Isaiah 30:15 NIV
This 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, but you would have none of it.
This message from God to the nation of Israel during one of many disobedient eras in their lives, reminds me of Peter in Acts 2: 36-41 letting the people know how to enter the rest and salvation of God through Jesus Christ. We often want the quietness and trust from God, but we don't want to do the work. God says in repentance and rest was the Israelites’ salvation.
God's message to us today under the covenant of Jesus Christ is not a different process. As we read from the Old Testament to the New Testament, God’s plea to humanity has been the same. What is repentance? Let’s take some time to create a vivid picture from some of God’s Holy scriptures what the word repentance should look like in our lives: Humble, pray, seek, turn from wicked ways (2Chronicle 7:14-KJV), confesseth, forsaketh (Proverb 28:13; 1 John1:9-KJV), return to God, submit, come back, (2Chronicle 30:7-9; Zechariah 1:3-NIV), Turn away from all your offenses, rid yourself from all offensive ways, get a new heart, new spirit (Ezekiel 18:31-32-NIV), be converted (Acts 3:19, KJV); produce fruit in keeping with repentance (Mathew 3:8-NIV) Draw near to God, cleanse your hands, purify your hearts (James 4:8-NIV/KJV), be zealous (Revelation 3:19) and etc. The scriptures listed are just dust from the vast majority of scriptures where God is showing us what repentance is according to his expectation. All the scriptures that I read about repentance have the same themes, beginning from the Old Testament to the New Testament. God is simply calling us to change the course of our lives with a promise to receive the gift of Salvation. God’s desire is for all his creation to not perish; to accomplish his goal, we must choose repentance (2 Peter 3:9). His message in our weekly scripture may have been written to the Israelites at the time but his message to us today is the same. If you want Salvation and true quietness, strive to master repentance daily in your life. In Christ, we are all children of God through faith; there is no Jew, Greek, Slave nor Free (Galatians 3:28-29) we are all under the same expectation. Repentance is the act of dying to our old life where our new life reflects the full measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13).
