What parallels exist between Isaiah 57:5 and modern forms of idolatry?

Isaiah 57:5 in focus

“you who burn with lust among the oaks and under every green tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks”

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What Isaiah exposed then

• Secret sensual rites practiced “among the oaks” and “under every green tree”

• Child sacrifice in hidden ravines to appease fertility gods (cf. Jeremiah 7:31; 2 Kings 17:17)

These acts mixed sexual immorality with violence against the most vulnerable, all in pursuit of personal benefit from false deities.

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Modern echoes of the same idols

• Lust in private places

– Online pornography, hook-up culture, and entertainment that normalizes sexual sin mirror those forest rites.

– 1 Corinthians 6:18 warns, “Flee from sexual immorality.”

• Child sacrifice rebranded

– Elective abortion often arises from the demand for sexual freedom without responsibility, paralleling ancient offerings meant to secure prosperity or convenience.

– Psalm 139:13-16 affirms God’s design for every unborn life.

• Worship of nature over the Creator

– Spiritualities that deify the environment or self (“I feel closest to ‘the universe’ in the woods”) repeat the “green tree” motif, substituting creation for the Creator (Romans 1:23-25).

• Idols of personal pleasure and success

– When career, wealth, or leisure drive choices at the expense of family or integrity, they replicate the self-serving motives behind pagan sacrifices (Matthew 6:24).

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Why the parallels matter

• God still sees hidden sin (Hebrews 4:13).

• Idolatry always distorts love—turning desire into exploitation and turning children into expendable costs.

• Only turning to Christ breaks the cycle (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10).

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Living set apart today

• Guard the heart and the screen; cultivate purity (Philippians 4:8).

• Cherish unborn lives and support those in crisis (Proverbs 24:11).

• Worship the Creator, not creation, through regular Scripture, prayer, and gathered fellowship (Hebrews 10:24-25).

• Evaluate ambitions—submit career, money, and leisure to Christ’s lordship (Colossians 3:17).

Isaiah’s words expose the timeless shape of idolatry. The same Lord who judged Judah now offers grace and freedom to all who renounce modern “green trees” and valleys, and choose Him alone.