Isaiah 28
28
Ephraim’s False Hope
1Woe to the pride of Israel’s # 28:1 Or “Ephraim,” a likely metonymy for the northern kingdom of Israel (Samaria). Read through this chapter to see the vivid contrast between the fading glory of mankind and the greater glory of God. drunkards,
worn like a garland on their heads!
Their glory is but wilted flowers,
worn like a crown on the heads of those
bloated with rich food and overcome by wine.
2Behold! The Lord has one who is strong and mighty,
and he will come like a hailstorm and like a destroying wind!
With a storm of massive, flooding waters,
his mighty power will knock it to the ground. # 28:2 There are three fulfillments to this prophecy: (1) The immediate fulfillment of this was the Assyrian army beginning to invade the northern kingdom of Israel in 740 BC (see 1 Chron. 5:26). The tribes located east of the Jordan River were the first ones conquered by Assyria. (2) The distant fulfillment was the advent of Jesus, the Mighty One, whom the Father sent with the sword of truth to demolish the lies and pride of man. (3) The future fulfillment will be the appearing of the overcomers (see Rev. 2–3) who follow the Lamb as dread champions and who overturn the tables of religion and the arrogance of man.
3That proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim
will be trampled underfoot,
4and the glory of these proud leaders will fade and disappear
like the first figs of the season, which are picked and eaten
as soon as they are ripe.
5In that day, Lord Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies,
will be a crown of glory # 28:5 God himself is to be our “crown,” not human pride. See Heb. 2:9. and a diadem of beauty
for the remnant of his people.
6He will be a Spirit of justice
for judges to render right decisions.
And he will be strength and bravery
for those who turn back the battle at the gate.
Judah’s Drunken Prophets
7Moreover, the prophets and priests are drunk.
They stagger because of wine
and stumble around because of strong drink.
They are confused with wine, # 28:7 This is a play on words, for the word bala’ is a homophone for “confused” and “to swallow [wine].” It could be translated “The wine they swallow swallows them.”
stumbling because of strong drink.
They’re too drunk to understand their prophetic visions.
They’re too drunk to render right decisions in judgment.
8All of their banqueting tables are covered with filthy vomit;
vomit is everywhere!
9They say,
“Who does this prophet # 28:9 Or “he.” think he is to try to teach us?
Who really cares about his message?
It’s only good for babies just learning to talk. # 28:9 Or “babies just weaned.”
10Do, do this, and do, do that,
a rule about this and a rule about that,
here a little, there a little.” # 28:10 The meaning of the Hebrew text of this verse is uncertain. The Septuagint reads “You expect trouble upon trouble, hope upon hope; yet a little and yet a little.”
11Since they won’t listen to me,
God # 28:11 Or “he.” will use another mouthpiece to speak to them.
With stammering lips
and in a foreign language, # 28:11 That is, the foreign language of the Assyrians, which was Aramaic. See Deut. 28:49; 1 Cor. 14:21–22. he will speak to this people.
12For he has said to them,
“This is your rest, so let the weary rest; # 28:12 See Matt. 11:28–30; Heb. 4:9.
this is your comfort”—but they would not listen.
13Therefore, the word of Yahweh will be to them
“Do, do this, and do, do that,
a rule about this and a rule about that,
here a little, there a little,” # 28:13 The meaning of the Hebrew text of this verse is uncertain. The Septuagint reads “You expect trouble upon trouble, hope upon hope; yet a little and yet a little.”
in order that they will stumble backward
and be broken and captured.
A False Covenant with Death
14Therefore, listen to the word of Yahweh,
you scornful jesters—rulers of Jerusalem. # 28:14 Starting with this verse and going through Isa. 31:9, Isaiah spoke warnings to Judah and Jerusalem.
15For you have said,
“We have made a covenant with death
and a pact with the underworld, # 28:15 Or “Sheol.” Some scholars conclude that death and the underworld are metaphors for an alliance with Egypt and its false gods. However, it is more likely that they had made an actual pact with evil spirits, such as Death (Mot) and the Underworld (Resheph), to protect them from the plague. Christ has broken the covenant with death, for we are crucified with him (see Gal. 2:20). Now death “belongs” to the believer, for we have been given a life that triumphs over man’s covenant with death (see Rom. 8:38–39; 1 Cor. 3:21–22).
so when the overwhelming scourge sweeps over us,
it will not harm us.
For we have made lies our refuge # 28:15 Many today still hide behind lies, refusing to come to the truth in Christ.
and found our shelter in falsehood.” # 28:15 Or “false gods.”
Zion’s Foundation Stone
16Here’s what the Lord God says:
“Behold, I set in place in Zion a Foundation Stone, # 28:16 The “Foundation Stone” is Christ, set in place in the councils of eternity. The Hebrew word for “stone” is taken from the root word for “son” (ben). God’s Foundation Stone is his Son, Jesus Christ. See Rom. 9:33. Now the Son/Stone has become many (see 1 Peter 2:5–7). From these stones/sons, the Father is building us into his holy temple.
fully tested and proven to be faithful and secure. # 28:16 The promised one, Jesus Christ, is the chief cornerstone on which we rest our faith, because we are those who dwell in the Zion-realm (see Heb. 12:22). Believers throughout all time have proven that he is faithful. See Ps. 118:22; Acts 4:11; Eph. 2:20; Rev. 21:19–20.
And written upon this precious cornerstone is this:
‘Those who trust in him will not act in haste.’ # 28:16 Or “will never run away [in fear].” Faith, firmly set upon Christ, is patient and never rushes, for faith leaves the timing of all things in God’s hands. Peter quotes this verse, saying, “Whoever believes in him will certainly not be disappointed” (1 Peter 2:6).
17I will set justice as the true measurement
and integrity as its plumb line.
My hailstorm # 28:17 Hail is a biblical metaphor for divine judgment. See v. 2; Ex. 9:13–35; Josh. 10:11; Pss. 18:12–13; 148:8; Isa. 32:19; Rev. 8:7; 11:19; 16:21. will sweep away your refuge of lies,
and my floodwaters will overwhelm your hiding place.
18Then your covenant with death will be annulled
and your pact with the underworld will not stand.
And when the overwhelming scourge sweeps over you,
it will sweep you away! # 28:18 Or “it will trample you down.”
19As often as disaster passes by, it will carry you away;
morning by morning, day after day, it will sweep you away!”
When you fully understand this message,
it will bring nothing but terror to you!
20Your bed is too short to stretch yourself out on,
and your covering is too narrow to wrap yourself in. # 28:20 The bed is a metaphor for their confidence in lies—resting in illusions, not the truth. Those who trust in lies will not be comfortable. The covering being too narrow means their nakedness will still be exposed (like Adam’s and Eve’s hiding behind fig leaves). They will be too cramped and too cold. Every resting place and shelter will fail them.
21The Lord Yahweh will suddenly arise
as on Mount Perazim # 28:21 This mountain is also called Baal-Perazim (“lord of the breakthrough”), the place where the Lord broke through, enabling David to conquer the Philistines. See 2 Sam. 5:20. and in the valley of Gibeon. # 28:21 In this valley, Yahweh rained down hailstones on the Amorites. See Josh. 10:8–14.
He arises to accomplish his strange work—peculiar as it is—
his strange work of judgment. # 28:21 The prophet described God’s work of judgment as strange or foreign to what he delights in doing. God is love and longs to pour out his love upon his people, those he has chosen and established as his own. Yet God is holy, and although in mercy he may delay judgment, he will judge his people. To see God’s work of judgment as strange (alien) is to understand that heaven’s default is always mercy. See James 2:13.
22So do not mock, or your bonds will grow tighter.
For I have heard the decree from my Lord Yahweh,
Commander of Angel Armies.
He spoke a decree of destruction against the whole land.
The Wonderful Ways of God
23Hear my voice, listen to my words,
and pay close attention to my parable. # 28:23 Or “to my speech.” Isaiah used the parable of a farmer preparing his field to sow seed as a description of God’s ways within us. He begins by essentially saying, “If your ears are opened by my Spirit, then hear what I have to say.”
24Does a farmer plow continually at planting time
and never plant a crop? # 28:24 The sharp teeth and cutting edge of God’s Word as it plows through the soil of our hearts will result in his planting the life and glory of Jesus within us. God knows the purpose of his painful plowing in our hearts is to prepare them for the beautiful Jesus to come forth from within. The outward shell, the hardened clods of soil, must be broken open so that Christ may be our true life. See Hos. 10:12.
Does he continually break open the clods of the ground # 28:24 “The clods of the ground” are an apt metaphor for human nature, for we have been taken from the dust of the ground.
and never sow his seed?
25Once he has leveled its surface, does he not sow dill and cumin,
planting his wheat in rows, his barley in its proper place,
and his rye in a patch?
26Yes, his God has instructed him
and taught him the right way of farming the land.
27Dill, a small seed, is not threshed with a threshing sledge,
nor is a wagon wheel rolled over cumin. # 28:27 God knows how fragile we are as “seeds” of the kingdom. He will thresh us, but only according to what is needed to lay bare our hearts and cause the seed to grow. See 1 Cor. 10:13.
Dill is beaten with a rod and cumin with a stick.
28Grain is crushed # 28:28 God does not crush the grain but only frees it from the chaff. and milled for bread,
but it is not threshed endlessly.
One drives the wagon’s wheels over it,
but his horses’ hooves do not pulverize it.
29This counsel also comes from Lord Yahweh,
Commander of Angel Armies.
For his guidance is unfathomable,
and the heavenly wisdom he imparts is magnificent. # 28:29 Or “He makes counsel wonderful; he makes wisdom great.” See Rom. 11:33.
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Isaiah 28: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationIsaiah 28
28
A Warning to the Northern Kingdom
1The kingdom of Israel is doomed! Its glory is fading like the crowns of flowers on the heads of its drunken leaders. Their proud heads are well perfumed, but there they lie, dead drunk. 2The Lord has someone strong and powerful ready to attack them, someone who will come like a hailstorm, like a torrent of rain, like a rushing, overpowering flood, and will overwhelm the land. 3The pride of those drunken leaders will be trampled underfoot. 4The fading glory of those proud leaders will disappear like the first figs of the season, picked and eaten as soon as they are ripe.
5A day is coming when the LORD Almighty will be like a glorious crown of flowers for his people who survive. 6He will give a sense of justice to those who serve as judges, and courage to those who defend the city gates from attack.
Isaiah and the Drunken Prophets of Judah
7Even the prophets and the priests are so drunk that they stagger. They have drunk so much wine and liquor that they stumble in confusion. The prophets are too drunk to understand the visions that God sends, and the priests are too drunk to decide the cases that are brought to them. 8The tables where they sit are all covered with vomit, and not a clean spot is left.
9They complain about me. They say, “Who does that man think he's teaching? Who needs his message? It's only good for babies that have just been weaned! 10He is trying to teach us letter by letter, line by line, lesson by lesson.”
11 #
1 Cor 14.21
If you won't listen to me, then God will use foreigners speaking some strange-sounding language to teach you a lesson. 12He offered rest and comfort to all of you, but you refused to listen to him. 13That is why the LORD is going to teach you letter by letter, line by line, lesson by lesson. Then you will stumble with every step you take. You will be wounded, trapped, and taken prisoner.
A Cornerstone for Zion
14Now you arrogant ones who rule here in Jerusalem over this people, listen to what the LORD is saying. 15You boast that you have made a treaty with death and reached an agreement with the world of the dead. You are certain that disaster will spare you when it comes, because you depend on lies and deceit to keep you safe. 16#Ps 118.22–23; Rom 9.33; 10.11; 1 Pet 2.6This, now, is what the Sovereign LORD says: “I am placing in Zion a foundation that is firm and strong. In it I am putting a solid cornerstone on which are written the words, ‘Faith that is firm is also patient.’ 17Justice will be the measuring line for the foundation, and honesty will be its plumb line.”
Hailstorms will sweep away all the lies you depend on, and floods will destroy your security. 18The treaty you have made with death will be abolished, and your agreement with the world of the dead will be cancelled. When disaster sweeps down, you will be overcome. 19It will strike you again and again, morning after morning. You will have to bear it day and night. Each new message from God will bring new terror! 20You will be like the person in the proverb, who tries to sleep in a bed too short to stretch out on, with a blanket too narrow to wrap himself in. 21#Josh 10.10–12; 2 Sam 5.20; 1 Chr 14.11The LORD will fight as he did at Mount Perazim and in the valley of Gibeon, in order to do what he intends to do — strange as his actions may seem. He will complete his work, his mysterious work.
22Don't laugh at the warning I am giving you! If you do, it will be even harder for you to escape. I have heard the LORD Almighty's decision to destroy the whole country.
God's Wisdom
23Listen to what I am saying; pay attention to what I am telling you. 24No farmer goes on constantly ploughing his fields and getting them ready for sowing. 25Once he has prepared the soil, he sows the seeds of herbs such as dill and cumin. He sows rows of wheat and barley,#28.25 Hebrew has an additional word, the meaning of which is unclear. and at the edges of his fields he sows other grain. 26He knows how to do his work, because God has taught him. 27He never uses a heavy club to beat out dill seeds or cumin seeds; instead he uses light sticks of the proper size. 28He does not ruin the wheat by threshing it endlessly, and he knows how to thresh it by driving a cart over it without bruising the grains. 29All this wisdom comes from the LORD Almighty. The plans God makes are wise, and they always succeed!
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.