Reading: Isaiah 27-31
Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it (Is. 28:17-18).
By the time God sent the prophet Isaiah to minister to His people in the nation of Judah, the northern kingdom of Israel had already reached ‘the point of no return.’ Israel was destined to fall to the Assyrian empire within Isaiah’s lifetime. Consequently, Isaiah frequently used the hapless nation as an example of the evil threatening to overtake Judah. Here in Chapter 28, Isaiah laid bare the truth of the coming fall of Samaria, the richly decadent capital of Israel. Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine! Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand (Is. 28:1-2).
As he spoke of the drunkards of Ephraim, Isaiah allowed God’s disgust and sorrow at the choices of His people to come through. Those listening to Isaiah were quite familiar with the effects of too much wine. They knew that physical drunkenness caused a loss of perspective and emotional control. A drunken man might laugh even though nothing was funny or cry without provocation. He would often undertake actions that would be abhorrent to him in a sober state. Isaiah used this mental image to define the state of being of the leaders and citizens of Israel. They were ‘drunk’ on the ‘wine’ of power and prestige. Their future was set not because God had given up on them but because they embraced the freedom of their sin and had given up on God.
Isaiah then condemned the southern kingdom of Judah for following in the footsteps of Samaria. They, too, were partaking of the ‘wine’ of power and sin. They were taking refuge of lies by attempting to forge a secret military alliance with Egypt. Even though God had told them otherwise, many believed that through covenants and agreements, they could save themselves. For those that held these beliefs, Isaiah had a straightforward message: your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
Just as a person does not become physically drunk on the first sip of alcohol, the backsliding Christian doesn’t immediately lose sight of God as they take their first tentative steps into the world of sin. Sip by sip, sobriety begins to fade until suddenly drunkenness holds sway; sin by sin, the man that once sought God now takes refuge in the lies of the world. This is what we must guard against. This is what Isaiah is so fervently attempting to teach us. The way of the world leads to madness, destruction, and ultimately death. There is no exception. Salvation comes only to those that heed His Word and willingly build their lives upon God’s cornerstone (Is. 28:16), namely, Jesus Christ our Lord.
But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage (Gal. 4:9)?
Thought For TodayDrunkenness is a perfect allegory for sin - an indulgence in temporary pleasure that only leaves us wanting and will inevitable lead to ruin.
Christ Revealed: As the precious (Chief) Corner Stone, a sure foundation (Is. 28:16; Eph. 2:20-21; Matt. 21:42; Acts 4:10-12; Rom. 9:33; I Pet. 2:6-8).
Word Studies:27:1 piercing = swift; 28:21 strange = awesome, unusual; 28:22 bands be made strong = punishment be made greater; 30:1 cover with a covering = give an offering; 30:3 confusion = humiliation, your undoing; 30:24 ear = plow.
Pray For Country: Vanuatu (266,937) South Pacific Ocean • Major Languages: Local Languages, Bislama, English, French • Religious Freedom • 55.6% Protestant;13.1% Roman Catholic; 13.8% Other Christian; 5.6% Indigenous Beliefs; 9.6% Other; 1% None; 1.3% Unspecified • Prayer Suggestion: Declare the wondrous works of God with thanksgiving (Ps. 26:6-7).
Optional Reading: James 1