Isaiah 58:9

"If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking wickedly; and if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul: then shall thy light rise in darkness, and thine obscurity be as the noonday; and Jehovah will guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in dry places, and make strong thy bones; and thou shalt be as a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. 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."

Here is a continuation and enlargement upon what has already been stated. "The yoke" refers to burdens and oppressions imposed upon the less fortunate; "pointing the finger" is a reference to accusations against others; and enough of this type of evil can destroy any society on earth, or any church.

"Draw out thy soul ..." (Isaiah 58:10). "This means to impart of thy own substance to those in need."[10]

"Light in darkness ... Jehovah will guide thee ... satisfy thy soul in dry places ... make strong thy bones ... etc." All of these are promises of the wonderful blessings of God for those who will heed his word. The watered garden and the spring with unfailing waters are also metaphors of the same gracious blessings.

"Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations ..." (Isaiah 58:12). "The literal and spiritual restoration of Israel is meant by this; and it was prophesied that by this means marvelous results would be produced in the whole Gentile world."[11] These marvelous developments never occurred, because Israel refused to be restored spiritually, becoming instead a bitter enemy of the Messiah and opposing the preaching of his gospel with every device they could muster, including violence, murder, political intimidation, and mob violence. This was no denial of the great prophecy here. Note that tremendous IF that stands at the beginning of Isaiah 58:9b!

We believe that Rawlinson was wrong in his supposition that the returning Israelites from captivity would be the ones who would repair the breach and restore the old paths in which to dwell.[12] Man's sin is such a weight that no nation can lift itself into a state of restoration. These words point to the Messiah