John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 57:12

"I will declare thy righteousness; and as for thy works, they shall not profit thee." — Isaiah 57:12 (ASV)

I will declare thy righteousness. The Prophet affirms that the Lord will no longer endure what he formerly endured, and that from now on he must follow a different method. He calls it ironically “their righteousness;” for he means by it all the wickedness and all the errors by which they were stained and corrupted, as if he had said, “I will show what is the nature of your righteousness.” So long as God “holds his peace,” those who are most unrighteous and most unholy appear to be “righteous” people; but when the Lord ascends his judgment seat, people are brought out of their hiding places, and their corruption is dragged out into public view. And so the Prophet means that the greatest wickedness passes in the world for “righteousness” as long as God holds his peace, but that it will eventually be scattered when he ascends his judgment seat; for people, after having flattered themselves for so long, will finally realize that he is their judge.

And they shall not profit thee. This relates to the effect by which people almost always judge; for they do not inquire whether a thing is righteous or unrighteous, but think that whatever is profitable to them should be approved. The Prophet therefore threatens that all the works from which they hoped to derive some profit will be destructive to them.