1) In this passage the “You” refers to God and the “him” refers to the nation of Israel. Knowing the audience and keeping all the pronouns straight in Scripture can sometimes be confusing, but it is necessary to understand the context. The book of Isaiah was written to the southern portion of the divided kingdom of Israel. Isaiah wrote of impending judgement by God and to help Israel understand that God’s hope is eternal despite the impending judgement on their nation. God was with them even in the face of exile and He would restore their nation one day! God is the God of restoration and hope.

2) Biblical peace is not the absence of physical war. Isaiah wrote in a time when Israel was going to be conquered and taken captive. Peace comes from the choice to keep our minds on God. It is the absence of a spiritual battle of wills because there is understanding of how the story will end. Isaiah says that God keeps him in perfect peace whose mind is “stayed” on God. With a little investigation of that word “stay” we see that it means to support oneself, brace oneself, lean on, rest upon, revive oneself. Isaiah is letting his audience know that God’s peace, the understanding that this too shall pass and there is hope, will come when they brace themselves and rest upon the “everlasting rock”.

3) When Isaiah uses the word “trust” he is encouraging and instructing Israel to put faith in God’s keen awareness of their circumstances and continue to have faith that God knows best. Judgement and exile are not high on the list of “want-to’s” for anyone especially God’s chosen people, however, they are facing consequences for their own actions. Isaiah simply is leading them to have faith that God will protect them like only He can and rely on the “everlasting rock” of salvation. Reliance on God during flourishing and during exile sets their sight on the restoration that is to come for their nation.