Wrong Verses Right: Isaiah 58:9 KJV

Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, “Here I am.” If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; ~Isaiah 58:9 KJV

Wrong Interpretation:

Many Christians think that this scripture is saying “stop judging.” This is because of the “pointing of the finger” phrase.

Right Interpretation:

If we look to the context clues: the “yoke” and the “speaking vanity”…, we see that this scripture is talking about those who like to be served.

A yoke means “a yoke of bondage.”

“Speaking vanity” means speaking empty things.

Therefore, imagine putting a yoke of bondage on a servant, then pointing your finger to tell them what to do, and speaking empty things that are all about you.

If we add these clues to the entire context clues found in the entire passage, we see that Isaiah is scolding the people who care only for themselves. They want servants to serve them. They want to “be served” instead of being a servant.  The point of the fast is to break bondage and serve, yet these people created bondage during their fast.

Moreover, there are three reasons this verse is not about judging.

1.) Jesus himself judges hypocrites,
2.) Paul judges sinners in the church, and
3.) Isaiah relays God’s message that tells His people at the beginning of this whole passage of Isaiah 58 to “Cry aloud and spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet and tell these people— who seek Me daily and delight in Me— their sins.” This passage speaks to hypocrites among the people of God.

In other words, God is telling His own people to point out or judge their brother’s sins, which are the sins of being selfish, self-serving, and demanding to be served during their fast.