Here is today’s verse from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah,    

The is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength…” (Isaiah 30:15).

In this verse, Isaiah provides answers to two of the most important questions that we often ask. Today, we will tackle just the first question:

• How can I find salvation for my soul?
• How can I find strength to face the challenges of each day?

Isaiah begins by stating the origin of his prophetic words, specifically, they came the “Lord God” (“Adonai Jehovah”) or as some translations say, the “Sovereign Lord.” The Lord further identified Himself as the “Holy One of Israel,” that is, the One who is without sin or blemish, the One who had redeemed Israel from the hand of Pharaoh. Isaiah provided this final identification mark so that there would be no mistake about the source of his prophetic words that follow.

First, the Lord wanted the Nation (and each of us) to focus on their “salvation,” a word that means to be “saved” or “delivered.” And, as you might have guessed, there are two primary aspects of this word, one referring to one’s “spiritual” salvation from the penalty and power of sin, as well as to one’s “physical” deliverance from enemies or foes.

But I’m certain that the Lord who provided these words wanted the people to focus on the spiritual aspect of their salvation, which He said would come by “repentance” and “rest.” The Hebrew word used here for “repentance” is the word suba, which means “to return.” Interestingly, it’s the only occurrence of this word in the entire Hebrew Old Testament. And in the Greek New Testament, the word for “repentance” is “metanoia,” which means “to change one’s mind.” In the case of the Prodigal Son, “repentance” means “to come to your senses,” and that’s just what happened to the Prodigal as he was scrounging for food amongst the pigs. And so, thinking of the Hebrew suba, we might say that God was calling the nation to “return to their senses.” And the essential meaning for us is the same if we desire to be saved.

But the Lord told Isaiah that their “salvation” would not only come from “repentance” but also in “rest.” In the Hebrew, the word is nahat means “rest” or “quietness.” In other words, salvation comes when we rest in God’s provision for our salvation. And this, of course, reminds us of Jesus’ words,

“Come to Me all you who labor and are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

 Jesus is calling each of us to lay down our burdens, whatever they might be, and come to Him in order to find rest. We are to stop “struggling” to find salvation, either by good works or religious ritual, and to “come to our senses” and “quit struggling” because Jesus has paid the price for our sins. He will not only forgive us, but He will also give us “rest” from the guilt and burden of sin. If you have never done so, it’s never too late.

We will tackle the second question in my next post, which I am planning for two weeks from today. Blessings to all of you.