Isaiah 43:22 (ESV) – “Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel!”

Have you ever been in a long car ride or plane ride with someone annoying. It’s exhausting. The longer the trip goes on, the worse the experience becomes. We get annoyed by their laugh, their voice, and the topics they want to talk about. Or maybe for you it is a coworker or classmate. These experiences are not uncommon. People are different than us, and some are very different.

Our passage today is a rebuke from God to Israel, and in many ways, to many still today. The LORD says in Isaiah 43:22, “Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel!” What does this mean? God says they’ve grown weary of Him. His people are exhausted with Him. His voice grates on them. His commands feel unreasonable. They are weary of calling upon Him.

Notice that God is aware of their hearts posture toward Him. He knows that they don’t desire Him. He knows their loathing of Him. This is an incredible text for recognizing the capacity of humans to hate what is lovely and reject what is good for them. Israel is weary of the Living God.

But we are not much different today. People grow weary of God. They don’t want His commands over them. They hate accountability and judgment. People are weary of the Creator of the universe because they long to rule themselves without burden.

Do you find this prevalent in your own heart? Do you recognize a weariness with God? Can you detect a hesitancy in your own spirit to seek God, to listen to His voice, and to pursue His commands? Maybe you’ve never considered your slowness to obey as a weariness of God, but our text reminds us that this is how God sees it. We should let even the hint of this in our own hearts bring us to repentance.

May the LORD show us afresh today our great need for Him. Let us never grow weary in pursuing Him and obeying Him in our lives. 

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Reflection & Journal:
- Why does the LORD rebuke Israel in this passage?
- What does it mean to be “weary of God” in this text?
- How should this passage challenge us? What take-away do you have after reading it? 

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