Isaiah 30:13-15 - In repentance and rest is your strength

30:13,14

Judah was choosing all the wrong methods to seek to secure herself. Isaiah tells them that this will lead to a sudden collapse. Our society is seeking all the wrong methods for dealing with its problems, and it never seems to truly solve anything. One day society will collapse suddenly, disaster will come in an instant. As the church we should be praying for repentance in our society, going along with the world's ways, even positively supporting them is a foolish course of action. Repentance is the only solution for our society.

When a potter's vessel is smashed it is no use at all, it cannot do anything, this is what would happen to Judah.

30:15

Having given all this doom and gloom, Isaiah reveals the true solution. "In repentance and rest is your salvation, quietness and trust are your strength". When faced with imminent danger, as Judah was, our natural reaction is to think we have to act quickly, and we all desperately grab at any straw. We feel we have to do something. What we should do is repent of our sins and rest in the Lord. We should have a quietness in our spirit, and put our trust in the Lord. This is the way we will be saved, and this is how we become truly strong. In Philippians 4 Paul tells us not to be anxious about anything, Jesus told us that there is no point in worrying, Peter told us to cast our cares on to the Lord. This goes against the grain of our fallen human nature, but it is something we need to learn to do.