“The righteous perish,
and no one ponders it in his heart;
devout men are taken away,
and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
to be spared from evil.
Those who walk uprightly
enter into peace;
they find rest as they lie in death.”
Isaiah 57
As I meditated on this passage, there was such an inner longing for the hope offered by Isaiah. The righteous are to be taken away to be spared from evil. Oh, ponder this thought for a moment-
No more struggling, no more striving, no more faltering, no more sin as it is, nothing left to be stood in the way of knowing Jesus Christ fully. No more having to sift out lies from the world- just prevailing, freeing truth. No more lecturing the heart: “Seek Him!”- just the restful acquiescence of always finding Him. No more having to be submitted to a world subjected to suffering and pain, just eternal peace and rest. No more temptation, no more fighting against sin, no more waging war against the flesh, but complete sanctification. No more laborious and burdensome entrances into prayer, just the privelege of asking Him in person. No more taking the bread and the wine, the broken remembrance of the cost for the penalty of sin, just banquets, meals, and feasts with fellow brothers and sisters who will forever celebrate the victory over death!
What a blessed funeral it is for those who have believed the words of Christ!
