Isaiah 58 contains the Lord’s Law of the Fast. We are given instructions of what to do and what not to do when fasting, and although our modern fasts look different than they did in Isaiah’s time, the council remains the same. Fast with intention, without fanfare, and to help those in need. When our fasts look like this we can use the time to draw closer to Christ instead of just going hungry.
Books:
A New Translation of Isaiah by Don Parry
Podcasts:
Jesus Christ in Scripture with Don Parry and Tammy Uzelac Hall
Segment 1
Scriptures:
Matthew 25:34-46 (Clothe the stranger)
Isaiah 58 (The Law of the Fast)
Words of the General Authorities:
So the Lord has given us something that we each can do. It is a commandment so simple that a child can understand it. It is a commandment with a wonderful promise for those in need and for us. It is the law of the fast. (Henry B. Eyring, “Is Not This the Fast That I Have Chosen?”, April 2015 General Conference)
Segment 2
Scriptures:
Isaiah 58:1-2 (God’s words to find Him)
Isaiah 58:3-5 (What is wrong with their fast)
Isaiah 58:6-7 (The proper fast)
Translations:
Trumpet - shofar = a ram’s horn blast a signal to the people (Hebrew)
Segment 3
Scriptures:
Isaiah 58:8-10 (Blessings of the fast)
Words of the General Authorities:
I pray that we will claim those great blessings for ourselves and for our families. I bear my witness that Jesus is the Christ, that in His Church we are invited to help Him as He cares for the poor in His way, and that He promises everlasting blessings will come from our helping Him. (Henry B. Eyring, “Is Not This the Fast That I Have Chosen?”, April 2015 General Conference)
Segment 4
Scriptures:
Isaiah 58:10-11 (Continual blessings)
Isaiah 58:12 (Mr. Repairer and Mrs. Restorer)
Segment 5
Scriptures:
Isaiah 58:13-14 (The Sabbath, a delight)
Exodus 16:4-5,22-26 (Gather your bread, then rest on the Sabbath)
Words of the General Authorities:
No wonder Isaiah called the Sabbath “a delight.”...Faith in God engenders a love for the Sabbath; faith in the Sabbath engenders a love for God. A sacred Sabbath truly is a delight. (Russell M. Nelson, “The Sabbath Is a Delight”, April 2015 General Conference)
Segment 6
Scriptures:
Isaiah 63:1-6 (Christ will come in the red of the winepress)
D&C 133:48 (Red in His apparel)
Isaiah 9:3-7 (Joy of the harvest)
Isaiah 63:7 (The hesed of the Lord)
Alma 42:11-26 (The logic of the justice of God)
Words of the General Authorities:
Soon, He who was once mockingly dressed in purple will come again, attired in red apparel, reminding us whose blood redeemed us. (Neal A. Maxwell, “O, Divine Redeemer”, October 1981 General Conference)
Having bled at every pore, how red His raiment must have been in Gethsemane, how crimson that cloak! No wonder, when Christ comes in power and glory, that He will come in reminding red attire (see D&C 133:48), signifying not only the winepress of wrath, but also to bring to our remembrance how He suffered for each of us in Gethsemane and on Calvary! (Neal A. Maxwell, “Overcome … Even As I Also Overcame”, April 1987 General Conference)
Read the transcript here.