Isaiah 57:19, commentary and pictures

God Himself creates the fruit of the lips, bringing forth words of peace and placing praise and thanksgiving on human lips and in repentant hearts. He speaks peace to him that is far off and to him that is near, offering it to those far from Him and those close to Him, far away and nearby. Though He has seen the sinful, covetous, stubborn and wayward ways of His people and has corrected and chastened them, He will not remain angry forever but will heal their spiritual disease, lead them, and restore comfort to the erring and to their mourners. This peace and healing dwell with His promise to revive the humble and contrite, and are given not while rebellion is nursed but when sin is repented, confessed, and forsaken, while those who persist in transgression cannot receive them. The distinction between the far off and the near shows His gospel of peace is for all classes in nearby and distant fields, to be carried to both, in contrast to the wicked who are like the troubled sea and have no peace.

Words and Immediate Context

The fruit of the lips is words of peace that God Himself creates and brings forth, placing praise and thanksgiving on human lips and in repentant hearts. He puts His own message in the lips of those who remain faithful, filling the hearts of penitent people who keep His way with praise and thanksgiving unto favor and salvation. When there is deep humiliation He purges sin as by the live coal touching the lips, taking away iniquity so that penitent, praying men bear a clear-cut living testimony of warning, reproof, and rebuke.

The verse belongs to the Lord's assurance that though He has seen the sinful, covetous, stubborn, perverse and wayward ways of His people, He has corrected and chastened them yet will not remain angry forever lest the spirit fail before Him. Because men could not endure His displeasure, He will heal the erring one, lead him, and restore comfort to him and to his mourners. He heals spiritual disease in those who turn to Him and do what is right, restoring them to His favor.

That promise belongs with His dwelling in the high and holy place and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and revive the heart of the contrite ones. It belongs with His work of hearing and answering the humble and contrite who seek Him, reviving, leading, and restoring to favor those who return to Him. Though He was wroth and smote for the iniquity of covetousness, having seen the ways of the erring one He will heal him and lead him and restore comforts to him and to his mourners, creating the fruit of the lips as peace.

The peace given to those who return stands in contrast to the wicked, who are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest whose waters cast up mire and dirt, and who have no peace from God. His gift of peace and healing to the repentant is set against the unrest of those who persist in rebellion and transgression. In its chapter setting, value in God's sight does not come from being rich in the wealth of the world, but from being meek and contrite, whom the Lord acknowledges and honors, so that careful prayerful study of the fifty-seventh chapter makes one wise unto salvation.

Peace Healing and Restoration

The Lord Himself creates peace and speaks peace, peace to the one who is far off and to the one who is near, offering it both to those far from Him and to those near Him, in places far away and nearby. He creates the fruit of the lips as words of peace, and His gift of peace and healing stands against the unrest of the wicked who have no peace. The peace and healing are given when in contrition sinners repent of transgression of the law, while those who continue in transgression remain as the troubled sea.

His promise, I will heal him, means He heals spiritual disease in those who turn to Him, leads them, and restores comfort to them and to their mourners. Though He has seen sinful, covetous, stubborn and perverse ways and has chastened, He does not remain angry forever because people could not endure His displeasure lest the spirit fail. If the humbled confess and forsake their sins and do what is right, He will not leave them to become the sport of Satan's temptations but takes away iniquity, puts praise and thanksgiving on the lips, and restores the penitent who honor His name and keep His way to His favor and salvation. God puts His message in the lips of those who remain faithful and fills the hearts of the penitent with praise.

Christ gave His life as a sacrifice to make it possible for sinful human beings led into sin to return to allegiance, to keep His holy law, and to stand on vantage ground. This provision proves God is true and righteous in providing the way by which Christlike attributes of character may be obtained. He dwells in the high and holy place and also with the one of contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and the heart of the contrite, and though He was wroth and smote for the iniquity of covetousness, having seen the ways of the erring one He heals him and leads him and restores comforts to him and to his mourners.

In Jacob's life this promise is shown in God's response after Jacob's fraud to gain the birthright brought painful consequences. That fraud brought his brother's hatred, twenty years of exile being wronged and defrauded, flight for safety, and seeing his own evils crop out in his sons, yet he was not overwhelmed in distress because he had repented, endeavored to atone for the wrong to his brother, and sought help from God with power over the Angel, weeping and supplication until blessed there. Though God had seen sinful ways and corrected them, He did not remain angry forever but led, restored comfort, and healed.

The forgiven one stood up no longer the supplanter but a prince with God, gaining not merely deliverance from his outraged brother but deliverance from himself, the power of evil in his nature broken and his character transformed, reviewing his history as fed by God and redeemed by the Angel from all evil. This means God does not annul His laws or work contrary to them and does not undo the work of sin, but transforms through grace so the curse works out a blessing.

Contrition Obedience and Character

Peace, healing, and restored comfort are not given while rebellion is nursed but when the sinner is repentant, contrite, humble, and sorry for working at cross purposes with God. The gift comes if in contrition there is repentance for transgression of the law, with response to the Spirit's reproof, confession to God, and forsaking of sin. God creates the fruit of the lips as words of peace and as praise and thanksgiving, giving peace to him that is far off and to him that is near, and He heals, leads, and restores comfort to the repentant and to their mourners. His mercy reaches those who have gone astray and repent, despite their former perversity, and He does not remain angry forever because people could not endure His displeasure.

The promise is fulfilled when there is deep humiliation with forsaking of covetousness, selfishness, self-indulgence, pride, and dependence on men and the counsel of men. If covetous and stubborn ways that have grieved Him and grieved His people are humbled, confessed, and forsaken, He will not leave the humbled to become the sport of Satan's temptations but will take away iniquity, purge sin as by the live coal touching the lips, return to His people, work with them, heal them, and lead them. Though He was wroth and smote for the iniquity of covetousness, having seen the ways of the erring one He heals him and restores comforts to him and to his mourners, creating the fruit of the lips as peace.

Those who persist stubbornly in their own way, continue in transgression of the law, and refuse to acknowledge their need cannot receive His peace or healing, but remain as the wicked who are like the troubled sea and have no peace. Receiving truth in a humble, contrite heart makes people willing to be refined and purified by it, and its effect is shown in what it accomplishes in them. Receiving its promise calls for the meekness Christ showed, humbling the heart before God and standing in right relation to Him, opening a door to enter and meet with God and seek Him earnestly with assurance that He will be found.

Those who occupy positions as teachers and counselors must therefore be circumspect, modest, unobtrusive, and humble in spirit and speech, since He dwells in the high and holy place with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and the heart of the contrite ones. This healing, leading, and purified testimony from unfeigned lips breaks up tame, commonplace discourses that lull people to carnal security. Penitent, praying men with contrite, humble, meek hearts then bear a clear-cut living testimony of warning, reproof, and rebuke that stirs hearts, converts sinners, and awakens sleepers, and this is what is needed in Battle Creek and in Oakland and in all churches.

Prophecy Mission and Encouragement

The promise stands within the prophecy of Isaiah 41, 42, 43, 49 and 55-58 that foretells the great and solemn work of presenting the warning message to the world. That work gives people a right to know why believers believe as they do and gives desired information through camp meetings. It requires money and the establishment of sanitariums in different parts of the world as an educating power to reform people and restore the moral image of God. Men converted through knowledge of the Word then use means and ability to extend truth, and workers in camp meetings arouse slumbering senses to see departure from the Lord's ordinances by worldly policy and conformity.

The distinction between him that is far off and him that is near shows that God's gospel message of peace is for people who are near and far away, nearby and distant. It is a message of eternal importance to be borne to those who are nigh and to those who are afar off, to be opened to all classes, both nearby and distant. Ministry is to extend to both nearby and distant fields, to places close by and distant places that need to hear the message of truth, wherever need calls. The message is to be carried to both through the circulation of publications, and those who can help are to use their entrusted means to make that work possible.

Those in the cities who profess to believe the truth for this time must wake up and give to others what the Lord has given them, arising and shining because their light is come. As they give to others the precious light of the gospel message they will see the glory of God, going forth with full assurance that angels of God will make impressions upon the minds of those for whom they labor. Isaiah 55, 56, 57, and 58 are chapters to be diligently studied by pastors and people to arouse them from spiritual stupidity. Careful prayerful study of the fifty-seventh chapter, which means much to the people of God, makes one wise unto salvation.

The verse is part of God's promise to hear and answer the humble and contrite who seek Him and to revive their spirits and hearts. It declares that God gives peace to those who are far away and those who are near, and heals them. It gives comfort and encouragement for the discouraged. It opens a door to enter and meet with God, to seek Him earnestly with the assurance that He will be found.