Mocking Isaiah’s Words-Isaiah 28

Isaiah, Old Testament, Sermons

“He tells us everything over and over— one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!” “God has told his people, ‘Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.’ But they would not listen. So the Lord will spell out his message for them again, one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there, so that they will stumble and fall. They will be injured, trapped, and captured” (Isaiah 28:10, 12-13, NLT). “So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic'” (Isa 28:16, NIV).

Theme: Reject the message by rejecting the messenger. God’s graciously offers his weary people simple words and rest but they reject it because they were determined to depend on their own tangible resources (Egypt).

Recap (Perfect Peace – Isaiah 26-27): “shalom shalom” is “total wholeness,” “the peace of peacefulness.” It is to be put together and made whole. God can put us together in such a way that our lives are not torn by worry, fear, anxiety. God keeps us in perfect peace by enabling us to:

 

  1. Live righteously (Isa 26:2). Cf. Isa 26:10.
  2. Be steadfast (Isa 26:3a; Rev 2:10b).
  3. Trust God (Isa 26:3b-4), wait on him (Isa 26:8).
  4. Yearn for God and desire God (Isa 26:9).
  5. Know that God does everything (Isa 26:12; 1 Cor 1:31; Gal 6:14).
  6. Honor God’s name (Isa 26:13).
  7. Live for the resurrection (Isa 26:19; 25:8; Dan 12:2).
  8. Know your real enemy (Isa 27:1).
  9. Embrace God’s punishing blows (Isa 27:6-9).

Trust God (Outline of Isaiah 1-39):

  • 1-5      Trust God and do not r____.
  • 6          Trust God and your sins are c______.
  • 7-12    Trust God, not A______.
  • 13-23  Trust God, not the n______.
  • 24-27  Trust God, not the w____.
  • 28-33  Trust God, not Egypt.
  • 34-35  Trust God and experience joy.
  • 36-39  Trust God and experience God’s victory.

In Isaiah 28-35 Isaiah continues the lessons in trust since Ahaz decided not to trust God as recorded in Isaiah 7. Having established God’s sovereignty over the nations both in particular (13-13) and in general (24-27), Isaiah now returns to particular situations in Israel and Judah (28-33) that illustrate the folly of trusting the nations instead of God. The Assyria with which Ahaz had allied himself is first finishing up with Samaria (28:1-13) and then turning its unwanted attentions on Judah (29:7-8). The flood which Isaiah had foretold (8:6, 8) is about to burst full force against the southern kingdom, Judah. Between Samaria’s fall (722 BC) and Sennacherib’s attack on Jerusalem (701 BC), it appears that Judah’s foreign-policy makers turned more and more toward alliance with Egypt (Isa 30:3; 31:1). To Isaiah, this alliance was just as stupid as the earlier one with Assyria. Though Egypt would not seek to devour Judah as Assyria did, any help she could give was unreliable (30:3-7; 31:3; 20:1-6). To trust Egypt instead of God was incredible (30:15-33). This exposeda faithless leadership drunk on its own power and privilege (Isa 28:7-8; 29:15-16; 30:1; 1:23; 7:13; 9:14-16; 19:11-15). Thus the key issue in Isaiah 28-35 is whether Judah, and in particular its leaders, will rely on Egypt or on the Lord in the face of the growing threat posed by the ever-increasing power of Assyria.

Egypt was addressed in Isaiah 18-20. But it appears as a central issue in Isaiah 28-35 because this is immediately before the account of Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah in Isaiah 36-37 (701 BC). Hezekiah, the king of Judah after Ahaz, almost destroyed Judah by listening to his counselors to rely on Egypt. Isaiah 28-35 show how strongly and consistently Isaiah had opposed this foolish counsel in the deepening crisis that led up to the events recorded in Isaiah 36-37.

Because refusal to trust God will only lead to destruction, Isaiah begins several of the sections with the funeral word “woe” (Isa 28:1; 29:1, 15; 30:1; 31:1; 33:1). Consider this section (28-33, 34-35) in groups of two chapters each with the following structure:

  1. 28-29: Foolish drunken leaders–false counsel that something must be done at once, for there is no hope in God.
  2. 30-31: The proposed solution–dependence on Egypt and the folly of doing so.
  3. 32-33: The true solution–reliance on the true Leader, the revelation of the Righteous King and his presence in their midst.
  4. 34-35: The result of trusting the nations (ch.34) or God (ch.35) is the “desert” (judgment) or the “garden” (salvation).

Isaiah 28. In order to experience God’s resting place God’s people must carefully consider their options and make decisions for themselves as they choose between:

  1. Two crowns (1-6). What are you proud of?
  2. Two words (7-13). What are you hearing?
  3. Two covenants/foundations/alternatives/options (14-22). Who are you trusting?
  4. Two parables (23-29). Can you trust God’s different ways of dealing with you?

I. Two Crowns (1-6): Pronouncement Against Ephraim. What are you proud of?

In 28:1-6 there is a play on “crown” or “wreath.” This is the circlet of flowers or vines worn on the had of champions or revelers in Greek and Roman cultures. The drunken partygoers in Samaria wear these wreaths on their heads as they try to forget the terror facing them. Isaiah sees a day when all these wreaths, both the real and the symbolic, will be thrown to the ground and trampled. The “pride” of the northern kingdom is going to be snatched up like a ripe “fig” (Isa 28:4).

In contrast there is another “wreath,” the Lord himself (Isa 28:5). He will be the source of beauty and glory for those who have abandoned their own pride in glad submission to him. He will give “justice” to the judges and “strength” to the soldiers (Isa 28:6). The mention of “crown” in Isa 28:5 puts the issue in clear light: Who is the King, the drunken political leaders or “the Lord Almighty”?

II. Two Words (7-13): Continuing Pronouncement Against Ephraim. What are you hearing?

The Hebrew (Isa 28:10, 13) repeats two short expressions: tsav latsav tsav latsav, qav laqav qav laqav. These words are obscure with no consensus among scholars about how they should be rendered. They are possibly nonsense syllables spoken by children. Alternatively, they are rhyming couplets used to teach children reading, writing and the alphabet.

  • “For it is: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there” (NIV).
  • “For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little” (ESV).
  • “For he says: ‘Law after law, law after law, line after line, line after line, a little here, a little there’” (HCSB).
  • “For He says, ‘Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there’” (NASB).
  • “Indeed, they will hear meaningless gibberish, senseless babbling, a syllable here, a syllable there” (NET Bible).
  • “They speak utter nonsense” (God’s Word Translation).

28:1-4 spoke of the political leaders and the nobility, whereas 28:7-8 show that the priests and prophets are no better off. They too are besotted with the attempt to please and satisfy themselves. Alcohol abuse is a problem for them, but it is also a symptom of their deeper problem, an unwillingness to surrender their needs and desires to the Lord (Mal 2:1-9).

So instead of giving clear guidance and teaching in that desperate hour, they are staggering, reeling and befuddled in a stupor (Isa 28:7). The tables (Isa 28:8) used either for judgment or for partying are covered with vomit.

Isa 28:9-10 express the mockery of these religious leaders toward Isaiah. “Who does he think he is, treating us like little children?” Alcohol and refusing to face reality causes one to become childish, while unable to recognize what is truly going on. They denounce the repetitive simplicity of Isaiah’s teaching, clearly wanting something more nuanced and ambiguous as befits their supposedly sophisticated understanding.

Isaiah responds in Isa 28:11-13 by saying that since this is what they think they are getting, then it will be exactly what they will get, only from lips other than his. Since they refuse God’s invitation to rest in him by abandoning their petty pride and demeaning pleasures, they will learn his truth through “foreign lips and strange tongues” (Isa 28:11), the Assyrians who will teach them that what Isaiah said is true. Their demands as conquerors will really be repetitively simple. If they will not learn the easy way of faith, then they must learn the hard way of experience.

III. Two Covenants (14-22): A Message to the Leaders in Jerusalem

  • In his analogy of constructing a building what does Isaiah want his people to know with certainty?
  • Why does Isaiah emphasize this (28:5, 10, 14, 22)?

“So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic’” (Isa 28:16).

The focus shifts to the leaders in Jerusalem. “Therefore” (Isa 28:14) calls them to pay attention and learn from Ephraim, the northern leaders who are facing imminent judgment. If Judah continues in her present ways, she too will face the same fate. Isa 28:15a may not be an actual quote from the Judean leaders but Isaiah’s sarcastic restatement of their words, for they have made a lie their refuge.

Isaiah’s serious and unflattering epithet to the leaders is to call them “scoffers” (Isa 28:14). They not only reject the truth, but also make light of it. Like the northern leaders, these Judean scoffers have laughed at the foolishness of trust God and made their covenants “with death” (Isa 28:15, 18), which is probably an alliance with Egypt whom they think will guarantee life for them and their nation when Assyria, the “overwhelming scourge” (Isa 28:15b) comes. They ally themselves with the “lie” (Isa 28:15b) that human power is better and more reliable than simply trusting God (Isa 28:12).

Isa 28:16-19 is God’s response to the “covenant of death” (Isa 28:15a, 18a). God asserts that He alone is trustworthy (Isa 28:16). God is the “tested stone” (Isa 28:16) in contrast to the “lie” on which the leaders have built their “refuge” (Isa 28:17b). God’s measurements are the “justice” and “righteousness” of God (Isa 28:17a), which can stand whatever shocks might come to it. Anyone who builds on it “will never be stricken with panic” (Isa 28:16b). They can be calm and deliberate by experiencing the place of quiet rest and repose (Isa 28:12). When any other trust is measured against God’s “sure foundation,” its faultiness becomes apparent at once, as with the “covenant with death” (Isa 28:18).

IV. Two Parables (23-29): Illustration from the World of Agriculture. Can you trust God’s ways with you?

  • How does the farmer know what to do (Isa 28:26, 29)?
  • What point do these illustrations make?
  • What do these uneducated ignorant farmers know that the sophisticated scoffers do not?
  • Does God break up our rock-hard heart soil?
  • Does God’s work of plowing get rough with us?
  • What does this illustration teach us?

Isaiah concludes with two graphic illustrations. Scoffers and drunkards, literal and allegorical, have refused to listen to God’s word. Isaiah has been saying that there are simple cause and effect principles that rule the spiritual world, which if they are flouted will result in disaster (28:23-29). The least educated peasant farmer, just a serf, knows that there are some things you do and some things you don’t. “Listen and hear my voice” (Isa 28:23) has overtones of wisdom literature. The comparison of one activity with another, royal counsel with farming, is characteristic of wisdom literature.

A time of rough plowing before planting new life (28:23-26). A farmer knows that there are certain appropriate ways to do things. He does not keep on plowing forever (Isa 28:24), as though that were an end in itself. When he plants he does not mix up all the different seeds together (Isa 28:25). Each has to be grown separately. Though just a peasant serf, he is smart enough to know that the upheaval of plowing is only temporary and that plowing changes to planting. Therefore God knows that endless upheaval and disruption in our lives would be fruitless. Yes, God does break up the rock-hard soil of our hearts. Yes his work of plowing does get rough with us. But not continually and only in order to plant new life there. God always has a life-enriching purpose. Yield to him.

Each crop requires its own unique special treatment and refinement. When he threshes, he uses appropriate tools according to the size of the grain involved (Isa 28:27-28). To use a heavy threshing sledge or a stone roller on the tiny “caraway” and “cummin” seeds would crush them to dust (Isa 28:27a). Instead, he uses a jointed “stick” called a “flail” in English. And even a correct method must not be overused. Therefore, God knows exactly how to work with each of us (Jn 21:20-23). God has just the right touch for you. Trust him.

Isaiah is saying that these peasants have learned these principles from God (Isa 28:26, 29). God’s natural revelation has taught them how life works. Why can’t these wise counselors, who have the benefit of both natural and divine revelation, be as intelligent as the uneducated peasant when it comes to understanding that God can be trusted and humans cannot?

  • What was the problem with Ephraim’s leaders (1-6)?
  • Why did they mock Isaiah’s words (Isa 28:10)?
  • As a result what would happen (Isa 28:13)?
  • What is a scoffer (Isa 28:14, 22)?
  • Why is it foolish to not trust God (Isa 28:16)?
  • What is the way that God has made the world to operate (23-29)?

Questions:

  1. Why will Yahweh send one to trample the crown of Ephraim (Israel)? What is being contrasted between 1-4 and 5-6? Why are these things being contrasted? What does such a contrast imply”?
  2. What is “a spirit of justice”? What does this mean? (The word translated “justice” and “judgment” in 28:6 is mishpat which refers to the order of life as God designed it.) [1-6]
  3. What are the particular manifestations of the “drunkenness” of the leadership (1-4, 7-8)? How does this relate to our own situation? Why call this behavior drunkenness?
  4. If we won’t listen to God, what are some of the “strange lips” he may use to speak to us (9-13)?
  5. Doesn’t God want his wayward people to be healed (13)? Think of our discussion of 6:9–10. [7-13]
  6. In contrast to 1–13 (addressed to Ephraim—n. Israel) to whom are these verses addressed (14ff)? But to what class of people are both addressed?
  7. What lies (15) are we tempted to take as our refuge in difficult times?
  8. What is God’s antidote to the lies of this world (16; Rom 9:33; 1 Pet 2:6). How will that work to accomplish what 28:17 promises? (Remember the connection between “the truth” and “being true” in Biblical thought.)
  9. What are some of the ways that life (as God orchestrates it) demolishes the lies behind which we tend to take refuge? [14-22]
  10. 28:23-29 is an extended poem speaking of the way God has organized the world. What does an “ignorant” farmer know that the sophisticated scoffers seem not to know?

Isaiah 28-35 has been titled:

  • The folly of trusting the nations.
  • Do not trust in enemies who will be defeated.
  • Human schemes and God’s plans.
  • Six woes.
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