Isaiah 28

So we continue tonight in our look at the book of Isaiah. We are in an 8 chapter section that again will deal with judgments and burdens but here Isaiah will be focusing on the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

So let’s open and begin in verse 1 - 4:

Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower which is at the head of the verdant valleys, to those who are overcome with wine! Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one, like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, like a flood of mighty waters overflowing, who will bring them down to the earth with His hand. The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, will be trampled underfoot; and the glorious beauty is a fading flower which is at the head of the verdant valley, like the first fruit before the summer, which an observer sees; he eats it up while it is still in his hand.

Here Isaiah is using Ephraim, a symbol for the Northern Kingdom, as an example to Judah, who will go through the same thing in 60 years or so.

I see so much that parallels the US here. He mentions, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower which is at the head of the verdant valleys. It had been a rich abundant agricultural area but soon it would all change.

The Lord warns them that soon He would be sending a a mighty and strong one, like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, like a flood of mighty waters overflowing. He is referring to the Assyrians who would destroy them in just 3 years.

Notice how He refers to the people of Ephraim, the drunkards of Ephraim, he will have more to say about this. He is calling them a nation of people obsessed with alcohol unable to perceive the realty of life. You can easily see how this applies to our nation today with the epidemic of drug and alcohol abuse.

Now as we continue in our study you will notice Isaiah moving freely between the present and future. Remember to God there is no difference between that past present and future. He lives in the eternal present.

Here we get a vision of the Millennial reign of Christ in v 5 - 6:

In that day the LORD of hosts will be for a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people, for a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

What a great time it will be, Jesus, ruling and reigning.

Next, Isaiah is indicting the drunkeness of Judah, v 7- 8:

But they also have erred through wine, and through intoxicating drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, they are swallowed up by wine, they are out of the way through intoxicating drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filth; no place is clean.

We infer he is speaking of Judah here because he mentions the Priest and the Prophet. Judah is just as guilty and even the spiritual leadership is drunk.

Serving God and drunkeness do not mix. We remember Nadab and Abihu, Lev 10

The New King James Version Chapter 10

10 Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. 2 So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. 3 And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke, saying:

‘By those who come near Me

I must be regarded as holy;

And before all the people

I must be glorified.’ ”

So Aaron held his peace.

4 Then Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.” 5 So they went near and carried them by their tunics out of the camp, as Moses had said.

6 And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, “Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the people. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD has kindled. 7 You shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses.

Conduct Prescribed for Priests

8 Then the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying: 9 “Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, 10 that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, 11 and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them by the hand of Moses.”

Paul told Timothy in appointing Bishops “ This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well,..

Isaiah continues, but now he is being mocked by the people, V 9 -10,

"Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little."

i. "Verses 9 and 10 portray the sarcastic reaction these Judean leaders had to Isaiah's words of rebuke. They were tired of Isaiah's strictness and of his recurring application of God's laws. The string of monosyllables in verse 10 may mean that the Judean leaders regarded Isaiah's message as meaningless or as child's play." (Wolf)

With this, the drunk, ungodly prophets and priests mock Isaiah's teaching. "It is too simple. It is simply precept upon precept … line upon line … here a little, there a little. We are so smart and spiritually sophisticated and advanced that we can go on to deeper things."

It is sad to say that most of the so-called church today has the same attitude. Very, very few churches actually teach the bible in the method that Isaiah mentions. “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little."

Why do we teach that way here at Calvary? Because God did not give us His word as a topical study of different subjects. He has spread His message over the entire 66 books.

The Word of God is much like a hologram,

Video: Chuck Missler Holography, 7:06

So tucked into Isaiah is this rich verse about studying the Word.

We continue, Isaiah warns of the consequences of rejecting the simple message of the LORD. v 11 - 13:

For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, to whom He said, "This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest," and, "This is the refreshing"; yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was to them, "Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little," That they might go and fall backward, and be broken and snared and caught.

Here we recognize this verse. Anyone remember? It’s Paul in in his teaching on the gift of tongues in this case on the misuse of the gift.

The near fulfillment was that the didn’t want to here the simple message of Isaiah so they would soon hear and be told what to do by the Assyrians, who speak a language they didn’t understand.

It is interesting though that those that have and exercise the gift of tongues do experience, as Isaiah says here, This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest," If you desire this gift just ask the Lord for it. Its really a beautiful thing.

We move on, v 14 -15

Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scornful men, who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood we have hidden ourselves."

The rulers of Jerusalem were extreme in their rejection of God, and felt they had an "agreement" with death and the grave (Sheol). They proudly believed the overflowing scourge of God's judgment and correction would not come against them.

We have all heard people speaking of the party in hell they will be joining.

They had no fear of death, and thought they had made friends with death and the grave. This same way of thinking is common in our modern world. The ungodly should fear death, because with death ends all opportunity for repentance, and their eternal doom is sealed. Satan has a significant interest in making the wicked feel that death is their friend.

The verse for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood we have hidden ourselves." is now as then very true of many. In his sermon titled Refuges of Lies and What Will Become Of Them, Charles Spurgeon lists six lies that men try to take refuge in:

1. The lie that we are, or can be good enough.

2. The lie that fate or predestination determines all, so there is nothing for us to do.

3. The lie that places confidence in new, false teachings.

4. The lie that religious profession is enough.

5. The lie that one can have a saved soul and an unchanged life.

6. The lie that trusts an old experience instead of an ongoing relationship.

Isaiah continues, v 16 -19

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily. Also I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plummet; the hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place. Your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overflowing scourge passes through, then you will be trampled down by it. As often as it goes out it will take you; for morning by morning it will pass over, and by day and by night; it will be a terror just to understand the report."

This of course is also a familiar verse, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the Lord is here referring to Jesus Christ. He is our precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.

Paul speaking to the Corinthians said,  For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Interestingly the idea of a stone or a rock in scripture is related to Christ. Even the rock in the wilderness that give water was Christ according to Paul.

The prophets warning here is plain, if you ignore the sre foundation your false covenant with death, this lie you believe will crumble and then you will be trampled down by it.

He continues, v 20 - 22:

For the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the covering so narrow that one cannot wrap himself in it. For the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the covering so narrow that one cannot wrap himself in it. For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will be angry as in the Valley of Gibeon; that He may do His work, His awesome work, and bring to pass His act, His unusual act. Now therefore, do not be mockers, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts, a destruction determined even upon the whole earth.Now therefore, do not be mockers, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts, a destruction determined even upon the whole earth.

Here a graphic picture of one trying to cover up on the bed, that is too small, like taking a nap on a baby crib.

He says; For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will be angry as in the Valley of Gibeon; that He may do His work, His awesome work, and bring to pass His act, His unusual act.

Here again we see references to the, the Day of the Lord, the very end, as he mentions, His unusual act. Remember it was at Gibeon where Joshua asked God to extend the day to destroy the Canaanites and God reined down a meteor storm.

Isaiah closes this message with V 23 - 29

Give ear and hear my voice, listen and hear my speech. Does the plowman keep plowing all day to sow? Does he keep turning his soil and breaking the clods? When he has leveled its surface, does he not sow the black cummin and scatter the cummin, plant the wheat in rows, the barley in the appointed place, and the spelt in its place? For He instructs him in right judgment, his God teaches him. For the black cummin is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over the cummin; but the black cummin is beaten out with a stick, and the cummin with a rod. Bread flour must be ground; therefore he does not thresh it forever, break it with his cartwheel, or crush it with his horsemen. This also comes from the LORD of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance.

The end of is a poem relating the work of God to the work of a farmer. A farmer doesn't only plow; he knows when to stop plowing and when to level the ground, when to plant, and what to plant where. He uses different tools at different times, and works them all together to produce crops. In the same way, God knows what instruments to use in our life, and what time to use them. We don't have to doubt or despair at what God is doing in our lives, because He is an expert farmer, working on us with all His wisdom.

Each of us is different and God knows how to deal with us.