationship to Jehovah in order that they may fulfill their messianic destiny and form the kingdom of God on earth (the church). Repairing literal walls and building literal foundations can in no way be the goal of this prophecy. Its only goal is to encourage the people of Isaiah’s day to be instruments of Jehovah as He reaches toward the establishment of New Israel. And the church was founded on a generation of covenant-keeping Hebrews in the first century A.D. when the gospel was obeyed first in Jerusalem, then in Judea, then in Samaria and then in the uttermost parts of the earth.

Verses 13-14

Isa 58:13-14

Isaiah 58:13-14

"If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, and the holy of Jehovah honorable, and shall honor it, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight thyself in Jehovah; and I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth; and I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father, for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it."

Again, notice that all-important IF standing at the head of Isaiah 58:13. The multiple requirement is (1) that Israel must stop doing "their own thing" on the sabbath day; (2) they must stop teaching and parroting the words of men (their own words) and begin honoring God’s Word; (3) they are commanded to call the sabbath day honorable, and a delight; (4) they must actually honor the sabbath, not merely refer to it as honorable; and (5) they must actually do the things God commanded on that day.

This mention of the sabbath day positively identifies this chapter as directed to the pre-exilic generations from Isaiah and to the captivity; because Israel "could not have observed the sabbath" during the captivity. In fact the whole captivity was considered as a "sabbath" replacing the 490 years that the Israelites had skipped the observance of the sabbatical years. This recurrence of the "sabbath theme" in Isaiah is also absolutely Isaianic, being fully in accord with the plan of his prophecy, "here a little, there a little, line upon line, line upon line," etc. (Isaiah 28:10; Isaiah 28:13). See Isaiah 56:2; Isaiah 56:4; Isaiah 56:6 for my comments there.

"I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth ..." (Isaiah 58:14). This has not happened to the Israelites in subsequent generations from this prophecy; and the answer lies totally in the two IF’s in Isaiah 58:9 :b and Isaiah 58:13. On the other hand, the Jews have suffered more terrible persecutions than any other people who ever lived on earth, even down to the current century.

From 2 Chronicles 36:21, we learn that the sabbatical years had not been observed during the period of the later monarchy; and it would appear from Isaiah’s commandments here that even the observance of the weekly sabbath had been neglected.

None of the Old Testament references to the sabbath should be understood as binding upon Christians; however, it appears to us that it would be in keeping with the Word of God for the Lord’s Day to be honored with the same love, devotion, and worship which was supposed in the Old Testament to have been given to the sabbath day. The necessity for providing rest for man and beast, as well as the weekly observance of worship and devotion were a much better condition than that provided by the mad pursuit of pleasure, sports, and so-called recreation on the part of the current godless generation. The people of this generation have legislated the Lord’s Day into a day of work instead of a day of worship, apparently ignorant of how it required three centuries of Christian fidelity to God’s law of worship on Sundays to win, under Constantine, the right of assembly on that day, at any other hour, than before daylight! We are very sure that future generations will pay dearly for this lack of responsibility on the part of our own.

Bishop Andrews once commented on the proper observance of the sabbath day, and applied it to the Lord’s Day, which he erroneously called, "the Christian Sabbath." The application, however, we believe to be appropriate.

"To keep the sabbath in an idle manner is the sabbath of oxen and asses; to keep the sabbath in joviality (pleasure, sports, etc) is the sabbath of the golden calf; and to keep it in immorality, drunkenness, and licentiousness is the sabbath of Satan, the devil’s holiday.”

Isaiah 58:13 DEVOTION: The Hebrew word oneg (Isaiah 58:13) or te ‘annag (Isaiah 58:14) is translated delight but means literally, delicate, exquisite, luxurious. The Lord is insisting that His people cherish His sabbath. They are presently trampling it under foot, so to speak, as of no more value than something to wipe their feet on. It is being used as a day for planning self-indulgence. They are gathering on God’s holy day, a day set aside to think and talk of Him, to talk of making money and plan ways to circumvent His Law (Amos 8:5).

Why is the Sabbath so significant? It was the one condition or requirement that could provide a covenant-keeping relationship that would bring the Hebrew closer to Jehovah than any other. The Sabbath was instituted and set aside as holy unto the Lord long before the Mosaic law. It was consecrated from the beginning of creation. It was given as a type and symbol of the cessation from labor (or rest) into which one enters when entering into covenant relationship provided by Christ. In other words, the old sabbath was an experience symbolic of the Christian experience. The sabbath rest “remaining” in Hebrews 4:9-10 was “being entered” by the “ones believing” (Gr. oi pisteusantes, present tense) of Hebrews 4:3. In other words, the one who believes Christ and becomes a Christian does (present tense) enter the rest God symbolized by the old sabbath day (cf. also Matthew 11:28-30). Of course, the Christian’s present rest will some day be finally and ultimately consummated in the new heaven and new earth when he will cease from his labors (cf. Revelation 14:13, etc.). That is why proper relationship to God for those of Isaiah’s day be expressed by proper attitude toward God’s sabbath day! It had to do with all that God was going to do in salvation and redemption in the Messiah and His kingdom.

Isaiah 58:14 DOMINION: Proper attitude and action toward God’s revealed will (in this case the Sabbath law) logically results in proper attitude and action toward the personhood of God. If a man cherishes God’s laws (Psalms 119:1 ff), he will cherish God. Actually the relationship is cyclical. We must first cherish God in order to cherish His law, But the more we cherish His law, the more we will cherish Him! The more we luxuriate in God and His will, the “higher” we will “ride”! The phrase,“. . . make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth . . .” symbolizes victory, conquest, dominion. If we have faith as a grain of mustard seed (cf. Luke 17:5-6) we can do mighty, victorious, conquering things. The mustard seed means qualitative, not quantitative. It is not a small or big faith that counts but a living, producing, working faith (like a seed has life and production in it). To that kind of faith God will fulfill His promises of victory. It may not be the kind of victory measured by worldly standards; it may not be physical victory or dominion in this life. Physical victory in this life was what the majority of the Jews anticipated from the glorious promises of their prophets (e.g., Isa. ch. 60–66). But God intended to give those who were faithful victory and dominion over sin and death through the Messiah. The “heritage of Jacob” was, of course, the birthright. The birthright was a physical thing that had to do with perpetuation of the Hebrew family’s inheritance of land and goods through the eldest son. But it had as its ultimate goal the preservation of a people whose destiny was messianic! The birthright was really a spiritual thing. It was to result in the redemption of the whole human race through a human family from a particular human nation.

The promises of Isaiah 58:14 may find a temporary fulfillment in the return of the Jews from the captivities, but like all other promises concerning the Jewish people and their land and their nation, the ultimate fulfillment was in the “seed” (singular) (cf. Galatians 3:16 ff), the Christ and the New Israel (Galatians 6:16). The redemption of man will be consummated when God restores man to the dominion man was given at creation which Christ earned for man (cf. Hebrews 2:5-18).