Introduction
Have
you ever been stuck in traffic and knew you were about to witness a horrific
car wreck and there was nothing you could do about it? Well, that is kind of
like what happened to the prophet Isaiah. He had witnessed the fall of the
Northern kingdom and could tell what was about to happen to the south, so he
tries to give them warning and opportunity to change, but instead they held
their ground on the word of men and not of God.
This is the beginning of a group of bad decisions that will lead the
Lord to do something he doesn’t want to do, but must be done. Now that I have
your attention lets take a look at today’s passage in Isaiah 28:14-29.
Exegesis
Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers,
who
rule this people in Jerusalem! [1]
While this may seem like an inconsequential
verse, it is so jam packed full of information that the best place to start is
going to be at the “Therefore.” Now according to John Oswalt, “with the opening
“therefore” the prophet calls them to pay attention to what has been said to
the northern leaders and perhaps learn something form his message to them. Judgment
is eminent in the north and it is not at all clear that they will escape it in
the south. “ [2]
Who exactly is he speaking to when
he calls the people scoffers? A closer look at the last part of the verse
reveals that he is speaking to the rulers of Jerusalem. What exactly is a
scoffer? In the book of Proverbs, the scoffer was the worst type of sinner
(E.g. Prov 1:22; 29:8; cf. Ps. 1:1), for he is utterly contemptuous of the ways
of God.[3]
Golidngay adds that, “The scoffers are people who can talk their way out of
anything.”[4]
We can see from this passage that Isaiah is holding the leaders of Jerusalem
accountable for their attitude toward God.
In verse fifteen he say that they have made a
covenant with death. There are several differing viewpoints on this verse;
first, you have those commentators who strictly believe that this is in
reference to an agreement made with Egypt for their protection from Assyria. According to Walvoord and Zuck, “It seems that Isaiah was using imagery rich in the
symbolism of Semitic mythology. For example, in the Ugaritic pantheon death was
personified as the god of the underworld. The Jerusalem leaders were trusting
in other gods to save them from the coming scourge, the Assyrian invasion.”[5]
This author feels that it is a covenant made with Egypt that should be kept in
view and not the alternative. Several
commenters have made the point that some of the speech being used in verse
fifteen is more ironic and cynical and not truly from the leaders, but from
Isaiah himself. Take for example the use of the word “lie,” it would probably
have been a different set of terminology used there by the people. The Net Bible
notes say “Lie” and “deceitful word” would not be the terms used by the people.
They would likely use the words “promise” and “reliable word,” but the prophet
substitutes “lie” and “deceitful word” to emphasize that this treaty with death
will really prove to be disappointing.”[6]Deceitful word is falsehood
in many other translations such as the ESV, and the NIV.
Verse sixteen ultimately is
fulfilled in the Messiah as being the chief cornerstone (Romans 9:33). To the
undiscerning eye this verse may seem a little out of place, but to the right
person this verse has been perfectly placed between unrighteous and unfaithful
acts and the measuring of justification. Who tested this stone and what is the
ultimate outcome? Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown suggest it was tried, “both by
the devil (Lu 4:1–13) and by men (Lu 20:1–38), and even by God (Mt 27:46); a
stone of tested solidity to bear the vast superstructure of man’s redemption.
The tested righteousness of Christ
gives its peculiar merit to His vicarious sacrifice.”[7]It goes on to say that it is
a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation, in building the cornerstone there was
a load baring stone often very large and expensive that was set in the corner
where two walls would meet. The purpose of this stone was to set the foundation
and make sure that everything was plumb and true. Continues on by saying that whoever believes
will not be in haste. Paul gives us comfort in this when he says, “33 as it is written, “Behold,
I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever
believes in him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 9:33 ESV)
Verses seventeen and eighteen go on
to prove that no matter what plans a person has made, if they do not line up
with what the Lord intends, then it will not come to pass. In verse eighteen
the overwhelming scourge, is a metaphor of flogging and drowning that refers to
the Assyrian invasion. [8]
As Isaiah goes on, he says in verse nineteen that it will go on morning by
morning and day and by night, meaning that the torment that Israel is about to
encounter is going to be unrelenting. According to Trent Butler, “their treaty
partner would bring death and destruction. They could not hope to survive one
raid and be done with it. Over and again the foreign army would flood their
land. Finally, they would understand Isaiah’s message, but it would be too
late.”[9]
Moving
ahead verse twenty sounds like it could have been written in the twenty first
century. It speaks of them seeking comfort in a bed that is to short and a
blanket that is too narrow. It sounds like our phrase of “You made your bed now
lie in it.” Verse twenty speaks of a strange deed because instead of the Lord
fighting for Israel he is going to use her enemies against her; and that of
course is strange seeing as Israel is the beloved of the Lord.
At
first verses twenty-three to twenty-nine almost seem out of place, until you
come to understand that the Lord is using Isaiah to give these people a parable
in the same type of manner the Lord Jesus himself would use parables to teach.
In this parable we see that farming is at the center of it. The point that the
Lord is ultimately trying to make is that a farmer does not do one thing all
the time, there is a different season for each step, and there are different
means of reaching the goal depending upon what you are reaping. You will not
use a grindstone on dill like you will on wheat.
Conclusion
There are several things that can be
taken away from all of this and the most important has to be that no matter
what the odds look like, always trust in the Lord and his provision. We do not
want to make the same mistake Jerusalem made and place our trust in other men
or things to watch over us when the Lord is our ultimate protection. He has made
a covenant of life with us through Jesus and he is faithful and just to keep
his promises. We can also learn that the
Lord will use hard times or means we do not understand to try and bring
correction, we just have to be willing to listen and try to understand what it
is he is teaching. So it is my hope that
this work has done your soul some good and encouraged you that no matter how
bleak the outlook, we have a solid foundation as long as we trust in Christ our
cornerstone.
Word Count 1455
Bibliography
Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible First
Edition Notes. Biblical Studies Press, 2006.
Butler, Trent
C. Isaiah: Holman Old Testament Commentary. Nashville: Broadman &
Holman, 2002.
Goldingay,
John. Isaiah: New International Biblical Commentary. Peabody:
Henderickson Publishers, 2008.
Grogan,
Geoffery W. Isaiah- Expositor's Bible Commentary. Vol. 6. 12 vols.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986.
Motyer, J.
Alec. Isaiah: Tyndale Old Testament Commentary. Downers Grove: IVP
Academic, 2009.
Oswalt, John
N. Isaiah: The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
2003.
Webb, Barry G. The Message of Isaiah. Downers Grove:
IVP, 1996.
Wiersbe, Warren W. Be Comforted.
“Be” Commentary Series. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996.
Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.
Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.
