Discovery BoxIsaiah 28:20-22
Context28:20 For the bed is too short to stretch out on,
and the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself. 1
28:21 For the Lord will rise up, as he did at Mount Perazim, 2
he will rouse himself, as he did in the Valley of Gibeon, 3
to accomplish his work,
his peculiar work,
to perform his task,
his strange task. 4
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. 5
[28:20] 1 sn The bed and blanket probably symbolize their false sense of security. A bed that is too short and a blanket that is too narrow may promise rest and protection from the cold, but in the end they are useless and disappointing. In the same way, their supposed treaty with death will prove useless and disappointing.
[28:21] 2 sn This probably alludes to David’s victory over the Philistines at Baal Perazim. See 2 Sam 5:20.
[28:21] 3 sn This probably alludes to the Lord’s victory over the Canaanites at Gibeon, during the days of Joshua. See Josh 10:10-11.
[28:21] 4 sn God’s judgment of his own people is called “his peculiar work” and “his strange task,” because he must deal with them the way he treated their enemies in the past.
