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. He shall enter into peace:they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in the uprightness. (New American Standard Bible)
My take on Isaiah 57:1-2 is :
"The righteous perish, and no one wonders why they perish in their heart; merciful (kindhearted-generous-forgiving) 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 and they find rest as they lie in death."
If the above is what it means than it seems to send shivers down the spine as some of us are living on borrowed time and still not being taken away. Does God have a reason for this? i wonder ...
It also brings to mind the question of suicide. Suicide is forbidden in Christianity as God has a purpose and a plan for each and everyone of us. Thus we do not have a right to terminate life ... only the giver of life, GOD, can.
