This is addressed to the House of Israel, and I feel like the reason that Nephi included Isaiah's words here is because the House of Israel refers to the saints. Those who have been brought into the fold of God and accepted His gospel under His conditions. The meek, humble, and oppressed who try to do what is right. I feel a part of this group, so I feel like these words apply to me, as I strive to live the way I have covenanted to.
To these people (to me!), the Lord will give rest. Rest from sorrow, rest from fear, and rest from hard bondage. I feel like it's significant that it specifically mentions certain things they (I) will get rest from.
Feeling this personal connection as this applies to me, I will address these points as applying to me, recognizing that they apply to all those that are a part of the House of Israel.
First, rest from my sorrow. We all have sorrow at some point. I have lost loved ones. I have seen loved ones hurt or betrayed or fallen away. I have been bitterly disappointed in the outcome of certain things. The Lord knows how I feel. He felt my sorrows. I think this sorrow is also referring to the sorrow we feel when we know we have done wrong. God loves us and wants us to return to Him, so He has given us some commandments to live by so we can. We will always mess up. We will never be perfect at following these commandments, and He understands that we are weak human beings, and will make these mistakes. Or even willfully rebel. But when we think about what we have done, in the right frame of mind, we will feel sorrow. This is good, because it is the sorrow that leads to (and is necessary for) proper repentance. I have experienced this rest from my sorrow many times through my life, for all different kinds of sorrow. I can only imagine what it will be like for that rest to permeate through all of my sorrows.
Next, rest from my fear. What do I fear? Well, I think some of the things I fear the most is all of life's unknowns. It's losing things that I love. I have fears that I will not be able to live up to things that are expected of me, or that I will hurt someone. That I won't be good enough. That I won't be able to give what I want (or need) to give to my family. I have fears that when all is said and done, I won't have tried hard enough and done enough to be with my family forever. It would be wonderful to gain rest from my fears.
Finally, rest from the hard bondage wherein I was made to serve. This one seems a little harder to define to me, since I've never been physically held captive or "made" to serve. One application of this, though, might be our limited, weak, physical bodies that our spirits are in during this life. I think that in a way, that is a type of hard bondage. We came to earth, clothed in a physical body, with all it's frailties and weaknesses. We are subject to physical pain, sickness, and death, not to mention the temptations of the natural man. This is like a bondage. I am blessed in that this is more difficult for many than it is for me. I have a relatively healthy body, and was taught and brought up in such a way that I have not had to deal too much with a lot of what I described. However, I deeply understand the idea of this mortal body being a hard bondage. While I don't wish to be separated from my physical body any time soon, I can see how not being limited by it will be a great rest from that bondage.
The concept of rest is a great one. It's easy to understand and everyone can relate to it. We've all been so tired, either physically or mentally, and finally have the opportunity to rest. It is one of the greatest feelings at that moment. I believe the rest that Isaiah describes will be the best kind of rest, better than anything we could possibly imagine. We do get glimpses every now and again, but imagine what that will feel like for it to be all-encompassing, to receive rest from all our sorrows, fears, and bondage.
I look forward to it.
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