Isaiah 58–66 closes the book with some of its brightest chapters. Isaiah 58 redefines fasting and the Sabbath. Isaiah 59 promises that the Redeemer shall come to Zion, in 59:20. Isaiah 60 begins “Arise, shine; for thy light is come.” Isaiah 61:1–3 describes One anointed to heal the brokenhearted, free the captives and give “beauty for ashes.” Jesus stood up in the synagogue at Nazareth and read this passage. Then He announced, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears,” in Luke 4:16–21. The last chapters look forward to the Savior’s Second Coming. There’s a new heaven and a new earth in 65:17–25, when even the wolf and the lamb will feed together.
Isaiah 58 starts with a complaint people still make: “Wherefore have we fasted… and thou seest not?” The Lord’s answer is blunt. They went hungry, but that same day they chased their own pleasure. They pushed their workers and picked fights, in 58:3–5. The fast He chooses is aimed at burdens. It looses the bands of wickedness, undoes heavy burdens and frees the oppressed. It feeds the hungry and doesn’t hide from people in need, in 58:6–7. Then come the promises in 58:8–12. Light breaks forth like the morning. The Lord answers “Here I am.” He guides continually and makes the soul like a watered garden. And we earn the title “repairer of the breach.”
Here’s how the Church fasts today. On one Sunday each month, members who are able skip food and drink for two meals in a row. That’s about 24 hours. They pray with a purpose and give a fast offering. It’s at least the cost of those meals, and more if they can. The bishop uses fast offerings to help people in need. This matters for this age group: not everyone should fast from food. The Church teaches that members who are physically able should fast, in Gospel Principles chapter 25. So health comes first. Some youth have diabetes, another medical condition or a history of disordered eating. They should talk with their parents and doctor. They can still keep the spirit of Isaiah 58. They can fast from something else, like a phone, social media or a habit. They still pray with purpose and give. Never praise not eating. Never comment on anyone’s body.
Isaiah 58:13–14 invites us to call the Sabbath a delight by turning from our own pleasure to the Lord. Your 16- to 18-year-olds are about to live on their own at college, at work or on a mission. No parent will wake them for church or remind them it’s fast Sunday. Help them see fasting and the Sabbath as tools they choose, not rules they endure. Keep it honest. Sometimes a fast doesn’t bring the answer we wanted. The promise “Here I am” in 58:9 is first a promise that He’s there.
