Apparently many righteous and devout people had either died or been taken off to exile. Maybe some thought this meant either that they weren't as good as they thought they were, or that being committed to God made no difference. Isaiah explains that the reason they have been taken away is to spare them from the evil that was all around. He then speaks of them finding rest in death. This is an indirect reference to resurrection. It also shows that sometimes death is not the worse thing that can happen to someone, and that when someone is very ill death can be a release. However, this emphatically does not give support to euthanasia, only God has the right and the wisdom to decide on these matters.
The people who were left, who were in dire circumstances were still proud, they still mocked and sneered. This is a characteristic you often find. Pagan worship sometimes involved the sacrifice of children, and all sorts of sexual immorality. Drunkenness was also part of the "worship". These were people who nominally belonged to God, but even in their houses they had idols to foreign gods. They sought help from other nations. All this involved great effort and cost. Yet they persisted in doing it. Men will put enormous effort into ungodly ways.
The people who were left, who were in dire circumstances were still proud, they still mocked and sneered. This is a characteristic you often find. Pagan worship sometimes involved the sacrifice of children, and all sorts of sexual immorality. Drunkenness was also part of the "worship". These were people who nominally belonged to God, but even in their houses they had idols to foreign gods. They sought help from other nations. All this involved great effort and cost. Yet they persisted in doing it. Men will put enormous effort into ungodly ways.
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