58:3
We now turn to one way in which they did seem to be outwardly devoted to God, fasting. Interestingly, the Pharisees in Jesus’ day made a big play of fasting. They were proud of their fasting, and thought they had humbled themselves before God. However, sin is utterly deceitful, something we all need to be aware of. For at the same time as they were fasting they lived to please themselves, and exploited their workers. This is not something that someone truly devoted to God would do.
58:4
Moreover, when they had finished fasting they ended up quarrelling and being in strie with each other. It even ended up in physical fights with each other. God then states the simple truth to them. If this is what they call fasting then they cannot expect God to hear them, to pay any attention to their prayers. (As an aside, this section would seem to fit with the Assyrian period, just a small point that the supposedly obvious later writing of Isaiah 40 onwards is not actually obvious at all). We will have outward acts, in fact inward changes in our hearts will result in outward acts. If there is no change on the outside, then there is no evidence that there is any change on the inside. But outward acts can also just be a cover up job, an attempt to mask what is on the inside.
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