Isaiah 57-58

Isaiah 57 “The Hurt Heart of a Holy Husband”

·      In chapter 57, the prophet Isaiah confronts the idolatry of God’s covenant people.

·      He speaks of their cruelty, immorality, and religiosity, in the midst of their deliberate rebellion against the LORD.

·      He ends the chapter by speaking of the Lord’s, longing for His people, assuring them that God’s righteous anger will not continue towards them.

·      The Lord will bring back repentant backsliders, but He will withhold His peace from those who insist upon continuing in their godlessness.

Israel’s Futile Idolatry 1-13

1 The righteous perishes, 

And no man takes it to heart; 

Merciful men are taken away, 

While no one considers

That the righteous is taken away from evil. 

·      Psalm 116:15 NLT “The LORD cares deeply when His loved ones die.”

·      Revelation 6:9-11 NLT “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?” Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.”

·      When a society becomes indifferent about the righteous being killed, you have a society that is ripe for the judgment of God.

·      Some see in this verse, a description of the rapture of the Church.

2 He shall enter into peace; 

They shall rest in their beds, 

Each one walking in his uprightness. 

3 “But come here, You sons of the sorceress, 

You offspring of the adulterer and the harlot {whore}!

4 Whom do you ridicule?

Against whom do you make a wide mouth

 And stick out the tongue? 

Are you not children of transgression, 

Offspring of falsehood, 

·      They were living ungodly while mocking the godly. They were living unfaithful while mocking the faithful.

5 Inflaming yourselves with gods under every green tree, 

Slaying the children in the valleys, 

Under the clefts of the rocks?

·      They had sacred groves of trees that they would worship their idols under. These were connected to pagan fertility rituals.

·      Part of their worship of the false god, Molech, was offering their children as a sacrifice to him.

·      The mention of valleys and clefts probably elude to the shamefulness of their pagan practices.

6 Among the smooth stones of the stream

Is your portion; 

They, they, are your lot! 

Even to them you have poured a drink offering, 

You have offered a grain offering. 

Should I receive comfort in these? 

7 “On a lofty and high mountain {hilltop shrines}

You have set your bed; {a symbol of intimacy and rest}

Even there you went up 

To offer sacrifice.

8 Also behind the doors and their posts {like the Jewish Mehzuza}

You have set up your remembrance {probably a pagan symbol};

For you have uncovered yourself to those other than Me, 

And have gone up to them; 

You have enlarged your bed

And made a covenant with them; 

You have loved their bed, 

Where you saw their nudity. 

·      In verses 7-8, the LORD confronts Israel for her spiritual adultery that she has committed with the pagan idols.

9 You went to the king {Molech means king} with ointment, 

And increased your perfumes; 

You sent your messengers far off, {no limit to gratifying the flesh}

And even descended to Sheol. {necromancy, séance?}

10 You are wearied in the length of your way; 

Yet you did not say, ‘There is no hope.’ 

You have found the life of your hand; {“This is life”}

Therefore you were not grieved. {indifferent in their idolatry}

11 “And of whom have you been afraid, or feared, 

That you have lied

And not remembered Me,

Nor taken it to your heart? 

Is it not because I have held My peace from of old {silent for a long time} 

That you do not fear Me?

·      They made the mistake of thinking because God wasn’t judging them that they were good to go on in their idolatry.

·      They mistook God’s patience for His approval.

·      Ecclesiastes 8:11 “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”

·      The lack of the fear of the LORD is the leading cause to persistent sin in a person’s life.

12 I will declare your righteousness {being sarcastic?}

And your works, 

For they will not profit you.

·      We’re not made righteous before God by our works but by the work of Christ’s atoning sacrifice.

13 When you cry out, 

Let your collection of idols deliver you.

But the wind will carry them all away, 

A breath will take them. 

But he who puts his trust in Me shall possess the land, 

And shall inherit My holy mountain.” 

·      This verse contrasts the difference between placing trust in idols and placing trust in the living God.

Healing for the Backslider 14-21

14 And one shall say, “Heap it up! Heap it up! 

Prepare the way {raise a highway}, 

Take the stumbling block {idolatry} out of the way of My people.”

15 For thus says the High and Lofty One {Isaiah 6:1}

Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 

·      Have you entrusted your eternity into His hands?

“I dwell in the high and holy place, 

With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, 

·      He dwells with those broken over their own sinfulness.

To revive the spirit of the humble,

And to revive the heart of the contrite ones. 

·      Humility precedes repentance. 

Ø  Pride is what keeps people from repenting.

Ø  The prideful see themselves above God’s judgment.

·      God wants to have an intimate relationship with you and me. This intimate relationship happens as we spend quality time with Him. As we spend quality time with Him, our hearts grow closer to Him. As our hearts grow closer to Him, we recognize His awesomeness and our continual need for His unfailing love.

16 For I will not contend forever, {God’s marvelous mercy}

Nor will I always be angry; 

For the spirit would fail before Me,

And the souls which I have made. 

17 For the iniquity of his covetousness I was angry and struck him; 

I hid and was angry, 

And he went on backsliding in the way of his heart.

18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him; 

·      Isaiah 53:5 NLT “But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.”

I will also lead him, 

And restore comforts to him 

And to his mourners. 

·      This is speaking of those who mourned Jerusalem’s judgment and destruction.

19 “I create the fruit of the lips: 

Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near,” Says the LORD, “And I will heal him.” 

·      The Lord’s desire to heal those who have abandoned Him shows His marvelous mercy, and amazing grace.

20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea,

When it cannot rest {restless}, 

Whose waters cast up mire and dirt. {constantly causing trouble}

21 “There is no peace,” Says my God, “for the wicked.””

·      When a person rejects the One who is Himself, the Prince of peace, they can’t expect His perfect peace.

Isaiah 58 “Superficial Sacrifice”

·      In chapter 58, the LORD through His prophet, Isaiah confronts the hypocritical worship of His people.

·      They were going through the motions, but their hearts had no devotion.

·      The specific area of superficiality was in their fasting, it was a false humility, an empty observance.

·      There was only one fast required which was on the Day of Atonement.

·      Our spiritual disciplines can be practiced in holiness, or in emptiness.

·      The genuineness of our spiritual disciplines is displayed most often in the way that we treat others.

·      Our spiritual disciplines can be fruitful, or they can be futile.

·      If our spiritual disciplines aren’t benefiting others, then they are most likely being practiced superficially.

·      Isaiah closes out the chapter with the right attitude of heart in keeping the Sabbath.

Fasting that Pleases God 1-14

1 ““Cry aloud, spare not; 

Lift up your voice like a trumpet; 

Tell My people their transgression, 

And the house of Jacob their sins.

·      The Lord calls, the pastor, the preacher, or the prophet to comfort those who are afflicted, but He also calls them to afflict those who are comfortable in their compromise.

·      Isaiah is contrasted with the silent dogs of Isaiah 56:10.

2 Yet they seek Me daily, 

And delight to know My ways, 

As a nation that did righteousness, 

And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. 

They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; 

They take delight in approaching God.

·      They were seeking the Lord, outwardly, but inwardly were still given over to their idols.

·      They were religious and self-righteous. 

Ø  It’s possible to be religious and still unrighteous before the Lord.

·      We should always be willing to confront the hypocrisy in our own lives first.

3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? 

Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’ 

“In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, 

And exploit all your laborers.

·      They rested while others had to carry their load too.

4 Indeed you fast for strife and debate, 

And to strike with the fist of wickedness. 

You will not fast as you do this day, 

To make your voice heard on high. 

·      The Lord does not hear the prayer of the insincere religious.

5 Is it a fast that I have chosen, 

A day for a man to afflict {humiliate} his soul? 

Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, 

And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? 

·      External expressions of mourning sin.

Would you call this a fast, 

And an acceptable day to the LORD?

·      True humility leads to true repentance and that leads to true fasting.

·      Matthew 6:16-18 ““Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: 

To loose the bonds of wickedness, 

To undo the heavy burdens, 

To let the oppressed go free, 

And that you break every yoke? 

·      This is what the Lord did for us in Christ, and we should desire the same for others.

7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, 

And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; 

When you see the naked, that you cover him, 

And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

·      Mark 12:30-31 NLT “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.””

·      James 1:27 NLT “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”

8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, 

Your healing shall spring forth speedily, 

And your righteousness shall go before you; 

The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. 

·      Verses 8-14 set the tone for the remainder of the Book of Isaiah, which are the promises for the repentant remnant.

9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; 

You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ {Wow!}

“If you take away the yoke from your midst, 

The pointing of the finger {accusations}, and speaking wickedness {slander}, 

10 If you extend your soul to the hungry

And satisfy the afflicted soul, 

Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, 

And your darkness shall be as the noonday. 

11 The LORD will guide you continually, 

And satisfy your soul in drought, 

And strengthen your bones;

You shall be like a watered garden, 

And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. 

12 Those from among you

Shall build {Rebuild} the old waste places; 

You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; 

And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, 

The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, 

From doing your pleasure {self-pleasing pursuits} on My holy day, 

·      The Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between the LORD and Israel. 

Ø  Exodus 31:12-17 NLT ““Tell the people of Israel: ‘Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy. You must keep the Sabbath day, for it is a holy day for you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; anyone who works on that day will be cut off from the community. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the LORD. Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death. The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath day by observing it from generation to generation. This is a covenant obligation for all time. It is a permanent sign of my covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.’””

·      Israel‘s attitude of heart towards the Sabbath revealed the spiritual health of the nation.

And call the Sabbath a delight, 

The holy day of the LORD honorable, 

·      He set apart this day to spend with you and me.

And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, 

Nor finding your own pleasure, 

Nor speaking your own words, 

14 Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; 

And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, 

And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. 

The mouth of the LORD has spoken.””

·      Let us guard our hearts against hiding behind our election, or how long we pray, or how much of the Scriptures we read every day, or how often we go to Church, or the money we give, because in reality, the Lord sees through it all, He sees our motives.

·      Let us practice genuine faith and live in genuine fellowship.