What Kind of Rest?

For day after day, they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God (Isaiah 58:2).

This is a difficult chapter to read. God is angry with is covenant people. Very angry. They show up for the appointed worship services and other religious festivals. They ask God for direction. They appear eager to come near to him. They love the Sabbath day. They do all the right things.

There is just one problem. A rather large one. When they return to non-Sabbath activities, its as if the Sabbath never happened. Its as if they did not hear God's direction. Its as if they never sought God or came near him.

Going back to non-Sabbath matters, they exploit their workers and fight with each other. Not just verbal sparring, also fist fights. They refuse to share their food with the hungry or their homes with the poor wanderer.

They think that God ought to be happy that they showed up for worship, that they took the day off to fast and pray. They cannot figure out why God is so unhappy with them.

They are doing all the right religious things, but their hearts are far from God. They do not really care about what he says. They have forgotten that they are God's light in the world. The way they are living is spreading darkness rather then light.

Here is the point: their Sabbath keeping has had no effect on their hearts, or their minds or their bodies. It has not changed how they live or interact with others. They are not bringing any good into the world. It is left full of evil.

So, what are your plans for this weekend? Party time, family time, alone time? None of these things are necessarily bad in and of themselves. Let me ask the question differently: when you have time off from the "work" of making a living, when you take time to rest in God, what is the point? Why do you do it?

Somewhere along the way, the prayer that ends Psalm 139, should play a role. "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting" (23,24).

God wants to change the way we think, react, and act. Let the Spirit loose when you meet with God.

As you journey on, hear Jesus' invitation:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29).