<\/p>
INTRODUCTION <\/p>\n
Throughout the first half of his prophecy, Isaiah addresses the Assyrian threat and its geopolitical consequences (Isaiah 1-12). In a series of six woes in chapters 28-35, he deals the temptation for Judah\u2019s kings to rely on Egypt for protection (e.g., 30:1-5). Then, Yahweh personally delivers Jerusalem from an Assyrian siege, proving His reliability (chs. 36-37). He proves that He is able to make good on His promises to gather even Egypt and Assyria to Himself (cf. 19:24-25; 27:13). <\/p>\n
THE TEXT <\/p>\n
\u201cWoe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower which is at the head of the verdant valleys, to those who are overcome with wine! Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one, like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, like a flood of mighty waters overflowing . . . .\u201d (Isaiah 28:1-29). <\/p>\n
CROWN FOR CROWN <\/p>\n
\u201cEphraim\u201d is a name of the northern kingdom, and Isaiah condemns the drunkards of the North who reward crowns for drinking contests (vv. 1, 3). Drunkenness may be associated with false worship, but it slowly becomes clear that it is also a result of the \u201cwrath-wine\u201d that Yahweh that makes Ephraim so numb that they stumble and fall (vv. 7-8). Ephraim\u2019s flower fades and it is about to fall, but Yahweh gives hope: In place of the fading glory of a drinking crown, Yahweh promises to be Ephraim\u2019s glorious diadem, a crown of justice and strength (vv. 5-6). <\/p>\n
CURSE OF TONGUES <\/p>\n
Drunk Ephraimites close their ears to God\u2019s word, and Yahweh responds with an eye-for-eye judgment. They refuse to hear and understand, so He speaks nonsense to them (vv. 9-14; cf. Isaiah 6:10). All the way back to Babel, confusion of tongues is a curse, a prelude to scattering; what happened at Babel is going to happen in Ephraim, as they are scattered into exile (v. 13). Understanding God\u2019s word is always a gift, not to be taken for granted. If we persist in stopping our ears to Him, His word will eventually become impossible for us to understand. <\/p>\n
COVENANT WITH DEATH <\/p>\n
Because they distrust Yahweh, the drunkards of Ephraim seek protection elsewhere. But this, Yahweh says, is a \u201ccovenant with death,\u201d a \u201cpact with Sheol\u201d and an effort to find refuge is falsehood and deception (v. 15). Bargaining with death doesn\u2019t work; death won\u2019t be pacified, and the covenant with death will be cancelled with the Lord brings a scourge through the land (vv. 18-19). Yet again Yahweh offers an alternative: He will rebuild Zion with a tested, precious cornerstone and set the city up with straight lines, the lines of justice (vv. 16-17). <\/p>\n
YAHWEH THE FARMER <\/p>\n
Ephraim is headed for exile (v. 13), but Isaiah is a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah. Will Judah\u2019s sins lead to the same end? Are Ephraim\u2019s future and Judah\u2019s future the same? Isaiah answers with two parables from farming. Plowing and breaking the land is not the end of the farmer\u2019s work; it\u2019s the necessary preparation for planting. So too Yahweh\u2019s violence against Samaria and Jerusalem is a prelude to sowing and new growth (vv. 24-26). Further, different plants are gathered and threshed in different ways: Dill is threshed with a rod not a sledge, and a wheel driven over cumin will crush it (v. 17). When the time comes, the Lord knows how to harvest His scattered people, and all will see the wonder of His counsel and the greatness of His wisdom (v. 29). <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
INTRODUCTION Throughout the first half of his prophecy, Isaiah addresses the Assyrian threat and its geopolitical consequences (Isaiah 1-12). In a series of six woes in chapters 28-35, he deals the temptation for Judah\u2019s kings to rely on Egypt for protection (e.g., 30:1-5). Then, Yahweh personally delivers Jerusalem from an Assyrian siege, proving His reliability […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3021,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-ot-isaiah"],"yoast_head":"\n