They allowed fear of the world to undermine their reverence for God.
In Isaiah 57:11, the prophet quotes the LORD, saying, “Of whom were you worried and fearful When you lied, and did not remember Me Nor give Me a thought? Was I not silent even for a long time So you do not fear Me?” (v.11). These piercing questions confront the people of Israel about the ways they have drifted from a loving and faithful God who saved them. It calls them to consider how they replaced genuine worship with futile idols and forgot the fear of God, even after years of His patient silence.
When Isaiah says, “Of whom were you worried and fearful When you lied, and did not remember Me Nor give Me a thought?” (v.11), he challenges the readers to examine the object of their fear and why they chose to hide in deceit. Historically, the prophet Isaiah ministered during the time of the kings of Judah, beginning around 739 BC until approximately 681 BC. From the events of Isaiah’s day through later periods of exile and restoration, Israel often feared powerful earthly kingdoms such as Assyria or Babylon more than they feared the LORD. By lying and seeking false security, the people not only forgot the God who delivered them from slavery in Egypt, but they failed to remember that only God is worthy of ultimate trust (Isaiah 31:1). As they ceased to trust Him, they began to serve and sacrifice to other gods, which is spiritual adultery. Such unfaithfulness left them separated from the intimacy the LORD desired.
The latter part of this verse poses the question: “Was I not silent even for a long time So you do not fear Me?” (v.11). It underscores that God’s patience can mistakenly be interpreted as disinterest. Here it seems people misread God’s silence as either indifference or weakness, causing them to drift further away. Yet this very silence was a gracious opportunity to repent and remember their covenant obligations. The passage reveals God’s priority that His people maintain reverential awe for Him as their true protector and Father, rather than waste their energies in anxious striving to please or appease either idols or foreign nations.
Short summary: God’s people forgot to fear Him, placing their trust elsewhere, which began with deceit and ended in infidelity and spiritual shallowness. They misread God’s gracious silence, missing an opportunity to repent and worship Him fully.
Set to dark mode
Isaiah 57:11 meaning
In Isaiah 57:11, the prophet quotes the LORD, saying, “Of whom were you worried and fearful When you lied, and did not remember Me Nor give Me a thought? Was I not silent even for a long time So you do not fear Me?” (v.11). These piercing questions confront the people of Israel about the ways they have drifted from a loving and faithful God who saved them. It calls them to consider how they replaced genuine worship with futile idols and forgot the fear of God, even after years of His patient silence.
When Isaiah says, “Of whom were you worried and fearful When you lied, and did not remember Me Nor give Me a thought?” (v.11), he challenges the readers to examine the object of their fear and why they chose to hide in deceit. Historically, the prophet Isaiah ministered during the time of the kings of Judah, beginning around 739 BC until approximately 681 BC. From the events of Isaiah’s day through later periods of exile and restoration, Israel often feared powerful earthly kingdoms such as Assyria or Babylon more than they feared the LORD. By lying and seeking false security, the people not only forgot the God who delivered them from slavery in Egypt, but they failed to remember that only God is worthy of ultimate trust (Isaiah 31:1). As they ceased to trust Him, they began to serve and sacrifice to other gods, which is spiritual adultery. Such unfaithfulness left them separated from the intimacy the LORD desired.
The latter part of this verse poses the question: “Was I not silent even for a long time So you do not fear Me?” (v.11). It underscores that God’s patience can mistakenly be interpreted as disinterest. Here it seems people misread God’s silence as either indifference or weakness, causing them to drift further away. Yet this very silence was a gracious opportunity to repent and remember their covenant obligations. The passage reveals God’s priority that His people maintain reverential awe for Him as their true protector and Father, rather than waste their energies in anxious striving to please or appease either idols or foreign nations.
Short summary: God’s people forgot to fear Him, placing their trust elsewhere, which began with deceit and ended in infidelity and spiritual shallowness. They misread God’s gracious silence, missing an opportunity to repent and worship Him fully.