Isaiah 57. Sing Praises to the One Who Gives Us Peace.

Because of the importance of Israel and its people, and my personal love for The Land, I’m inviting you to join me through the key Old Testament book of Isaiah.  Each day I’m posting some simple thoughts about this complex prophet.

Isaiah 57.

A back and forth message of hope and warning.

“Right living people die and no one gives them a thought… but in death they find peace for obeying God.” (v1-2, CEV).

And there is a dire warning to those who are unfaithful and worship fortune tellers, pagan idols, sexual lusts, and spirits of the dead. You can read it in Verse 3.

Your idols, whatever they may be, will not save you. But look at the hope of Verse 13: “But if you come to me for protection, this land and my holy mountain will always belong to you.” (v13, CEV).

God proclaims again and again that He is here for all of us. “I am here to help those who are humble and depend only on me.” (v15, CEV). Here’s how the Message says it: “What I do is put a new spirit in them, get them up and on their feet again.”

This reminds me of such a powerful promise from another prophet of old: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.” (Ezekiel 36:25-28, NIV).

I’m so thankful that God is the only one upon whom we can depend. God is the one who gets us on our feet every day. It is only God who is the source of our true peace. He will, He has, put His Holy Spirit in us!

“I know what you are like! But I will heal you, lead you, and give you comfort, until those who are mourning, start singing my praises. No matter where you are, I, the Lord, will heal you and give you peace.” (v18-19, CEV).

He will heal us. He will lead us. He will give us peace! So, yes, let’s sing His praises. Today and every day!

One final note. This chapter ends on the same note as Isaiah 48: “There is no peace for the wicked.”