Isaiah 28:21

Isaiah 28:21 says, For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.  Isaiah said that God was going to rise up as He had done before to do His work, which was referred to as a strange work.  This was a reference to when God had defeated the Philistines during David’s reign at Mount Perazim and the time he had defeated the Canaanites in Joshua's time in the valley of Gibeon.  It was referred to as a strange work, because God was now going to allow those who called themselves His people to be defeated.  They had rejected His mercy, so now they were going to suffer His wrath.  If we do not accept Jesus Christ, Who died for our sins because of the mercy of God, then we will one day face His wrath. 

Verse twenty-two adds, Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord God of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.  Isaiah warned them to not be mockers of God, since if they were, the bonds of sin would be strong against them.  We cannot mock God and expect that sin will not have a strong hold on us.  God will not be mocked without there being serious consequences. 

Verse twenty-three continues, Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.  Isaiah asked the people of Israel to hear what God had to say through Him.  Isaiah then speaks to them through a parable.  Those who share God’s word today, whether preacher, teacher, or just someone testifying to God’s grace and sharing the gospel, need to be listened to.  Of course, those doing so need to be certain that what they are speaking is the truth of God. 

Verse twenty-four states, Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?  The parable speaks of the fact that the plowman works hard all day to prepare the ground to be ready to sow seeds in.  He breaks up all the clods that wouldn’t be good for growing crops.  We likewise need to work to prepare ourselves to be ready to do what God has called us to do, not so we can earn our salvation, which is a free gift, but so that we can help the kingdom of God grow. 

Verse twenty-five adds, When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place?  Isaiah asked if after preparing the ground if the plowman didn’t then sow the seeds in their appointed places.  We need to do all that we can to prepare to spread the gospel, but if we spend all our time preparing and never actually sow the seed of the gospel, we will not accomplish anything, and we must do this under God's direction. 

Verse twenty-six continues, For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.  The ploughing and the sowing would all be done under the direction of the husbandman, or owner and would be done in an orderly manner.  All that we do in spreading the gospel today should be done under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and if it is, it will be done in an orderly and effective manner. 

Verse twenty-seven says, For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.  Isaiah said that after the crop was harvested that there was still work to be done before it was of real value.  Some of the grains needed more effort to prepare than others did.  We need to help those who accept Jesus Christ to grow in faith, and some will need more help than others do.  We cannot just be content with getting them to accept the gift of salvation and then ignore them, but we must be willing to do the work required for them to begin to grow in their relationship to Jesus Christ. 

Verse twenty-eight adds, Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.  Isaiah said that the corn for bread was harder to separate from the cob than wheat was from the chaff.  Some people are going to be harder to reach and teach with and about the gospel, but we need to be willing to put in the effort to reach out to them and then teach them if they respond.   

Verse twenty-nine continues, This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.  Though this parable referred to the owner of the land deciding what to plant and how to reap it, it was God Who directed him to do so.  Whatever we are doing for the church today must be done under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  We need God’s wisdom if we are going to be effective in seeing the church grow.