Isaiah28:1-13 NLT— Sins That Destroy a Nation and Its People
28:1 What
sorrow awaits the proud city of Samaria—the glorious crown of the drunks of
Israel.*
It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like
a flower. It is the pride of a people brought down by wine. 2 For the Lord will send a
mighty army against it. Like a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain, they
will burst upon it like a surging flood and smash it to the ground. 3 The proud city of Samaria—the
glorious crown of the drunks of Israel*—will be trampled
beneath its enemies’ feet. 4 It
sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a
flower. Whoever sees it will snatch it up, as an early fig is quickly picked
and eaten.
5 Then
at last the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will himself be Israel’s glorious crown. He
will be the pride and joy of the remnant of his people. 6 He will give a longing for justice to their judges. He
will give great courage to their warriors who stand at the gates.
7 Now,
however, Israel is led by drunks who reel with wine and stagger with alcohol. The
priests and prophets stagger with alcohol and lose themselves in wine. They
reel when they see visions and stagger as they render decisions. 8 Their tables are covered
with vomit; filth is everywhere.
9 “Who
does the Lord think we are?” they ask. “Why does he speak to us like this? Are
we little children, just recently weaned? 10
He tells us everything over and over— one line at a time, one line at a
time, a little here, and a little there!”
11 So
now God will have to speak to his people through foreign oppressors who speak a
strange language! 12 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. 13 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. [1]
At the close of the former division (chpts. 13–27),
Isaiah predicted the wonderful restoration and salvation of all who turn to the
Lord. It was important for the people to know that God longs for every person
in the world to be saved. But the requirement for salvation is true repentance.
A person must turn away from the ways of the world and turn to the ways of the Lord,
obeying His commandments and living righteously.
In the present division, Isaiah continues his prophecies
with a series of six extreme warnings. These prophecies to God’s people concern
the dangers of sin and rebellion. Sin and rebellion will doom a people, causing
the hand of God’s judgment to fall upon them. And God’s judgment upon sin will
be quick and complete. Therefore, people must know the destructive force of
sin. Sin blinds rational thinking and causes people to act foolishly. Sin
causes people:
·
to act violently
·
to trust in the powers of the world to save them
·
to misplace their trust
·
to focus on this temporary world
· to forget that God’s kingdom is eternal and will triumph over—all
Because of the destructive force of sin, Isaiah presents six-strong
woes—scathing warnings to the people
of his day as well as to the people of every generation.
But within the woes
of judgment, Isaiah repeatedly gives hope by preaching that God is merciful.
God offers the wonderful promises of salvation and restoration to those who
truly turn to Him. In fact, the Lord leads Isaiah to close this part of the
book with the promise of a glorious future for the world. The kingdom of God
Himself—a world of perfection and joy—will be established on the earth.
Of concern here
specifically, are verses 1-13.
Woe—A Strong Warning
to Ephraim and Judah: Sins That Destroy a Nation and Its People, 28:1–29
Introduction: war
is a terrible evil that ravages human lives and destroys nations. Down through
the centuries, one nation after another has arisen to take over, occupy,
invade, or conquer the land that did not belong to them. And sooner or later
war has wreaked havoc on every one of them. As each has confronted the
brutality and slaughter of war, millions of people have lost their lives, and
millions more families and friends have suffered the pain of losing their loved
ones.
But war is not the only thing that can destroy nations. A
nation’s sins can also destroy it.
The present Scripture discusses a few of the sins that
caused the Lord to issue a strong warning—a woe—to His people. Hopefully, some would turn away from their
sins and turn back to Him in repentance. Both the Southern and Northern
Kingdoms were committing sins that would destroy their nations. Although Isaiah
preached this message in Judah, God knew that the warning would soon spread to
the Northern Kingdom, and He hoped that His people in both kingdoms would repent.
This is Woe—A
Strong Warning to Ephraim and Judah: Sins That Destroy a Nation and Its People,
28:1–29.
Again, of concern here are verses. 1–13, God’s warning to
Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom of Israel: had become a people of pride and
drunkenness (revelry). Isaiah’s Warning Against, Pride, Drunkenness, Revelry, and Carousing,
It Will Be Judged—
Isaiah’s first woe was God’s strong warning to Ephraim. Because Ephraim was the name of the leading tribe in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, it was often used to refer to the kingdom itself. Soon after Isaiah announced this prophecy, the cruel Assyrians would conquer the Northern Kingdom, and the capital, Samaria, would fall (722 b.c.). The Lord used Isaiah to warn Ephraim of the coming judgment. Even though Isaiah ministered in Judah, God knew that the warning would spread to the people of the Northern Kingdom. Furthermore, the coming judgment on Ephraim would serve as a warning of what lay ahead for the people of Judah and Jerusalem if they did not repent of their sins. The sins of the Northern Kingdom were drunkenness, pride, and contempt for God’s Word. Note the Scripture and outline:
A. The sins of the Northern Kingdom were a result of
their prosperity. At that time in history, the land was fertile, so the
Northern Kingdom had become economically strong. Samaria in particular was
prosperous, and it was considered a beautiful wreath or crown
set on a high hill above a lush valley (v. 1). Looking up at the city
from the lush valley below, the citizens of the Northern Kingdom saw a rich and
mighty fortress in an ideal location. They took great pride in their wealth and
military strength, and they placed their trust in their impregnable capital
instead of in God.
But their sin was not only pride in their wealth and
material prosperity; they were also guilty of drunkenness. Because of their
prosperity, they had plenty of free time to engage in whatever they desired.
Sadly, instead of using their free time for constructive projects, they allowed
their idle hands to become the
devil’s tools. Many of the
people became drunkards, indulging their flesh by continually partying and
carousing. A spirit of revelry gripped the nation.
B. Because of their pride and drunkenness, the Lord
issued the warning of coming judgment (vs. 2–4). He was going to raise up
a mighty army—the Assyrians—to destroy the Northern Kingdom. Like a destructive
hailstorm or a torrential downpour, the Assyrians would sweep across the
Northern Kingdom. The people would see their capital, their crown of pride, destroyed (vs. 3–4).
When the judgment of God fell, the mighty, wealthy city of Samaria would
collapse as quickly as a fading flower that falls to the ground or as a ripe
fig that is plucked from a tree and eaten.
C. God’s judgment would achieve its purpose. It would
cause some to repent and turn to Him (vs. 5–6). In the terrible distress
of war, some citizens of the Northern Kingdom would turn to the Lord. He, not
the mighty city of Samaria, would be their crown (pride) and glory. Even some
of the political leaders would look to the Lord for a spirit of justice, and
some of the soldiers would look to Him as the source of their strength (v. 6).
Note the term in
that day. This means that these two verses have a double reference.
They refer not only to the Israelites of Isaiah’s day, but also to the Jews who
will be living in the last days of human history. In that day is a term that often refers to the day when Christ
will set up His kingdom on earth. Thus when He returns to earth, some Jews will
turn to the Lord, and He will replace the mighty, wealthy cities of the world
as their crown and glory.
D. The people of the Northern Kingdom bore a heavy burden
of guilt because of their perversions (vs. 7–10). The word perversion is the appropriate word
to describe their sins. To pervert
means to turn away from what is right or good; to corrupt; to act improperly;
to be obstinate, stiff-necked, and stubborn in opposing what is right,
reasonable, or accepted. The people of the Northern Kingdom had so perverted
the truth of God’s Word that they called evil good and good evil. The people
were guilty of two terrible perversions.
First, most of the people were guilty of drunkenness, and
even the priests and prophets considered drunkenness acceptable behavior.
Going along with the society of their day, they staggered around drunk, even
while carrying out the functions of their offices. Note exactly what Scripture
says: they staggered while claiming to receive visions and while giving counsel
(v.
7).
The problem of drunkenness was so common that Isaiah used a
graphic picture to describe how pervasive it had become: not a single table was
free from the filth of vomit. Just imagine the scene: people indulging their
flesh and carousing around tables covered with vomit. Drunkenness had become
such acceptable behavior in Israel that even the priests and prophets of the
nation were engaging in it.
The second perversion of the Northern Kingdom was mocking
God’s Word and His prophet (vs. 9–10). When Isaiah preached, the people
insulted, scorned, and challenged him. Sarcastically, they asked if he thought
they were children who needed correction. The implication is that they
considered themselves adults, capable of making their own decisions. No one had
the right to tell them how to behave. They felt they alone had that right; thus
they alone would exercise that right.
The people ridiculed not only God’s prophet but also God’s
Word (v. 10). They mocked Isaiah for preaching God’s Word. They
accused him of repeating the same message over and over in the halting
vocabulary of a child instead of the fluent language of an adult. Both God’s
message of judgment and the way the prophet proclaimed the message displeased
the citizens of the Northern Kingdom, so they mocked both the message and the
messenger.
E. Accordingly, the Lord now had a very special message
for the people of the Northern Kingdom. Because they rejected His Word,
they would hear the strange words of a foreign oppressor (vs.
11–12). Because they rejected God’s offer of rest and refreshing,
or peace and repose (Is. 7:4; 8:6–8), they
would face the terrifying judgment of invasion and war. Because they refused to
hear God’s Word, the preaching of the prophet Isaiah, they would see the
fulfillment of God’s Word (v. 13). Very soon God’s hand of judgment would
fall upon them, and they would learn that every precept and line of His Word
was true. The result of going their own way would be catastrophic: they would
stumble backward and fall, be injured, snared, and captured.
Thought 1. Pride
can be good as well as evil. In fact, a degree of pride is essential for
self-confidence and self-esteem. Scripture says that we are to love our
neighbors as ourselves (Mt. 5:43; 19:19; 22:39). Loving ourselves, and taking
pride in who we are and what we do, is a sign of a healthy personality.
But pride can become evil. Pride is evil when we begin to
elevate ourselves above others and think of ourselves more highly than we
should. It is evil when we begin to think that we are superior or indispensable
to others, or that we are more important or more deserving of attention and
honor than they are. Any arrogant or haughty spirit that degrades others is
evil.
Pride also becomes sinful when we look upon man’s works as
the foundation and security of our lives. For no matter what man constructs or
develops—a building, business, city, nation, economic wealth, or military
power—it is not permanent. It can be destroyed. Neither man nor the works of
his hands offer lasting or satisfying security. The spirit of man cannot find
long-term contentment or fulfillment in people or possessions. The human soul
is restless until it rests in God. This was the message of the Lord to the
Northern Kingdom of Israel, but they rejected the offer of God’s rest and peace
and, as a result, they faced His judgment.
If we walk through life in sinful pride, boasting and placing our security in ourselves and in the works of our hands, we too will face the judgment of God. Listen to what God’s Holy Word says about sinful pride, about being arrogant and exalting ourselves above others:
Ø “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be
abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Mt. 23:12).
Ø “And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast
much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be
required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
So is he that layeth up treasure for
himself, and is not rich toward God” (Lu. 12:19–21).
Ø “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he
saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (Js. 4:6).
Ø “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love
the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh,
and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is
of the world” (1 Jn. 2:15–16).
Ø “The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices
that they have imagined” (Ps.
10:2).
Ø “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and
hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations,
feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren” (Pr. 6:16–19).
Ø “Pride goeth
before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Pr. 16:18).
Ø “An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin” (Pr. 21:4).
Ø “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but
honour shall uphold the humble in spirit” (Pr. 29:23).
Ø “He that is of a proud heart stirreth up
strife: but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat” (Pr. 28:25).
Ø “Woe unto them
that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” (Is. 5:21).
Ø “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will
ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit
also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will
ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou
shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit” (Is. 14:13–15).
Ø “Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that
dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children: But these
two things shall come to thee in a
moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon
thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine
enchantments. For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None
seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast
said in thine heart, I am, and none else
beside me. Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence
it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put if
off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know” (Is. 47:8–11).
Ø “Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord” (Ob. 1:4).
Thought 2. Alcohol, drugs, and drunkenness take a terrible toll upon human lives. When people drink to excess, they damage their bodies. And if the drinking continues on indefinitely, the damage can result in serious disease or even death. But even more tragic are the deaths of other people at the hands of the intoxicated. Think how many drunk people have been in accidents that injured or killed other human beings. Also think how often drunk people become violent and attack, injure, or even take the lives of other people. In addition to causing injuries and deaths, drunkenness can rip families apart. If honestly faced, the evil of drunkenness is obvious. Listen to the warning of God against drunkenness:
Ø “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any
time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of
this life, and so that day come upon you unawares” (Lu. 21:34).
Ø “Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in
rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and
envying” (Ro. 13:13).
Ø “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not
inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with
mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Co. 6:9–10).
Ø “Now the works of the flesh are manifest,
which are these; Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I
have also told you in time past, that
they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Ga. 5:19–21).
Ø “Wine is
a mocker, strong drink is raging: and
whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Pr. 20:1).
Ø “Be not among winebibbers; among riotous
eaters of flesh” (Pr. 23:20).
Ø “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath
contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness
of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the
cup, when it moveth itself aright” (Pr. 23:29–31).
Ø “Woe unto them that rise up early in the
morning, that they may follow strong
drink; that continue until night, till
wine inflame them!” (Is. 5:11).
Ø “Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!” (Hab. 2:15).[2]
* 28:1 Hebrew What sorrow awaits the crowning glory of the drunks of Ephraim,
referring to Samaria, capital of the northern kingdom of Israel.
* 28:3 Hebrew The crowning glory of the drunks of Ephraim; see note on 28:1.
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. 2015. Holy Bible: New
Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2005. Isaiah (Chapters 1–35). Vol. I. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
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