Deep Revolt

Turn to him from whom people have deeply revolted, O children of Israel. . . .  For it is in returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.  These two verses from Isaiah 31 (15) and 30 (6), strike me this day.  Strike me to the heart, in fact.  Have we "deeply revolted" against Him who made us?  Wow.  That puts a harsh spin on our sin, doesn't it?  Isn't it funny how the words sinned, rebelled, and disobeyed have lost their punch for us?  We speak them so freely, and without weeping, that we have lost sight of what they really mean. 

But "deeply revolted"; think about those words.  Our revolt against our heavenly and kind King has been profound, unspeakably so. 

Yet there is an antidote: Turn to him.  For as 30:18 tells us, Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.  His desire, His whole purpose in history, is to put forth Christ as the antidote to our revolution against Him.  He shows mercy to us by pouring out wrath on His own Son, on Himself if you will.  His wrath against us was spent on Himself.  And those of us who have inherited salvation now have rest.  So turn to Him in trust this day.  For if He did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32). 
 
Turn back to Him, for in returning to Him and resting in His finished work we will be saved.  And in quietness and trust we will have the strength we need.