Isaiah 57:11-13

3. STUPIDITY

TEXT: Isaiah 57:11-13

11

And of whom hast thou been afraid and in fear, that thou liest, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of long time, and thou fearest me not?

12

I will declare thy righteousness; and as for thy works, they shall not profit thee.

13

When thou criest, let them that thou hast gathered deliver thee; but the wind shall take them, a breath shall carry them all away; but he that taketh refuge in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain.

QUERIES

a.

What righteousness did Judah have to declare?

b.

When would Judah cry?

PARAPHRASE

Israel, what has preoccupied you and possessed you? Who has so impressed you that you have so thoroughly devoted yourself to that which is false? Why have you forgotten Me? Apparently you no longer fear Me because I have withheld My hand of judgment so long from you. Let Me tell you that I am soon going to show you, in no uncertain terms, what I think of your alleged righteousness. I am also going to show you that the idols you have made for yourself are not gods at all. Then you will cry out for deliverance but I will say, Let your idol-gods deliver you. They will be proven to be absolutely useless. They will disappear like a feather in a windstorm. In that time of trial, the person who puts his trust in Me will be able to look forward in hope that I will fulfill My promises to the faithful.

COMMENTS

Isaiah 57:11 ENTRENCHED: The Hebrew word da-'agethe is translated afraid but more properly means anxious or preoccupied. The word thyire-'yi is from the root yera-' and is translated fear; it is the most generic word for fear in Hebrew and generally means reverential fear. These people were not trembling with a paralyzing terror; they were just totally preoccupied with worshipping their idols and all the false living that went with it. They were living a lie and had totally committed themselves to it. This was a result of their breaking covenant with Jehovah. It was stupidity. And Jehovah was about to expose that stupidity. They were so thoroughly engrossed in their plunge into self-indulgence they did not remember Jehovah. How quickly men forget!

The goodness of God in holding His peace and withholding His judgments did not cause them to remember Him in thankfulness. They were not moved by His grace to repent. Their selfish, twisted minds rationalized that they were getting away with their wickedness. Israel had wanted to be like the nations for a long time (cf. 1 Samuel 8:4 ff). For centuries she had preoccupied herself with the approval of men. When that consumes a nation or a man, Jehovah is forgotten. You cannot be a friend of the world and a friend of God (James 4:4).

Isaiah 57:12-13 EXPOSED: All the time the Hebrews were engaging in idolatry they were also maintaining a facade of righteousness by offering sacrifices in the temple and by observing certain Sabbath regulations (cf. Amos 8:4-6; Isaiah 1:10-15, etc.). But Jehovah will not hold His peace forever. He will soon come forth in judgment upon this people and then their sham righteousness will be exposed. The world will see then just where Israel has put its trust. Jehovah will demonstrate that all their pretended righteousness was unacceptable to Him. Not only that, He will expose once and for all the impotency of the idols they worshipped. Their enemies (Assyria and Babylon) will come in succession and attack them, destroy their cities and carry them away into exile. Their enemies will also carry their idol-gods away on horseback, Their idol-gods will not deliver them from their enemies. Their enemies will mock their idols, their temple, their worship and even Jehovah, Of course, Jehovah will not be mocked. He will eventually destroy their enemies also, When the Hebrews cry out for deliverance, they will see clearly that idols are not gods. What misery and wretchedness is in store for the one who has been so thoroughly preoccupied and possessed by idol-mania. Despair, frustration, shame and guilt will be his end.

To the contrary, the one who has listened to the prophets of God and trusted Jehovah's word will find blessedness. The Hebrew word khoseh, translated refuge, means confidence, trust, or flee to for safety. The man whose preoccupation is to seek the approval of the Lord will find fulfillment, satisfaction and hope in the ultimate blessings of God. This is the man who keeps covenant with Jehovah.

QUIZ

1.

What kind of fear did the people have?

2.

What was false about them?

3.

Why had they forgotten Jehovah?

4.

What was God going to do about their sham righteousness?

5.

What is the character of the man who receives Jehovah's blessing?