Lesson 130:
Isaiah 58
FASTING: On the
board:
One Sunday
morning, you prepare breakfast and are about to start eating when you realize
that it is fast Sunday.
What are the first thoughts that
enter your mind? (what are
your feelings on fasting?)
VIDEO: As
you watch the video, consider whether you have ever experienced something
similar to what the young man in the video experienced. (STOP the video after Larry is seen in a
dentist’s chair.)
Discuss
fasting—what, who, how… why. Some
people wonder why. What specific instructions have we been given?
---Look for
principles in Isaiah 58 that can help you understand why
we fast and how fasting can be a source of spiritual power.
---In Isaiah 58:1–2 the Lord directed Isaiah to
boldly declare to the house of Jacob (or Israel) their sins. These sins
included outwardly performing religious practices without sincere intent and
thus acting as if they were a righteous nation that had not forsaken the Lord.
One law these Israelites outwardly practiced was fasting. The Israelites wondered
why He did not acknowledge their fasting.
We find the
Lord’s response to the people in verses 3-4. He taught that rather than seeking
to be repentant and draw closer to Him while they fasted, they sought worldly
pleasures and engaged in worldly activities. Instead of showing compassion to
others, they forced others to work, and they were irritable and contentious.
The Lord said that because their intentions and actions were improper while
they fasted, He would not acknowledge their prayers.
Mark:
--- bulrush? ---sacckcloth?
---In
biblical times people often wore sackcloth or sat on sackcloth and ashes to
symbolize their humility or sorrow.
---What did the Lord question about the
people’s fasting?
(He
questioned whether the outward appearances of fasting reflected the proper
spirit of the fast that He intended.)
---How might we make similar
mistakes when we fast?
Isaiah 58:5. “Is it such a fast
that I have chosen?”
Elder
Carl B. Pratt of the Seventy spoke of how a person might miss out on the
promised blessings of properly fasting:
“I fear …
that too many of us are either not fasting on fast day or we are doing so in a
lackadaisical manner. If we are guilty of taking our fast day for granted or
simply fasting Sunday morning instead of making it two complete meals—24
hours—we are depriving ourselves and our families of the choice spiritual
experiences and blessings that can come from a true fast.”
---How would you phrase the Lord’s question
in your own words?
---on the
board:
If we fast as the Lord intends, … (Students will complete this
statement with three different phrases during the lesson.)
2.---Read Isaiah 58:6 aloud looking for what the Lord
taught about the intended purposes of fasting.
---If we fast as the Lord intends, what can
we do for others and ourselves?
(If we fast
as the Lord intends, then we can help relieve others’ burdens
and receive relief from our own burdens.)
---What difference can it make if we
fast with a specific righteous purpose?
---What are some examples of “bands of
wickedness,” “heavy burdens,” oppression, or yokes that can be relieved when we
fast?
---When have you seen the Lord relieve your
own or others’ burdens through fasting?
Isaiah 58:6. A proper fast
President
Ezra Taft Benson taught of ways to make the most of a fast:
“Periodic fasting can help clear
up the mind and strengthen the body and the spirit. … To make a fast most
fruitful, it should be coupled with prayer and meditation; physical work should
be held to a minimum, and it’s a blessing if one can ponder on the scriptures
and the reason for the fast.”
Elder
Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of the
influence of prayer on fasting:
“We observe that in the
scriptures, fasting almost always is linked with prayer. Without prayer,
fasting is not complete fasting; it’s simply going hungry.”
---What is another intended purpose of
fasting?
(If we fast as the Lord intends, then we will care for the poor and needy.)
---How can we help care for the hungry, poor,
and naked through fasting? (One way is through contributing fast offerings.)
---To help
the class understand how fast offerings are used, consider inviting a student
to read aloud the following statement by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
“Fast offerings are used for one
purpose only: to bless the lives of those in need. Every dollar given to the
bishop as a fast offering goes to assist the poor. When donations exceed local
needs, they are passed along to fulfill the needs elsewhere.”
---What amount should we give
for a fast offering? (Generally, at least the value of the two meals not eaten.
Prophets have encouraged us to be generous when possible.)
---In your own words, how would you summarize
these promised blessings for fasting as the Lord intends?
If we fast
as the Lord intends, then He can bless
us with light, health, righteousness, protection, revelation, and guidance.
---When have you or someone you know
experienced blessings similar to those listed in these verses by fasting as the
Lord intends?
---Consider
whether you fast as the Lord intends.
---Write on
pieces of paper a goal for one way they can improve their fasting. BRAINSTORM
IDEAS
---Put this
goal in a place where you can see it often before the next fast Sunday. Which
is when???
---The Lord
next taught the people about another law they were improperly observing.
---What days of the week or year bring you a
lot of joy?
Isaiah 58:6, 8. Loosening
the bands of wickedness, undoing heavy burdens, and receiving additional
blessings
Elder
Carl B. Pratt of the Seventy taught how the blessings described in Isaiah 58:6 could be experienced by someone
in our day:
“If we fast
and pray with the purpose of repenting of sins and overcoming personal
weaknesses, surely we are seeking to ‘loose the bands of wickedness’ in our
lives. If the purpose of our fast is to be more effective in teaching the
gospel and serving others in our Church callings, we are surely striving to
‘undo the heavy burdens’ of others. If we are fasting and praying for the
Lord’s help in our missionary efforts, aren’t we desiring to ‘let the oppressed
go free’? If the purpose of our fast is to increase our love for our fellow man
and overcome our selfishness, our pride, and having our hearts set upon the
things of this world, surely we are seeking to ‘break every yoke’” (“The Blessings of a
Proper Fast,” Ensign or
Liahona, Nov. 2004, 48–49).
FINISH
VIDEO: Look for how Larry’s experience with fasting changed.
SABBATH
---Scan Isaiah 58:13, looking for the day the Lord
associates with being a “delight,” or a source of great joy.
---Report.
Mark: --- Isaiah 58:13–14 records that the Lord taught a
principle about the Sabbath that can make that day a source of great joy for us
and a means of obtaining other blessings from Him.
---Write the
word If on the
board.
5.---Read Isaiah 58:13 aloud looking for what the Lord
taught about how to keep the Sabbath day holy.
(You may
want to remind students that holy
means set apart or sanctified for God’s
purposes.)
---What did the Lord teach about how to keep
the Sabbath day holy?
---What do you think the phrase “turn away
thy foot … from doing thy pleasure on my holy day” means for us?
---How would you summarize the Lord’s
instructions in Isaiah 58:13 using the word if? (Write students’ responses on the
board next to If. One way to summarize the Lord’s instructions is If we honor
the Lord by keeping the Sabbath day holy, …)
---Write the
word then on the
board.
6.---Read Isaiah 58:14 aloud looking for the blessings
the Lord promised for keeping the Sabbath day holy.
---The
phrase “the high places of the earth”
in verse 14 can refer to sacred places where revelation can be
received and God’s presence can be felt, such as chapels and temples of the
Lord. The phrase “the heritage of Jacob”
refers to the blessings promised to
Jacob and his posterity. WRITE IN MARGINS
---How would you summarize the blessings
listed in Isaiah 58:14
If we honor
the Lord by keeping the Sabbath day holy, then we will have joy in our relationship with the Lord and obtain both
temporal and spiritual blessings.)
Isaiah
58:13–14. Keeping the Sabbath day holy
President
Spencer W. Kimball taught the following about keeping the Sabbath day
holy:
“The Sabbath is a holy day in
which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is
important but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and
acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking
it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons,
studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, sleeping,
reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day to which
he is expected. To fail to do these proper things is a transgression on the
omission side.”
---Divide
students into groups of two or three. (Create a list of activities that would
help your friends honor the Lord by keeping the Sabbath day holy)
---Imagine
that several friends ask them what they can do with their time on the Sabbath
so they will not be doing their “own ways” or seeking their “own pleasure” (Isaiah 58:13).
---Work in
your groups to create a list of activities that would help your friends honor
the Lord by keeping the Sabbath day holy.
---After
sufficient time, invite one student from each group to write his or her group’s
responses on the board.
---Which of these activities have helped you
to be able to “call the sabbath a delight”? (Isaiah 58:13). Why?
---In what ways have you experienced joy and
temporal and spiritual blessings as a result of honoring the Lord by keeping
the Sabbath day holy?
---Think
about how you spent their previous Sabbath day.
---Take the
piece of paper with your goal for fasting and add to it a goal for one way you
will better keep the upcoming Sabbath day holy.
---I might
follow up on what they experience as a result of applying your goals related to
fasting and keeping the Sabbath day holy.
---In Isaiah 58:1–2 the Lord directed Isaiah to
boldly declare to the house of Jacob (or Israel) their sins. These sins
included outwardly performing religious practices without sincere intent and
thus acting as if they were a righteous nation that had not forsaken the Lord.
One law these Israelites outwardly practiced was fasting. The Israelites wondered
why He did not acknowledge their fasting.
We find the
Lord’s response to the people in verses 3-4. He taught that rather than seeking
to be repentant and draw closer to Him while they fasted, they sought worldly
pleasures and engaged in worldly activities. Instead of showing compassion to
others, they forced others to work, and they were irritable and contentious.
The Lord said that because their intentions and actions were improper while
they fasted, He would not acknowledge their prayers.
Elder
Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
“Fast offerings are used for one
purpose only: to bless the lives of those in need. Every dollar given to the
bishop as a fast offering goes to assist the poor. When donations exceed local
needs, they are passed along to fulfill the needs elsewhere.”
Isaiah 58:5. “Is it such a fast
that I have chosen?”
Elder
Carl B. Pratt of the Seventy spoke of how a person might miss out on the
promised blessings of properly fasting:
“I fear …
that too many of us are either not fasting on fast day or we are doing so in a
lackadaisical manner. If we are guilty of taking our fast day for granted or
simply fasting Sunday morning instead of making it two complete meals—24
hours—we are depriving ourselves and our families of the choice spiritual
experiences and blessings that can come from a true fast.”
Isaiah 58:6. A proper fast
President
Ezra Taft Benson taught of ways to make the most of a fast:
“Periodic
fasting can help clear up the mind and strengthen the body and the spirit. … To
make a fast most fruitful, it should be coupled with prayer and meditation;
physical work should be held to a minimum, and it’s a blessing if one can
ponder on the scriptures and the reason for the fast” (“Do Not Despair,” Ensign, Nov. 1974, 66–67).
Isaiah
58:6, 8. Loosening the bands of wickedness, undoing heavy burdens, and
receiving additional blessings
Elder
Carl B. Pratt of the Seventy taught how the blessings described in Isaiah 58:6 could be experienced by someone
in our day:
“If we fast
and pray with the purpose of repenting of sins and overcoming personal
weaknesses, surely we are seeking to ‘loose the bands of wickedness’ in our
lives. If the purpose of our fast is to be more effective in teaching the
gospel and serving others in our Church callings, we are surely striving to
‘undo the heavy burdens’ of others. If we are fasting and praying for the
Lord’s help in our missionary efforts, aren’t we desiring to ‘let the oppressed
go free’? If the purpose of our fast is to increase our love for our fellow man
and overcome our selfishness, our pride, and having our hearts set upon the
things of this world, surely we are seeking to ‘break every yoke’” (“The Blessings of a
Proper Fast,” Ensign or
Liahona, Nov. 2004, 48–49).
Elder
Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of the
influence of prayer on fasting:
“We observe
that in the scriptures, fasting almost always is linked with prayer. Without
prayer, fasting is not complete fasting; it’s simply going hungry.”
Isaiah
58:13–14. Keeping the Sabbath day holy
President
Spencer W. Kimball taught the following about keeping the Sabbath day
holy:
“The Sabbath
is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and
recreation is important but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive
thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the
Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer,
preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and
distressed, sleeping, reading wholesome material, and attending all the
meetings of that day to which he is expected. To fail to do these proper things
is a transgression on the omission side” (The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 96–97).
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