Judah cries out to God, wondering why Yahweh doesn’t respond to their prayers and fasts (Isaiah 58). Yahweh responds with the charge that during their fasts they oppress their workers and stir up strife (vv. 3b-4). The response echoes Exodus: “drive hard” is what the Egyptians do to Israelites (Exodus 3:7; 5:6, 10-14), and so is “afflict” (Genesis 15:13; Exodus 1:11-12). “Strife” describes the contention of Hebrew with Hebrew in Exodus 2:13, and the sorts of battles that are regulated by Exodus 21:18, 22. They fast with their fists (v. 4).
Judah fasts, but they fast like Egyptians. When they fast, they close the fist, clamp down on workers, confine and imprison.
The alternative fast that Yahweh demands is a gift of freedom. All the actions of Isaiah 58:6 are actions of opening: “open bonds . . . undo bands . . . let go free . . . break yoke.” The actions of verse 7 are actions of the open hand, rather than the fist (v. 4): “divide bread . . . bring homeless into the house . . . cover naked.” These too are exodus themes, since in the exodus Yahweh broke the yoke and lifted Israel from being a four-footed beast of burden to become upright humans (Leviticus 26:13).
Israel is supposed to participate in Yahweh’s own acts of liberation.Fasting is an enacted exodus.
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