Commentary - Isaiah 57:1-13

Bird's-eye view

This chapter presents a stark and jarring contrast between two kinds of people, two kinds of worship, and two ultimate destinies. Isaiah, speaking for the Lord, begins by describing the quiet, often unnoticed, departure of the righteous. Their death is a rescue, an entrance into peace, a concept completely lost on the corrupt world they leave behind. Immediately following this peaceful scene, the prophet summons the wicked leadership of Israel to the docket. The charge is covenantal adultery, which is to say, idolatry. God, the husband of Israel, lays out the evidence of their flagrant unfaithfulness. Their worship is not just mistaken; it is a frenzied, orgiastic, and murderous betrayal conducted on every high hill and under every green tree. They have abandoned the true God for gods who are no gods, and their spiritual adultery has manifested in the most depraved practices, including child sacrifice. The Lord challenges them directly: will He relent in the face of such high-handed treason? The passage concludes with a devastating critique of their political and spiritual alliances, exposing their frantic religious activity as utterly useless. Their trust is in things that will be blown away by a puff of wind, while true security and inheritance belong only to those who take refuge in the living God.

In essence, Isaiah 57 is a tale of two mountains. The wicked make their idolatrous beds on a "lofty and lifted up" mountain of their own choosing, a place of frantic works and spiritual prostitution. But the righteous, those who take refuge in the Lord, will inherit God's "holy mountain." One is a mountain of frantic, self-generated religion that leads to Sheol; the other is the mountain of God's grace, a place of rest and true possession.

Outline

Context In Isaiah

Isaiah 57 is situated in the third major section of the book (chapters 56-66), which deals with the future glory of Zion and the establishment of God's new heavens and new earth. However, this glorious future is not reached without a final, searing confrontation with the persistent sin of God's people. Chapter 56 began by calling for justice and righteousness, but it also identified corrupt leaders as blind watchmen and greedy dogs. Chapter 57 picks up this theme and intensifies it dramatically. It functions as a divine lawsuit against the apostate leadership and populace, providing the justification for the judgment that must precede the promised glory. The rampant idolatry described here is the very reason the exile was necessary, and it is the antithesis of the true worship that will characterize the redeemed community in the chapters that follow (e.g., Isaiah 60). This chapter is a stark reminder that the path to the New Jerusalem runs straight through a valley of repentance from the sins of the Old Jerusalem.

Key Issues

The Great Divorce

The Bible consistently uses the covenant of marriage as the central metaphor for God's relationship with His people. He is the faithful husband; they are His bride. It follows, then, that the most heinous sin is not simply breaking a rule, but breaking the vow. Idolatry is not an intellectual mistake; it is spiritual adultery. It is the bride of Yahweh sneaking out the back door to prostitute herself to other lovers, lovers who are worthless, brutish, and demonic.

In this passage, Isaiah drops all pleasantries and speaks with the raw language of a betrayed husband confronting his unfaithful wife. The imagery is graphic and sexual because the sin is intimate and treacherous. They "inflame" themselves, they make their "bed" on a high mountain, they have "uncovered" themselves, they have "loved their bed," and they have "looked on their manhood." This is the language of a divorce court, where the evidence of infidelity is laid bare. This is not God being prudish; this is God being jealous, which is the only righteous response to covenant betrayal. His holy jealousy is the flip side of His covenant love. If He did not love Israel so fiercely, He would not be so righteously enraged by her treachery.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 The righteous man perishes, and no man puts it upon his heart; And men of lovingkindness are gathered away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is gathered away from evil,

The chapter opens with a somber observation that is actually a declaration of God's mercy. When a righteous man dies, the world carries on, oblivious. The corrupt society doesn't even notice the loss of its best men. They are so spiritually dull that they cannot interpret what is happening. But God gives the interpretation: the death of the righteous is a rescue mission. God is "gathering them away" from the coming evil, from the judgment that is about to fall on the wicked nation. Their death is not a tragedy but a translation, a removal to safety before the storm hits. It is a profound act of divine kindness, completely misunderstood by the spiritually blind.

2 He enters into peace; They rest in their beds, Each one who walked in his upright way.

This is the positive side of that divine rescue. Where do they go? They enter into shalom, into peace. Death for the believer is not an end but an entrance. The imagery of resting in their beds signifies a state of tranquility and security, a stark contrast to the frantic, restless energy of the idolaters we are about to meet. This rest is the rightful inheritance of "each one who walked in his upright way." Their path in life was straight, and so their entrance into death is peace. This is the Bible's consistent teaching: "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints" (Ps 116:15).

3 “But draw near, you sons of a soothsayer, Seed of an adulterer and a prostitute.

The tone shifts abruptly from the peaceful rest of the saints to a harsh courtroom summons. "But you..." God calls the wicked to the stand, and He identifies them by their spiritual parentage. They are not sons of Abraham, but sons of a sorceress, the offspring of spiritual adultery and prostitution. Their very nature is defined by the occult and by covenantal unfaithfulness. God is saying, "I know who your real parents are. I know what spirit you are of."

4 Against whom do you jest? Against whom do you open wide your mouth And stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, Seed of lying,

God confronts their insolence. They mock and jeer, but they are ignorant of whom they are mocking. In persecuting the righteous and ignoring God's law, they are sticking their tongues out at the Holy One of Israel Himself. Their mockery is childish, but it is also damnable. He then doubles down on their parentage. They are not just children of transgression; they are the very "seed of lying." Their father is the father of lies (John 8:44), and they are chips off the old block.

5 Who inflame yourselves among the oaks, Under every green tree, Who slaughter the children in the ravines, Under the clefts of the cliffs?

Here the specific charges begin, and they are horrific. The phrase "inflame yourselves" points to the ecstatic, orgiastic frenzy of pagan fertility rites. These rites were conducted in groves of trees, which functioned as outdoor brothels for their spiritual adultery. But their depravity did not stop with sexual sin. It descended into the ultimate abomination: child sacrifice. They slaughtered their own children in desolate places, offering them to the demon-god Molech. This is where idolatry always leads. When you abandon the worship of the Creator, you will inevitably begin to destroy His creation, starting with the most vulnerable bearers of His image.

6 Among the smooth stones of the ravine Is your portion, they are your lot; Even to them you have poured out a drink offering; You have made a grain offering. Shall I relent concerning these things?

Their idolatry was not even sophisticated. They would pick up smooth stones from the wadis, the dry riverbeds where they performed their sacrifices, and worship them. These dumb stones, God says with divine sarcasm, are your "portion" and your "lot." This is a play on the language of inheritance. The Levites had the Lord as their portion (Num 18:20); apostate Israel has a pile of rocks. To these rocks they perform the sacred rituals of drink and grain offerings that were due to Yahweh alone. God's concluding question is rhetorical and chilling: "Shall I relent concerning these things?" The answer is an emphatic no. This is an offense that demands judgment.

7 Upon a mountain lofty and lifted up You have made your bed. You also went up there to offer sacrifice.

The scene moves from the ravines to the high places. The "high places" were traditional sites for idolatrous worship. Here, God uses the explicit metaphor of adultery. Making your bed on a high mountain is a picture of flagrant, public prostitution. You have not tried to hide your sin; you have flaunted it. You have climbed the mountain not to meet with God, but to commit adultery with your false gods and to offer them sacrifices.

8 Behind the door and the doorpost You have set up your memorial; Indeed, far removed from Me, you have uncovered yourself, And have gone up and made your bed wide, And you have cut a covenant for yourself with them; You have loved their bed; You have looked on their manhood.

The sin is not just public; it is also private. Behind the very doorposts where they were commanded to write the words of the Shema (Deut 6:9), they set up their pagan "memorial," their idols. This is a direct defilement of the home. Then the adultery metaphor becomes even more explicit. Having forsaken God ("far removed from Me"), they have gotten into bed with other lovers. They "made your bed wide," inviting many lovers. They "cut a covenant," which is the language of making a formal treaty or marriage pact with these false gods. They "loved their bed," meaning they delighted in their sin. And they "looked on their manhood," a graphic depiction of gazing with desire upon the phallic idols of the pagan cults. This is a complete and total betrayal of their covenant husband, Yahweh.

9 You have journeyed to the king with oil And increased your perfumes; You have sent your envoys a great distance And made them go down to Sheol.

Their spiritual adultery had a political dimension. "The king" here likely refers to the king of Assyria or Babylon. In their desperation, instead of trusting God, they tried to make political alliances with pagan superpowers. They went like a prostitute anointing herself with oil and perfume to entice a lover. They sent their ambassadors on long, arduous journeys, seeking security from men. But God says the destination of this road is Sheol, the grave. This kind of faithless diplomacy is a path to national death.

10 You were tired out by the length of your road, Yet you did not say, ‘It is hopeless.’ You found renewed strength; Therefore you did not faint.

Here is the tragedy of sinful perseverance. All their religious and political activity was exhausting. It wore them out. But their commitment to their sin was so deep that they never gave up. They never reached the point of saying, "This is hopeless. These idols cannot help us." Instead, they would find some "renewed strength," some false hope, some temporary success, and they would keep going. This is a picture of a hardened heart, one that refuses to repent even when its own actions are destroying it.

11 “Of whom were you anxious and fearful When you lied and did not remember Me, Nor even put Me upon your heart? Was I not silent even for a long time So you do not fear Me?

God now diagnoses the root of their sin. It was fear, but the wrong kind of fear. They were "anxious and fearful" of pagan kings and political circumstances. This fear of man drove them to lie, to break covenant, and to forget God completely. They did not fear God. And why? Because God had been patient. He had been "silent for a long time," holding back His judgment. But they misinterpreted His patience as indifference or impotence. Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, their hearts were fully set in them to do evil (Eccl 8:11).

12 I will declare your righteousness and your deeds, But they will not profit you.

God promises to expose them. He will "declare" their so-called righteousness, all their religious works and diplomatic efforts. He will hold them up to the light, and when He does, everyone will see that they are worthless. They will not profit. They will not save. All their frantic efforts will amount to a spiritual bankruptcy.

13 When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you. But the wind will lift all of them up, And a breath will take them away. But he who takes refuge in Me will inherit the land And will possess My holy mountain.”

This is the final, devastating verdict on idolatry. In the day of trouble, God says, go ahead and cry out to that "collection of idols" you have accumulated. See if they can help. But they are nothing. A puff of wind, a mere breath, will carry them all away. They are lighter than vanity. In stark contrast, the one who "takes refuge in Me," the one who trusts in Yahweh alone, is the one who will receive the promise. He will inherit the land. He will possess God's holy mountain, Zion. The choice is between a pile of stones that the wind blows away and the immovable mountain of the living God.

Application

It is easy for us, as modern Christians, to read a passage like this and thank God that we are not like those ancient Israelites, slaughtering our children in ravines and setting up idols behind the door. But the spiritual reality of idolatry is a constant temptation, and it simply changes its form to suit the times.

Idolatry is looking to anything other than the triune God for our ultimate security, identity, and satisfaction. Our modern high places are not geographical, but they are just as real. We can make a bed with the idol of political power, believing that if we can just get "our man" in office, then all will be well. We can anoint ourselves with the oils and perfumes of career success, sending our envoys out to network and climb the ladder, all while our trust in God withers. We can inflame ourselves with the pursuit of sexual pleasure, entertainment, or personal comfort, making these things the functional gods we serve.

The central question Isaiah 57 forces upon us is this: in whom, or in what, do you take refuge? When you are anxious and fearful, where do you run? Do you run to your bank account? To your political party? To a bottle? To a screen? Or do you run to the living God? Everything else is a collection of idols that will be blown away by the first gust of God's judgment. They will not profit you in the day of trouble.

The only true refuge is in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who went to the ultimate "cleft of the rock" for us on the cross. He is the truly righteous one who perished, gathered away from the evil to come, so that we might enter into His peace. He is the faithful husband who took the shame of our spiritual adultery upon Himself. To take refuge in Him is to inherit everything. To take refuge anywhere else is to inherit the wind.