The prophet presented in this section a series of indictments against the disobedient in the nation: the leaders (56:9—57:2), the idolaters (57:3–13), the proud and greedy (vv. 14–21), the hypocritical worshippers (58:1–14), and those responsible for injustice in the land (59:1–21). But even in His wrath, God remembers mercy (Hab. 3:2); for along with these indictments, the Lord pleads with people to humble themselves and submit to Him.
The leaders of the nation (56:9—57:2). It was the godless conduct of the leaders that caused Judah to fall to Babylon (Lam. 4:13–14). Had the prophets, priests, and rulers turned to God in repentance and faith, He would have intervened on their behalf, but they persisted in their rebellion. With biting sarcasm, Isaiah called them “blind watchmen” who cannot see the enemy coming, and “sleeping dogs” who could not bark their warning even if they were awake! The leaders were not alert; they loved to sleep, and when they were awake, they loved to eat and drink.
Spiritual leaders are “watchmen” (Ezek. 3:17–21; 33:1–11) who must be awake to the dangers that threaten God’s people. They are “shepherds” who must put the care of the flock ahead of their own desires. When the foreign invaders (“beasts of the field”) come, the shepherds must protect the flock, no matter what the danger might be. (See Acts 20:18–38 for the description of a faithful spiritual ministry.)
God permitted the unrighteous leaders to live and suffer the terrible consequences of their sins, but the righteous people died before the judgment fell. The godly found rest and peace, and the ungodly went into captivity, and some of them were killed. Rebellious people do not deserve dedicated spiritual leaders. When His people reject His Word and prefer worldy leaders, God may give them exactly what they desire and let them suffer the consequences.
Idolaters (57:3–13). During the last days of Judah and Jerusalem, before Babylon came, the land and the city were polluted with idols. King Hezekiah and King Josiah had led the people in destroying the idols and the high places, but as soon as an ungodly king took the throne, the people went right back to their old ways. Both Isaiah and Jeremiah told the people that God would punish them for breaking His law, but they persisted in the ways of the godless nations around them.
God sees idolatry as adultery and prostitution (v. 3). The people knew it was wrong, but they arrogantly practiced their sensual worship (“inflaming yourselves with idols”) without shame. You would find them everywhere: visiting the shrine prostitutes under the green trees in the groves, offering their children in the fire in the valley, worshipping under the cliffs and by the smooth boulders, sacrificing up in the mountains, and committing fornication behind the doors of their houses. Publicly and privately, the people were devoted to idols and immorality.
But they were also guilty of consorting with pagan leaders and trusting them for protection instead of trusting God (v. 9). To trust a pagan ruler and his army was the same as trusting the false god that he worshipped (see 30:1–7; 31:1–3). They found false strength in their political alliances and refused to admit that these treaties were hopeless (57:10). God would expose their sin and judge it, and when that happened, their collection of idols (“companies” in v. 13) would not save them.
Anything that we trust other than the Lord becomes our god and therefore is an idol. It may be our training, experience, job, money, friends, or position. One of the best ways to find out whether we have idols in our lives is to ask ourselves, “Where do I instinctively turn when I face a decision or need to solve a problem?” Do we reach for the phone to call a friend? Do we assure ourselves that we can handle the situation ourselves? Or do we turn to God to see His will and receive His help?
When the storm starts blowing, the idols will blow away like chaff (v. 13). They are “vanity,” which means “nothingness.” The storm does not make a person; it shows what the person is made of and where his or her faith lies. If we make the Lord our refuge, we have nothing to fear.
The proud and greedy (57:14–21). God has a word of encouragement for the faithful remnant: The highway will be built and the obstacles removed, so that the exiles might return to the land and serve the Lord. (On the “highway” theme, see 11:16.) God will dwell with them because they are humble in spirit. (See 66:2; Ps. 34:18; 51:17.) Pride is a sin that God hates (Prov. 6:16–17) and that God resists (1 Peter 5:5–6). God was “enraged” by Israel’s “sinful greed” and repeatedly chastened them for it, but they would not change (Isa. 57:17). How often He had “taken them to court” and proved them guilty, yet they would not submit. But now that was over. The time had come for God to heal them, guide them, and comfort them.
The hypocrites (58:1–14). God told Isaiah to shout aloud with a voice like a trumpet and announce the sins of the nation. The people went to the temple, obeyed God’s laws, fasted, and appeared eager to seek the Lord, but their worship was only an outward show. Their hearts were far from God (1:10–15; 29:13; Matt. 15:8–9). When we worship because it is the popular thing to do, not because it is the right thing to do, then our worship becomes hypocritical.
The Jews were commanded to observe only one fast on the annual day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29–31), but they were permitted to fast personally if they wished. They complained that nobody seemed to notice what they were doing. Perhaps they were trying to “buy God’s blessing” by their fasting. Worshipping God involves more than observing an outward ritual; there must be an inward obedience and submission to the Lord (Matt. 6:16–18).
If in my religious duties I am doing what pleases me, and if doing it does not make me a better person, then I am wasting my time, and my worship is only sin. Fasting and fighting do not go together! Yet how many families walk piously out of church at the close of a Sunday worship service, get in the family car, and proceed to argue with each other all the way home!
True fasting will lead to humility before God and ministry to others. We deprive ourselves so that we might share with others and do so to the glory of God. If we fast in order to get something for ourselves from God, instead of to become better people for the sake of others, then we have missed the meaning of worship. It delights the Lord when we delight in the Lord.
The unjust (59:1–21). There was a great deal of injustice in the land, with the rich exploiting the poor and the rulers using their authority only to make themselves rich (see 1:17–23; 3:13–15; 5:8–30). The people lifted their hands to worship God, but their hands were stained with blood (1:15, 21). God could not answer their prayers because their sins hid His face from them.
It was a conflict between truth and lies, just as it is today. Isaiah compared the evil rulers to pregnant women giving birth to sin (59:4; Ps. 7:14; Isa. 33:11), to snakes hatching their eggs, and to spiders weaving their webs (Isa. 59:5–6). What they give birth to will only destroy them (James 1:13–15), and their beautiful webs of lies can never protect them.
When people live on lies, they live in a twilight zone and do not know where they are going (Isa. 59:9–11). When trust falls, it creates a “traffic jam,” and justice and equity (honesty) cannot make progress (vv. 12–15). God is displeased with injustice, and He wonders that none of His people will intercede or intervene (Prov. 24:11–12). So the Lord Himself intervened and brought the Babylonians to destroy Judah and Jerusalem and to teach His people that they cannot despise His law and get away with it.
God’s judgment on His people was a foreshadowing of that final day of the Lord when all the nations will be judged. When it is ended, then “the Redeemer shall come to Zion” (Isa. 59:20), and the glorious kingdom will be established. Israel will be not only God’s chosen people but God’s cleansed people, and the glory of the Lord will radiate from Mount Zion.
The glory of the Lord in the promised kingdom is the theme of the closing chapters of Isaiah. While we are waiting and praying, “Thy kingdom come,” perhaps we should also be interceding and intervening. We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matt. 5:13–16), and God expects us to make a difference.