Isaiah 57 - Bible Study in 5 Minutes

Isaiah 57 Short Summary:

Isaiah’s fifty-seventh chapter begins with a condemnation of idolatry and the Jews who loved to worship false Gods. Though they were wed to God, the people of Judah committed continual adultery with gods of foreign nations. The end of the chapter includes an offer of forgiveness from God to those in Judah who would repent with a contrite heart.

Isaiah 57 Bible Study

TIMELINE:

• The prophetic ministry of Isaiah spanned the reigns of King Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

• Isaiah’s ministry is thought to span from 739-681 BC.

KEY CHARACTERS:

• Isaiah – The son of Amoz (1:1). God commissioned Isaiah as His prophet to Judah.

• The People of Judah – Isaiah rebuked them for their love of idolatry.

DEFINITIONS:

• High places – Pagan worship sites were often located at the tops of hills or mountains. The Bible commonly uses the term “high places” when talking about the worship of idols.

• Contrite (57:15) – Feeling sad and repentant for something you did.  

OUTLINE:

• JUDAH’S LUST FOR IDOLS (57:1-13):

  • In Isaiah 54, God portrayed Judah as His wife, who He would support through an everlasting covenant of love (54:4-8).

  • Judah needed the husbandly support of God desperately, but they lusted for other lovers.

  • In this section, Isaiah describes how the people of Judah betrayed their husband in pursuit of idols and foreign alliances.

  • This betrayal made God and Isaiah very angry.

  • Isaiah called the people “sons of the sorceress, offspring of the adulterer and the loose woman” (57:3).

  • The people were guilty of lusting “among the oaks, under every green tree” (57:4), this is language associated with idolatry. The people lusted for idols rather than God. This probably also alludes to the sexual practices that accompanied the worship of these idols.

  • The people of Judah were even involved in the horrible ritual of sacrificing children to their idols (look up the history of the god Molech for more information).

  • They set their beds up in the “high places” and committed spiritual adultery.

  • Outwardly they gave lip-service to Jehovah God, but their homes were filled with images and devotions to their idols.

  • They rejected God’s covenant of love and made covenants with idolaters.

  • Alongside their betrayal of God through idolatry was their betrayal of God through foreign alliances and mimicking the pagan nations. This appears to be what Isaiah was speaking about in verse 9 when he said, “You journeyed to the king with oil and multiplied your perfumes; you sent your envoys far off, and sent down even to Sheol.”

  • Judah pursued this wicked path for years without finding success or contentment, but rather than repenting, they mustered new strength to continue their broken lifestyle.

  • God told them to cry out to their useless idols next time they found themselves in trouble.

• THE GODFEARING AND CONTRITE (14-21):

  • There were still some in Judah who were godly and some willing to repent.

  • God promised they would find refuge, possess the land, and inherit His holy mountain. He would revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.

  • God was angry with His people, but He wouldn’t remain angry forever.

  • God would heal those who wanted healing from sin and offer peace to those “far and near.”

APPLICATION:

• People who are depressed, downcast, exhausted by life, hopeless, and spent, need more than just temporary encouragement and support to “feel better.”

• If their pattern of life has led them into despair, the last thing we want to do is support them until they recover, only to see them pursue the same pattern of life when they are refreshed.

• This is what the people of Judah were doing. Isaiah described this repeating pattern in verse 10, writing, “You were wearied with the length of your way, but you did not say, “It is hopeless”; you found new life for your strength, and so you were not faint.”

• Their love for false gods always led them into hopelessness, but rather than concluding they needed to drastically change their lives, they just rested a few days until they found new strength and then devoted themselves anew to their idol worship.

• The same inputs gave them the same repeating results.

• In many modern societies, it’s now considered offensive to tell someone they need to change their habits and lifestyle.

• We’re informed to affirm people in who they want to be, to comfort without correction, or to medicate our way out of feelings of hopelessness.

• But there are times, and we follow God’s example in this, when we need to be straight with people and tell them that their patterns of life are leading them into depression and sadness and exhaustion.

• We need to share with them the best pattern of life, the way of Jesus, and help them understand they will never escape despair until they are one with their Creator, Savior, and Comforter.