57:7, 8 Marriage is an exclusive relationship in which a man and a woman become one. Adultery breaks this beautiful bond of unity. When the people turned from God and gave their love to idols, God said they were committing spiritual adultery—breaking their exclusive commitment to God. How could people give their love to worthless wood and stone idols instead of to the God who made them and loved them so very much?
57:9 “The king” may be a reference to Molech, an Ammonite god whose worship included child sacrifice.
57:12 God says that he will expose their good deeds for what they really were—mere pretensions of doing good. Isaiah warned these people that their good deeds would not save them any more than their weak, worthless idols. We cannot gain our salvation through good works because our best works are not good enough to outweigh our sins. Salvation is a gift from God, received only through faith in Christ, not good works (Ephesians 2:8, 9).
57:14-21 Verses 1-13 speak of pride and lust; verses 14-21 tell how God relates to those who are humble and repentant (“contrite”). The high and holy God came down to our level to save us because it is impossible for us to go up to his level to save ourselves (see 2 Chronicles 6:18; Psalm 51:1-7; Philippians 2).