Isaiah 57:1-13

Although we know that we all have to die, we still sometimes wonder why certain people die; or why they seem, from our perspective, to die prematurely. So here is an interesting angle: do we ever consider what God has taken them from or is sparing them from? Do we pause to think about where He is taking them to? We can be more aware of our loss than their gain (1, 2; see Philippians 1:21-23). These words flow on from words about the ‘blind’ religious leaders, and we need to think about them in that context: ‘’They all look after themselves, grabbing whatever’s not nailed down. ‘’Come,’’ they say,’’let’s have a party. Let’s go out and get drunk!’’ And tomorrow, more of the same: ‘’Let’s live it up!’’ Meanwhile, right-living people die and no one gives them a thought.’’ The Message. You can see that godly people were being removed from a situation that would grieve their souls (see 2 Peter 2:7). They were also being spared many ‘’evil’’ experiences that were to befall a people who were under God’s judgment (3-13); a people who, in the main, had turned to other gods. They had adopted many of the evil, idolatrous practices of the Canaanites, the original inhabitants of the land. A lot of these religious practices involved sexual fertility rites, which were conducted under oaks and other spreading trees (5). Their spiritual adultery showed up in sexual immorality.

Our ‘idols’ may not be images and statues of the ‘’Molech’’ (9) variety. However, if we give ourselves in any way to that which is not God, we will suffer. There will be unwanted consequences. Calvin said that our hearts are idol making factories.Here are four good reasons not to worship other gods:

  • There will be a negative impact on your children (5). Some people literally sacrificed their children to Molech. Some Bible scholars think these verses relate to the reign of King Manasseh of Judah. It was under his reign that Isaiah died. Manasseh was the wicked son of the godly Hezekiah. He persecuted the innocent (2 Kings 21:16) and even sacrificed his own son in the fire (2 Kings 21:6). But there are more ways than one to sacrifice your children. When we set them a bad example by bowing down to the gods of this age we are in danger of leading them down the road to Hell. What do our young ones see us living for? Yes, it is a challenging question!
  • You will have a deeply unsatisfying and frustrating life, even as you try to cram it full with meaning (10). You will live to the soundtrack of ‘’I can’t get no satisfaction’’, whether or not you care to admit it. ‘’You wear yourselves out trying the new and the different, and never see what a waste it all is. You’ve always found strength for the latest fad, never got tired of trying new religions.’’ The Message.
  • There will be the judgment of God upon your works. ‘’Who talked you into the pursuit of this nonsense, leaving me high and dry, forgetting you ever knew me? Because I don’t yell and make a scene do you think I don’t exist? I’ll go over, detail by detail, all your ‘righteous’ attempts at religion, and expose the absurdity of it all.’’ The Message. Because God had ‘’long been silent’’ (11) – that is, He had withheld His judgment, the people had ceased to fear Him. But the truth is that we will all face judgment, and the godly and ungodly will face divergent destinies (13b). You can’t be ‘saved’ if you trust in a false god.
  • You will find your gods fail you when you most need them. They will not; cannot answer prayer (13a). ‘’Go ahead, cry for help to your collection of no-gods: A good wind will blow them away. They’re smoke, nothing but smoke.’’ The Message.

Prayer: Thank you that to be with Jesus is better by far. Help us to believe it.