King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Thursday, July 31, 2025
Chapters: Isaiah 58-62
Message: Isaiah: Fasting, Prayer, and Salvation
Hello My Friend,
As we continue in the reading of Isaiah we learn what a true fast is, that salvation is available to all, and of the glorious day when all pain and suffering comes to an end, [Revelation 21:3-4 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.]
I was reading my devotional from this day last year and realized that it has been a year since my mother came home from rehab and is now in rehab again. It has been a trying year to say the least, I am completely numb and have absolutely no idea what I am going to do as it seems like every decision I make is the wrong one. I do not know about you, but sometimes I wish I could press a reset button on life, but then again there have been some blessings to come out of all this that I would not want to miss. Someone asked me how I deal with change and I said, “You don’t, you just do what you have to do and go with the flow.” That is really all we can do because life is a never ending whirlwind, we just need to hold on tight to Jesus, [Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.]
Every time I read through Isaiah I am reminded that everything we read in the New Testament is no different than the Old, except that we are no longer bound to the Law, but then again they never were either. There is absolutely no excuse for a Jew or Gentile not to believe in the Gospel of Christ because it is clearly written in both testaments. People worship, pray, and fast every day in an attempt to reach God, but He will not hear them. The majority of people who pray and fast to God do it for the wrong reasons, and God knows this, which is why through Isaiah, He addresses the issue of hypocritical prayer and fasting.
[Isaiah 58:1-4 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. 2 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 the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. 3 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 pleasure, and exact all your labours. 4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.]
Apparently, the Jews were fasting and praying to God and were angry at Him because He was not answering. There are one of two reasons why God does not answer prayer, the first and far most important is that they are not saved, [Luke 13:26-27 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.] The second reason is that if they are saved they ask amiss, [James 4:1-3 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.]
This is actually what God is saying to them, then He goes on to describe what proper prayer and fasting is if they want to get His attention, [Isaiah 58:6-8 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.]
The object of fasting and praying is not to bring pleasure to our own flesh, but to afflict it in a way that brings us to get God’s attention more and to let Him know that we seek His help alone. Jesus, said this also to the disciples when they asked Him why they could not cast a demon out of a boy, [Matthew 17:20-21 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.]
Through Isaiah, God, goes on to explain that if they pray and fast the correct way, He will not only hear their prayers, He will give them more than what they asked for, [Isaiah 58:9-11 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; 10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: 11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.]
I am not going to lie, it has been a while since I fasted for God, whenever I have lately it has been for my own selfish reasons and probably why it never worked for me. Years ago I signed up for this Christ centered program to lose weight and you would do partial fasts some days and one twenty-four hour fast once a week, but proved that it did not work because fasting is never meant for our own glory, [Matthew 6:16-18 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.]
It is not going without food for long periods of time or praying long prayers that gets God’s attention when we do fast and pray, it is letting go of everything, handing it over to Him and letting Him know that we need His help. He is here and listening, He just wants us to be sincere about it, and by the way, ask for the right things. Isaiah, goes on to tell them point blank why their prayers are not being heard.
[Isaiah 59:1-4,7-8 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. 4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. 7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. 8 The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.]
Isaiah, is not talking to unbelievers here, in a sense he is talking to supposedly saved, born again Christians who want God to hand everything over to them, still live like heathens, and get angry because all these bad things are happening to them. In fact, Isaiah, goes on to describe how blind they really are.
[Isaiah 59:10-14 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men. 11 We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us. 12 For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; 13 In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. 14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.]
Even saved, born again Christians can walk in darkness, and while God is ready and waiting for them to come back into the Light, He will not hear their cries without sincere repentance. And here is the thing, we can trip and fall a thousand times a day, but as long as we are sincere in our confession and repentance, then He will forgive us and we will see the Light again.
[Hebrews 6:4-9 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. 7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. 9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.]
Without Christ, there is no salvation, no matter how much prayer, fasting, or works that we do to get His attention. The Jews have no excuse as to why they refuse to accept that Christ is the Messiah, if they shut their eyes to the truth of the Gospel, then it is just with God to hide from their eyes the things that belong to their peace. Through Isaiah, God continues to address this.
[Isaiah 59:16-17,20-21 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. 17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. 20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. 21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.]
No one can go directly to God without an intercessor because we are covered in sin. Before Jesus became our intercessor, God, used priests or prophets, but they too had to be consecrated in order to stand before Him on their behalf. The Law, while it gives us a guide, is not perfect as we are naturally born sinners and God knew this from the start. Through Isaiah, God foretells of the day when all will come to Christ.
[Isaiah 60:1-5 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. 5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.]
The Law, while it gives us a guide to live by after we are saved was not perfect as we are naturally born sinners, it was a temporary fix until Jesus gave His life for all mankind, [Hebrews 10:1,3,10,12 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;]
What an incredible day it will be when we all gather together in the LIGHT of Christ, to live with Him for eternity, both Jews and Gentiles. God, goes on to describe this amazing time, [Isaiah 60:10-12,15-16 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee. 11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. 12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. 15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. 16 Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.]
This is referring to the Church, and how the Gentiles, who did not even know the Law of Moses, lived under the Law, and will draw near to Christ as they the sincere milk of the Word, [1 Peter 2:1-3 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.]
Through Isaiah, we are given the same assurance that one day, after we have endured the judgments, we will join Christ in His Kingdom, a day when the glory of the LORD will shine so bright we will not even need the sun, [Isaiah 60:18-22 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. 19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. 20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. 21 Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. 22 A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time.]
The walls shall be called Salvation because every saved, born again Christian shall be safe behind the wall of the blood of Jesus. The gates shall be called Praise because after the thousand years that Christ will reign upon the earth, shortly after, the new earth will just appear, and that is where we will live forever, [Revelation 7:15-17 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.]
Is it required to live in obedience to God for our salvation? No, but if we want to be blessed beyond salvation it would be wise to do so. Why? Simply put, in doing so, we bring others to Christ. When we are obedient to the Law we open the gate for the lost to come in and receive Christ themselves. As I said, there is nothing written in the New Testament that was not already foretold in the Old, through Isaiah, we get a glimpse of what it will be like when Christ returns and His saints actually reign the earth with Him from Mount Zion.
[Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.]
There is only one passage to come to mind here, [Psalms 1:1-3 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.]
To meditate on God’s word is to our own advantage as it will enable us to walk in it as the Holy Spirit works on us to apply it to our lives. Through Isaiah, we also learn that all of His saints will be priests and ministers.
[Isaiah 61:5-8,10 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. 6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. 7 For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them. 8 For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.]
In the beginning when God addressed believers He intended all who worshiped Him to be priests, meaning that they could have direct, one on one communication with God. All that changed during the Exodus when God appointed Aaron and his sons as priests, and that remained until Christ’s passion, [Exodus 28:1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.]
Those who have this notion that religion, race, or their own righteousness can save them, will have a huge awakening upon their death when they see Jesus and find out that He really was their only way to their salvation. All who receive Him will become His bride and forever be joined with Him. Through Isaiah, we see what type of marriage God will have with His bride.
[Isaiah 62:1-5 For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. 2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name. 3 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. 4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. 5 For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.]
[Hephzibah; My delight is in her. Beulah; To marry, rule over, possess, own.] Beulah, is Israel’s future name when she is restored to her divine Husband, the Lord, Jesus Christ Himself. God delights in those who receive His Son, and as much as we deserve for Christ to leave us, He will never forsake us. Through Isaiah, we are reminded of this.
[Isaiah 62:8-12 The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured: 9 But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the LORD; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness. 10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. 11 Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. 12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.]
When we allow Christ to live in our lives, we give Him dominion over both our soul and body, which He indwells in us through the Holy Spirit. We are going to face suffering, chastening, and affliction, but in doing so, we are the ones who receive the greatest reward ever, Christ Himself, [Romans 8:28-30 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.]
Today’s Prayer: God, I cannot fathom the amazing grace that You gave me and still give me. To take a life that was a complete mess and turn it into one that has meaning is truly a miracle that only You can produce. Thank You, for seeing something in me that is of good use to you, thank You, for your grace and mercy and for Your promise to never leave nor forsake me. Lord, as I humble myself before You, be merciful to me, lead me and guide me, help me to never lose the Light of Christ in me and keep it shining that I might guide the lost to Your and receive Your glory even before I see You face to face. I love You Lord and ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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