Daily Devotions
Isaiah
"The righteous perishes"
Text: Isaiah 57:1
THE PERSECUTION OF THE RIGHTEOUS
The problem of suffering under persecution was a long-standing one. In the reigns of wicked kings, many righteous people perished!
“The righteous perishes,
And no man takes it to heart;
Merciful men are taken away,
While no one considers
That the righteous is taken away from evil.
He shall enter into peace;
They shall rest in their beds,
Each one walking in his uprightness.”
Isaiah 57:1-2
1. Death came to
a) The righteous.
b) The merciful.
2. Their deaths were not taken seriously.
a) No one took the death of the righteous seriously.
b) Few valued the significance of the lives of the righteous.
3. The wicked.
a) They are not concerned about others.
b) They are more concerned about their own welfare.
4. God’s viewpoint.
a) He has allowed the righteous to die.
b) He will care for the righteous.
c) The righteous, in their death, have been spared from further evil experiences.
5. The hereafter:
a) The righteous enters into peace.
b) They take their final rest in bed.
c) They awake to the uprightness that God has given to them.
d) The righteous will dwell with God in righteousness in the hereafter.
e) The wicked have no such hope.