Isaiah 28 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Isaiah 28

Judgment on Ephraim and Jerusalem

28:1   Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,
    and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
    which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine!
2   Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong;
    like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest,
  like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters,
    he casts down to the earth with his hand.
3   The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim
    will be trodden underfoot;
4   and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
    which is on the head of the rich valley,
  will be like a first-ripe fig¹ before the summer:
    when someone sees it, he swallows it
    as soon as it is in his hand.
5   In that day the LORD of hosts will be a crown of glory,²
    and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,
6   and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
    and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7   These also reel with wine
    and stagger with strong drink;
  the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink,
    they are swallowed by³ wine,
    they stagger with strong drink,
  they reel in vision,
    they stumble in giving judgment.
8   For all tables are full of filthy vomit,
    with no space left.
9   “To whom will he teach knowledge,
    and to whom will he explain the message?
  Those who are weaned from the milk,
    those taken from the breast?
10   For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
    line upon line, line upon line,
    here a little, there a little.”
11   For by people of strange lips
    and with a foreign tongue
  the LORD will speak to this people,
12     to whom he has said,
  “This is rest;
    give rest to the weary;
  and this is repose”;
    yet they would not hear.
13   And the word of the LORD will be to them
  precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
    line upon line, line upon line,
    here a little, there a little,
  that they may go, and fall backward,
    and be broken, and snared, and taken.

A Cornerstone in Zion

14   Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers,
    who rule this people in Jerusalem!
15   Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
    and with Sheol we have an agreement,
  when the overwhelming whip passes through
    it will not come to us,
  for we have made lies our refuge,
    and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;
16   therefore thus says the Lord GOD,
  “Behold, I am the one who has laid⁴ as a foundation in Zion,
    a stone, a tested stone,
  a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
    ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
17   And I will make justice the line,
    and righteousness the plumb line;
  and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
    and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”
18   Then your covenant with death will be annulled,
    and your agreement with Sheol will not stand;
  when the overwhelming scourge passes through,
    you will be beaten down by it.
19   As often as it passes through it will take you;
    for morning by morning it will pass through,
    by day and by night;
  and it will be sheer terror to understand the message.
20   For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on,
    and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in.
21   For the LORD will rise up as on Mount Perazim;
    as in the Valley of Gibeon he will be roused;
  to do his deed—strange is his deed!
    and to work his work—alien is his work!
22   Now therefore do not scoff,
    lest your bonds be made strong;
  for I have heard a decree of destruction
    from the Lord GOD of hosts against the whole land.
23   Give ear, and hear my voice;
    give attention, and hear my speech.
24   Does he who plows for sowing plow continually?
    Does he continually open and harrow his ground?
25   When he has leveled its surface,
    does he not scatter dill, sow cumin,
  and put in wheat in rows
    and barley in its proper place,
    and emmer⁵ as the border?
26   For he is rightly instructed;
    his God teaches him.
27   Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge,
    nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin,
  but dill is beaten out with a stick,
    and cumin with a rod.
28   Does one crush grain for bread?
    No, he does not thresh it forever;⁶
  when he drives his cart wheel over it
    with his horses, he does not crush it.
29   This also comes from the LORD of hosts;
    he is wonderful in counsel
    and excellent in wisdom.

Footnotes

[1] 28:4 Or fruit
[2] 28:5 The Hebrew words for glory and hosts sound alike
[3] 28:7 Or confused by
[4] 28:16 Dead Sea Scroll I am laying
[5] 28:25 A type of wheat
[6] 28:28 Or Grain is crushed for bread; he will surely thresh it, but not forever

Commentary

v1-3: The finger of judgment pointing at Israel. This section, through chapters 28 to 35, had a more immediate application.

The wreath is an image of the powerful and wealthy in the nation. The glorious beauty of material wealth, political influence, military victory, becomes a fading flower, and is trampled underfoot. They were drunkards, overcome by wine, losing their dignity in much drink.

v4: The first fruit, beautiful then gone; Israel's glory had been transitory, since they had not sought the Lord.

v5-6: The glory of God is seen in a contrasting way, as a crown of glory that cannot fade. The faithful remnant find the Lord to be their crown and glory. The rulers who were faithful find Him to be their justice; the soldiers who were faithful find Him to be their strength; in all things He is our sufficiency.

v7-8: Another contrast, this time in relation to irresponsible leaders. Although scripture does not prohibit drink, they were unwise to be led astray by it, Prov 20.1. They were led astray, and stumbled and erred, and then led others astray.

The result; filthiness and uncleanness; their vision is unclear, their decisions unreliable.

v9-10: The problem of spiritual ignorance. The people accused the prophet and, therefore, also God Himself, of speaking gibberish. The Hebrew of v10 (and v13) is 'sav lasav kav lakav kav lakav,' a sound like a young child making up words.

v11-13: The judgment upon God's people; to make His word incomprehensible to them, Deut 28.49; Jer 5.15; Acts 2.14 (But see also 33.19, where the nation of strange speech was itself judged. ). God's word was nonsense to them, the sound of stammering lips. Paul quotes this is 1 Cor 14.21 in relation to speaking in tongues.

Their ignorance of the word of God led to judgment upon them. They will go and fall backwards, be injured, snared, and captured; falling into judgment.

v14-15: Rulers picked out, scoffers who despised the word of God. They preferred death, trusting in deceit. Their confidence and covenant would be swept sway. Many in positions of authority seek protection from the spirit world, what Isaiah calls a "covenant with death." God's response is twofold – first to declare the futility of such an action (Lev 19.31); and second to send His Son (v16).

v16: Christ came to deal with sin. Centred in Zion, the precious corner stone for the foundation, quoted in 1 Pet 2.6.. Already "tested" by His life on earth; the word used in the testing of metal in intense heat; used in Job 23.10; 34.3,36; Ps 7.9; 11.5; Jer 11.20; 12.3; 20.12. Christ has been tested, but not found wanting; He has prevailed and is worthy; a sure foundation for our lives.

v17: Justice and righteousness; Christ's judgment is right and just and true, answering the human schemes, as in v15. The refuge of human lies will be swept away, that we might trust in His alone.

v18: The covenant with death (or Sheol) cannot stand; their confidence that the overflowing scourge would pass through without touching them (v15) would be shattered. As a result, they would be trampled down.

v19-20: The "overflowing scourge" was not just a single, short-lived event, but rather judgment lasting for a significant time, and waves of suffering falling upon them.

Even hearing about the events would bring fear, let alone actually experiencing it. The image is of discomfort at night, and constant restlessness.

v21: Perazim and Gibeon, see 1 Chr 14. David defeated the Philistines with different methods, hence "His work, His strange work." God had worked before, but He chooses exactly how He works.

v22: In response to these words, the people mocked the prophet; but God had promised, and these words would be fulfilled.

v23-29: Isaiah is urgent in his appeal, asking four times (in v23) for the people to pay attention to what God was saying to them.

The example of the farmer, ploughing, sowing, reaping, threshing; a logical sequence to produce fruit. At each stage he uses wisdom and faithfulness, otherwise there is no gain. God teaches "the right way," which he must follow. This is divine wisdom. Quoting John Calvin, Tim Keller says; 'What appears as a discovery (the proper season and condition for sowing, farm management, rotation of crops, etc) is actually the Creator opening his book of creation and revealing his truth. (Every Good Endeavour, para 187).

In Eccl 11.5-6, we learn that the growth of seed is something hidden. The fact that we do not see it, nor understand how it works, must not make us withhold our hand; rather we look to God to give the increase, 1 Cor 3.6-7.