8

For example:

Psalm 92:12 (KJV)
12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

compared to:

Isaiah 57:1 (KJV)
1 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.

Jon Ericson
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Greg McNulty
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    Hi there! You didn't need to delete the question on Christianity.SE, FYI, but you are welcome to ask it here if you prefer. The main reason for two sites (three actually if you count Jewish Life & Learning) is that we don't take any particular doctrinal stand here. The first line doesn't really refer after you moved the question. On this site, being more specific actually helps. Can you be more specific? ;-) – Jon Ericson Mar 09 '12 at 01:31
  • Thanks! The first question is a duplicate of: http://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/q/1107/68 but I think the second is unique (and interesting). Allow me to edit it to fit with the site... – Jon Ericson Mar 09 '12 at 19:43

1 Answers1

7

The context of the two books gives an insight:

In the Psalm, the Psalmist is saying that those who follow God (The Righteous) will flourish. The Righteous delight in the LORD (vs 4-5), they Praise the LORD (vs 1-3), etc.

Isaiah on the other hand is a book of Judgement on Israel. Isaiah 57 looks at the fact that although Israel is chosen as God's people, they have chosen not to follow God (vs3-13). As such God has given His "Righteous" people over to destruction as we see Israel & Judah destroyed and taken into slavery.

The point I think Isaiah is trying to make is that although you might have been God's chosen people, you need to listen to Him and follow His commands, otherwise destruction will come and the idol's you had turned to will not be able to save you.

Amichai
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Greg
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    Welcome to Biblical Hermeneutics! Excellent observation that two different books may have different perspectives---that doesn't mean they contradict each other. – Jon Ericson Mar 11 '12 at 22:47
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    Thanks. It's impossible to understand any part of the Bible (or any text for that matter) without considering the wider context – Greg Mar 12 '12 at 03:27