November 3, Isaiah 57
When you cry out, let your collection of idols
deliver you! The wind will carry them all off, a
breath will take them away. But he who takes
refuge in me shall possess the land, and shall
inherit my holy mountain." - Isaiah 57:13
Two people who take two paths heading in opposite directions are not going to arrive at the same place. The Lord spoke more of the destination of the righteous than their journey. Although they suffered calamity among the wicked while they lived, when they died, they received an inheritance known as peace.
The LORD through Isaiah described the wicked path the idolatrous Israelites were walking. They showed no regard for the righteous people among them. They forgot and forsook the God those righteous people worshiped and feared. They mocked the LORD and engaged in the grossest forms of idolatry and immorality. They "worshiped" the idols by indulging their lust. They even offered their children as sacrifices to their idol gods. God sternly warned these wicked people about where their journey would lead them. He still offered them pardon and that blessed inheritance of peace if they would repent and return to him. If however they chose to remain in their wickedness, they would never experience the peace that God promised the righteous.
The inheritance of peace is a blanket description of all the blessings that God offers his people who are faithful to him. They are beloved children, faithful to him. They are forgiven. They enjoy God's provision, protection and the bright prospect of eternal life while they live. Such blessings help the hearts of the righteous to be at peace, even in the troubles and trials of life, even facing death. Instead of agonizing in their anxiety, they cast their cares on the Lord who cares for them.
The wicked may have some momentary pleasure as they indulge their lusts. But they cannot know the peace that blesses the righteous. The rebels forfeit the place they could have known as God's beloved children and become instead objects of his wrath. They bear the full guilt of their ungodly conduct. They cannot know God's peace because they will not repent and return to him. And at the end of their journey, they inherit destruction and ruin instead of peace.
Chapter 57 also looks ahead to the times of Messiah when nearby Jews and faraway Gentiles could both enjoy the peace and rest God gives. But it compares the fate of the wicked to the storm-tossed sea. God's haunting warning to them is, "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."
The great loving heart of God is in this. He wants to forgive. He is delighted to reward his righteous ones. But the absolute holiness and justice of God is here, too. Wickedness and idolatry turn God's face against those who follow those paths. If they persist in their sin and do not repent, they will experience God's wrath, not his peace.
What is this chapter saying to you and me today? Do these words remind and assure us that the righteous, godly life is the best way to live, die and enjoy God's blessings? Or do we hear the warning that sinning against God will never lead us to blessings and peace? Even if we're on the wrong path, can we hear the call to turn back to God while we still can to be blessed and forgiven? As we read God's word, let's make sure we listen and respond to him in trust and obedience. That's the path to peace here and now, and peace when we leave this world.
Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—November 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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