Isaiah 56:9-12
Summary for Isa 56:9-57:13: 56:9–57:13 a This is a reflection on the prevalence of evil among God’s people; they were greedy (56:9-12 b), hostile to the righteous (57:1-2 c), and idolatrous (57:3-13 d). 56:9 e Wild animals are here a metaphor for the hostile nations surrounding Judah.56:10 f The leaders of Israel failed to guide and protect God’s people from the sins that led to the Exile.
• sleeping and dreaming: See 29:10 g.
56:11 h ignorant shepherds: Israel’s leaders did not know how to rule in a godly way (see also Ezek 34:1-6 i). By contrast, the Lord is the faithful Shepherd of his people (Isa 40:11 j).
• all following their own path: They had no concern for God or his standards of godly leadership (see also 53:6 k).
• personal gain: Cp. 33:15 l.
Isaiah 57:1-13
Summary for Isa 57:1-2: 57:1-2 m This is a lament for the righteous who suffer in a wicked society. 57:1 n the evil to come: Judgment that would come on the wicked nations.• protecting them: At times, God allows the godly to die in order to protect them from harsher times to come.
57:2 o The wicked would not be able to rest in peace (57:21 p).
57:3 q witches’ children ... adulterers and prostitutes: Baal religion, which flourished in Israel before the Exile (see 1:21-23 r), included lewd sexual practices.
57:4 s mock ... sticking out your tongues: The wicked oppressed the righteous by their insults (57:1-2 t; see also 28:9 u, 14 v).
57:5 w beneath the oaks and under every green tree: Tree groves were commonly used as places of pagan worship (see 1:29-30 x).
• sacrifice your children: The horrible practice of child sacrifice was occasionally practiced in Israel (see Ps 106:37-38 y).
57:6 z Liquid offerings and grain offerings were believed to satisfy the basic needs of the gods and thus to earn their favor.
57:8 aa climbed into bed: The people of Israel had a sickening commitment to the fertility religions, which included sex as part of their rituals.
57:11 ab The people were living in fear of false gods instead of fearing the Lord (see 8:12-13 ac).
57:12 ad The Lord did not consider the people’s so-called good deeds (literally righteousness; see 59:16 ae) to be truly righteous.
57:13 af your idols ... fall over: See study note on 40:18.
• inherit the land: The Hebrew word translated land can also signify the whole earth (see Pss 25:13 ag; 37:9 ah, 11 ai, 22 aj, 29 ak, 34 al; Matt 5:5 am).
• my holy mountain: God’s servants will enjoy God’s presence in Zion (see Isa 2:2 an; 56:7 ao).
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