Repentance and Rest

Passage: Isaiah 30:15-22

Frank Abagnale Jr. began his life of crime as a teenager. His first con was using the credit card his dad gave him to buy items from local gas stations, then selling them back to gas station attendants for cash. Shortly thereafter he started writing checks on his bank’s overdraft, then opening accounts under false identities to continue writing bad checks. By the time he was 19, Abagnale had mastered the art of forging checks and developing new identities. He had successfully masqueraded as an airline pilot, an attending physician at a hospital, a teacher’s assistant at a university, and an attorney. Then he got caught. He was first imprisoned in Perpignan's House of Arrest in France, where he spent 6 months in a cell without light, toilet facilities, a bed or even clothing.

Abagnale’s exploits, and the consequences thereof, are depicted in the film Catch Me If You Can. Much of what you see in the film is a highly intelligent young man enjoying a fantastic adventure. But as Abagnale’s crimes become more serious, a degree of desperation becomes apparent. He has to tell more and more elaborate lies; he has to spend more and more time on the move. By the time he ends up imprisoned in France, he is worn out and broken down from running.

One of God’s repeated invitations to his people throughout their history is the invitation to stop running. To turn around. Like Frank Abagnale Jr., the children of Israel have abandoned the safe boundaries God established in favor of a life that initially seems more rewarding and much more exciting. What they don’t see is the danger in running away from God. The inevitable consequences of their actions. It’s not until they are imprisoned – literally – that they see the wisdom in living God’s way. In Isaiah 30 God forewarns his people. He says, “In repentance (literally, "turning" or "returning" in Hebrew) and rest is your salvation; in quietness and trust is your strength.” God says again and again, “Return to me. It doesn’t matter how far you’ve run. Just come back.”
God continues to say this to his children. It doesn’t matter how far you’ve run. Just come back. Repent; return; stop running and find rest.