Isaiah 58 · Grade 4

Isn't This the Fast I Have Chosen?

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Read and Think

Isaiah 58 begins with a loud call: "Cry aloud! Don't spare! Lift up your voice like a trumpet!" The people looked religious. They fasted and asked, "Why have we fasted... and you don't see?" But on fast days they did whatever they wanted, made their workers work hard, and quarreled.

God explains the fast he wants: "to release the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free." He adds, "Isn't it to distribute your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor who are cast out to your house?" God cares more about how we treat people than about showy religion. In the New Testament, Jesus taught that serving the hungry is serving him (Matthew 25:35-40).

God gives beautiful promises to those who care for others: "Then your light will break out as the morning." "Then you will call, and Yahweh will answer. You will cry for help, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’" "You will be like a watered garden." God also asks them to "call the Sabbath a delight."

Show What You Know

What were the people doing on fast days?
What kind of fast does God want?
Which New Testament passage says serving the hungry is serving Jesus?
What will God say when they cry for help?

Think About It

God cares more about how we treat people than about showy religion. What is one way you can share with someone in need this week?
God promises to say Here I am when we call. How does it feel to know God answers?

Memory Verse

“Cry aloud! Don’t spare! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Declare to my people their disobedience, and to the house of Jacob their sins.

Isaiah 58:1 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for showing me how to help. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

God promised His people would be like a watered garden. How can serving others refresh your own soul?
What does the true fast include?