Verses 2-5: (2) “Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways. As a nation that has done righteousness And has not forsaken the ordinances of their God. They ask Me for just decisions. They delight in the nearness of God. (3) Why have we fasted and You did not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice? Behold on the day of your fast fast you find your desire And drive hard your workers. (4) Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice hear on high. (5) Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the LORD? (NASB)

I am not sure if we can understand or honestly handle God showing this kind of distain for such an irreverent disregard of His capacity to see our very motives in perfection, therefore, in my opinion dripping with mirrored sarcasm. Every part of these four verses are seen through with laser accuracies and if you feel somehow that this kind of submission before God has any bearing on His commitment to help, then re-read it, meditate on it and consider why or how this confrontation from God is not showing His active distain? It is also addressing that if this is the high water mark of your relationship with God by trying to come before Him in a substinative way, verse 5 contests your arrogance in both concept and delivery. I can see the person missing one meal, 20 pounds overweight, light headed from self ventilation rocking in agony drawing the attention of everyone but God. And this person has made a bed of sackcloth and laid ashes upon it knowing that this kind of clothing and pouring ashes on the head has worked for others grieved by their sin and apostasy before God. But this is not a garment of sackcloth it is a tribute to the concept with a facade not acted out by the participant, this is again an outward sign of not being vulnerable but rather a demonstration of what a facade looks like in real time. These are equivalent to a hug that never contacts but is wedged far from completion by arms that block and looks that say no thanks, not ever! These types of gestures do not tug on the heartstrings of His lovingkindness but rather produce a reflex of gagging, or a continued turning of the face away, for our sin remains ever before Him, unrequited, stagnant and separating all fellowship and intimacy. I know my words may feel unkind but if you are willing to read those 4 verses again slowly, considering what God is clearly saying, this is not to be mean, it is a Spirit driven address to break our facade centric mask that we think is effective. God wants us to know He sees us perfectly, fully flawed and without a hope, only then in that closet there face to face can we know His lovingkindness and stooping grace of which He will willingly give if we are willing to repent! Then in that recognition we are wearing the sackcloth, seeing our filthy status, putting ashes on our head recognizing without His intervention we are like a discarded menstrual cloth waving our lack of sanctification before a holy God! This used cloth is a direct connection to our personal righteousness, not easy to hear for us, but even more corrupted for God to see us delighting in our arrogance and sinful behaviors. Isaiah 64:6 and Romans 3:19-23 bring the Scriptural credence to this poor position we find ourselves failing in without the imputed righteousness of God.

Segment Two: