Judgment on Ephraim and Jerusalem
Isa 28:1 Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley— to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!
Isa 28:2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong. Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
Isa 28:3 That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards, will be trampled underfoot.
Isa 28:4 That fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley, will be like figs ripe before harvest— as soon as people see them and take them in hand, they swallow them.
Isa 28:5 In that day the LORD Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people.
Isa 28:6 He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
Isa 28:7 And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions.
Isa 28:8 All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth.
Isa 28:9 “Who is it he is trying to teach? To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken from the breast?
Isa 28:10 For it is: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there.”
Isa 28:11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people,
Isa 28:12 to whom he said, “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”; and, “This is the place of repose”— but they would not listen.
Isa 28:13 So then, the word of the LORD to them will become: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there— so that as they go they will fall backward; they will be injured and snared and captured.
A Cornerstone in Zion
Isa 28:14 Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem.
Isa 28:15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death, with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.”
Isa 28:16 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 28:17 I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.
Isa 28:18 Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it.
Isa 28:19 As often as it comes it will carry you away; morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through.” The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror.
Isa 28:20 The bed is too short to stretch out on, the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.
Isa 28:21 The LORD will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon— to do his work, his strange work, and perform his task, his alien task.
Isa 28:22 Now stop your mocking, or your chains will become heavier; the Lord, the LORD Almighty, has told me of the destruction decreed against the whole land.
Isa 28:23 Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.
Isa 28:24 When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
Isa 28:25 When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field?
Isa 28:26 His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.
Isa 28:27 Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a stick.
Isa 28:28 Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever. The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it, but one does not use horses to grind grain.
Isa 28:29 All this also comes from the LORD Almighty, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent.
Isa 28:23 Give ear and hear my voice, Listen and hear my speech.
Isa 28:24 Does the plowman keep plowing all day to sow? Does he keep turning his soil and breaking the clods?
Isa 28:25 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?
Isa 28:26 For He instructs him in right judgment, His God teaches him.
Isa 28:27 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.
Isa 28:28 Bread flour must be ground; Therefore he does not thresh it forever, Break it with his cartwheel, Or crush it with his horsemen.
Isa 28:29 This also comes from the LORD of hosts, Who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance.
Judgment on Ephraim and Jerusalem
Isa 28:1 Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley— to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!
This chapter is Isaiah’s only message of reproof specifically addressed to the northern kingdom (though Jerusalem is also mentioned in v. 14).
It must therefore have been given before the capture of Samaria by the Assyrians in 723/722. Samaria, the “proud crown” of a nation of drunkards, was rebuked more than once for drunkenness (Amos 4:1, 2; 6:1, 6). The prophets frequently issued warnings against this vice (Isa. 5:11, 12; 28:7, 8). However, as the context makes apparent, Isaiah refers primarily to the leaders of the northern kingdom, who were drunk both literally and figuratively and incapable of guiding the nation in harmony with God’s will.
Fading flower. From the death of Jeroboam II in 753 until the fall of the kingdom 30 years later, the waning strength and glory of Israel were plain for all to see. The kingdom was rapidly disintegrating (see on 2 Kings 15:29; 1 Chron. 5:26). When Isaiah bore this message it was, indeed, “a fading flower.”
Isa 28:2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong. Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
That is, Assyria, the “rod” of God’s “anger” (see on chs. 7:17–20; 10:5
Isa 28:3 That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards, will be trampled underfoot.
That is, by the Assyrian invaders.
Isa 28:4 That fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley, will be like figs ripe before harvest— as soon as people see them and take them in hand, they swallow them.
The regular crop ripened in the month of August. The earliest figs, which ripened in June, were considered a special delicacy (see Hosea 9:10; Micah 7:1). These would be eagerly seized and quickly devoured. Thus it was to be with Samaria.
Isa 28:5 In that day the LORD Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people.
When Israel fell, the people of Judah remained comparatively true to the Lord, and to them the Lord was a glorious crown. For Judah’s relationship to God after the fall of Israel, see Hosea 1:6, 7; 4:15–17; 11:12.
Isa 28:6 He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
Spirit of justice. God gave good king Hezekiah a spirit of wisdom and sound judgment which in times of crisis enabled him to make wise decisions that saved his nation from the fate that overwhelmed Israel to the north. This same discerning spirit is promised to God’s leaders today.
The Assyrians had advanced to the very gates of Jerusalem, and its fall appeared inevitable, but the Lord turned back the Assyrian hordes and Judah was saved (see ch. 37:35–37).
Isa 28:7 And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions.
The people of Judah, particularly its leaders, had also become enslaved to wine. Even the priests and prophets, who should have set a perfect example, were misled. In their drunken stupor they staggered and wandered out of the way. False prophets were intoxicated as they gave their counterfeit messages, and priests stumbled in their sacred ministrations. Having given themselves over to wine and strong drink, they were no longer able to “put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean” (Lev. 10:9, 10).
Isa 28:8 All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth.
The most revolting features of drunkenness are pictured (see v. 8). Priests and people were defiled, both literally and spiritually.
Isa 28:9 “Who is it he is trying to teach? To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken from the breast?
The priests and prophets whose business it was to teach the people were themselves misled, and therefore in no position to carry out their responsibilities (see on Matt. 23:16). They were so befogged that God could not teach them.
It was necessary, therefore, that they be put aside, and new leaders chosen—men who were both meek and willing, alert and spiritual-minded. The old leaders whose minds were spiritually befogged must be replaced by men to whom God could speak His messages of truth and wisdom. These might be regarded as babes by the learned priests, but they were humble and teachable and able to learn the ways of God.
Isa 28:10 For it is: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there.”
Truth must be presented clearly and logically, one point leading naturally on to another. Only thus can men become thoroughly acquainted with truth. Instruction must be given as if to children, by repeating the same point again and again, and going on from one point to another by easy and gentle degrees as men whose minds have been darkened by sin are able to follow. Such instruction may appear simple, but it is effective.
Isa 28:11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people,
That is, “a foreign language.” God had spoken to His people in their own tongue through His messengers the prophets, but they did not listen. Now He would speak to them by other means, first the Assyrians and later the Babylonians, the Persians, and the Romans. In 1 Cor. 14:21 Paul applies this scripture to men whose speech was unintelligible to the hearers.
Isa 28:12 to whom he said, “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”; and, “This is the place of repose”— but they would not listen.
Only by hearing and obeying the revealed will of God may true rest be found. Jesus invited the weary to come to Him, and promised to give them rest (Matt. 11:28). But Israel and Judah refused to listen (see on Isa. 6:9, 10), and thus did not find the rest that might have been theirs. See also on Heb. 3:18, 19; 4:1–11.
Isa 28:13 So then, the word of the LORD to them will become: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there— so that as they go they will fall backward; they will be injured and snared and captured.
Fall backward. God had spoken to His people clearly and simply, and they were without excuse. But His counsels, which were intended to bring blessing, now stood to witness against them. The “chief corner stone” of truth had become to them “a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence” (1 Peter 2:6–8; cf. Isa. 28:16). What had been given to help men became the occasion of their fall (see on Rom. 7:10).
A Cornerstone in Zion
Isa 28:14 Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem
The leaders of God’s people scorned His instruction and scoffed at the warnings given them. Isaiah was addressing the very men who in their worldly wisdom had derided his teachings and persisted in advocating a policy that would result in national ruin. In words of bitter reproach these leaders are now taken to task and told in unmistakable language of the fate that awaits them (see on vs. 21–23).
Isa 28:15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death, with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.”
The scoffers of v. 14 are speaking, and this is their scornful reply to the solemn message of warning recorded in vs. 1–13.
Isaiah had warned that these men would “fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken” (v. 13). But the scoffers only laughed and expressed unconcern. Death, they say, has agreed to let them live on despite the decrees of Heaven. “We will not surely die for our misdeeds!” (see on Gen. 3:4).
So vile and reprobate were these leaders of the professed people of God that they openly scorned truth and righteousness. Wicked king Ahaz, the father of Hezekiah, made a league with Assyria and openly accepted the Assyrian gods and worship; in fact he replaced the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem with a heathen altar (2 Kings 16:7–18). By serving the devil they hoped to escape his scourges.
Isa 28:16 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.
Utterly deceived, the leaders of Judah were building upon a foundation of sand. Ruin and destruction would inevitably be a lot of the nation if the leaders continued to have their way (see on ch. 3:12). A better foundation was needed.
A precious corner stone. This was to be none other than the Messiah (see Matt. 21:42; Acts 4:10, 11; Rom. 9:33; Eph. 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6–8). Here was a tested Stone upon which the church could safely stand. Whatever storms might dash against the structure erected upon that foundation, it would never give way (see on Matt. 7:24–27). For the nature and use of ancient cornerstones, see on Matt. 21:42. For Christ as the Rock on which the church is built, see on Matt. 16:18.
He who rests his faith in Christ may move forward in perfect confidence and trust; he will never have need for precipitate flight. He will not become alarmed during trying circumstances but will trust in God (see on ch. 26:3, 4).
Isa 28:17 I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.
Injustice prevailed, but Messiah (see on v. 16) would restore to men a knowledge of what constitutes right conduct toward God and toward their fellow men (see on Matt. 5:19–22) by magnifying the law and making it honorable (Isa. 42:21).
Isaiah here continues the imagery of v. 16, drawn from the construction of a building. God’s church would have Christ for its “corner stone,” and be required to meet His standards of justice and righteousness (see on Micah 6:8; cf. 1 Peter 2:5–10).
Sweep away. Only a structure built upon Christ and His standards of justice, righteousness, and truth can stand secure (see on Matt. 7:24–27). Those who build upon a foundation of falsehood will find that their structure cannot withstand the tests of time. Compare also Rev. 16:21.
Isa 28:18 Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it.
Plans that ignore God will eventually leave the planners bitterly disappointed.
Isa 28:19 As often as it comes it will carry you away; morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through.” The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror.
The prophet continues his figure of a flood beating against a house. The scoffers (v. 14) thought such a flood would never come and that their structure of lies would stand (see Matt. 7:26, 27; cf. 2 Peter 3:3–7). When men come to their senses there is a sad awakening, for their house of lies crumbles about them (see GC 562).
Only when it is too late will these scoffers understand the “report,” or “message,” that Isaiah now bears against them (see Jer. 8:20), and it would “only,” or without exception, cause them terror.
Isa 28:20 The bed is too short to stretch out on, the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.
The figure again changes. The “bed” represents the policy followed by the leaders of Judah. This policy, they claimed, would bring rest and peace to the nation. But, Isaiah warns, it would prove insufficient to meet their needs. They fell short of grasping the true nature of their condition as a nation and did not realize the kind of remedy, or “bed,” necessary to provide for the national welfare.
Their schemes were too narrow to cope with the demands of the predicament in which the people found themselves. The devices in which they trusted would not save them. The supposedly clever, but evil, schemes to which men so frequently resort are certain to bring nothing but disappointment and vexation of spirit. The only sure refuge in time of trouble is to trust in the Lord and do what is right (see Ps. 37:3).
Isa 28:21 The LORD will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon— to do his work, his strange work, and perform his task, his alien task.
Mount Perazim. When David had been anointed king, the Philistines came against him but were smitten at Perazim and Gibeon (1 Chron. 14:8–16). As the Lord had manifested Himself in overwhelming David’s enemies, so He would subdue the enemies of Zion in the last days.
His alien task. God is, by nature, merciful, gracious, and long-suffering (Ex. 34:6, 7; Eze. 18:23, 32; 33:11; 2 Peter 3:9). It is alien to His character to inflict pain and suffering, punishment and death, upon His creatures. But at the same time, He will “by no means clear the guilty” (Ex. 34:7).
Sometimes divine justice seems so long delayed that men conclude it will never come (Eccl. 8:11; Zeph. 1:12; Mal. 2:17; 3:14), and that they may go on in their evil ways with impunity. All who thus presume to take advantage of God’s long-suffering and mercy are here warned that judgment is sure to come (see Eze. 12:21–28; see on Isa. 28:14, 22, 23).
When Christ appears as a warrior to subdue His enemies (Rev. 19:11–21), men will see Him acting in a role that appears vastly different from anything they have known before. The Lamb of God will then appear as “the Lion of the tribe of Juda” (Rev. 5:5, 6).
Isa 28:22 Now stop your mocking, or your chains will become heavier; the Lord, the LORD Almighty, has told me of the destruction decreed against the whole land.
Do not scoff at the warnings of coming destruction, Isaiah pleads.
Resistance would only add to their guilt and increase their punishment (see Jer. 28:10, 13).
Destructioin. Literally, “a decision to annihilate,” that is, to eradicate sin and to extirpate sinners from the earth.
Isa 28:23 Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.
In vs. 23–29 Isaiah sets forth a lesson drawn from the round of farm life—plowing, sowing, and threshing—but leaves the reader to interpret the parable. As there is an appropriate time for each of these agricultural processes, so the heavenly Husbandman will, at the appropriate season, deal with men (see Isa. 5:1–7; James 5:7).
The scoffers (Isa. 28:14, 21, 22) would be wise not to deceive themselves into thinking that the time of harvest can be postponed indefinitely. God deals with men according to their individual needs, now in judgment, now in mercy, but always with each according to what is best for him (see DA 224, 330; MB 150).
Isa 28:24 When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
No wise tiller of the soil will spend all his time in either plowing or sowing, important as these processes are. But it is essential that each operation be performed at the right time. None of these processes goes on forever; thus, it is with the heavenly Husbandman.
Isa 28:25 When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field?
Each kind of seed is sown in its own particular way in the place prepared for it. One kind of seed is scattered broadcast, another sown in rows, and yet another drilled. God adapts His dealings with men according to what is best for each.
Cummin. Heb. kammon, the “cummin” of NT times, also, Cuminum cyminum (see on Matt. 23:23). In flavor and appearance it resembles caraway seeds, but is less palatable. Like the black cummin, it is also used in the Orient as an aid to digestion.
A farmer who used a heavy cart with spiked wheels to thresh out seeds for which a light beating with a rod was sufficient, would be considered foolish. Isaiah’s point is that some individuals, like the fitch and the cummin, respond satisfactorily to a light threshing. The Lord can deal much more gently with them than He does with others.
Isa 28:28 Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever. The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it, but one does not use horses to grind grain.
Preferably considered as a question, “Does one crush bread grain?”, as the construction of the next clause implies. The object of threshing is not to crush and ruin the grain, but to separate it from the chaff. However, the light method used in threshing cummin, would be ineffective for threshing grains used for making bread.
With wheat, millet, spelt, and barley, carts with heavy wheels were often employed, or horses or cattle were driven over the grain. Similarly, the Lord must employ more severe methods in dealing with some than He does with others. But even the heaviest chastisements do not go on forever. God’s object is not destruction; He designs only to separate the worthless chaff from the valuable grain. When this object has been achieved, the work of threshing ceases.
Isa 28:28 Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever. The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it, but one does not use horses to grind grain.
Isa 28:29 All this also comes from the LORD Almighty, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent.
The judgments of God are not dictated by revenge, but by justice and wisdom. As men come to understand the ways of God, they will find Him to be, indeed, a Wonderful Counselor (ch. 9:6).
God is not only omniscient, but also omnipotent; not only all-wise, but all-powerful. He is not only “wonderful in counsel,” but also “excellent in working” out the counsels of His will.