Rest
Scripture Reading — Isaiah 28:14-22
The bed is too short to stretch out on, the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.
Isaiah 28:20
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.
About the author — Gerrit J. Bomhof
Gary Bomhof is pastor of First Christian Reformed Church, Red Deer, Alberta. He and his wife, Jo-Ann, have four children and five grandchildren.
Start your day with quick daily devotions.
See God's love, power, presence, and purpose in your life every day!