Isaiah 28:1-29.  I actually started typing this post yesterday (5/8/12) and began by saying “back on track finally”.  Then I read the chapter and thought, maybe not.  I realized there was a lot here with background that I needed to check out, reading what experts on Isaiah had to say about the chapter.  I also had to work and go to a Deacon’s meeting at church.  So here we are still behind.

I think I said in the past that the third section of the book ended in with chapter 27 and some scholars think that, other though think that chapters 28-35 are also part of that section.  It’s kind of a fine line trying to group certain chapters together.  I’m actually the worst at writing and trying to decide where one paragraph ends and another begins, let alone trying to invent chapters and sections.  Scholars talk about when particular messages within Isaiah were originally given and why and then they also talk about when the book of Isaiah was put together by Isaiah and why it was arranged the way it is.  In reality Isaiah could have put different sections together at different times and eventually put the whole thing together.  Chapters 13-27 do deal with the idea of what is going to happen to the major (and minor) political players in the middle east at the time Isaiah and why.  Some of the predictions would be fulfilled in Isaiah’s time and others would be years, decades, centuries, and millennia later.  Although the reasons for Isaiah putting the section and the book together flow through out the book it seems that chapters 28-35 are sort of a more intense “why” section but theses chapters also include “what” information or some predictions.  Also keep in mind that sometimes predictions are “if… then” sorts of predictions.  God is clearly interactive with mankind and what happens to individuals and nations depends upon our actions.  One of the main themes of Isaiah is that God deserves honor and God drives people and history toward that goal but how the drive goes depends on how we do at honoring God.  Chapters 28-33 contain several sections called oracles by scholars.  That word means “a spoken message”.  There are six messages that talk about judgment and have a sad tone to them, they are mournful like the mood at a funeral.  Those six messages start with the word “woe”.  That word in Hebrew is like a scream of pain or warning.  I don’t even know how to spell the English equivalents because they are more grunts that words.  Arghhhhh! Maybe.  Or, Woe!!!!!

The first “woe” deals with “Ephraim”.  Ephraim was one of the twelve sons of Israel (Jacob, see “What’s in a Name”).  It became the name of one of the twelve tribes descended from the twelve sons.  When the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms Ephraim was part of the northern kingdom that contained ten of the tribes.  Here the name of that tribe is used to mean the whole northern kingdom.  Often in the Bible the northern kingdom is called Israel and the southern kingdom is called Judah (another one of the tribes).  When the whole nation (southern and northern kingdoms) is mentioned in the Bible it is often called Israel also.  You have to be careful to look at what you are reading and know the dates and history if you have them to know who’s being talked about.

All of Isaiah up through this section (chapters 1-35) was probably put together sometime between 705-701 BC.  Sennacherib was king Assyria and was dominating the Middle Eastern world at that time.  Hezekiah was king of the southern kingdom or Judah.  There was a lot of pressure on Hezekiah to make treaties with some of the surrounding kingdoms against Assyria.  Eventually Hezekiah gave in to this pressure and Assyria stormed into the region.  The northern kingdom, or Israel, had been conquered previously in 722 BC by Shalmaneser V, then king of Assyria.  So this woe or lament is not a prediction of “Ephraim’s” destiny but a backward look at it.  One thing to keep in mind about “prophets” in the Bible is that their main job was to keep people thinking about God, his nature, his character, and his plan.  Some times this involved predictions of the future but often it involved reminders of the past and the things God had already said.

So this chapter starts with a wail of sadness about what had happened to the northern kingdom.  The crown and flowers probably refer to the capital of Israel, the city of Samaria.  The drunkards are the people of Israel.  Notice in verse 3 that their attitude was pride, remember that pride is one of the things God is dealing with in Isaiah.

In verses 5-6 there is a little hope given.  In contrast to the city of Samaria, like a crown on a hill which the Israelites (northern kingdom people) took pride in, Yahweah would be the real source of pride for the faithful  among the Israelites (from both kingdoms).  God would also be a “spirit of justice” for the faithful and strength as well.  This is contrasted with selfish prideful leaders in verse 7-8 who are staggering around drunk while they try to represent God.  Verses 9-13 tells us about God’s disappointment with these poor spiritual leaders and their eventual fall into captivity.  Since verses 9-13 are in the future in the message the leaders in verses 7-8 may be leaders of Judah rather than the northern kingdom.  In other words the example of the destruction of “Ephraim” is a warning and an example to the leaders of the southern kingdom, Judah.

Verse 14 makes it clear that the message is to the leaders of the southern kingdom in Jerusalem.  The contract with death mentioned in verse 15 is probably talking about an alliance Hezekiah made with some of the surrounding kingdoms and with Egypt against the Assyrians.  The lie of refuge would also be a reference to this alliance.  The overwhelming scourge” would be a reference to Assyrian invasion.  In verse 16 Isaiah mentions a corner stone.  That is part of a foundation.  The corner stone was carefully carved so that it would be completely square (a right angle not a square or cube in shape) and carefully placed.  It was used as a reference to build a building from.  Later in the New Testament Jesus is identified as this stone (Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, Ephesians 2:20, 1 Peter 2:6-7).  He is the true reference we need to build our lives on. It is interesting that Jesus is also called the “word of God” in John 1.  So it is god’s word and especially Jesus who give us a clear picture of how we should live.  Instead though the people of Judah were putting their trust in their own plans and abilities.  In verse 22 Isaiah encourages the people to quit mocking God.  The chapter ends with a parable.  A parable is a story that uses something we understand (or should) to help us understand something we don’t.  In this case the story is about a wise farmer who does his work productively.  Verse 23 hints at the meaning of the parable.  Isaiah tells his listeners to pay attention.  Verse 26 tells us that the farmer knows how to do his work well because God has told him what to do.  Verse 29 kind of repeats the idea by telling us that the God’s wisdom is very good.  And notice that God is called the God of Hosts, referring to the army of angles in heaven.

Remember that this warning is against making a treaty with the surrounding kingdoms against the Assyrian invasion.  The northern kingdom had placed their trust in a similar alliance and Isaiah cries about the result, Israel was destroyed.  Now Judah is on the edge of making the same decision, an alliance instead of the Almighty.  Instead of trusting God’s truth they are building their hope on their alliance.  The result would be destruction for them too.  But look back at verses 5-6 again, in that day God would give victory to those who trusted in Him.  And even the language of verses 23, “listen up” give hope of victory if only the people will trust God instead of themselves.  It’s no accident either that they are reminded of God’s power, he rules the heavenly army.  As we know from history Hezekiah eventually pulled out of the alliance and threw himself at God’s mercy.  The result was an angle fro God killed 185,000 Assyrian troops.  Wow.  I think I would rather have wow in my life than woe.  But that requires trust and acting in faith.  I have to reject the worlds solutions and trust that God will be there when it all starts to get rocky.  It’s a hard thing to do but fortunately we have tose who have gone before us to showing us God’s faithfulness.  We need to use Jesus as our guide and build our lives on the truth that is him.  Lord help me understand as I make decisions today.  Give me a clear picture of the way to go.  Then give me the courage to go that way.  Help me.  And may you be honored in it all.

PS.  I’ll try to get today’s (5/9/12) post out today yet.