Old Testament Commentary - Isaiah 57

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 57 When the righteous die they enter into peace—Mercy promised to the penitent—There is no peace for the wicked.
1 THE righteous ^aperisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that *the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.^a* 2 He shall enter into ^apeace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.	1^a the righteous is taken away from the evil to come Some who think in the pride of their heart that they are more righteous than others will think that because some are taken and others are left as the days of the Second Coming come that they have been speared to remain because of their righteousness and that those who were taken, 'destroyed' as it were', are but sinners and that is why they were removed. But here the Lord through his prophet sets forth that this is not necessarily the case, for to spare the righteous the evil which is to befall the earth, many of the righteous will mercifully be taken into the peace of the Lord, not having to endure the wake of the onslought of trouble adn demise which those who remain will have to endure and be exposed to whether they who remain are righteous of wicked. This generallity of elitism is far too common among men and in the end the truth will out, that whether one is take or not, if righteous they are taken home to God and into the peace of paradise while the wicked who are taken are assigned unto prison. And those who seem to remain, may or may not last long, their pride folding in upon them, they too may eventually be taken and to their eventual surprise not unto that paradise which they considered themselves to be a part of.
3 ¶ But draw near hither, ye ^asons of the sorceress, the seed of the ^badulterer and the whore. 4 Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? are ye not ^achildren of transgression, a seed of falsehood, 5 Enflaming yourselves with ^aidols under every green tree, ^bslaying the ^cchildren in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks?
6 Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion; they, they are thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a drink offering, thou hast offered a meat offering. Should I receive comfort in these? 7 Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy ^abed: even thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice. 8 Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast ^adiscovered thyself to ^aanother than me, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee a covenant with them; thou lovedst their bed where thou sawest it.
9 And thou wentest to the ^aking with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell. 10 Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, There is no ^ahope: thou hast found the ^blife of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved. 11 And of whom hast thou been afraid or ^afeared, that thou hast ^blied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not? 12 I will ^adeclare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they shall not profit thee.
13 ¶ When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy ^amountain; 14 ^aAnd shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, ^bprepare the way, take up the ^cstumblingblock out of the way of my people. 15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth ^aeternity, whose name is ^bHoly; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a ^ccontrite and ^dhumble spirit, to ^erevive the spirit of the ^fhumble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
16 For I will not ^acontend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the ^bsouls which I have made. 17 For the ^ainiquity of his ^bcovetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on ^cfrowardly in the way of his heart. 18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will ^alead him also, and restore ^bcomforts unto him and to his ^cmourners.
19 I create the ^afruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is ^bfar off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him. 20 But the ^awicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 21 There is no ^apeace, saith my God, to the wicked.