HE KNOWS JUST WHAT TO DO
Opening Prayer
Today, as in every day, you are worthy of more praise than I can ever offer you, Father. Thank you that you never turn me away when I come to you, no matter how small my offerings are compared to your great glory.
Read ISAIAH 28
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Woe to the Leaders of Ephraim and Judah
28 Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards,
to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley—
to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!
2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong.
Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind,
like a driving rain and a flooding downpour,
he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
3 That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards,
will be trampled underfoot.
4 That fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley,
will be like figs ripe before harvest—
as soon as people see them and take them in hand,
they swallow them.
5 In that day the Lord Almighty
will be a glorious crown,
a beautiful wreath
for the remnant of his people.
6 He will be a spirit of justice
to the one who sits in judgment,
a source of strength
to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7 And these also stagger from wine
and reel from beer:
Priests and prophets stagger from beer
and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
they stagger when seeing visions,
they stumble when rendering decisions.
8 All the tables are covered with vomit
and there is not a spot without filth.
9 “Who is it he is trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining his message?
To children weaned from their milk,
to those just taken from the breast?
10 For it is:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that[a];
a little here, a little there.”
11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues
God will speak to this people,
12 to whom he said,
“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;
and, “This is the place of repose”—
but they would not listen.
13 So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
they will be injured and snared and captured.
14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers
who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,
with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,
it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie our refuge
and falsehood[b] our hiding place.”
16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.
17 I will make justice the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line;
hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow your hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death will be annulled;
your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,
you will be beaten down by it.
19 As often as it comes it will carry you away;
morning after morning, by day and by night,
it will sweep through.”
The understanding of this message
will bring sheer terror.
20 The bed is too short to stretch out on,
the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.
21 The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,
he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon—
to do his work, his strange work,
and perform his task, his alien task.
22 Now stop your mocking,
or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me
of the destruction decreed against the whole land.
23 Listen and hear my voice;
pay attention and hear what I say.
24 When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually?
Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
25 When he has leveled the surface,
does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?
Does he not plant wheat in its place,[c]
barley in its plot,[d]
and spelt in its field?
26 His God instructs him
and teaches him the right way.
27 Caraway is not threshed with a sledge,
nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,
and cumin with a stick.
28 Grain must be ground to make bread;
so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it,
but one does not use horses to grind grain.
29 All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,
whose plan is wonderful,
whose wisdom is magnificent.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 28:10 Hebrew / sav lasav sav lasav / kav lakav kav lakav (probably meaningless sounds mimicking the prophet’s words); also in verse 13
- Isaiah 28:15 Or false gods
- Isaiah 28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Isaiah 28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.’1 Reflect on the image of God as your refuge.
It helps me to understand any passage of Scripture to read it in several translations; a Bible app like YouVersion works well for this. Usually, I begin with the NIV. I read it again in a more literal translation like NKJV or ESV, and again in a contemporary translation like NLT or CEV. That combination helps me to uncover the full meaning of a text. If you found Isaiah 28 confusing, you might try this technique: the NLT was especially helpful.
Isaiah starts by addressing the northern kingdom (vv. 1–13). Its leaders have turned the beautiful capital city into a party town (v. 1). They were drunk and disorderly in the face of impending punishment at the hands of the powerful Assyrian army (vv. 2–4). On the surface, their bad example is a warning against excessive drinking, but the deeper challenge is to live focused, watchful lives as we await the Lord’s return.2
Isaiah then turns to the southern kingdom (vv. 14–22). Its leaders believed they were safe because of their religious superiority and political alliances, which might be a warning to some parts of the church today. Unfortunately, God says they’ve deceived themselves, because they’ve kept up appearances without actually being faithful to what the Lord wanted; judgment was headed their way too (vv. 15, 18, 19). That must have been hard for them to accept, so Isaiah concludes with a farming illustration (vv. 23–29). Like a farmer, God ‘knows just what to do’ (v. 26, NLT) to make his crops grow, even if at times his methods seem severe (v. 28). Growing as a Christian is not always fast or easy; God sometimes uses tough times to get the job done, though he’ll never push us beyond what we can bear.3 If you’re struggling, take heart: he knows what to do.
Apply
Jesus said, “What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”4 What would a focused, watchful life look like for you this week?
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me and paying for my salvation. Thank you for continuing to care for me as you show me more of yourself and build my faith. Help me to respond with increasing gratitude and submission to your safekeeping.
1 Ps 46:1 2 1 Pet 1:13; Matt 24:42 3 1 Cor 10:13 4 Mark 13:37
Book and Author Intros
Extras
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.