Truth of the Week 11: In Returning and Rest
Isaiah 30:15 – For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence will be your strength.’ NKJV
Isaiah 30 speaks about a rebellious people. Right off the bat I can think of 2 solidly stupid times I lived in a season of rebellion towards God. I have no doubt you can think of one yourself as I use the familiar word rebellious.
And yes, those times of rebelling against your parents is still rebelling against God (see Ephesians 6:1-3) – unless your parents are asking you to blatantly go against God’s law.
God calls His children rebellious (v1) when they turned their trust away from Him and onto a group of people – the Egyptians – instead. They drug all of God’s gifts to them as a people through wilderness that was full of beasts of the field (v6 NKJV commentary), and then they told their leaders they didn’t want to hear any more prophesies and visions from God (v10).
Because they acted in deliberate opposition to God, God spoke to them saying that their shameful iniquities will bring about their breaking suddenly (v13).
Insert God’s mercy: our verse this week. “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence will be your strength.”
Go down a few verses and I just love the set of verses from 18-26. I highly encourage you to go read those verses and some commentary.
Those verses highlight how God was merciful and gracious and decided to wait for them to return – or repent – and come back and fix their trust on Him and their obedience to Him backing up their trust.
God not only saved them, but he lavishly blesses them. And He binds up their wounds (v26).
Go through the last chunk of the chapter and you will see the oppressor’s judgment had been laid out for oppressing God’s chosen. And 100 years later, that Assyrian/Egyptian army was wiped out by Babylon (Isaiah 37:36, Halley’s Bible Handbook Classic Edition).
Now with the meat on your plate – let’s talk about how this is true for us.
God tells His people they can come back. They can have another chance. He will wait for them to return and repent and after they obey and trust Him, He will come in and save them.
What a Hero.
Something unique happens when we are under intense pressure – anxiety if you will – we feel weak and vulnerable. BUT, when we go to God and repent and ask and trust God to come through – we gain strength and confidence. It is a proven formula. At least it has been for me.
Are you being rebellious in some area of your life? Some part of you that decided you were going to do this that or the other but all by yourself – you can handle it? If that is ringing a bell for you, take it to God. Tell Him you are sorry for not giving you this part of your life. He will take something that’s hard for you and give you the strength to break through when you decide to trust and wait on Him.
Bringing God our darkest and lowest problems – a lot of times ones we heap onto ourselves because of our rebellion – He will redeem them if you believe and trust Him. That addiction, unhealthy relationship, dog-eat-dog so you can get to the top mentality, eating disorder, you name it – He will help you break your chains and establish you stronger if you return to and rest in Him.
