Healing for a Backslider: Isaiah 57:14-21

Rev. George Bowen (1816-1888) American missionary to Mumbai [Bombay], India, shared the following in his Daily Meditations, "'I have seen his ways,' says the Lord, and what terrible sentence may we look for a consequence to this announcement? But, lo, the most gracious of all words issue from His lips: 'I...will heal him.' The knowledge which God has of our corruption and deep depravity soon becomes to us a ground of confidence.He knows what we need and, perfectly aware of what we are, He has undertaken to restore us. And He will certainly accomplish what He has taken in hand."

Before we dig in to our text it might be helpful to learn more about the situation surrounding it. Israel divided into a Northern and a Southern Kingdom. The Assyrians took the Northern Kingdom captive and the Babylonians took the Southern Kingdom captive.We must remember that some of the Israelites, who did not serve a purpose to the captors, remained behind. Others were able to escape. Regrettably, many of those not taken into captivity began to practice a strange mixture of pagan religious rites and rituals as we read in 2 Kings 17:24-41.When Jewish captives returned they were encouraged adopt these pagan practices in addition to the worship Yahweh.

Isaiah records the condition of the Jewish spiritual and civil leaders in Isaiah 56:9-12. He reveals they were more concerned about themselves than the people they served. Consequently, the people of God were not completely devoted to Him. They severely tried His patience and felt His punishment. Many were guilty of backsliding into gross idolatry (Isaiah 57:1-13).

We find the term translated "backsliding" in various passages such as Proverbs 14:14, Jeremiah 3:22 and Hosea 14:4, as well as our text in Isaiah 57:14-21, where we read, "And one shall say, / 'Heap it up! Heap it up! Prepare the way, / Take the stumbling block out of the way of My people.' 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 who has a contrite and humble spirit, / To revive the spirit of the humble, / And to revive the heart of the contrite ones. For I will not contend forever, / Nor will I always be angry; / For the spirit would fail before Me, / And the souls which I have made. For the iniquity of his covetousness / I was angry and struck him; / I hid and was angry, / And he went on backsliding in the way of his heart. I have seen his ways, and will heal him; / I will also lead him, / And restore comforts to him / And to his mourners.‘I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near,' / Says the LORD, / 'And I will heal him.' But the wicked are like the troubled sea, / When it cannot rest, / Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.‘There is no peace,' / Says my God, ‘for the wicked'" (Isaiah 57:14-21).