Our Scripture today is prophet Isaiah speaking on the admonition to share with the needy. Let us look through the chapter as a whole, but then we will focus on the verse this the topic is centered on.
Here, Isaiah begins by telling the people that genuine worship was more than strict religious customs, going every day to the Temple, fasting, and paying attention to Scripture readings.
These individuals overlooked what is really an important part of living, which is having an imperative relationship with God. He does not want us acting devout when we have unforgiven sin in our souls and performing wicked practices with our hands.
More significant even than the right worship and the right doctrine is certifiable sympathy for the poor, the powerless, and the persecuted.
Works of service cannot save us. Faith in Christ is what saves us. However, our faith lacks something if it does not contact others, and that is sincerity. Fasting can be useful spiritually, yet at its ideal, it only helps the individual who is doing it.
God wants our service to go past our very own development to that of thoughtful gestures, justice, generosity, and charity. Satisfying God is more than whatever it is that we do not eat or that we do not do; it is how we work for him and for other people.
The Importance of the Soul
The day of rest (Sabbath) ought to likewise be regarded not just in light of the fact that keeping the Sabbath is a commandment, yet, in addition, since it is best for ourselves and because it shows our respect for God.
Keeping the Sabbath praises God, our Creator, who additionally rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:3). It likewise binds together our family and sets boundaries for them.
Our observation of the Sabbath revives us physically and spiritually, by giving us time when we can assemble for worship and when we can consider God without the pressure of our day-to-day existence.
Now let us go back to our key verses for a moment.
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail (Isaiah 58:10-11).
Previously, God had advised the Israelites to help the poor among them when they showed up in the Promised Land. This was a significant piece of having the land.
Many individuals infer that those certain individuals are poor through some issue of their own. This sort of thinking makes it simple to close their hearts and hands against them.
Yet, we are not to develop explanations behind overlooking the consideration of poor people. We are to answer to their needs regardless of who or what was liable for their condition (Deuteronomy 15:7-11).
When Your Soul Is in a Dry Spell
No doubt people may wonder what does helping the poor have to do with a soul in drought or a watered garden. If we cannot help those that are in need, then there must be a dryness within our hearts. We have become as arid as a desert.
What things can get dry if it goes without water? Well, potted plants, our garden, dehydrated foods, animals, and humans all need water to live and to survive. Water is necessary for physical growth. So, what happens when something is in the state of being dry?
It does not matter what, plant or animal, without water they will become parched, they will shrivel up, they will wilt and wither away, to eventually die. What are we to do with things that are dry? We need to make them wet and rehydrated.
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land where there is no water (Psalms 63:1).
David prayed while in the wilderness of Judah. All is in vain unless the Spirit of God comes down and we partake of the holy wellspring of life.
God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land (Psalms 68:6).
Look at those last few words. If a Christian is rebellious, his spiritual life is dry. If a church is rebellious, it has no life, no spirit, no vision, it has become dry and complacent.
It is a dead church. Though physically alive, it is spiritually dead. Its faith has fizzled out. The church body may be there, but without God, there is no life.
They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord — the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more (Jeremiah 31:12).
God promises to rebuild the nation. We may arrive at a place or a time in our lives when we feel despondent and destitute. God is always there to be and to give us what we stand in need of. Christ is our haven of refreshment in a world that is not and does not provide true refreshing.
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink” (John 7:37).
Jesus was referring to the many passages of Scripture that spoke of the Messiah’s life-giving blessings. In promising to give the Holy Spirit to all who accepted him, Jesus was professing to be the Messiah, for that was something that only the Messiah could do.
They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things (Psalms 107:5-9).
Hungry and thirsty, this is an example of the children of Israel in the wilderness. It also typifies those of us who have not yet found joy from knowing the Lord.
- Jesus is the Way (John 14:6)
- Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:33-35).
- Jesus is the Water of Life (John 4:14).
- Jesus is the Giver of Rest (Matthew 11:28-30).
- Jesus is the True Vine (John 15:1).
Why Does This Matter?
Christians and the church of today have the knowledge, the building, the organization, and the ability to function. But the impact on the community is weak.
Are we so dry that we cannot point others to the only One who can give the true water to those in a dry land? Christ never turned his back on anyone that came to him in need, so why should we?
For further reading:
What Is the Spiritual Gift of Faith?
What Can I Do When I Feel Spiritually Dry?
Are We Grounded with Good Roots?
What Does Living Water Mean in the Bible?
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