Stress Test Devotional May 4
May 04, 2024
ISAIAH 58:1-2 |1 Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God.
This revolutionary chapter is one of the greatest in the Hebrew scriptures. God announces through His prophet, the end of empty ritualism and mechanical appeasement. God’s people engage in daily spiritual practices, attending Temple worship, and asking God for aid and guidance, believing that if they perform their rites rightly, they can compel His response. Worship traditions in other ancient near-eastern cultures had similar attitudes. If the right words were said, the proper sacrifices made, the key rituals undertaken, the gods could be appeased, cajoled, and manipulated into compliance with the wishes of the worshipers.
Yahweh says, “Nonsense!” Those who “forsake the laws of the Lord” can expect no responses, no answers, and no help. This chapter should be the end of ritualism and appeasement—though many still hope a minimum of traditional observance can outweigh a maximum of rebellion and independence.
How genuine is your worship?
