“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Isaiah 58:6-7)

Take a close look at the various aspects of the kind of fasting that is acceptable to God.

Every one of them seems to be aimed at those who are at least at arm’s length from us.

We often think of those who are shackled by chains of injustice living in countries where justice is not available to all.

We see those bound by the cords of the yoke belonging to cultures that are not our own.

We label those who live under authoritarian regimes “the oppressed.”

The hungry, the wanderer, the naked are not usually residents of our middle class neighbourhoods.

With our attention focused on those who are at a distance from us—geographically or socio-economically, we may be tempted to skip the final category of people tucked in at the tail end of these verses.

That’s right. Our “own flesh and blood.”

Here is how some other translations put it:

“Do not hide from relatives who need your help.” (New Living Translation)

“Don’t refuse to help your relatives.” (God’s Word Translation)

“Be available to your own families.” (The Message)

If we want to reap the rewards of the Isaiah 58 Fast outlined in the verses that follow–

e.g. our light breaking forth like the dawn,

our healing appearing quickly,

the glory of the Lord being our rear guard, etc.—

We need to not only take care of the needs of those we do not know, but also those who are the best known to us—our relatives, our flesh and blood, our own families.

By highlighting this group of people, the Holy Spirit is asking us to evaluate how well we fare in meeting this condition of the Fast.

This must be really important to God, as evidenced by the emphasis throughout Scripture on how we treat one another in our families.

Here are a few examples:

“Honour your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” (Deuteronomy 5:16)

“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24)

“Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (I Timothy 5:8)

So, here are a few questions to ask ourselves, for starters:

• How well do I honour my father and mother?
• Am I harbouring any unforgiveness in my heart or nursing a grudge against any member of my family?
• Am I providing for my own household as I ought to?

Would you ask the Holy Spirit to give you a report card on these three subjects?

When He gives you a passing grade, praise God!

When He gives you anything lower, would you ask your Teacher why?

Wait till you hear from Him.

Then, go right ahead and fix the problem right away, so that you will never be accused of “turning away from your own flesh and blood.”