Bible Study Isaiah 57
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Isaiah 57 · WEB

The High and Holy One Dwells with the Humble

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The righteous perishes, and no man lays it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, no one considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil.
2He enters into peace; they rest in their beds, each one who walks in his uprightness.
3"But draw near here, you sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the prostitute.
4Against whom do you sport yourselves? Against whom do you make a wide mouth and stick out your tongue? Aren't you children of disobedience, offspring of falsehood,
5you who inflame yourselves among the oaks, under every green tree; who kill the children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?
6Among 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?
7On a high and lofty mountain you have set your bed. You also went up there to offer sacrifice.
8Behind the doors and the posts you have set up your memorial. For you have uncovered yourself to someone other than me, and have gone up. You have enlarged your bed, and made a covenant with them. You loved their bed, and you chose whose hand you saw.
9You went to the king with oil, and increased your perfumes, and sent your ambassadors far off, and degraded yourself even to Sheol.
10You were wearied with the length of your way; yet you didn't say, 'It is in vain.' You found a revival of your strength; therefore you weren't faint.
11"Of whom have you been afraid and in fear, that you have lied, and have not remembered me, nor laid it to your heart? Haven't I held my peace even for a long time, and you don't fear me?
12I will declare your righteousness and your works; and they will not profit you.
13When 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 inherit the land, and will possess my holy mountain."
14He will say, "Build up! Build up! Prepare the way! Remove the stumbling block out of the way of my people."
15For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "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.
16For 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.
17I 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.
18I have seen his ways, and will heal him. I will lead him also, and restore comforts to him and to his mourners.
19I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace, to him who is far off and to him who is near," says Yahweh; "and I will heal him."
20But the wicked are like the troubled sea; for it can't rest, and its waters cast up mire and mud.
21"There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."
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Summary

Isaiah 57 opens with a lament that the righteous die unnoticed while Israel plunges deeper into idolatry — sacrificing children, burning incense under trees, and seeking security in foreign alliances rather than in God. God confronts Israel's spiritual adultery with sharp rhetoric, exposing the futility of their idols and self-made alliances. The chapter then pivots dramatically to grace: the transcendent God who inhabits eternity chooses to dwell with the humble and contrite, promising healing and peace to the repentant. The chapter closes with a solemn refrain — the wicked find no peace, like a restless sea.

Themes

  • The unnoticed death of the righteous as a divine mercy
  • Israel's spiritual adultery through idolatry and foreign alliances
  • God's transcendence and paradoxical nearness to the humble
  • Divine healing and restoration for the contrite
  • The restlessness and absence of peace among the wicked

Key verses

  • Isa 57:1 — “The righteous perishes, and no man lays it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, no one considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil.”
  • Isa 57:13 — “He who takes refuge in me will inherit the land, and will possess my holy mountain.”
  • Isa 57:15 — “For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit.'”
  • Isa 57:21 — “'There is no peace,' says my God, 'for the wicked.'”

Context & background

Isaiah 57 is set within the broader context of the Babylonian exile (modern central Iraq), addressing Israelites who have abandoned covenant faithfulness for Canaanite-style religious practices including child sacrifice in the Hinnom Valley near Jerusalem (modern Israel). The "king" mentioned in verse 9 likely refers to a foreign ruler — possibly in Egypt or Assyria (modern northern Iraq/Syria) — toward whom Israel sent diplomatic and commercial missions seeking security apart from God. The opening verses may reflect a time when godly people were dying while the nation as a whole failed to recognize it as a warning sign of coming judgment. The tension between God's absolute holiness and his surprising condescension to the lowly anticipates New Testament themes of grace.

Cross-references

  • Isa 40:28 — God inhabiting eternity and not growing faint; backdrop to his dwelling with the humble
  • Isa 48:22 — "There is no peace for the wicked"; the refrain repeated in 57:21
  • Isa 66:1-2 — God looks to the humble and contrite in spirit; parallel to Isa 57:15
  • Matt 5:3 — "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"; echoes Isa 57:15
  • Ps 34:18 — Yahweh is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit

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  1. Observe

    What does verse 1 say about the death of the righteous?

  2. Observe

    Where does the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity say he dwells (v. 15)?

  3. Interpret

    What is the theological force of the "high and lofty One" choosing to dwell with the contrite (v. 15)?

  4. Interpret

    What does the closing refrain "there is no peace for the wicked" (v. 21) reveal about the nature of wickedness?

  5. Apply

    What is the proper response when tempted to seek security from sources other than God, as Israel sought foreign kings (v. 9)?

  6. Apply

    How should the promise that God revives the contrite (v. 15) shape one's approach to God after failure?

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