THE LORD WILL JUDGE SAMARIA THE LORD WILL JUDGE JERUSALEM ISAIAH 28:1-29

Transcription

1 1 THE LORD WILL JUDGE SAMARIA THE LORD WILL JUDGE JERUSALEM ISAIAH 28:1-29

2 2 Text: Isaiah 28:1-29, THE LORD WILL JUDGE SAMARIA THE LORD WILL JUDGE JERUSALEM 1. The splendid crown of Ephraim s drunkards is doomed, the withering flower, its beautiful splendor, situated at the head of a rich valley, the crown of those overcome with wine. 2. Look, the sovereign master sends a strong, powerful one. With the force of a hailstorm or a destructive windstorm, with the might of a driving, torrential rainstorm, he will knock that crown to the ground with his hand. 3. The splendid crown of Ephraim s drunkards will be trampled underfoot. 4. The withering flower, its beautiful splendor, situated at the head of a rich valley, will be like an early fig before harvest as soon as someone notices it, he grabs it and swallows it. 5. At that time the Lord who commands armies will become a beautiful crown and a splendid diadem for the remnant of his people. 6. He will give discernment to the one who makes judicial decisions, and strength to those who defend the city from attackers. 7. Even these men stagger because of wine, they stumble around because of beer priests and prophets stagger because of beer, they are confused because of wine, they

3 3 stumble around because of beer; they stagger while seeing prophetic visions, they totter while making legal decisions. 8. Indeed, all the tables are covered with vomit; no place is untouched. 9. Who is the Lord trying to teach? To whom is he explaining a message? Those just weaned from milk! Those just taken from their mother s breast! 10. Indeed, they will hear meaningless gibberish, senseless babbling, a syllable here, a syllable there. 11. For with mocking lips and a foreign tongue he will speak to these people. 12. In the past he said to them, This is where security can be found. Provide security for the one who is exhausted! This is where rest can be found. But they refused to listen. 13. So the Lord s word to them will sound like meaningless gibberish, senseless babbling, a syllable here, a syllable there. As a result, they will fall on their backsides when they try to walk, and be injured, ensnared, and captured. 14. Therefore, listen to the Lord s word, you who mock, you rulers of these people who reside in Jerusalem! 15. For you say, We have made a treaty with death, with Sheol we have made an agreement. When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by it will not reach us. For we have made a lie our refuge, we have hidden ourselves in a deceitful word. 16. Therefore, this is what the sovereign master, the Lord, says: Look, I am laying a stone in Zion, an approved stone, set in place as a precious cornerstone for

4 4 the foundation. The one who maintains his faith will not panic. 17. I will make justice the measuring line, fairness the plumb line; hail will sweep away the unreliable refuge, the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place. 18. Your treaty with death will be dissolved; your agreement with Sheol will not last. When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by, you will be overrun by it. 19. Whenever it sweeps by, it will overtake you; indeed, every morning it will sweep by, it will come through during the day and the night. When this announcement is understood, it will cause nothing but terror. 20. For the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself. 21. For the Lord will rise up, as he did at Mount Perazim, he will rouse himself, as he did in the Valley of Gibeon, to accomplish his work, his peculiar work, to perform his task, his strange task. 22. So now, do not mock, or your chains will become heavier! For I have heard a message about decreed destruction, from the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, against the entire land. 23. Pay attention and listen to my message! Be attentive and listen to what I have to say! 24. Does a farmer just keep on plowing at planting time? Does he keep breaking up and harrowing his ground? 25. Once he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter the seed of the caraway plant, sow the seed of the cumin plant, and plant the wheat, barley, and grain in their designated places?

5 His God instructs him; he teaches him the principles of agriculture. 27. Certainly caraway seed is not threshed with a sledge, nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin seed. Certainly caraway seed is beaten with a stick, and cumin seed with a flail. 28. Grain is crushed, though one certainly does not thresh it forever. The wheel of one s wagon rolls over it, but his horses do not crush it. 29. This also comes from the Lord who commands armies, who gives supernatural guidance and imparts great wisdom. (NET) Introduction: I. Hamilton wrote, In chapters 28-33, the prophet directs the first five woes against Hezekiah and Judah for allying with Egypt against Assyria, and the last woe against Assyria. A. In each case, beyond the punishment, Yahweh promises redemption for the faithful remnant, Hamilton noted. II. Hamilton wrote that Isaiah 28 has three parts; viz.,... A. Yahweh will punish Ephraim, or northern Israel, and save the remnant (verses 1-6),... B. Yahweh will punish Judah for allying with Egypt but deliver those who trust in him (verses 7-22), and... C. Yahweh punishes to restore, not to destroy (verses 23-29).

6 6 III. Hailey, quoting Delitzsch, refers to chapters as the Book of Woes. Leupold via Hailey speaks of these chapters as the Book of Zion. A. This section contains a series of prophetic discourses dealing especially with Judah s relationship to the heathen nations of Egypt and Assyria, and its own sins and weaknesses. (See Hailey.) B. In these chapters, the prophet pronounces six woes against the sins of drunken rulers in Samaria and Jerusalem, against the errors of Judah, and against an unnamed destroyer, probably Sennacherib of Assyria. (See Hailey.) C. Isaiah 5:8-23, Those who accumulate houses are as good as dead, those who also accumulate landed property until there is no land left, and you are the only landowners remaining within the land. The Lord who commands armies told me this: Many houses will certainly become desolate, large, impressive houses will have no one living in them. Indeed, a large vineyard will produce just a few gallons, and enough seed to yield several bushels will produce less than a bushel. Those who get up early to drink beer are as good as dead, those who keep drinking long after dark until they are intoxicated with wine. They have stringed instruments, tambourines, flutes, and wine at their parties. So they do not recognize what the Lord is doing, they do not perceive what he is bringing about. Therefore my people will be deported because of their lack of understanding.

7 7 Their leaders will have nothing to eat, their masses will have nothing to drink. So Death will open up its throat, and open wide its mouth; Zion s dignitaries and masses will descend into it, including those who revel and celebrate within her. Men will be humiliated, they will be brought low; the proud will be brought low. The Lord who commands armies will be exalted when he punishes, the sovereign God s authority will be recognized when he judges. Lambs will graze as if in their pastures, amid the ruins the rich sojourners will graze. Those who pull evil along using cords of emptiness are as good as dead, who pull sin as with cart ropes. They say, Let him hurry, let him act quickly, so we can see; let the plan of the Holy One of Israel take shape and come to pass, then we will know it! Those who call evil good and good evil are as good as dead, who turn darkness into light and light into darkness, who turn bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter. Those who think they are wise are as good as dead, those who think they possess understanding. Those who are champions at drinking wine are as good as dead, who display great courage when mixing strong drinks. They pronounce the guilty innocent for a payoff, they ignore the just cause of the innocent. (NET) D. Chapters appear to pertain to the period of King Hezekiah. (See Hailey.) IV. Smith groups and entitles the chapters of Isaiah as follows:...

8 8 A. Isaiah 1-6: Mingled Rebukes and Promises,... B. Isaiah 7-12: The Book of Immanuel,... C. Isaiah 13-23: The Book of Burdens,... D. Isaiah 24-27; 34-35: The Books of General Judgment,... E. Isaiah 28-33: The Book of Woes,... F. Isaiah 36-39: The Book of Hezekiah,... G. Isaiah 40-48: The Book of Cyrus,... H. Isaiah 49-57: The Book of the Servant,... I. Isaiah 58-66: The Book of Future Glory. V. Chapters is called The Book of Woes because almost every chapter in this section begins with the pronouncement of doom or the funeral cry woe. (See smith.) A. Chapters appear to have been composed during the reign of good King Hezekiah sometime between the fall of Samaria in 722 B.C. and the Assyrian invasion of Judah in 701 B.C. (See Smith.) B. In chapter 28 wanton, evil, drunken rulers who sought to form an alliance with Egypt against Assyria and who otherwise rebelled against God were condemned. (See Smith.)

9 9 VI. Briley noted that the primary theme of this section consisting of chapters is the importance of trusting in God, as well as the nature of such trust. A. Assyria with whom Ahaz had covenanted defeated Israel and Syria and now threatened Judah. (See Briley.) B. Judah had to decide in whom they would trust, Egypt or God. (See Briley.) VII. Coffman quoting Dummelow dates Isaiah 28 to 722 B.C, a date prior to the fall of the Northern Kingdom and the conquest of Samaria. Commentary: The Lord Will Judge Samaria Isaiah 28:1, The splendid crown of Ephraim s drunkards is doomed, the withering flower, its beautiful splendor, situated at the head of a rich valley, the crown of those overcome with wine. (NET) I. The splendid crown of Ephraim s drunkards is doomed, the withering flower, its beautiful splendor, situated at the head of a rich valley, the crown of those overcome with wine. A. Hamilton identified the splendid crown as Samaria, the capital of Northern Israel.

10 The leaders of Northern Isarel were self-indulgent, gluttons, bloated with rich food, and drunkards, Hamilton stated. 2. Isaiah 28:1-6 speaks of a time prior to the fall of Samaria which can be dated to 721 B.C. (See Hailey.) B. Samaria is doomed! Woe be to Samaria! 1. Isaiah 9:9-10, All the people were aware of it, the people of Ephraim and those living in Samaria. Yet with pride and an arrogant attitude, they said, The bricks have fallen, but we will rebuild with chiseled stone; the sycamore fig trees have been cut down, but we will replace them with cedars. (NET) 2. Amos 4:1, Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan who live on Mount Samaria! You oppress the poor; you crush the needy. You say to your husbands, Bring us more to drink! (NET) 3. Amos 6:6, They drink wine from sacrificial bowls, and pour the very best oils on themselves. Yet they are not concerned over the ruin of Joseph. (NET) 4. Hosea 4:11, Old and new wine take away the understanding of my people. (NET) 5. Hosea 7:5, 14, At the celebration of their king, his princes become inflamed with wine; they

11 11 conspire with evildoers. They do not pray to me, but howl in distress on their beds; They slash themselves for grain and new wine, but turn away from me. (NET) C. Hailey wrote, Samaria, built by Omri the father of Ahab, was located on a hill at the head of a beautiful, fertile, luxuriant valley that extended westward to the Plain of Sharon; the Mediterranean Sea can be seen from its summit. The walls of the city extending around the crest of the hill gave the impression of a crown or chaplet of flowers on a head. 1. Because of their sins, this glory was fading fast. (See Hailey.) 2. To Isaiah, once beautiful Samaria was now like a wilting flower, Smith wrote. 3. The drunkards of Samaria were totally unaware of the disasters that were coming upon them. 4. Proverbs 23:29-35, Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has dullness of the eyes? 30 Those who linger over wine, those who go looking for mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly. Afterward it bites like a snake, and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and your mind will speak perverse things.

12 12 And you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, and like one who lies down on the top of the rigging. You will say, They have struck me, but I am not harmed! They beat me, but I did not know it! When will I awake? I will look for another drink. (NET) D. The first woe in this series was directed toward Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom of Israel. (See Briley.) 1. Because of Samaria s wickedness here called drunkenness, beautiful Samaria would be destroyed. (See Briley.) E. Coffman wrote, The city of Samaria was located on a hill, and was crowned with a wall around the summit. Samaria sat like a crown dominating a fertile valley. Isaiah 28:2, Look, the sovereign master sends a strong, powerful one. With the force of a hailstorm or a destructive windstorm, with the might of a driving, torrential rainstorm, he will knock that crown to the ground with his hand. (NET) I. Look, the sovereign master* sends a strong, powerful one. A. *NET Footnote: Hebrew adonay (also in verses 16, 22, Therefore, this is what the sovereign master, the Lord, says: Look, I am laying a stone in Zion, an approved stone, set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. The one who maintains his faith will not panic. So now, do not

13 13 mock, or your chains will become heavier! For I have heard a message about decreed destruction, from the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, against the entire land. (NET)) and in Isaiah 29:13, The sovereign master says, These people say they are loyal to me; they say wonderful things about me, but they are not really loyal to me. Their worship consists of nothing but man-made ritual. (NET) 1. Isaiah 6:1, In the year of King Uzziah s death, I saw the sovereign master seated on a high, elevated throne. The hem of his robe filled the temple. (NET) B. The strong, powerful one sent by the sovereign master, God, is Assyria. (See Hamilton.) 1. Isaiah 8:7, So look, the sovereign master is bringing up against them the turbulent and mighty waters of the Euphrates River the king of Assyria and all his majestic power. It will reach flood stage and overflow its banks. (NET) 2. 2 Kings 17:1-6, In the twelfth year of King Ahaz s reign over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for nine years. He did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not to the same degree as the Israelite kings who preceded him. King Shalmaneser of Assyria threatened him; Hoshea became his subject and paid him tribute. The king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was planning a revolt.

14 14 Hoshea had sent messengers to King So of Egypt and had not sent his annual tribute to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria arrested him and imprisoned him. The king of Assyria marched through the whole land. He attacked Samaria and besieged it for three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea s reign, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the people of Israel to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes. (NET) C. Look or Behold are introductory words designed to gain the attention of those to whom Isaiah is directing his message. (See Hailey.) D. Hailey and Briley identified the strong, powerful one as the Assyrian army. 1. Isaiah 9:11, Then the Lord provoked their adversaries to attack them, he stirred up their enemies (NET) 2. Isaiah 10:5-11, Assyria, the club I use to vent my anger, is as good as dead, a cudgel with which I angrily punish. I sent him against a godless nation, I ordered him to attack the people with whom I was angry, to take plunder and to carry away loot, to trample them down like dirt in the streets. But he does not agree with this, his mind does not reason this way, for his goal is to destroy, and to eliminate many

15 15 nations. Indeed, he says: Are not my officials all kings? Is not Calneh like Carchemish? Hamath like Arpad? Samaria like Damascus? I overpowered kingdoms ruled by idols, whose carved images were more impressive than Jerusalem s or Samaria s. As I have done to Samaria and its idols, so I will do to Jerusalem and its idols. (NET) II. With the force of a hailstorm or a destructive windstorm, with the might of a driving, torrential rainstorm, he will knock that crown to the ground with his hand. A. With the force of a hailstorm or a destructive windstorm, God s punishment by the hand of the Assyrians would strike the rebellious people. (See Hamilton.) B. The power of this strong one is described as a hailstorm, a destructive windstorm, a driving torrential rainstorm. 1. Hailey wrote that this strong one would come on the city of drunken revelers, sweeping up through the valleys and ravines like a terrible hailstorm and a flood that carries everything before it to destruction. 2. Assyria destroyed the Northern Kingdom known ever after as the The Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. 3. Like a city flattened by a tornado, a cyclone, the Assyrians would flatten Samaria and leave it destroyed, in ruins. (See Briley.)

16 16 C. Coffman wrote that Assyria, (under the figures of a destroying storm, hail, and a devastating flood), would be God s instrument for Samaria s destruction. 1. Even as the time of their destruction approached nearer and nearer, its leaders, even priests, lead lives of debauchery. (See Coffman.) Isaiah 28:3, The splendid crown of Ephraim s drunkards will be trampled underfoot. (NET) I. The splendid crown of Ephraim s drunkards will be trampled underfoot. A. Destruction of Ephraim was brought upon them because of the people s sins and the sinfulness of their leaders. B. Coffman noted that the siege, conquest of Samaria by the Assyrians took less than three years to complete Kings 18:9-10, In the fourth year of King Hezekiah s reign (it was the seventh year of the reign of Israel s King Hoshea, son of Elah), King Shalmaneser of Assyria marched up against Samaria and besieged it. After three years he captured it (in the sixth year of Hezekiah s reign); in the ninth year of King Hoshea s reign over Israel Samaria was captured. (NET) 2. Many sieges took much longer than three years and some were not successful.

17 17 Isaiah 28:4, The withering flower, its beautiful splendor, situated at the head of a rich valley, will be like an early fig before harvest as soon as someone notices it, he grabs it and swallows it. (NET) I. The withering flower, its beautiful splendor, situated at the head of a rich valley, will be like an early fig before harvest -... A. Hailey observed that Samaria, the capital city, was located at the head of a luxuriant and productive valley. B. Fig trees in Palestine produce two crops of figs yearly: the first referred to here is in May or June, and the second crop is in August and September. The early figs are eagerly awaited by those who have had no fresh fruit during the winter, Hailey wrote. II. as soon as someone notices it, he grabs it and swallows it. A. The Assyrians will grab and swallow Samaria as if it were a first ripe fig. 1. Nahum 3:12, All your fortifications will be like fig trees with first-ripe fruit: If they are shaken, their figs will fall into the mouth of the eater! (NET) B. Hailey noted that three figures were used to describe the destruction of Samaria; viz., the city would be destroyed by the forces of nature,...

18 the city would be trampled, trodden underfoot, and the city would be devoured like a first-ripe fig. C. Samaria is likened here to a fig plucked directly from the tree and eaten before harvest time. (See Briley.) Isaiah 28:5, At that time the Lord who commands armies will become a beautiful crown and a splendid diadem for the remnant of his people. (NET) I. At that time the Lord who commands armies will become a beautiful crown and a splendid diadem for the remnant (residue) of his people. A. God, not Samaria, will be the crown of the righteous remnant of the people. B. There is still hope for the few righteous remaining faithful servants of God. 1. To these godly people the Lord will be as a beautiful crown, a splendid diadem. C. A good result of Samaria s destruction was that some few, seeing God s hands in all the devastation, would turn to his faithful service.

19 Smith wrote, The point is that a remnant would survive the national catastrophe, and that remnant would experience genuine conversion. 2. Ezekiel 37:15-28, The word of the Lord came to me: As for you, son of man, take one branch, and write on it, For Judah, and for the Israelites associated with him. Then take another branch and write on it, For Joseph, the branch of Ephraim and all the house of Israel associated with him. Join them as one stick; they will be as one in your hand. When your people say to you, Will you not tell us what these things mean? tell them, This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to take the branch of Joseph which is in the hand of Ephraim and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and I will place them on the stick of Judah, and make them into one stick they will be one in my hand. The sticks you write on will be in your hand in front of them. Then tell them, This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to take the Israelites from among the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from round about and bring them to their land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over them all. They will never again be two nations and never again be divided into two kingdoms. They will not defile themselves with their idols, their detestable things, and all their rebellious deeds. I will save them from all their unfaithfulness by

20 20 which they sinned. I will purify them; they will become my people and I will become their God. My servant David will be king over them; there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow my regulations and carefully observe my statutes. They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, in which your fathers lived; they will live in it they and their children and their grandchildren forever. David my servant will be prince over them forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be a perpetual covenant with them. I will establish them, increase their numbers, and place my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then, when my sanctuary is among them forever, the nations will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel. (NET) 3. The faithful remnant were the righteous who returned from Babylonian captivity and dedicated Christians. (See Coffman.) 4. God s plans to bring the Savior into the world could not be hindered by man s sinfulness. (See Coffman.) a. Genesis 12:3, I will bless those who bless you, but the one who treats you lightly I must curse, and all the families of the earth will bless one another by your name. (NET)

21 21 Isaiah 28:6, He will give discernment to the one who makes judicial decisions, and strength to those who defend the city from attackers. (NET) I. He will give discernment to the one who makes judicial decisions, and strength to those who defend the city from attackers. A. To the faithful remnant who make judicial decisions, God will give discernment. God will give strength to those who seek to defend the city from attackers by their righteousness. The Drunkards of Judah Isaiah 28:7, Even these men stagger because of wine, they stumble around because of beer priests and prophets stagger because of beer, they are confused because of wine, they stumble around because of beer; they stagger while seeing prophetic visions, they totter while making legal decisions. (NET) I. Even these men stagger because of wine, they stumble around because of beer priests and prophets stagger because of beer, they are confused because of wine, they stumble around because of beer;... A. Hamilton explained, Suddenly, in verses 7-22, Isaiah turns on Judean priests and prophets, accusing these religious leaders of being no better than their northern counterparts.

22 Judah and Jerusalem were also targeted because of their sinfulness which is illustrated by drunkenness and the behavior typical of those under the influence of liquor, beer and wine. a. Leviticus 10:8-11, Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, Do not drink wine or strong drink, you and your sons with you, when you enter into the Meeting Tent, so that you do not die, which is a perpetual statute throughout your generations, as well as to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, and to teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them through Moses. (NET) 2. Priests and prophets are pictured as trying to discharge their duties and preach while drunk. (See Hailey.) a. Leviticus 10:8-11, Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, Do not drink wine or strong drink, you and your sons with you, when you enter into the Meeting Tent, so that you do not die, which is a perpetual statute throughout your generations, as well as to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, and to teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them through Moses. (NET)

23 23 b. Deuteronomy 18:18, I will raise up a prophet like you for them from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth and he will speak to them whatever I command. (NET) c. Micah 2:11, If a lying windbag should come and say, I ll promise you blessings of wine and beer, he would be just the right preacher for these people! (NET) II. They stagger while seeing prophetic visions, they totter while making legal decisions. A. The spiritual leaders of Judah shared the confusion of the political leaders of the north, Smith wrote. B. Briley wrote,... words such as stagger, reel, befuddled, and stumble describe a condition which inspires little confidence. The picture of vomit and filth covering their meeting places in verse 8 completes a highly unflattering portrayal of Judah s spiritual leaders. Isaiah 28:8, Indeed, all the tables are covered with vomit; no place is untouched. (NET) I. Indeed, all the tables are covered with vomit; no place is untouched. A. The holy tables of the temple are pictured as covered with the vomit of drunken priests.

24 Psalm 69:22, May their dining table become a trap before them! May it be a snare for that group of friends! (NET) 2. Romans 11:9, And David says, Let their table become a snare and trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; (NET) B. Hailey wrote that the prophets and priests were totally lacking in wholesome spiritual teaching from God. C. The visions announced by the prophets and the judgments rendered by priests were as irrational as the babblings of a drunk, Smith wrote. 1. The effects of the activities of these ungodly prophets and priests were totally negative likened to tables covered by the vomit of drunkards. Isaiah 28:9, Who is the Lord trying to teach? To whom is he explaining a message? Those just weaned from milk! Those just taken from their mother s breast! (NET) I. Who is the Lord* trying to teach? To whom is he explaining a message? A. *NET Footnote: Hebrew he; the translation assumes the Lord is the subject of the verbs teach and explaining and the prophet is asking the questions.

25 25 B. Hamilton saw this as the priests and prophets asking among themselves who Isaiah thought he was talking to them in such a manner, talking down to them as if they were little children. C. These drunken priests and prophets ridiculed Isaiah s efforts to proclaim God s word. (See Hailey.) D. Instead of heeding Isaiah s advice, the evil priests, prophets and leaders of Judah criticized Isaiah. (See Smith.) 1. They resented Isaiah s speaking to them as small children in what they regarded as a condescending manner. (See Briley.) II. Those just weaned from milk! Those just taken from their mother s breast! A. The corrupt priests and prophets sarcastically belittled Isaiah for proclaiming what they regarded as simple things, milk suitable for spiritual babies. 1. Hailey wrote, The drunken sots continue to mock the prophet with sarcasm. 2. Of course, the drunkenness is spiritual, not literal although they may also have added actual drunkenness as one of their sins. 3. These drunken Judeans were arrogant, overconfident, not at all open to instruction from anyone, certainly not from Isaiah. (See Briley.)

26 26 B. Isaiah s speech was regarded as just so much worthless talk, blah blah blah, or simple children s basic instructions which the Judean leaders resented. (See Briley.) 1. Coffman advised that these drunken leaders were asking, Does Isaiah think he is teaching babies? Is he trying to teach us our alphabet? These silly little sayings of his are nothing at all. Isaiah 28:10, Indeed, they will hear meaningless gibberish, senseless babbling, a syllable here, a syllable there. (NET) I. Indeed, they will hear meaningless gibberish, senseless babbling, a syllable here, a syllable there.* A. *NET Footnote: Hebrew indeed (or for) a little here, a little there; the verse alludes to the coming Assyrian invasion when the people will hear a foreign language that sounds like baby talk or gibberish. 1. This would be a reference to the Assyrian Akkadian dialect. (See Hamilton.) 2. God s basic ABC approach to sin is punishment, they learn. B. The wicked people and their evil religious leaders had been totally engulfed by the corrupt philosophies of that age.

27 It is precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line (rule) upon line, line upon line, here a little as a tutor instructs a child by rote. (See Hailey.) 2. These prophets and priests saw themselves as having no need for God s instruction. (See Hailey.) C. Judah rejected the understandable instructions of Isaiah and were forced to listen to the speech, orders of the Assyrians and submit to their harsh and brutal domination. (See Smith.) Isaiah 28:11, For with mocking lips and a foreign tongue he will speak to these people. (NET) I. For with mocking lips and a foreign tongue he will speak to these people. A. The drunken leaders of Judah had ridiculed Isaiah claiming he had spoken to them in a condescending manner as if they were little children. B. Isaiah s response was that God would bring against these drunken leaders and their followers a foreign people who would mock them and speak to them in a foreign language the Judeans would not understand. (See Hailey.) 1. Deuteronomy 28:49-50, The Lord will raise up a distant nation against you, one from the other side of the earth as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, a nation of stern appearance that will have no

28 28 regard for the elderly or pity for the young. (NET) 2. Ahaz s appeal and submission to Tiglath-pileser of Assyria seems to be in view in this passage. (See Hailey.) a. 2 Kings 16:7-16, Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, saying, I am your servant and your dependent. March up and rescue me from the power of the king of Syria and the king of Israel, who have attacked me. Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that were in the Lord s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as tribute to the king of Assyria. The king of Assyria responded favorably to his request; he attacked Damascus and captured it. He deported the people to Kir and executed Rezin. When King Ahaz went to meet with King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria in Damascus, he saw the altar there. King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a drawing of the altar and a blueprint for its design. Uriah the priest built an altar in conformity to the plans King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. Uriah the priest finished it before King Ahaz arrived back from Damascus. When the king arrived back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and offered a sacrifice on it. He offered his burnt sacrifice and his grain offering. He poured out his libation and

29 29 sprinkled the blood from his peace offerings on the altar. He moved the bronze altar that stood in the Lord s presence from the front of the temple (between the altar and the Lord s temple) and put it on the north side of the new altar. King Ahaz ordered Uriah the priest, On the large altar offer the morning burnt sacrifice, the evening grain offering, the royal burnt sacrifices and grain offering, the burnt sacrifice for all the people of Israel, their grain offering, and their libations. Sprinkle all the blood of the burnt sacrifice and other sacrifices on it. The bronze altar will be for my personal use. So Uriah the priest did exactly as King Ahaz ordered. (NET) C. The Judeans would listen to these Assyrians and their gibberish. They would be forced to do as they were told. (See Briley.) D. Paul quoted verse 11 in 1 Corinthians 14:21, It is written in the law: By people with strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, yet not even in this way will they listen to me, says the Lord. (NET) 1. In this reference, the foreign tongue was that of the Assyrian barbarians. Since Samaria had rejected God s word through Isaiah, he would speak to them in the brutal language of the Assyrian slave masters to whom they would be forced to listen. (See Coffman.)

30 30 Isaiah 28:12, In the past he said to them, This is where security can be found. Provide security for the one who is exhausted! This is where rest can be found. But they refused to listen. (NET) I. In the past he said to them, This is where security can be found. Provide security for the one who is exhausted! This is where rest can be found. But they refused to listen. A. God s wondrous promises were contingent on the Israelites being faithful and loyal to God. (See Hailey.) 1. Deuteronomy 28:1-14, If you indeed obey the Lord your God and are careful to observe all his commandments I am giving you today, the Lord your God will elevate you above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come to you in abundance if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the field. Your children will be blessed, as well as the produce of your soil, the offspring of your livestock, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your mixing bowl will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The Lord will cause your enemies who attack you to be struck down before you; they will attack you from one direction but flee from you in seven different directions. The Lord will decree blessing for you with respect to your barns and in everything you do yes, he will bless you in

31 31 the land he is giving you. The Lord will designate you as his holy people just as he promised you, if you keep his commandments and obey him. Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you belong to the Lord, and they will respect you. The Lord will greatly multiply your children, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your soil in the land which he promised your ancestors he would give you. The Lord will open for you his good treasure house, the heavens, to give you rain for the land in its season and to bless all you do; you will lend to many nations but you will not borrow from any. The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always end up at the top and not at the bottom, if you obey his commandments which I am urging you today to be careful to do. But you must not turn away from all the commandments I am giving you today, to either the right or left, nor pursue other gods and worship them. (NET) 2. Regrettably they departed from the way of the Lord and suffered the consequences. 3. Isaiah 1:18-19, Come, let s consider your options, says the Lord. Though your sins have stained you like the color red, you can become white like snow; though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet, you can become white like wool. If you have a willing attitude and obey, then you will again eat the good crops of the land. (NET)

32 Isaiah 7:4, Tell him, Make sure you stay calm! Don t be afraid! Don t be intimidated by these two stubs of smoking logs, or by the raging anger of Rezin, Syria, and the son of Remaliah. (NET) 5. Isaiah 30:15, For this is what the master, the Lord, the Holy One of Israel says: If you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered; if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength, but you are unwilling. (NET) B. Hailey noted that God saved Judah from the Assyrians. The Babylonians, also people of strange lips, would destroy Judah and Jerusalem. 1. Isaiah 36:1-22, In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah s reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. The king of Assyria sent his chief adviser from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, along with a large army. The chief adviser stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet him. The chief adviser said to them, Tell Hezekiah: This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: What is your source of confidence? Your claim

33 33 to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. In whom are you trusting, that you would dare to rebel against me? Look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If someone leans on it for support, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him! Perhaps you will tell me, We are trusting in the Lord our God. But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, You must worship at this altar. Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them. Certainly you will not refuse one of my master s minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen. Furthermore it was by the command of the Lord that I marched up against this land to destroy it. The Lord told me, March up against this land and destroy it! Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser, Speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Don t speak with us in the Judahite dialect in the hearing of the people who are on the wall. But the chief adviser said, My master did not send me to speak these words only to your master and to you. His message is also for the men who sit on the wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with you! The chief adviser then stood there and called out loudly in the Judahite dialect, Listen to the

34 34 message of the great king, the king of Assyria. This is what the king says: Don t let Hezekiah mislead you, for he is not able to rescue you! Don t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord by saying, The Lord will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria. Don t listen to Hezekiah! For this is what the king of Assyria says, Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me. Then each of you may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, until I come and take you to a land just like your own a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. Hezekiah is misleading you when he says, The Lord will rescue us. Has any of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, did any gods rescue Samaria from my power? Who among all the gods of these lands have rescued their lands from my power? So how can the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power? They were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered, Don t respond to him. Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn in grief and reported to him what the chief adviser had said. (NET)

35 Isaiah 37:1-38, When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord s temple. Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, clothed in sackcloth, sent this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz: This is what Hezekiah says: This is a day of distress, insults, and humiliation, as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the living God. When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. So pray for this remnant that remains. When King Hezekiah s servants came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, Tell your master this: This is what the Lord says: Don t be afraid because of the things you have heard these insults the king of Assyria s servants have hurled against me. Look, I will take control of his mind; he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down with a sword in his own land. When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning. The king heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was marching out to fight him. He again sent messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them: Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this: Don t let your God in whom you trust mislead you when he says,

36 36 Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria. Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands. Do you really think you will be rescued? Were the nations whom my predecessors destroyed the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar rescued by their gods? Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord s temple and spread it out before the Lord. Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: O Lord who commands armies, O God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubim! You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky and the earth. Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to this entire message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God! It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations and their lands. They have burned the gods of the nations, for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them. Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power, so all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord. Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Because you prayed to me concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria, this is what the Lord

37 37 says about him: The virgin daughter Zion despises you she makes fun of you; daughter Jerusalem shakes her head after you. Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at? At whom have you shouted and looked so arrogantly? At the Holy One of Israel! Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, With my many chariots I climbed up the high mountains, the slopes of Lebanon. I cut down its tall cedars and its best evergreens. I invaded its most remote regions, its thickest woods. I dug wells and drank water. With the soles of my feet I dried up all the rivers of Egypt. Certainly you must have heard! Long ago I worked it out, in ancient times I planned it, and now I am bringing it to pass. The plan is this: Fortified cities will crash into heaps of ruins. Their residents are powerless; they are terrified and ashamed. They are as short-lived as plants in the field or green vegetation. They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops when it is scorched by the east wind. I know where you live and everything you do and how you rage against me. Because you rage against me and the uproar you create has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose, and my bridle between your lips, and I will lead you back the way you came. This will be your reminder that I have spoken the truth: This year you will eat what grows wild, and next year what grows on its own. But the year after that you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume

38 38 their produce. Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit. For a remnant will leave Jerusalem; survivors will come out of Mount Zion. The intense devotion of the Lord who commands armies will accomplish this. So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: He will not enter this city, nor will he shoot an arrow here. He will not attack it with his shielded warriors, nor will he build siege works against it. He will go back the way he came he will not enter this city, says the Lord. I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant. The Lord s messenger went out and killed 185,000 troops in the Assyrian camp. When they got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses! So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh. One day, as he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. They ran away to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king. (NET) 3. Isaiah 39:6, Look, a time is coming when everything in your palace and the things your ancestors have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing will be left, says the Lord. (NET)

39 39 Isaiah 28:13, So the Lord s word to them will sound like meaningless gibberish, senseless babbling, a syllable here, a syllable there. As a result, they will fall on their backsides when they try to walk, and be injured, ensnared, and captured. (NET) I. So the Lord s word to them will sound like meaningless gibberish, senseless babbling, a syllable here, a syllable there. A. Hailey wrote, In their rebellion against God, trusting in their own strength and the help of Egypt, they rose up against Assyria. Falling backward, they were eventually broken as a nation, snared in a trap of their own setting, and taken captive to Babylon. B. A small remnant finally did learn, but, as Isaiah well knew, it took a lot of punishment and line upon line, precept upon precept teaching to produce this favorable result. II. As a result, they will fall on their backsides when they try to walk, and be injured, ensnared, and captured. A. They finally learned at the hands of the Babylonians. B. Punishment is the only thing some people understand. Some don t respond even to punishment. C. Isaiah was to continue to preach even though the people did not listen to nor heed his words. (See Hailey.) 1. Isaiah 6:9-10, He said, Go and tell these people: Listen continually, but don t understand!

40 40 Look continually, but don t perceive! Make the hearts of these people calloused; make their ears deaf and their eyes blind! Otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, their hearts might understand and they might repent and be healed. (NET) The Lord Will Judge Jerusalem NOTE: Coffman quoted Payne as writing, Verses 1-13 castigate the blind guides of the northern kingdom; and verses bring the rebuke home to Judah, and especially to the leading politicians in Jerusalem. Isaiah 28:14, Therefore, listen to the Lord s word, you who mock, you rulers of these people who reside in Jerusalem! (NET) I. Therefore, listen to the Lord s word, you who mock, you rulers of these people who reside in Jerusalem! A. Isaiah now turns his scathing denunciations against the political leaders of Jerusalem. (See Hailey.) 1. Isaiah formerly had compared Jerusalem s wicked rulers to the rulers of Sodom and people of Gomorrah. (See Hailey.) a. Isaiah 1:10, Listen to the Lord s word, you leaders of Sodom! Pay attention to our God s rebuke, people of Gomorrah! (NET)

41 41 b. Evidently righteous Hezekiah had many corrupt rulers in his government. B. Judah s leaders were not unable to listen to Isaiah. They were unwilling to listen. They were contemptuous mockers, stubborn scoffers. (See Briley.) 1. Proverbs 1:22, How long will you simpletons love naiveté? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? (NET) 2. Proverbs 9:7-8, Whoever corrects a mocker is asking for insult; whoever reproves a wicked person receives abuse. Do not reprove a mocker or he will hate you; reprove a wise person and he will love you. (NET) 3. Proverbs 13:1, A wise son accepts his father s discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. (NET) 4. Proverbs 14:6, The scorner seeks wisdom but finds none, but understanding is easy for a discerning person. (NET) 5. Proverbs 15:12, The scorner does not love one who corrects him; he will not go to the wise. (NET) 6. Proverbs 24:9, A foolish scheme is sin, and the scorner is an abomination to people. (NET)