What does Isaiah 57:11 mean?
What is the meaning of Isaiah 57:11?

Whom have you dreaded and feared

The Lord begins by exposing a misplaced reverence. Instead of trembling before the Almighty, Judah had grown anxious over human powers and pagan deities.

Deuteronomy 10:20 calls for exclusive fear of the LORD, yet Judah’s attention drifted to Assyria and Babylon.

2 Kings 17:38-39 reminds them not to forget the covenant “or fear other gods.”

God’s question presses: if He alone rules (Isaiah 40:22-23), why dread anyone else?


so that you lied

Fear of man birthed deceit. Alliances were made, oaths broken, truth sacrificed.

Genesis 20:11 shows Abraham’s lie “because I thought…”—the same impulse now ruling Judah.

Isaiah 30:1-2 condemns “rebellious children” who seek Egypt’s shelter rather than God’s.

Compromise always follows misplaced fear.


and failed to remember Me

Forgetting God is never passive; it is an act of willful neglect.

Deuteronomy 6:12 warns, “be careful that you do not forget the LORD.”

Psalm 106:21 laments, “They forgot God their Savior.”

Memory keeps covenant alive; amnesia invites idolatry.


or take this to heart?

Truth left un-applied grows cold. God wants more than mental assent; He wants internalized obedience.

Isaiah 46:8 urges, “remember this and be men; take it to heart.”

Deuteronomy 4:39 calls Israel to “take to heart” that the LORD is God alone.

Knowledge unused becomes guilt compounded.


Is it not because I have long been silent

Silence is not absence but patience. God’s restraint tests hearts.

Psalm 50:21: “You thought I was just like you because I kept silent.”

2 Peter 3:9 explains His delay as mercy, “not wanting anyone to perish.”

The quiet interval was meant for repentance, not presumption.


that you do not fear Me?

Judah mistook patience for powerlessness. Reverence eroded when judgment was postponed.

Ecclesiastes 8:11 notes, “When a sentence is not executed quickly, the hearts of people are given to do evil.”

Jeremiah 5:22 asks, “Do you not fear Me?” anchoring true fear in God’s unchanging authority.

A silent God is still the sovereign God.


summary

Isaiah 57:11 confronts Judah’s heart: fear directed at anything but God produces deceit, forgetfulness, and hardened indifference. The Lord’s patient silence is meant to draw us back, yet it often becomes an excuse to wander further. The remedy is simple and profound: remember Him, take His words to heart, and restore rightful fear—an awe-filled trust that obeys even when He seems quiet.

What historical context influences the message of Isaiah 57:10?
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