The righteous man perishes,
and no one lays it to heart;
devout men are taken away,
while no one understands.
For the righteous man is taken away from calamity;
2 he enters into peace;
they rest in their beds
who walk in their uprightness.
3 But you, draw near,
sons of the sorceress,
offspring of the adulterer and the loose woman.
4 Whom are you mocking?
Against whom do you open your mouth wide
and stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of transgression,
the offspring of deceit,
5 you who burn with lust among the oaks,
under every green tree,
who slaughter your children in the valleys,
under the clefts of the rocks?
6 Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion;
they, they, are your lot;
to them you have poured out a drink offering,
you have brought a grain offering.
Shall I relent for these things?
7 On a high and lofty mountain
you have set your bed,
and there you went up to offer sacrifice.
8 Behind the door and the doorpost
you have set up your memorial;
for, deserting me, you have uncovered your bed,
you have gone up to it,
you have made it wide;
and you have made a covenant for yourself with them,
you have loved their bed,
you have looked on nakedness.
9 You journeyed to the king with oil
and multiplied your perfumes;
you sent your envoys far off,
and sent down even to Sheol.
10 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.
11 Whom did you dread and fear,
so that you lied,
and did not remember me,
did not lay it to heart?
Have I not held my peace, even for a long time,
and you do not fear me?
12 I will declare your righteousness and your deeds,
but they will not profit you.
13 When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you!
The wind will carry them all off,
a breath will take them away.
But he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land
and shall inherit my holy mountain.
Comfort for the Contrite
14 And it shall be said,
“Build up, build up, prepare the way,
remove every obstruction from my people's way.”
15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
16 For I will not contend forever,
nor will I always be angry;
for the spirit would grow faint before me,
and the breath of life that I made.
17 Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry,
I struck him; I hid my face and was angry,
but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart.
18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners,
19 creating the fruit of the lips.
Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the Lord,
“and I will heal him.
20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea;
for it cannot be quiet,
and its waters toss up mire and dirt.
21 There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” Isaiah 57 ESV
Isaiah 57 No rest for the wicked
…36Still others endured mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were put to death by the sword. They went around in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, oppressed, and mistreated. 38The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and hid in caves and holes in the ground.… Hebrews 11: 36-38
1-2. The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart - We saw in the last chapter that there were many false, lazy prophets. They were not true shepherds, in it only for worldly gain, but here we find the true watchmen, and that when they die no one cares or grieves about the disappearance of such light. Who would ever want their life, dressed in rags, proclaiming what people didn't want to hear? They were neglected in life, quieted in their death, few took them seriously, no mourners, only the celebration of the delusional. To think of Isaiah knowing this, seeing this, and still standing up as the watchman until he is sawn in half.
He enters into peace - The mistreatment is only for a season, the worse that men can do has nothing on eternity.
…3He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name. 4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.… Psalm 23: 3-5
17And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him. 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us. 19The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God.… Romans 8: 17-19
3-10. But you, draw near, sons of the sorceress - He is calling for them to come and be judged not according to how they saw themselves, but for what they were. Sorcery, adultery and looseness were the earmarks of their breaking covenant with God to pursue the sins of the pagans and their idolatry.
1This is the word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and of Jeroboam son of Jehoash, king of Israel. 2When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, He told him, “Go, take a prostitute as your wife and have children of adultery, because this land is flagrantly prostituting itself by departing from the LORD.”3So Hosea went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.… Hosea 1: 1-3
1“Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’ and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’ 2Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not My wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adultery from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.3Otherwise, I will strip her naked and expose her like the day of her birth. I will make her like a desert and turn her into a parched land, and I will let her die of thirst.…
…4I will have no compassion on her children, because they are the children of adultery. 5For their mother has played the harlot and has conceived them in disgrace. For she thought, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me bread and water, wool and linen, oil and drink.’6Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her path with thorns; I will enclose her with a wall, so she cannot find her way.…
…7She will pursue her lovers but not catch them; she will seek them but not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will return to my first husband, for then I was better off than now.’ 8For she does not acknowledge that it was I who gave her grain, new wine, and oil, who lavished on her silver and gold— which they crafted for Baal.9Therefore I will take back My grain in its time and My new wine in its season; I will take away My wool and linen, which were given to cover her nakedness.… Hosea 2: 1-9
Whom are you mocking - When God's prophets spoke the people made fun of them, Noah for 120 years as a preacher of righteousness, building an ark where there was not enough water to float it. Moses, Elijah, and now Isaiah, when did they ever receive anything from the mouths of God's children? When did they ever hear the call to repent without grumbling?
Are you not children of transgression - What is the prophet saying that doesn't match up with God's call to righteousness? You are sinners that come from sinners. Is this not the truth? They were hypocrites in this as well, for they saw others as sinners and themselves less shameful.
…9Whom is He trying to teach? To whom is He explaining His message? To infants just weaned from milk? To babies removed from the breast? 10For they hear: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there.”11Indeed, with mocking lips and foreign tongues, He will speak to this people… Isaiah 28: 9-11
You who burn with lust among the oaks - They were fervent in their pursuit of worshiping other gods, and this included flagrant acts in direct violation of God's law. Thou shalt have no other gods. It also included sexual sins, adultery, fornication, prostitution and homosexuality. There is a long history of cultures worshiping in this way, with temple prostitutes, nature religions which include nudists, polygamy, wife swapping. Often their lust was their entry into idolatry, but it shows the state of our hearts, we are willing to sell out quickly and be led by our stomachs and our corrupt passions.
Who slaughter your children in the valleys - Children, the old, and the true prophets always become the sacrifice for the greedy, lustful and hard of heart. We have murdered so many infants in the name of freedom and compassion. Oh God, please help us.
Slaying the children in the valleys: One of the Canaanite gods the Israelites worshipped was named Molech, and he received children as sacrifices. Molech was “worshipped” by heating a metal statue representing the god until it was red hot, then by placing a living infant on the outstretched hands of the statue, while beating drums drowned out the screams of the child until it burned to death. Molech was one of the “lovers” God’s people forsook the LORD for in their spiritual adultery. - Enduring Word
i. People who would not make a small sacrifice for the LORD God would kill their own children for a pagan idol! “And as the love of harlots is oft hotter than that of husband and wife, so superstition many times outdoeth true religion.” (Trapp)
Behind the door and the door post - Deuteronomy 6
“The sensitive Israelite reader would, of course, remember that it was the word of God – and, most aptly, the assertion that there is only one God – that was the be inscribed on the doors.” (Grogan)
You journeyed to the king with oil - Ahaz did this when he refused God's help and sign, instead going to and making allegiance with the king of Assyria. He even went so far as to worship Assyria's gods and set up an altar like theirs in the temple.
But you did not say it was hopeless - They grew tired of and probably bored with some aspects of their sins, and of course we all hate repercussions, but they found new ways to invigorate their sinful passions. It was a lost cause, but they were arrogant, no one likes to admit they are wrong though. Build another tower of Babel, make up another religion, find a way around some of the consequences. There is only one cure for sin and its ultimate destruction, and that is the righteousness of Christ, His substitutionary atonement, received by faith.
…24By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin. 26He valued disgrace for Christ above the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his reward.… Hebrews 11: 24-26
14-21. Build up, build up, prepare the way - God will provide a worthy sacrifice for His people, and remove the obstacles to their unbelief.
…2As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way.” 3“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’ ” 4John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.… Mark 1: 2-4
…9For those who harvest grain will eat it and praise the LORD, and those who gather grapes will drink the wine in My holy courts.” 10Go out, go out through the gates; prepare the way for the people! Build it up, build up the highway; clear away the stones; raise a banner for the nations!11Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the ends of the earth, “Say to Daughter Zion: See, your Savior comes! Look, His reward is with Him, and His recompense goes before Him.”… Isaiah 62: 9-11
And also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit - He resists the proud but gives much grace to the humble. He is Holy, high and lifted up, yet He establishes His spirit with the lowly. Those who did what the people in verse 10 would not; they wouldn't admit to the hopelessness of their state, and in verse 13, when those proud do cry out, He tells them to cry to their idols. Blessed are they that mourn over their sin, that beat their chest and cry, "have mercy on me a sinner."
…16For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. 17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.18In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.… Psalm 51: 16-18
I have seen his ways, but I will heal him - I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners. This is a true revival, it produces the fruit of a repentant heart, following God, loving His word, living for His glory. Whenever you see a church billboard that advertises revival this Saturday or any day - run the other way, men don't have the power to invoke that which is an act of God alone. We may see some social reforms, people cry, emotions and feelings run high, but you must be born again, the Spirit has to convict men of their sin and lead them to the cross. Your job is like Isaiah's, an unpopular one, you say what God has said, study the word of God, regard it with His name, for that is where He has placed it. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Don't preach another gospel, don't soil His message, don't pretend at faith, preach the whole counsel of God knowing that His word will not return void. It will accomplish everything He intends. It is an honor and grace untold to be able to share the gospel, and to have that hope that you will see Him work in the hearts of those who are spiritually dead.
…7Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’ 8The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. 9“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.… John 3: 7-9
There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked
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