Chapter 57 The Leadership Failure Continues But Yahweh will Watch Over His Own.
The resulting picture is now enlarged upon. This is the first of three Chapter s which depict the resulting sad state of Israel from different angles, and the resultant lack of effectiveness in prayer. But as ever in Isaiah they will finally result in the deliverance of those who look to Yahweh.
The chapter commences with the way in which God's true people, the ‘righteous ones', are suffering and then the subsection goes on to deal with the general sins of the leadership and the generality of the people.
Thus in chapter 57 Isaiah especially condemns those who throw themselves into the worship of Canaanite deities, into sexual misbehaviour, and into nature worship; in chapter 58 he condemns those who engage in hypocritical fasting, and in formal religion which has no real concern for people's good; and in chapter 59 he condemns those who perpetrate injustice, and whose ways harm their fellowmen. We must not, of course, see Judah/Israel as full of people who are all sinning in the same way. There were different degrees of attitudes towards the gods and sexual misbehaviour, and of formalism towards Yahweh and of disobedience to the Law. Some were blatant in their apostasy, others were simply disobedient because they compromised with it, and did nothing about the situation, treating the worship of Yahweh as a formality or seeing it as in fact similar to paganism. But all in one way or another were involved in injustice.
Each of these Chapter s is also concerned about failure in prayer, which of course goes along with the above. For the emphasis is on the fact that Yahweh only gives ear to a righteous people. Thus in chapter 57 the people call on false gods and their prayer is not answered (Isaiah 57:13), in chapter 58 they fast hypocritically and their prayer is not answered (Isaiah 57:4), although it will be if they repent and begin to walk righteously (Isaiah 57:9), and in chapter 59 their prayer is not heard because their sins are separating them from God (Isaiah 57:1-2). Judah as a whole were therefore at this stage devoid of any hope that their prayers would be heard and answered. They had shut God off and they were shut off from God. They were outwardly without spiritual hope.
And yet in each chapter the way of hope is presented to them. In Isaiah 57:14-19 God will bring back to Himself those whom He has chosen by the action of His sovereign will. This is the Godward side of salvation. In chapter Isaiah 58:6-14 the way is open to those who will repent of their formality and begin to live righteously. This is the manward side of salvation And in chapter 59 Yahweh will come as a mighty warrior both in judgment and in deliverance, and as Redeemer of those who repent (Isaiah 57:16-21), and He will establish His covenant with them for ever.