This verse demonstrates God's ultimate authority and superiority over the old pagan gods. It proclaims his undisputed position and his intolerance for the worship of other deities.
Chapter 57: It's Place in Isaiah
According to Isaiah, it is the duty of every Israelite to adhere to the morals and commandments of God
. Isaiah viewed Assyria as God's tool for doling out punishment to the rest of the world for transgressions
. Isaiah, Chapter 57 is a plea for the Israelites to take action as a nation so that they do not collectively suffer as sinners.
The Great Isaiah Scroll
The Isaiah scrolls are divided into two sections. It is one of the most complete of the scrolls in existence today. An examination of the original scroll reveals that the scribe ended and began a new paragraph between verse 2 and verse 3
. The next paragraph begins with verse 14
. This separation indicates that verses 3-13 are to be taken as a separate section from the rest of the text. In addition to this paragraph break, a large space in verse 13 divides the verse into two parts. The second part is like a short verse for memorization, "he who trusts in me shall divide the earth and inherit my holy mountain"
The separation of verses 3-13 separates the message contained for emphasis. The Israelites that continue to worship the old Gods are of special concern to the Prophet Isaiah. They are separated to receive special attention in the text. Spacing of the original scroll can provide important clues as to the proper message and translation of the passage. These spacing are important to the translation of the text.
Scholars largely agree that the Isaiah scroll was written over a span of approximately 300 years and that it contains the work of at least four authors
. The First Isaiah spans from chapters 1-23 and from 28-31. It is believed to be the work of Isaiah of Jerusalem in the late 8th Century. The Second Isaiah is from chapters 40-55 and questionably chapter 35. This author was unnamed and lived in mid-6th Century Babylon
. The Third Isaiah is the author of Chapter 57. His work spanned chapters 56-66 and perhaps 24 and 7. It is thought to be a later writing than the first two. The Fourth Isaiah is a narrative taken almost word for word from Second Kings 18-20
Scholarly opinions regarding authorship disagree with traditional Christian teachings, which teach that the scroll is written by a single Prophet, Isaiah
. Scholarly opinion is supported by scientific evidence, such as carbon dating. Differences in literary style also support the multiple author hypothesis. The key question in gaining an understanding of the text is not whether the work is by one or multiple authors, but whether this affects is use and message in Christian ideology. In order to understand this question, let us examine the content and themes found in the Book of Isaiah.
Content and Themes
The Book of Isaiah centers on the connection between the worship practices and moral behavior in its practitioners. In chapter 57, God berates his people for following a form or worship that leads to treating others poorly. The fact that God is intolerant of idol worship is clear in the passage. However, the reason for this intolerance is not clear from reading the passage. However, if one examines the content from a macro perspective, God's reasoning becomes clear.
God specifically lists the activities of the audience of which he does not approve. These include sorcery, adultery, prostitution, telling lies, child sacrifice, idolatry and forbidden sexual practices. In this list, one can find a number of violations that are strictly forbidden in the ten commandments. When the Israelites began to worship the deities of the Canaanites, they began to take on all of the aspects of that religion. As one can see, not only did they engage in idol worship, they were led astray from the just and moral path set forth by God. With idol worship came an entire plethora of immoral behavior that would eventually lead to the downfall of their society. Isaiah uses symbolism in his description of the sacrifice of he children, referring to the "smooth stones of the valley." This reference brings to mind the torrential...
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