Advanced Commentary

Texts -- Isaiah 28:5-29 (NET)

Context
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 . 28:6 He will give discernment to the one who makes judicial decisions , and strength to those who defend the city from attackers . 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 . 28:8 Indeed , all the tables are covered with vomit ; no place is untouched . 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 ! 28:10 Indeed , they will hear meaningless gibberish , senseless babbling , a syllable here , a syllable there . 28:11 For with mocking lips and a foreign tongue he will speak to these people . 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 . 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 .
The Lord Will Judge Jerusalem
28:14 Therefore , listen to the Lord’s word , you who mock , you rulers of these people who reside in Jerusalem ! 28:15 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.” 28:16 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 the foundation . The one who maintains his faith will not panic . 28:17 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 . 28:18 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. 28:19 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 . 28:20 For the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself. 28:21 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 . 28:22 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 . 28:23 Pay attention and listen to my message ! Be attentive and listen to what I have to say ! 28:24 Does a farmer just keep on plowing at planting time? Does he keep breaking up and harrowing his ground ? 28:25 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 ? 28:26 His God instructs him; he teaches him the principles of agriculture. 28:27 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 . 28:28 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. 28:29 This also comes from the Lord who commands armies , who gives supernatural guidance and imparts great wisdom .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

more

Arts

Hymns

(Note: In "active" or "on" condition, the hymns music will be played automatically when mouse hover on a hymns title)
  • [Isa 28:16] Christ Is Made The Sure Foundation
  • [Isa 28:16] Christ, Of All My Hopes The Ground
  • [Isa 28:16] Great God, A Blessing From Your Throne
  • [Isa 28:16] My Savior Is Precious To Me
  • [Isa 28:16] O Lord Of Hosts, Whose Glory Fills
  • [Isa 28:16] On This Stone Now Laid With Prayer

Questions

Sermon Illustrations

Resources; Tongues; The Stone; Characteristics of False Prophets; Acts of Satan

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • 85:1-3 The writer began by thanking God for delivering His people. The reference to restoration from captivity (v. 1) suggests that this psalm may date to the return from Babylonian exile. However the psalmist may have been r...
  • Verses 15-23 point out a better way, namely, fidelity. Strict faithfulness will not result in unhappiness or failure to experience what is best in life, as the world likes to try to make us think. Rather it guards us from the...
  • The title of this book of the Bible, as is true of the other prophetical books, comes from its writer. The book claims to have come from Isaiah (1:1; 2:1; 7:3; 13:1; 20:2; 37:2, 6, 21; 38:1, 4, 21; 39:3, 5, 8), and Jesus Chri...
  • Occasional time references scattered throughout the book indicate that Isaiah arranged his prophecies in a basically chronological order (cf. 6:1; 7:1; 14:28; 20:1; 36:1; 37:38). However, they are not completely chronological...
  • I. Introduction chs. 1-5A. Israel's condition and God's solution ch. 11. The title of the book 1:12. Israel's condition 1:2-93. God's solution 1:10-204. Israel's response 1:21-31B. The problem with Israel chs. 2-41. God's des...
  • Having begun this oracle by clarifying God's desire for Israel (2:1-4), the prophet proceeded to contrast her present condition. She depended on people rather than Himself, a condition that would result in divine discipline (...
  • This is the third and last of Isaiah's introductory oracles. The first one (ch. 1) introduced the book as a whole by presenting major themes with which the prophet proceeded to deal in chapters 2-66. The second chiastic one (...
  • 5:8-10 The first quality that spoiled Israel's fruit was greed, an example of which Isaiah detailed (cf. Mic. 2:1). The Israelites were buying out their neighbors, as they had opportunity or made the opportunity, to increase ...
  • Most serious students of Isaiah have believed that the record of Isaiah's call in this chapter occurred before he wrote any of the prophecies in this book. The title "holy one of Israel,"Isaiah's trademark name for God, conne...
  • Isaiah next tried to move Ahaz to faith (vv. 10-12), then denounced the king for his failure to trust Yahweh (vv. 13-15), and finally forecast a calamity worse than the division of Israel's united kingdom (vv. 16-17).7:10 Evi...
  • This section of the text has similarities to the preceding oracles against the nations (chs. 13-23), but it is also different in certain respects. It is a third cycle, but not a cycle of oracles.221The content integrates with...
  • Chapters 28-35 are somewhat similar to chapters 13-27 in content and form. The same general pattern of argument unfolds, but the historical context is generally later. The historical context of chapters 13-27 was mainly Ahaz'...
  • "The section begins (1-6) and ends (23-29) with double illustrations drawn from nature and agriculture. Between lies a meditation in eight broadly equal parts on how Jerusalem's leaders refused the word of invitation and inhe...
  • There are two more "woes"that deal with Jerusalem in this chapter (vv. 1-14, 15-24) in addition to the one in chapter 28. The first of these is similar to the previous "woe"(cf. vv. 1-8 with 28:1-6, and vv. 9-14 with 28:7-13)...
  • There are several thematic connections between this chapter and chapter 28.298The general structure of the chapter is chiastic."AContemporary events: Egypt no help (1-7)BComing human events: the refusal of the word, the way o...
  • Like the third "woe"(ch. 30), this fourth one deals with the folly of trusting in Egypt for security rather than the Lord. It applies particularly the principles set forth in the first part of the second "woe"(29:1-14), as is...
  • There is general correspondence between this sixth "woe"and the third one (29:15-24), but this one deals more with application and the third one more with principles. It is the most eschatological of the "woes,"though it cont...
  • This section concludes the major section of Isaiah that deals with God's sovereignty over the nations of the world (chs. 13-35). Here the lessons stand out clearly. Pride leads to humiliation whereas trust in the Lord results...
  • In contrast to the preceding chapter, this one is full of joy and rejoicing. There God turned the world into a desert; here He transforms that desert into a garden.339References to "be glad"and "gladness"begin and end the poe...
  • Chapters 36-39 conclude the section of the book dealing with the issue of trust by giving historical proof that Yahweh will protect those who trust in Him. In these chapters, King Hezekiah represents the people of Judah.344Th...
  • 36:1 The fourteenth year of Hezekiah was 701 B.C.350On an Assyrian record, Sennacherib claimed to have taken 46 cities of Judah during this campaign (cf. 2 Chron. 32:1).351"He went from the north along the coast defeating (am...
  • 39:1 The phrase "At that time"(cf. 38:1) anticipates a specially significant event and ties it to what preceded in chapter 38. As this verse explains, the events that follow happened after Hezekiah had recovered from his illn...
  • This part of Isaiah picks up a theme from chapters 1-39 and develops it further. That theme is God's faithfulness to His promises to give His people a glorious future after He disciplined them for their unfaithfulness. The Lo...
  • Would the coming Babylonian exile prove that God could not deliver His people or that He would not because they had been so sinful? Isaiah's answer was a resounding no! The new historical situation did not signal a change in ...
  • The first strophe of this poem (vv. 1-2) sets the tone for the rest of the chapter and for the rest of the book. It is an introduction to an introduction. In spite of affliction that lay ahead for the Judahites, God's ultimat...
  • Isaiah continued to show that Yahweh was both willing and able to deliver His people, a theme begun in 42:10. He confronted the gods, again (cf. 41:21-29), but this time he challenged them to bring forth witnesses to their de...
  • This section begins with God's promise to Cyrus (vv. 1-8; cf. Ps. 2: 110) and concludes with a vindication of God's right to use whom He will (vv. 9-13). The promise to Cyrus was, of course, for the benefit of the Israelites ...
  • This chapter climaxes Isaiah's arguments for Yahweh's superiority over pagan idols. The prophet was led to use the Israelites' exile in Babylon to prove his point. Isaiah had demonstrated God's trustworthiness (chs. 7-39) and...
  • This is the third Servant Song (cf. 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 52:13-53:12). Like the second song, this one is autobiographical, but unlike the first and second songs it contains no reference to the Servant. That it is the Servant who i...
  • The people would need to listen to and rely on God's unconditional promise, but their salvation would cost them nothing.55:1 "The introductory particle (hoi) is mainly an attention-getting device, but it expresses a slight to...
  • These chapters introduce the main subject of this section of the book, which grows out of what Isaiah revealed previously. If salvation depends on God's grace, do God's servants have any responsibility other than receiving th...
  • The leaders of Israel were responsible for the peoples' failure to appreciate the difference between a real relationship with God and membership in the covenant community of Israel."The critique of leadership offered here is ...
  • Now the relationship of the nations to Israel becomes even clearer. The Gentiles will come to Israel because of her God, will submit themselves to Israel because of what the Lord will do for her, and will serve the Lord with ...
  • Alexander, Joseph Addison. Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah. 1846, 1847. Revised ed. 2 vols. in 1. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1971.Allen, Kenneth W. "The Rebuilding and Destruction of Babylon."Bibliotheca...
  • 6:16 Yahweh commanded the Judahites to compare the paths in which they could walk. Then they should ask their leaders to direct them in the good old paths, the teachings of the Mosaic Covenant. Then they should walk in those ...
  • 25:15 The Lord instructed Jeremiah to take from His hand, figuratively, a cup of His wrath and to cause all the nations to whom the Lord would send him to drink from it. The cup is a common figure for the wrath of God in Scri...
  • 31:7 In the future the Israelites would sing joyfully among the chief nations where they dwelt. They would call on Yahweh to save the remaining remnant of His people. Calling on Him to do this would praise Him because He prom...
  • 18:30 In closing, God promised to judge each Israelite according to his or her own conduct. He urged His people to turn from their transgressions of His law so their sins would not prove to be what tripped them up as they jou...
  • 2:36 Daniel carefully distinguished the dream (vv. 31-35) from its interpretation (vv. 36-45) for the sake of clarity. His reference to "we"telling the interpretation is probably an editorial plural. This form of speech allow...
  • Joel called on four different entities to mourn the results of the locust invasion: drunkards (vv. 5-7), the land (vv. 8-10), farmers (vv. 11-12), and priests (v. 13). In each section there is a call to mourn followed by reas...
  • The reason for Yahweh's consuming judgment of Israel was that the Israelites were turning sweet justice into something bitter and were throwing righteousness to the ground with disrespect. These figures picture their total co...
  • 3:6-7 Then the angel of the Lord admonished Joshua. He promised, in the name of sovereign Yahweh, that if Joshua obeyed the Lord and served Him, Joshua would govern the temple, have charge of the temple courts, and enjoy free...
  • The first part of this oracle focused particularly on the true King who would come and exercise sovereignty over the nations (ch. 9). Now the emphasis changes to the people of the King, the Israelites, who will return to the ...
  • Verses 21-23 contrast those who say one thing but do another. Verses 24-27 contrast hearing and doing.355The will of Jesus' Father (v. 21) now becomes "these words of mine"(v. 24). As throughout this section (vv. 13-27), Jesu...
  • The emphasis in this section is Simeon's prediction of Jesus' ministry (cf. 1:67-79). He pointed out the universal extent of the salvation that Jesus would bring and the rejection that He would experience.2:22-24 Under Mosaic...
  • Luke introduced the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry with His baptism with the Spirit (Luke 3:21-22). He paralleled this with the beginning of Jesus' heavenly ministry with the Spirit baptism of His disciples (Acts 2:1-4)...
  • 4:5 The "Council"(v. 15) before which soldiers brought Peter and John the next day was the Sanhedrin, which was the senate and supreme court of Israel. It consisted of the high priest, who served as its presiding officer, and...
  • This short pericope concludes Paul's argument concerning Israel's past election and begins the train of thought that he continued in chapter 10. The use of "righteousness"ten times in 9:30-10:21 illustrates the unity of this ...
  • 10:8 Paul quoted Moses again (Deut. 30:14) to reaffirm the fact that the great lawgiver taught that salvation came by faith. The "word of faith"means the message that righteousness comes by faith. Faith is easy compared to a ...
  • 3:10 In the new illustration Paul laid the foundation of the church in Corinth by founding the church, and others added the walls and continued building on that foundation. Paul's special mission from God was to found churche...
  • Uninterpreted tongues did not benefit visiting unbelievers any more than they edified the believers in church meetings. Prophecy, on the other hand, benefited both groups.14:20 Thinking that tongues-speaking demonstrates spir...
  • 2:6 Before going on, however, Peter elaborated on the foundation of this building, which is the church. "Zion"is the heavenly Jerusalem. The "corner stone"refers to the main stone on which the building rests. It does not refe...
  • 11:1 "And"(Gr. kai) ties this chapter closely to the previous one. John's first prophetic assignment after receiving his fresh commission was to provide this information.Again John became an active participant in his vision (...
  • 14:1 "And I looked"(Gr. kai eidon) introduces three scenes in chapter 14 (vv. 1, 6, 14), as this phrase did twice in chapter 13 (vv. 1, 11). "Behold"(Gr. idou, cf. v. 14) calls special attention to the greatness of the sight ...
  • 16:17 This final judgment has the greatest impact of all since the air into which the angel pours his bowl is what humans breathe.535The loud voice is probably once again God's since it comes from the throne in the heavenly t...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • 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! 2. Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one,...
  • And charges them with the same disgusting debauchery. His language is vehement in its loathing, and describes the filthy orgies of those who should have been the guides of the people with almost painful realism. Note how the ...
  • The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet: 4. And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he ...
  • In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty.'--Isaiah 28:5.Thou shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord.'-- Isaiah 62:3.CONNECTION of first prophecy--destruction of Samar...
  • O Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.'--Isaiah 28:16.THEREFORE thus saith the L...
  • That He may do His work, His strange work; and bring to pass His act, His strange act.'--Isaiah 28:21.How the great events of one generation fall dead to another! There is something very pathetic in the oblivion that swallows...
  • Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech. 24. Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground? 25. When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the ...
  • Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! 2. Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great; t...
Back to Commentary Page


TIP #33: This site depends on your input, ideas, and participation! Click the button below. [ALL]
created in 0.15 seconds
powered by
bible.org - YLSA