The Righteous Perish?

Isaiah 57:1-2 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. 2 Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.
 
“THE righteous perish.” That seems against all God says. It makes you wonder, “Why be right with God if I will die?” But in truth, “righteous perish” is a blessing.
   In Isaiah’s time and through the generations up to the exile, evil kings of Israel and Judah persecuted and killed God’s righteous prophets. Isaiah expressed God’s grief, and Jesus expressed his condemnation in Luke 11:48 So you testify that you approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.  Yet, Isaiah’s message God gave him a vision of joy beyond the terror of persecution. In his deep and very right relationship with God, Isaiah’s message is about the reward God’s faithful experience as “the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.” Those who walk God’s right path do not, as one commentator says, escape death. But they escape the sting of death. Death on earth takes them into life in heaven. They perish from earth, away from its evil and persecutions into the Father’s bosom. Isaiah proclaims the eternal comfort of the right path leading to a joyful contentment into God’s presence in death.
   And there’s more. Isaiah’s words point to the Great Comfort, the Righteous One, Jesus Christ, who was killed and for whom “no one” cared at all. Then farther into the future, Isaiah points to the righteous apostles, who walked in peace, even to their death to rest with their Savior. They were among the first righteous ones in Jesus Christ to perish from earth’s violence. Understand your life in Christ Jesus does not belong to you. But in his resurrection is the truth that compels many a persecuted Christian to remain faithful. They know physical death is a release into eternal life. Why be concerned of trials on earth when you know eternal joy awaits you?
   Are you struggling to teach Jesus to someone? Are you criticized for your faith? Are you ostracized for your law-based life? Rejoice in your walk with God. He promises  a wonderful rest as you reside in God’s presence forever.

Isn’t interesting how four Beatitudes speak of blessings for the righteous?
 
Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled…8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God…10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”