蒙阅纳的敬拜 Isaiah 58-59

True Worship – 蒙阅纳的敬拜
Israelites had finally rebuilt the temple and joyfully participating in its rites/rituals/fasts.
Saw themselves as very religious people carrying out God’s instructions precisely.
God showed Israel’s true character, what a shock for self-satisfied people of God!
God’s children,
- to learn true worship
- seeking justice and compassion
- only then, God will satisfy your needs

Coming to worship and asking God what he wanted is not enough, God’s people must DO what God wants.
‘worship’ -> ‘service’

58:1 - 你要大声喊叫，不可止息，扬起声来好像吹角，向我百姓说明他们的过犯，向雅各家说明他们的罪恶。
Prophet Isaish was tasked by God to declare the people’s sins to them. Because the people didn’t saw their own sin, yet thought they were holy and righteous,58:2 - 他们天天寻求我，乐意明白我的道。好像行义的国民，不离弃他们神的典章，向我求问公义的判语，喜悦亲近神。
They seek God, seem eager to know his ways, had not forsaken his commands, asked God for decisions,58:3 - 他们说，我们禁食，你为何不看见呢。我们刻苦己心(humbled ourselves)，你为何不理会呢。
People put on a great show as if they obeyed everything God had commanded.
God starts to rebuke them.
看哪，你们禁食的日子，仍求利益，勒逼人为你们作苦工。58:4- 你们禁食，却互相争竞，以凶恶的拳头打人。你们今日禁食，不得使你们的声音听闻于上。 They fasted, humbled themselves(put on a great show), but still led a life where they could do as they please.
Not only that, but caused the oppression of others.
-End up quarrelling, fighting with each other.
God wanted people to show their religion through concern and help for other people in need.
Questions:
What does fasting do?
Fasting meant focusing on God and deep sorrow for their sin.
Over time, some Hebrews began to see fasting as a ritual that could earn God’s favour. “If we fast, God will bless us.”
Isaiah knew rituals were pointless unless motivated by sincere faith and obedience to God’s moral law.
The fasting God wants is in v.6-7. Ensure justice, set the oppressed free, share food with the hungry, provide poor wanderer with shelter, clothe the naked.

How did the Israelites exploit people?
-Overworked their servants – caused them not to be able to attend worship services,
-been inhospitable to strangers,
-ignored needs to the poor,
-used bribes to get their way
No regard for God and His laws.
Application:
1. Ourselves? We exploit our
-friends, eg. Divorcing family, a sister “I can’t understand that if you love Jesus and he loves Jesus, why are you doing that?”. The pain of it was that the couple both loved Jesus but the marriage was broken beyond mending. If she had just put her arms “I’m so sorry”
Sister. Stood for right so strongly that could not reach out to the person who was in hurting and in need.
A little girl’s prayer. Dear God, make all the bad people good and the good people kind.
-families
-classmates
We should help others in need.

2. Quarrelling/Fighting
-Hate each other in our minds

3. -Don’t be proud of our humility. Always be reminded of God’s grace.
58:5 - 这样禁食，岂是我所拣选使人刻苦己心的日子麽。岂是叫人垂头像苇子，用麻布和炉灰铺在他以下麽。你这可称为禁食为耶和华所悦纳的日子麽。
1. Let us not dwell in false humility.
2. We pray that our service is acceptable to God.58:6 - 我所拣选的禁食，不是要松开凶恶的绳，解下轭上的索，使被欺压的得自由，折断一切的轭麽。 58:7 - 不是要把你的饼，分给饥饿的人。将飘流的穷人，接到你家中。见赤身的，给他衣服遮体。顾恤自己的骨肉而不掩藏麽。
Can social works replace spiritual disciplines?
No. Works can’t replace spiritual disciplines. But religious rituals cannot replace them either (theme emphasized in this chapter). God despises empty rituals done by empty people.

Word and Deed have to be balanced. The church though have deeds(old aged home, visitation, offering), maybe limited in some ways, but we live out the deeds in our daily lives! True worship, not waiting till the synagogue moves, but towards each own personels.
58:8 - 这样你的光就必发现如早晨的光。你所得的医治，要速速发明。你的公义，必在你面前行。耶和华的荣光，必作你的后盾。 58:9 - 那时你求告，耶和华必应允。你呼求，他必说，我在这里。你若从你中间除掉重轭，和指摘人的指头，并发恶言的事。 The blessed results we get from true worship. God with us.
We must remove oppression, finger pointing, malicious talk (gossip), but increase in satisfying needs of the oppressed.
God will answer the prayers of obedient servants. God is present only for his people only when his people are present for others.
In contrast to James, when God does not answer because we ask with the wrong motives.
Application:
Don’t oppress,
point fingers (very easy to do so when bad things happen, but we pray for the silence when needed. Qns: Keep silent always? We rebuke of the person’s sin, not the person)

58:10 - 你心若向饥饿的人发怜悯，使困苦的人得满足。你的光就必在黑暗中发现，你的幽暗必变如正午。 58:13 - 你若在安息日掉转（或作谨慎）你的脚步，在我圣日不以操作为喜乐，称安息日为可喜乐的，称耶和华的圣日为可尊重的。而且尊敬这日，不办自己的私事，不随自己的私意，不说自己的私话。
Worship is according to God’s way. Not by our own way, as we please (follow the revealed way of worship, church growth, evangelizing), or speaking idle words (have to prepare sermons, Sunday school, chairman, translation!).
There will be a revival if proper respect for God and His worship ruled the day.58:14 - 你就以耶和华为乐。耶和华要使你乘驾地的高处。又以你祖雅各的产业养育你。这是耶和华亲口说的。

Lastly, true worship -> True Confession
59:12 - 我们的过犯在你面前增多，罪恶作见证告我们。过犯与我们同在。至于我们的罪孽，我们都知道。
Application:
Take a sin inventory, Repent of sins.

True religion: Combination of helping the needy and proper respect for the worship observances as revealed by God.
We repent in word and in God’s righteousness and justice. Also, offer love and grace to other people and provide their basic needs even when they cost us.
It may really be inconvenient, but that’s when the deed really comes in.

59:20 - 必有一位救赎主，来到锡安雅各族中转离过犯的人那里。这是耶和华说的。 God promised to come to his people as their redeemer, but only to those who repent of their sins.

Summary
- More than outward religious rites are needed to find God’s favour
- Can be eager to know God and go through all religious services and actions yet still find God’s judgement
- Examine our lives and see if we exhibit true religion in our lives. Or are we simply going through motions of what the church requires?