Spared
At the beginning of the fifty-seventh chapter of his prophetic book, Isaiah brings an accusation against the people of Israel. The Old Testament prophet addresses the people’s lack of attention to what was happening around them. Isaiah's writings occurred as the northern kingdom, Israel, was taken into captivity by the Assyrians, and the southern kingdom, Judah, was in the throes of upheaval and on the verge of being conquered by their enemy, Babylon. It was a time of great tribulation for the country.
With so much going on, what oversight were the Israelites guilty of? According to Isaiah, the “righteous” among the Jews were “perishing” and “no one takes it to heart.” The verse’s inclusion of the word “perishing,” based on the English translation, is a little strongly worded. The Hebrew word used in the original text is “אָבָ֔ד” which is more closely translated as lost. In other words, Isaiah was informing the Israelites that righteous people are dying, going to the grave, and no one is contemplating why.
Since Adam and Eve committed sin, death has plagued human beings. It is our natural course. We are born, live, and die. In fact, Hebrews 9:27 states, “people are destined to die.” So, if death is something inevitable in human existence, why is this prophet so adamant that the Jews should take to heart the death of some righteous people?
To answer that question, we should return to the context and look at the next verse in this chapter. First, the context: the northern kingdom of Israel was falling, devastating the people and the land. It was horrible. The southern kingdom, Judah, where Isaiah prophesied, was soon to be in the enemy's crosshairs. Death and devastation were coming. What did Isaiah tell the people in the second verse of this chapter? “Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.”
The Lord spares his righteous - sometimes through death.
Ah! Now we understand that the deaths of the righteous discussed in verse one are, in fact, an escape from the hardship to come. But the Jews were not paying attention. Isaiah says it like this, “The devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.” The prophet lifted the eyes of the people to consider why the righteous among them were being taken. Isaiah wanted the Jews to understand that the dreaded death was actually a way of escape from the coming wrath. But the people were not taking it “to heart.”
Let’s not miss the point of this heart thing. The issue that Isaiah prophesied about was not a simple matter of ignorance or being too busy to notice; It was a matter of the heart. The Jews were not considering the implications for themselves. If the righteous are escaping, albeit through death, and you are not dying, where does that leave you? Maybe a close look at your heart is in order.
All the righteous did not die before the Babylonian army laid siege to Jerusalem. There were righteous people who lived through the capture of the southern kingdom. Interestingly, Isaiah did not. He died, or rather, was “taken away” prior to the fall of Jerusalem. However, many considered righteous individuals lived through it and went into exile during the Babylonian captivity. The point of Isaiah’s prophecy was not to suggest that all the righteous got out of the troubles brought on by the Babylonians. His point was to get people to see God's deliverance for those faithful to Him, even in the face of certain hardship. In so doing, maybe the people of Judah would look upon their own actions, their hearts, and understand their need to change.
The purpose of Isaiah’s writings is evident in the verses that continue to build out chapter fifty-seven of his book. These verses forcefully deal with the sin of idolatry in the Jewish culture. The people had turned their backs on God; they had “not been true” to God and “neither remembered” Him. The Israelites were an adulterous bunch who filled their homes with “pagan symbols” and lusted after “their naked bodies.” They forsake the God who delivered them and established the Jewish nation in the promised land for idols that are powerless to save them. “The wind will carry all of them [idols] off, a mere breath will blow them away.”
But God gave a promise for “whoever takes refuge in me.” These righteous people would “inherit the land and possess my [God’s] holy mountain.” Those righteous people, who put their trust in God, were taken away, escaping the evil to come, to inherit the land and live on the mountain of God. While the wicked were enveloped in the turmoil of war and the destruction and bondage of the Babylonians, God’s righteous people saw “peace” and found “rest.”
Why is this important to us today? Well, nothing has changed. The enemy is still active. We still live in an adulterous culture where idolatry is the norm. Just like when Isaiah lived, there is a pending disaster, a coming tribulation. Don’t believe it? Ask the people of Ukraine. Ask the people in Iran and Israel. Ask the people in the various African countries that are in turmoil. The world is no different than in Isaiah’s time.
Neither is God! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He still has promises for His righteous people. There is still rest and peace for those who take refuge in Him. Yep, it may be through death, a quick escape from the coming devastation. It may also be an ever-present help through the valley of the shadow of death. God will deliver His righteous ones: “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him… I have never seen the righteous forsaken.” We are under siege continually, but we are not without help if we take refuge in our Lord.
Take it to heart! Would you be among the idolaters? Are you among the righteous? Is your trust in powerless idols or in yourself, oh powerless one? Or have you taken refuge in God Almighty? Have you accepted a lie that there is no hope? Isaiah’s prophecy continues, “For this is what the high and exalted One says - he who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Take it to heart.