Isaiah 57

The chapter follows a chiastic-like structure that moves from the observation of death to the indictment of sin, pivots at the promise of divine presence (v. 15), and resolves with the finality of God's judgment versus His gift of peace.

• The righteous shall enter into peace and rest (v. 2).
• Those who trust in God will inherit the land and His holy mountain (v. 13).
• God will revive the heart of the contrite (v. 15).
• God will lead and restore comforts to the mourners (v. 18).
• The Lord will heal him (v. 19).

• Cast up, prepare the way, and take up the stumbling block out of the way of my people (v. 14).

• Idolatry and the service of sin are disgraceful and will lead to destruction (v. 5-9).
• Works of wickedness do not profit (v. 12).
• There is no peace for the wicked (v. 21).

• The passage reflects the period of internal decay within Israel, where syncretism with Canaanite fertility cults (worshipping under green trees) was rampant.
• The reference to 'sending messengers far off' (v. 9) likely alludes to Israel's political reliance on foreign powers like Assyria or Babylon rather than the Lord.

• The 'beds' (מִשְׁכָּב) mentioned in verse 8 evoke the imagery of cultic prostitution, which was common in pagan temples of the Ancient Near East.
• The practice of 'slaying children' (v. 5) refers to the horrific practice of child sacrifice to Molech, which the prophets condemned as the ultimate rejection of the covenant.

• Isaiah 57 follows the 'Suffering Servant' song (Isaiah 53) and continues the prophetic focus on the consequences of Israel's rebellion versus the hope of restoration.
• The language of 'peace' (שָׁלוֹם) echoes Isaiah 48:22, creating a thematic bridge across the book.

• The New Testament echoes the promise of peace for those 'far off' and 'near' in Ephesians 2:13-17, explicitly applying this promise to the inclusion of Gentiles.
• The description of the wicked as a 'troubled sea' (v. 20) finds resonance in Jude 1:13, where false teachers are described similarly.

• The phrase 'peace, peace to him that is far off' (v. 19) is quoted in Ephesians 2:17 regarding the reconciliation between Jew and Gentile through Christ.

• The Hebrew word צַדִּיק (tzaddiq, H6662) for 'righteous' indicates one who is ethically right according to the standard of God’s law.
• The verb אָסַף (asaph, H622), translated 'taken away', carries the sense of being 'gathered'—here, a gathering into the safety of the Lord’s presence in death.
• The word שָׁלוֹם (shalom, H7965) implies far more than the absence of conflict; it signifies wholeness, well-being, and a right relationship with God.

• Modern readers often miss that 'perishing' (אָבַד) here is not merely about physical death, but about the failure of society to recognize the significance of the death of a godly person.
• Matthew Henry observes that the righteous are taken away in compassion to spare them from the 'evil to come', suggesting that death is sometimes a refuge for the believer rather than a mere tragedy.
• There is a tension regarding the 'healing' of the wicked; while God declares 'I will heal him' (v. 19), the final verse confirms that those who choose to remain wicked forfeit that peace.

• Whether the 'righteous man' refers to an individual prophet or the godly remnant of Israel is debated by scholars, though the text does not require choosing between these applications.