Isaiah 57

The righteous perish, and no one lays it to heart. Merciful men are taken away, and no one considers that the righteous is taken away from the evil.

He enters into peace. They rest in their beds, each one who walks in his uprightness.

“But draw near here, you sons of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes.

Whom do you mock? Against whom do you make a wide mouth and stick out your tongue? Aren’t you children of disobedience and offspring of falsehood,

you who inflame yourselves among the oaks, under every green tree; who kill the children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?

Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion. They, they are your lot. You have even poured a drink offering to them. You have offered an offering. Shall I be appeased for these things?

On a high and lofty mountain you have set your bed. You also went up there to offer sacrifice.

You have set up your memorial behind the doors and the posts, for you have exposed yourself to someone besides me, and have gone up. You have enlarged your bed and made you a covenant with them. You loved what you saw on their bed.

You went to the king with oil, increased your perfumes, sent your ambassadors far off, and degraded yourself even to Sheol.

You were wearied with the length of your ways; yet you didn’t say, ‘It is in vain.’ You found a reviving of your strength; therefore you weren’t faint.

“Whom have you dreaded and feared, so that you lie, and have not remembered me, nor laid it to your heart? Haven’t I held my peace for a long time, and you don’t fear me?

I will declare your righteousness; and as for your works, they will not benefit you.

When you cry, let those whom you have gathered deliver you, but the wind will take them. A breath will carry them all away, but he who takes refuge in me will possess the land, and will inherit my holy mountain.”

He will say, “Build up, build up, prepare the way! Remove the stumbling-block out of the way of my people.”

For the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, says: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

For I will not contend forever, neither will I always be angry; for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls whom I have made.

I was angry because of the iniquity of his covetousness and struck him. I hid myself and was angry; and he went on backsliding in the way of his heart.

I have seen his ways, and will heal him. I will lead him also, and restore comforts to him and to his mourners.

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 them.”

But the wicked are like the troubled sea; for it can’t rest and its waters cast up mire and mud.

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

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview. This chapter contrasts the fate of the righteous with the judgment awaiting the unrepentant wicked, exposing the spiritual adultery of Judah’s leaders while offering hope to the humble. It moves from lament over the unnoticed death of the godly to fierce denunciation of idolatrous practices, then shifts to a promise of restoration for those who return to the Lord.

Flow.

The chapter opens with mourning for the righteous who die unnoticed, reassured that they are spared coming evil and enter into peace (v. 1–2).
God confronts the spiritually adulterous generation, accusing them of idolatry, child sacrifice, and covenant betrayal through Canaanite abominations (v. 3–10).
Having exhausted themselves in false worship, the people show no repentance; therefore, God declares their works worthless and their idols powerless (v. 11–13).
The way is then prepared for restoration: God reveals His presence with the contrite, promises healing and comfort, while firmly declaring there is no peace for the wicked (v. 14–21).

Connections. Following chapter 56, which calls for true righteousness and inclusion of the faithful outsider, chapter 57 intensifies the moral contrast between genuine obedience and outward religious corruption. It identifies the internal condition of the nation’s leaders—hardened in hypocrisy and entrenched in idolatry—whose actions undermine covenant faithfulness. The call to “build up the way” (v. 14) echoes the preparation of the highway in 40:3, now extended to a renewed call for moral cleansing before God’s presence returns. This prepares the way for chapter 58, which will confront false worship and define true fasting as acts of justice and mercy, continuing the theme of authentic repentance required to inherit the promises.

What it teaches. The righteous suffer not as a sign of divine abandonment but as deliverance from the evil to come (WCF 8.6), while the wicked, though they multiply religious acts, stand under judgment because their hearts are far from God (WLC 98). God dwells not only in the highest heaven but also with those who are broken and humble, exalting them through grace (HC LD 33). Though He may withdraw temporarily in anger over sin (WCF 5.6), His discipline is not final; He promises healing and peace to those He restores (WLC 75). Yet peace is denied to the wicked, for unrighteousness cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9–10; Canons of Dort 5.7).

Apply. The nearness of God is found not in ritual performance but in the humility that receives His mercy.

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