Isaiah 58:13 - Meaning and Application

There was always great emphasis on keeping the Sabbath day properly. This mattered especially for the Jews while they were captives in Babylon, because by honoring that day they set themselves apart from the worshipers of false gods, the gods who did not make the heavens and the earth. See (Isaiah 56:1-2), where Sabbath keeping is joined, as it is here, with doing what is right and just. Some people understand this passage to refer to the Day of Atonement, because they think the fast mentioned earlier in the chapter is in view, and that day is called a Sabbath of rest (Leviticus 23:32). But the earlier fasts seem to have been occasional fasts, so this Sabbath is almost certainly the weekly Sabbath, that great sign between God and his professing people. God gave it as a sign of his favor, and their keeping it showed their obedience to him.

Now we can see, first, how the Sabbath is to be honored (Isaiah 58:13). Since there still remains a Sabbath keeping for the people of God, this law of the Sabbath still binds us on the Lord’s Day.

Nothing must be done that shows contempt for the Sabbath or treats it as unimportant, when God has given it such dignity. We must “turn away our foot” from the Sabbath, meaning we must not trample on it like irreverent, unbelieving people do. Some take this to mean not traveling on that day. We must also turn away our foot from doing our own pleasure on that holy day. That is, we must not live loosely and give ourselves permission to do whatever we want on the Sabbath without conscience or restraint. We must not indulge in physical pleasures, which some modern Jews wrongly treat as the way to honor the Sabbath, though that is really a great dishonor to it.

On the Sabbath we must not walk in our own ways, meaning we must not follow our ordinary work. We must not find our own pleasure, meaning we must not pursue our sports and recreations. More than that, we must not speak our own words, words that belong to our work or our amusements. We should not allow ourselves the same freedom of speech as on other days. Instead, we must think about God’s ways and make religion the business of the day. We must choose what pleases him and speak his words. We should talk about divine things as we sit in the house and as we walk along the way. In everything we say and do, we must make a clear difference between this day and other days.

At the same time, everything should be done that honors the day and shows our high view of it. We must call it a delight, not a burden. We should enjoy the limits it places on us and the duties it requires of us. We should feel at home when we are worshiping God and enjoying fellowship with him. “How lovely are your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts” expresses that kind of heart. We should not only think of the Sabbath as a delight, but say so openly. We should speak of our pleasure in the day and in its duties.

We should call it that to God, in thanks for the day and in earnest prayer for grace to use it well. We should call it that to others, so we may invite them to share its blessing. And we should call it that to ourselves, so we do not even begin to wish the Sabbath were over so we could get back to buying and selling grain. We must call it the Lord’s holy day and honorable. It is holy because it is set apart from common use and given to God and his service. It is the holy day of the Lord, the day he has made holy for himself. Even in Old Testament times the Sabbath was called the Lord’s day, and it is fitting to call it that still, with an added reason, because it is the Lord Christ’s day (Revelation 1:10). It is holy because it belongs to the Lord, and for that reason it is honorable. There is a beauty of holiness about it. Its long standing also gives it honor, and we should show that we think it honorable by honoring God on that day. We honor the day when we honor the one who appointed it and to whose honor it is devoted.

Second, the reward for keeping the Sabbath holy is great (Isaiah 58:14). If we truly remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy, then we will gain comfort from it. The work itself will be its own reward. If we call the Sabbath a delight, then we will delight ourselves in the Lord. He will more and more show himself to us as the joyful subject of our thoughts and the pleasing object of our best love. The more joyfully we serve God, the more joy we will find in serving him. If we do our duty with cheerfulness, we will leave it with gladness and be able to say, “It is good to be here, good to draw near to God.”

We will also gain honor from it: “I will cause you to ride on the high places of the earth.” This means not only great safety, as in (Isaiah 32:16), where one dwells securely on high, but also dignity and advancement. It means being lifted up in public view, with others noticing and respecting us. God led Israel out of Egypt in triumph, and it was said that he made them ride on the high places of the earth (Deuteronomy 32:12-13). In the same way, God will honor those who honor him and his Sabbath. If God, by his grace, enables us to live above the world and to use it in a way that helps us on our way to heaven, then he makes us ride on the high places of the earth.

We will also gain profit from it: “I will feed you with the inheritance of Jacob your father.” That means all the blessings of God’s covenant and all the precious gifts of Canaan, which pointed forward to heaven, for these were the inheritance of Jacob. The believer’s inheritance is not only something reserved for the future, but something we are fed with now. We are fed with hopes of it, with signs of it, and with first tastes of it, and anyone so fed has good reason to say they are well fed.

To make this certain, God adds, “The mouth of the Lord has spoken it.” You may trust God’s word, because he cannot lie or deceive. What his mouth has spoken, his hand will surely give. What he has promised, he will do. Not one part of his good promise will fail. Blessed, then, yes, truly blessed is the person who does this and who keeps the Sabbath from profaning it.