Isaiah 28:12

Isaiah 28:12

To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.”

a. NLT: God has told his people, “Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.” But they would not listen.

b. NIV: to whom he said, “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”; and, “This is the place of repose”— but they would not listen.

c. Amplified Bible: To these [complaining Jews the Lord] had said, This is the true rest [the way to true comfort and happiness] that you shall give to the weary, and, This is the [true] refreshing—yet they would not listen [to His teaching].

d. Septuagint: This is the rest to him that is hungry, and this is the calamity: but they would not hear.

e. Stone Edition Torah/Writings/Prophets: Though he twlls them, ‘This is the [true] rest, “Give rest to the weary”; and this is the [true] satisfaction!’ yet they would not consent to listen. 

1. “To whom he said..”

a. said [559 * ‘amar] [Strong: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech), utter, X verily, X yet.]

2. “…This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; …”

a. rest [4496 * menuchah] Strongs: repose, peacefully, consolation, an abode—comfortable, ease, quiet, resting place. Gesenius: a condition of rest, a place of rest, hence a habitation.]

b. weary [5889 * ayeph] Strongs: faint, thirsty, weary.] [Gesenius: one who is wearied out, either with a journey or with toil, and at the same time suffers from thirst.]

c. rest [5117 * nuwach] Strongs: to rest, to settle down-to dwell, let alone, withdraw, give comfort, (cause to, be at,) rest. Gesenius: to set oneself down, to rest, to be at rest, from labor.

1). The prophet says in these verses that with a stammering lip and another tongue the LORD would speak to his people and that it would not only be a rest, it would cause the weary to rest and it would be a refreshing. Those are facts.

3. “…and this is the refreshing…”

4). refreshing [4774 * margeah] [Strong: from 7280; rest:--refreshing.]

b. These verses are quoted by the Apostle Paul when he was discussing the regulations of tongues in a church service.

 1). 1 Corinthians 14:21: In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.

2). An interesting fact is that when Paul quotes Isaiah 28:11, 12, he leaves off most of verse 12. He leaves off, “To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing…” There is an old Jewish tradition that says when the beginning of the verse and the end of it are quoted, everything in the middle is also included.

4. “…yet they would not hear.”

a. they would not [14 * ‘abah] [Strong: a primitive root; to breathe after, i.e. (figuratively) to be acquiescent:--consent, rest content will, be willing.]

b. hear [8085 * shama’] [Strong: a primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.):--X attentively, call (gather) together, X carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.]

1). In Isaiah 28:12 Isaiah concludes the verse by writing “yet they would not hear”.  In 1 Corinthians 14:21 Paul writes, and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.” Is Paul saying that the Body of Christ as a whole would reject this gift? Yes, and in doing so are depriving themselves of an awesome promise that would enrich their lives and bring them into a more intimate relationship with Christ.

c. I want to merge what Isaiah writes in the Old Testament with what Paul and Jude write in the New Testament about the benefits of praying in tongues.

1). 1 Corinthians 14:4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself;

a). edifieth [3618 * oikodomeo] [Strong:from the same as 3619; to be a house-builder, i.e. construct or (figuratively) confirm:--(be in) build(-er, -ing, up), edify, embolden.]

2). Jude 20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.

a). building [2026 * epoikodomeo] [Strong:  from 1909 and 3618; to build upon, i.e. (figuratively) to rear up:--build thereon (thereupon, on, upon).]

3). The Greek words for “edifieth” and “building” are the same Greek word oikodomeo; except in the word for “building” it has the prefix epi-upon.

4). As I pray in tongues I am building an abode where I can enter into and receive rest and refreshing in my spirit from the Holy Spirit. This is one of the personal benefits of praying in the spirit, that I will receive rest and refreshing and a building up of my spirit. No doubt this is why at the same time Paul was chastising the Corinthian Church for abusing the utterance gifts of “divers kinds of tongues” and “interpretation of tongues”, in 1 Corinthians 14, he also wrote in 1 Corinthians 14:18, “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all.” Paul prayed in tongues more than anyone in the Corinthian church because he knew the spiritual benefit, the building up and the rest and refreshing of his inner man. Although he prayed more than any of them he did not abuse them because he was praying “decently and in order” praying to his Father in personal prayer.

5). For the most part the church has failed to understand Paul was distinguishing between two different manifestations of “divers kinds of tongues”. Paul references both of them in 1 Corinthians 14, but he deals more with one than the other. One deals with the manifestation of tongues in a church setting, the other deals with personal prayer. The regulations Paul lays out in 1 Corinthians 14 are so that the manifestation of tongues in a church setting are done “decently and in order”, of which the most clear separation is shown in verse 28.

a). 1 Corinthians 14:28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.

 6). The following verses though, all deal with praying in tongues in personal prayer.

a). 1 Corinthians 14:2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

b). 1 Corinthians 14:4 “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself…”

c). 1 Corinthians 14:13, 14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.

14:14 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.

7). Praying in tongues, praying in the spirit is a benefit God wants for his church. Paul’s parting thoughts on this volatile subject is worth repeating.

a). 1 Corinthians 14:36-40 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?

14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

14:38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.

14:39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.