Isaiah 57

Isaiah 57:1

The righteous perisheth, 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.

While sensual men do thus please themselves, God takes away his godly and righteous servants from amongst them; and they have not the grace or wit to consider, that this is a presage of great judgment, which shall fall on the heads of those wicked ones, that are left behind.

Isaiah 57:2

He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness.

ISMAIL, CHAP. XVI. LVII. But that just and upright man, who walked conscionably with God, howsoever the wicked think him a loser by his death, doth now enter into everlasting rest and happiness; and shall sweetly sleep in a bed of ease, till the morning of the Resurrection.

Isaiah 57:3

But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore.

But for you, ye wicked and rebellious seed, who are wont to brag of your pedigree from faithful Abraham, whereas indeed ye are a degenerate and adulterous issue, draw near, and hear my just contestation.

Isaiah 57:4

Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue?

Do ye well consider, that it is against the Almighty God ye have scornfully set yourselves? that ye have jeered and flouted at his dreadful judgments?

Isaiah 57:5

Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the cliffs of the rocks?

Enflaming yourselves with the abominable lusts of your spiritual fornication with your idols, in every grove; and causing your children to be slain in the valleys, as sacrifices to your Moloch?

Isaiah 57:6

Among the smooth stones of the stream is thy portion: &c.

Thou choosest thee an idol out of the river; even from amongst those rocks or stones, which the stream hath smoothed, and this must be thy God.

Isaiah 57:7

Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed: even thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifices.

Every hill hath been a high-place, destinated by thee to thine idolatry; and thither hast thou climbed, to offer thy sacrifices.

Isaiah 57:8

Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast discovered thyself to another than me, and art gone up; &c.

Every where, even behind the doors and posts of thy house, hast thou set up shameful monuments of thine idolatry: for thou hast committed spiritual whoredom with other gods; and hast yielded thyself over, to be defiled with their beastly abominations, even upon the first sight.

Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Loud shall be thy reward.

Then shalt thou be blessed, with a happy renewing of all comforts upon thee: thy prosperity shall be suddenly restored; then shall all beholders acknowledge thee for just and righteous; and whereas now, thy shame is too apparent, then, the glory of the Lord shall encompass and deck thee.

Isaiah 57:9

And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell.

And thou madest means to the king of Assyria; and temptedst him with thy precious presents, which thou sentest to him in great abundance by thine ambassadors, to commit spiritual fornication with thee; and didst abuse thyself too shamefully unto that idolatrous pagan.

Isaiah 57:10

Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, There is no hope; thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved.

The length of the way did not so discourage thee, as to cause thee to desist from this journey of thine: thou wentest on; and because thou foundest success as thou imaginedst in thine enterprise, thou foundest no remorse for what thou hadst done.

Isaiah 57:11

And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my grace even of old, and thou fearest me not?

Thou hast no fear of me before thine eyes, else thou couldest not, thou durst not have lied unto me, and dissembled with me: no; thou hast not remembered my presence, nor feared my revenge: and all this is, because I have forborne to execute speedy judgments upon thy sins.

Isaiah 57:12

I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they shall not profit thee.

But now, I will lay thee open: all the world shall see how just and righteous thou art: thy good carriage shall be discovered to thy shame and dishonour.

Isaiah 57:13

When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them.

When thou criest out in thy distress, let these thy goodly associates help and deliver thee; but for them, I will blow them away, as wind doth the dust: they shall vanish to nothing.

Isaiah 57:14

And shall say Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumbling block out of the way of my people.

They shall again inherit their old home at Jerusalem; and shall return to my temple; and shall encourage and persuade each other to a holy and conscionable profession of godliness, and to a removal of all impediments, that might hinder their piety and obedience.

Isaiah 57:16

For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, &c.

I will not always be exercising my people with heavy afflictions; neither will I always shew myself angry with them; for then the weak spirit of man must needs sink under the burden, and be utterly daunted.

Isaiah 57:17

I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.

I was displeased with him, and withdrew my grace from him; and he went on frowardly in those wicked ways, which his own heart suggested unto him.

Isaiah 57:18

I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.

I have well seen the courses which he takes, and might take just occasion to be revenged of him; but I do rather pity his perverseness, and will help him, though undeservedly, and restore his wonted comforts to him, and to those that are compassionately affected with his sorrows.

Isaiah 57:19

I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.

ISALAH, LVII. LVIII. I do put into the mouths of my prophets those tidings of peace, whereby the hearts of my people shall be cheered; and have put the word of reconciliation into the mouths of my evangelical preachers, whereby they may be saved: both of these messengers shall come with the happy news of peace, both unto Jews and Gentiles.