Isaiah 58:12

The ‘ancient properties’ were buildings that the *Babylonians had knocked down a century earlier. The people had never repaired them, although Cyrus had given the order to do so (see Isaiah 45:13).

• To erect a building, people did not clear the ground first, as today. They simply knocked down the old property. Then they built the new building on top of the piles of rocks and stones of the old building. Because people did this, today great mounds (huge piles) mark the position of ancient towns. We call them ‘tells’. It would take many centuries to dig up the ‘tells’ of a large city like Babylon!

Respect God’s holy days

v13 ‘Give honour to God on the *Sabbath as his holy day. It is not a day on which to carry on business. It is not a day to do as you like. It is a special day on which to enjoy the *Lord himself. Speak of the *Sabbath with joy as the *Lord’s holy day. Give honour to the *Lord in what you do on the *Sabbath. Do not look for pleasure in your own interests. And do not use the day to gossip. v14 Then I, the *Lord, will truly be your delight. And I will see to it that you ride high in the land. And you will get your proper share of the good things that I promised to your early relative Jacob.’ That is what the *Lord says.