The true fast is from working, doing the servile work, not resting from any kind of work . A key of understanding so that we do not lean on our own understanding.that many leave out.
Servile work is needed to maintain these bodies of death that will die. It is not a rest as in doing nothing as from exhaustion as preparation for another week of servile work .But is a day set aside to work and bring the gospel as our source of spiritual rest .And not a day to show ourselves as spiritual doing penance to show we are sorry for our sin by putting on sackcloth and covering yourselves with ashes as a way of being known on high. That only provides a path for self-righteousness.
The man that was gathering fire wood must have been in preparation of baking the manna which should have been baked the day before. It must of stunk and he was trying to remove the smell of death . Where the day before represented the sweet fragrance of life in Christ, our hidden as a parable, manna .which simply means what is it seeing it was supernatural? Seeing it is what parables are to do, hide the spiritual meaning of some while revealing the spiritual understanding to others (the believers) .
The principle of servile work is; If a man not work , neither shall he eat. God supplied enough for seven days using 6 days
The Sabbath was set aside as holy so that we could work to offer the bread of God, manna, the gospel of our salvation. So that we could do that kind of work.
And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field.Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. Exo 16:26
The Apostate Jews as Pharisees according to the oral traditions of their fathers were continually adding to that ceremonial ordinance as oral traditions of men . Limiting the distance they could walk which they defined as Kosher as well as others additions .. .
In the new testament to show how righteous they were they would say they fasted twice on the Sabbath day. The word Sabbath means rest, not week. By that time three kosher meals was the standard. The word week was added by the paraphraser for some reason . .
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week(on the Sabbath) , I give tithes of all that I possess. Luk 18:11
It is why the disciples could not cast out the lying demons . They only come out according to the true fast, offering the gospel of salvation the bread of God likened as manna. Not eating something only makes a person more hungry .It cannot affect another person who has plenty to eat.
Mark 9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
That commandment above is shown as being obeyed in Acts. By that kind of fast ,offering the gospel they are shown as believing ,the result.
Acts 14:23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
Isaiah 58 the whole chapter is used as a parable to help us understanding what kind of work can be performed on a Sabbath day . (not week )
Isa 58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
In the first description the gospel is seen as we hold out the gospel, as bread to those who hunger and thirst for a righteousness not of their own selves also called the naked as far as not being clothed with Christ.This does mean we can neglect the physical needs.
Isa 58:8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.
This is in respect to the light of God’s word, it heals us of an eternal dept. Then and not before we can call out and the Lord will answer. It removes our finger as to pointing to others, as if God was a respecter of person.
Isa 58:9 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;
Isa 58:10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:Isa 58:11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. (The gospel the water that washes away our sins. )
Isa 58:12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
Isa 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
Isa 58:14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
