9 Rise up, you women who are at ease,
And hear my voice;
Give ear to my word,
You complacent daughters.
10 Within a year and a few days
You will be troubled, O complacent daughters;
For the vintage is ended,
And the fruit gathering will not come.
11 Tremble, you women who are at ease;
Be troubled, you complacent daughters;
Strip, undress and put sackcloth on your waist,
12 Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine,
13 For the land of my people in which thorns and briars shall come up;
Yea, for all the joyful houses and for the jubilant city.
14 Because the palace has been abandoned, the [l]populated city forsaken.
[m]Hill and watch-tower have become caves forever,
A delight for wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks;
15 Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high,
And the wilderness becomes a fertile field,
And the fertile field is considered as a forest.
16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness
And righteousness will abide in the fertile field.
17 And the work of righteousness will be peace,
And the service of righteousness, quietness and [n]confidence forever.
18 Then my people will live in a peaceful habitation,
And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting places;
19 And it will hail when the forest comes down,
And the city will be utterly laid low.
20 How blessed will you be, you who sow beside all waters,
Who [o]let out freely the ox and the donkey.
There is an interesting contrast here, as we first see the “women at ease” and their “complacent daughters”. God tells them to tremble and be troubled, for it is all coming to an end. The fields and vineyards will be choked with thorns and briars. The palace and city will be forsaken, and the watch-towers will be abandoned to the animals.
At least, that is what will happen “until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high…” Then we see things reversed, but in v. 17 there is something unexpected. In the beginning, God chastises them for their complacency and life of ease, but now he says the work of righteousness will include peace and quiet. Further, “my people will live… in secure dwellings and undisturbed resting places…”
Can God not make up His mind? One minute their rest is wrong, and then He promises them rest, what are we to make of it? Well, let’s not get too bent out of shape before we get to the end, in v. 20 where God says they will be blessed when they sow beside all waters, and when they let out the livestock. In other words, when they do the work they are supposed to, and are diligent, then rest will come in it’s proper time and place.
When I see the word “ease” I’m reminded of a VeggieTales parody of one of my favorite novels, entitled, “Lord of the Beans”. Yes, of the beans… because one young fellow was given a gift, a bean that could grant anything request, including a “life of ease”. He felt that wasn’t a good use of his gift, and set off to discover the purpose for his gift. After much hilarity and soul-searching, he finds his purpose using his gift to help others.
So yes, God values rest, and promises us that. But He has also given us each a gift and doesn’t expect us to waste it on ourselves, or lie around when “we’ve made it…” If God hasn’t taken you home yet, then He you still have a purpose on this earth, to serve Him and to serve others. Don’t give in to the temptations of ease and complacency, but find what God wants you to do, and do it will all your heart.