Isaiah 28 - Bible Study in 5 Minutes

Isaiah 28 Short Summary:

Isaiah’s 28th chapter is a warning to the rulers of Israel and Judah that their false security will collapse. God’s judgement would sweep them away and their drunken irreverence would not go unpunished. But in the midst of the judgement, God would lay a cornerstone of hope in Zion. The chapter finishes with an illustration about a farmer used to teach about God’s varied methods of bringing about His will in the world. 

Isaiah 28 Bible Study

TIMELINE:

• The prophetic ministry of Isaiah spanned the reigns of King Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

• We do not know the date Isaiah spoke/recorded this prophecy.

KEY CHARACTERS:

• Isaiah – The son of Amoz (1:1). God commissioned Isaiah as His prophet to Judah.

• The Drunkards of Israel – The leaders of Israel and Judah who irreverently mocked God and thought themselves crafty enough to secure themselves from judgment.

DEFINITIONS:

• Diadem (28:5) – A crown or headband, usually with jewels, worn by monarchs.

• Precept (28:10) – A rule regarding a person’s behavior.

• Plumb Line (28:17) – A string with a weight on the end, used to measure vertical distance or the straightness of a vertical structure.

OUTLINE:

• THE DRUNKARDS OF ISRAEL (28:1-8):

  • In chapter 28, God returns His attention to the wicked people of Judah and Israel.

  • He described the men of Israel (Ephraim) as proud drunkards.

  • It wasn’t just the common people that were immoral drunkards, it was the priests, the leaders, and even the prophets.

  • Their nation was a once beautiful flower whose loveliness had faded.

  • In contrast to the drunkard, the Lord had a strong man (probably a reference to the king of Assyria) who would throw down and trample the proud crown of Israel (28:3-4).

  • When God humbled Israel, there would be a remnant of people who remained faithful to Him. God would be to them a crown of glory, a diadem of beauty, a source of justice, and a strength giver in adversity (28:5-6).

• ISRAEL MOCKS ISAIAH’S TEACHING (28:9-13):

  • Verses 9-10 appear to be the people of Israel mocking Isaiah’s teaching, saying that his teaching was only fit for babies.

  • They thought they were too wise to listen to a man teach them the laws of God line by line, precept by precept.

  • Isaiah prophesied that God would humble them with a greater humiliation than being taught like babies, He would use foreigners to instruct them about the God they were supposed to know. People who were not part of God’s covenant, were going to teach Israel how to respect their God.

• GOD’S CORNERSTONE (28:14-23):

  • The lousy rulers of Israel and Judah thought their craftiness and lies would protect. They were confident in their schemes, but God was going to tear them down and build something permanent in their place.

  • God was going to lay a foundation in Jerusalem, with a tested cornerstone to sure up the structure.  

  • What God would build would ensure that justice was done in the land, and it would outlast the liars, drunkards, and scoffers.

  • God’s work would eventually sweep away all the evil like a torrential flood and a relentless scourge. There would be no place to hide and no escape from the terror of His anger.  

• GOD’S WORK IS LIKE THAT OF THE FARMER (28:24-29):

  • The chapter ends with an illustration about a farmer. The farmer uses various tools, methods, and times to accomplish his work and bring about the harvest.

  • He plows, sows, and reaps at different times, and he harvests crops according to their kind.

  • In like manner, God worked amongst the people of Judah in a variety of ways, employing His wisdom to bring about the outcomes He desired.

  • God is “wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom” (28:29).

APPLICATION:

• God is usually not predictable. The longer you live, the more this becomes clear.

• God is like a farmer in some senses, but His field (the world) and His crop (human souls) are far more complex than that of an average farmer.

• You may be able to grasp the tools, timing, and methods of farming, but you will never learn how God cultivates His field.

• Apart from the things God has already promised, I don’t believe it is wise to try to “predict” God’s next move in our lives or in the wider world.

• We aren’t wise enough, clever enough, or intelligent enough to forecast with any confidence what tool, method, or timing God will use to shape the world.

• Much energy has been and is still being spent trying to guess God’s next move, yet God still blindsides every generation with His work.

• I think we would do better to spend our energy working for the Lord in the ways He’s instructed while coming to peace with the fact that we live within His mystery and cannot guess what tomorrow holds.