Rest

14 Therefore, listen to this message from the Lord,
you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem.
15 You boast, “We have struck a bargain to cheat death
and have made a deal to dodge the grave.
The coming destruction can never touch us,
for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception.”

16 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem,
a firm and tested stone.
It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on.
Whoever believes need never be shaken.
17 I will test you with the measuring line of justice
and the plumb line of righteousness.
Since your refuge is made of lies,
a hailstorm will knock it down.
Since it is made of deception,
a flood will sweep it away.
18 I will cancel the bargain you made to cheat death,
and I will overturn your deal to dodge the grave.
When the terrible enemy sweeps through,
you will be trampled into the ground.
19 Again and again that flood will come,
morning after morning,
day and night,
until you are carried away.”

This message will bring terror to your people.
20 The bed you have made is too short to lie on.
The blankets are too narrow to cover you.
21 The Lord will come as he did against the Philistines at Mount Perazim
and against the Amorites at Gibeon.
He will come to do a strange thing;
he will come to do an unusual deed:
22 For the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
has plainly said that he is determined to crush the whole land.
So scoff no more,
or your punishment will be even greater.

Did you sleep well last night? That’s a question we often ask when people are away from their own bed at home. If you were camping, you may have found the ground hard and bumpy. Or maybe you were too hot or too cold.

In Isaiah 28 we meet people who would not be sleeping well because they would soon be punished for walking away from the Lord. Their bed was too short and their blanket too narrow.

God was angry with his people Israel because they were living as if they did not need him. Even the leaders of the people were living for their own pleasures, ignoring God’s call and claim on their lives.

The trouble was that they had rejected God and made their bed with Egypt. They were awed by Egypt’s power, so they allied with Egypt, thinking that would protect them from any calamity that might come their way. Not so, said the prophet; the scourge would come! The bed they made was not fit for the rest they needed—rest that was promised by the Lord but that they had rejected.

Sometimes we align ourselves with false securities or pleasures. But God reminds us that we will not find rest there. He urges us to come to the stone laid in his kingdom, a cornerstone we can rely on. This is a reference to Jesus, who invites the weary and burdened to come to him for rest (see Matthew 11:28; Ephesians 2:20).

Forgive us, Lord, for trying to create our own rest. Remind us again that we will never find rest until we find rest in you. Amen.