What happensPermalink
The righteous die unnoticed, spared from coming evil, while Israel pursues idolatry and foreign alliances like an unfaithful spouse. Their idols cannot save them, but whoever takes refuge in God will inherit the land. God removes every obstacle and declares that though He dwells in the highest holiness, He also lives with the contrite and lowly. After disciplining His people, He will heal, comfort, and proclaim peace to them; the wicked, however, remain restless like the sea and have no peace.
Why it mattersPermalink
The high and holy God judges unfaithfulness yet dwells with the contrite, healing them and giving peace. The unnoticed death of the righteous may spare them from evil, while those chasing idols and alliances exhaust themselves without refuge. Ephesians 2:17 echoes “peace to the far and to the near,” applying it to Gentiles and Jews reconciled through Christ. The wicked remain as restless as the sea.
Key versePermalink
“Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the Lord, “and I will heal him.”