Isaiah 29:9

Isaiah 29:9 says, Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.  Matthew Henry says that here Isaiah stands amazed at the stupidity of the people of Israel.  They had been acting like drunk men, though they were not drunk with wine or strong drink, but with a lack of faith in God and with a love of pleasure.  Anytime we as followers of Christ refuse to obey His commands, we are just as lacking in wisdom as people are many times when they are drunk. 

Verse ten adds, For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.  Matthew Henry says that God caused them to be unable to wake up to His truth, but I believe that He just allowed them to sleep on, not forcing them to wake up from this spiritual sleep that they were suffering from.  If God causes us to not be able to believe Him, then He would be an unjust God to punish us when we don.t, and He is never unjust. 

Verse eleven continues, And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:  I believe that this refers to God sending His word to people and them refusing to be open to hearing it.  It is sealed to them, even though it is sealed by their own refusal to be open to reading or hearing it.  God never seals His word from anyone one, but it is open for all to hear or read in my understanding of God. 

Verse twelve concludes, And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.  Others may say that even though they are given an opportunity to understand God’s word, they declare themselves unlearned, or not smart enough to understand it.  That is why the gospel is so simple.  Anyone, from the least educated to the most educated can understand it.  I will say once again that I don't believe that God ever prevents anyone from understanding how to receive His gift of salvation, and He even gives us the faith to do so. 

Verse thirteen states, Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:  Isaiah said that God knew that the people were only giving Him lip service.  They were praising Him with their lips, or words, but their hearts were removed far from Him.  We can go through all the motions of worship today and say all the right words, but we will never fool God if we are only paying lip service to Him.

Verse fourteen adds, Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.  Isaiah said that God was going to do a marvelous work amongst His people, but it wasn’t going to be something that they would think was great.  Isaiah said that the wisdom of the wisemen, which wasn’t based on the wisdom that God would have given them, would perish and the understanding of the prudent men would be hidden.  What they were teaching and what they believed even was based on lies, so it would perish.  We may think that we are too smart to believe God’s word and base our lives on the truth that the world teaches instead, even in the church, but anything other than God’s truth is going to perish one day. 

Verse fifteen continues, Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?  Isaiah warned them that even though they thought that what they did was hidden from God that He saw what they were doing and nothing could be hidden from Him. People may still think that what they are doing that is in violation of God's word is hidden from Him, but it never will be.  As followers of Christ, we can even have this same attitude thinking that what we do that is wrong that others do not see is hidden from God somehow, but nothing will ever be hidden from Him. 

Verse sixteen concludes, Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?  Isaiah said that they had turned things upside down, thinking that God had to bless their works whether they were doing them in obedience to His will or not.  They were in effect saying that God was there to endorse what they decided to do.  He then gave the comparison of the clay saying to the potter that he wasn’t the one who created whatever he had fashioned the clay in to.  We can never afford to think that God is here just to bless whatever we decide to do.  He is the Creator, and we are a part of His creation, so we should always look to Him for guidance and not to the powers of the world. 

Isaah 29:1

Isaiah 29:1 says, Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices.  Ariel here refers to Jerusalem, the city of David.  Matthew Henry says that the part of it called Zion was particularly the city of David.  He also says we don’t know why it was referred to Ariel here, but that Ariel means the lion of God or the strong lion, and the lion is the king of the beasts, just as God is the King of the universe.  To me, Zion, like Ariel here, is just another way to refer to Jerusalem.   Either way, Isaiah was pronouncing woe on the city because they had turned away from God.  Spiritually, they were no longer the city of David.  We may pronounce ourselves to be a Christian nation, but if our actions are just like the rest of the world and not in obedience to God’s word, then woe to us. 

Verse two adds, Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel.  Isaiah said God was going to bring a heaviness to Ariel.  They thought that since they professed to be God’s people that nothing bad could happen to them, but since they were His people in name only, they were about to find out differently.  They were observing feasts and offering sacrifices to God, but they were only doing so physically, without there being any spiritual significance to the feasts and sacrifices.  Going through the motions of worshipping God without any spiritual dedication to Him is worth nothing to us spiritually. 

Verse three continues, And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee.  Isaiah said God sent them the warning that since they refused to obey Him that instead of protecting them, He would allow them to be surrounded by their enemies.  God was not going to destroy Jerusalem or even let it be destroyed, but He was going to allow it to be besieged and in distress.  As followers of Christ, if we get outside of the will of God, He is not going to allow us to be destroyed spiritually, since we are saved forever when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, but He may allow distress in life to come on us. 

Verse four concludes, And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.  The people of Jerusalem had been haughty in their attitude, believing that God was always going to protect them no matter what, but now they would be brought down so very low.  They would speak in whispers for fear that their enemies would overhear them.  Those who have believed themselves to be superior to other people because they called themselves God’s people without really putting their faith in Him will one day be brought down to the reality that they are powerless. 

Verse five states, Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.  Isaiah said that God had declared that the enemies of Judah would become as no more than dust, unable to be any threat to them anymore.  This would happen suddenly, which it did when the angel of the Lord destroyed the Assyrian army.  No matter how powerful our enemies may be, they have already been defeated by the power of God, which was displayed once and for all time by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Like the deliverance of Judah then, it is based on the power of God and not our own power.  They had been abused by the world, but God was going to restore them if they put their faith in Him.    

Verse six adds, Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.  Isaiah said that God was going to visit them with thunder, earthquakes, and great noise, with storms and tempests.  In other words, the God of the universe can use anything in His universe to bring about His punishment of sin.  Of course, this doesn’t mean that any time any of these things happen that God is punishing those whom it happens to.  We know that before Jesus Christ returns that these things will be signs that the end is near, though near may be a long time in the eyes of the world. 

Verse seven continues, And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.  God said that those who fought against Ariel, or Jerusalem, would soon be no more than a night vision.  In other words, the dreams the enemies of Jerusalem of claiming her wealth would soon vanish like a dream.  If people have dreams of prospering by mistreating God’s people, though they might be successful for a period of time, ultimately their success will disappear like a dream often does when we wake up.  Even if we can recall the details of a dream, that doesn’t make it real. 

Verse eight concludes, It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.  Isaiah said that those who opposed Jerusalem would be as fulfilled as a hungry or thirsty man who dreamed of eating or drinking.  Those who had such dreams would still wake up hungry and thirsty, and those who dreamed of defeating Jerusalem would soon be faced with the fact that it was only a dream that would never happen as long as God was still protecting His people.  There are still people today who would destroy Christians and who would even eliminate the mention of God from people’s lives, but it is only an empty dream that they will ever succeed forever.  

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.

isaiah 28:15

Isaiah 28:15 says, Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:  Isaiah said that the people of Judah seemed to think that since they had made a covenant with the other nations, which is referred to as a covenant with death, and that they were in agreement with those who could only lead them to hell, that they thought they were safe from destruction.  They thought that when the overflowing scourge came to the country that they would be spared.  Matthew Henry says that as followers of Christ we have made a covenant with our physical death, in that it can come at any time and we will still have everlasting life, but that we never become friends with death, which is what sin brings.  We cannot look to anyone other than God for peace and security. 

Verse sixteen adds, 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 said that God was going to lay a foundation on tried and precious cornerstone in Zion.  This foundation was to be based on God’s word in general and on the coming of Jesus Christ in particular.  Jesus Christ alone is a tried and worthy cornerstone of salvation, and if we accept Him as our Savior and Lord, then we must build our lives on that cornerstone.  This means that we are to be obedient to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. 

Verse seventeen continues, Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.  Isaiah said that God was going to destroy all the lies that people were basing their faith on.  They thought themselves to be safe, but God said when His judgment came that there would be no hiding place.  When Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of salvation, returns to claim His church, all those who refused to accept Him will have no place to hide from His judgment. 

Verse eighteen states, And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.  Isaiah said that those covenants made with the people of the world that went against God and their covenant with Him were going to fail.  The overflowing scourge would pass through, and the people of Judah would trodden down by it.  We may claim to be a Christian today, but if we are putting our faith in the things of this world while denying the truth of God's word, then one day everything that we have attained will be destroyed, when Jesus Christ returns if not in this lifetime. 

Verse nineteen adds, From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.  They were also told that even though they thought themselves to be safe from the coming destruction that it would pursue them all day and night.  There would be no escaping it.  We may think that we are safe from the coming judgment of God because we don’t believe it is going to happen or because we have put our faith in some false god, but when His judgment comes, there will be no escaping it. 

Verse twenty continues, For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.  The analogy is made of a man trying to rest on a bed that is too short and too narrow for him.  He cannot rest on a bed like this, and the people who were opposing God were putting their faith in something that was not large enough to give them peace.  Nothing will ever be large enough to bring us salvation and spiritual comfort except for faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.

Isaiah 28:9

Isaiah 28:9 says. Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.  Isaiah asked whom God would teach His knowledge to and make them understand His doctrine.  He answered by saying those who were no longer like babies, dependent on their mothers for nourishment.  In other words, those who were ready to grow in their faith as individuals.  When we first come to Christ by faith, we may be as babies in our understanding of God and His will, but we must start to grow in our understanding of Him. 

Verse ten adds, For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:  Isaiah said this knowledge of God must be built on the truth and learned building on the precepts that we know.  Our knowledge about God should continue to grow as followers of Christ, but it must all be built on the foundation of faith in Him as our Savior and Lord.  We will never know everything about God, but we should continue to build on our understanding of Him through the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  

Verse eleven continues, For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.  Isaiah said that since the people would not listen to God’s word that He would speak to them in another language.  This could refer to their refusing to understand what God said through His prophets or to the fact that another nation was going to conquer them.  Until we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, even if we hear the word of God preached, it will be like a foreign language to us.  We can only understand the truth of God’s word when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. 

Verse twelve states, To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.  Isaiah said that believing in God’s word would bring them rest, but that they refused to believe it.  God’s word will still bring us spiritual rest today if we only believe it. 

Verse thirteen adds, But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.  Isaiah said that the people heard the precepts of God proclaimed but they didn’t really believe them.  We may hear the gospel proclaimed today and may even have some knowledge about Who God is, but if we only hear the words and never put our faith in them it will do us no good. 

Verse fourteen continues, Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.  Isaiah then asked the rulers of Jerusalem, whom he referred to as scornful men, to hear the word of God.  We need leaders today who hear and obey God’s word, but we too often don’t have them. 

Isaiah 28:1

Isaiah 28:1 says, 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!  This is a warning to the ten tribes of Israel of their coming defeat by the king of Assyria.  They were prosperous at that time, but it wasn’t going to last.  Those who do not acknowledge God and His authority in the world may be rich in material things, but one day they are going to lose it all.  If it doesn’t happen before then, it will happen when Jesus Christ returns to claim those who are His.  It is not the powers of the world that we need to be concerned with, but our relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Verse two adds, Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.  Isaiah reminded the people of Israel of the power of God.  They had grown rich while outside of God’s will, but God was still the One with all the power.  People may grow rich outside of God’s will, but it will be but a brief richness, no matter how long it lasts.  If we begin to value the things of the world more than our relationship with God, we are setting ourselves up for a fall. 

Verse three continues, The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet:  The people of Israel were proudful people, even though they had turned away from God.  They were putting their faith in themselves and not in God.  We profess ourselves to be a Christian nation, but if we turn away from God, no matter how powerful we may be in this lifetime, none of those things gained outside of God’s will are going to last.  We may even take pride in calling ourselves a Christian nation, but if our actions are not in accordance with God's laws, then one day He will take it all away. 

Verse four continues, 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 that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.  This is a continuing warning about how fleeting the riches of the earth are.  The people of Israel may have grown fat from abundant harvests, but this was going to change.  This area was abundant in good crops, but the people had started to think of them as their right to have and had stopped giving God the glory and praise for them.  As followers of Jesus Christ, we should never begin to glorify ourselves instead of giving God the glory and praise. 

Verse five states, In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,  These promises applied to the people of Judah.  Isaiah said when this day of restoration came that God would be the crown for the glory of the people.  Their restoration would come because of the glory of God and not of their own merit.  We are restored to a relationship with God because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.  This was done for our benefit, but it was done for God’s glory. 

Verse six adds. And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.  Isaiah said that God would give those who judged His wisdom, which is the only true wisdom, and He would also give strength to those who fought against the forces of evil for His glory.  As we engage in spiritual judgment and warfare today, we need to rely on God to give us the wisdom and strength to do so. 

Verse seven continues, But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.  Isaiah said that the people, even the priests and the prophets had erred by indulging in strong drinks that clouded their judgment.  Once more, I will say that taking a drink of alcohol is not necessarily a sin but allowing it to make you intoxicated is.   It seems that too often the objective of drinking is to get drunk, and this will never be acceptable to God. 

Verse eight concludes, For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.  Being drunk led to filthiness on the table.  I hate to think about what a mess it would be if those we are eating with vomited on the table because they were drunk.  I personally can also see this as a warning against ‘vomiting out’ the filth of the world as we sit at the Lord’s table and the Lord’s table should be wherever His people gather to eat, whether as a family or a congregation.  We need to be careful that we don’t bring the filth of the world to our table. 

Isaiah 27:10

Isaiah 27:10 says, Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof. Isaiah said that the defended city would be desolate, with the cattle feeding in it.  This was all going to occur because of the idolatry of the people of Judah.  Whatever we hold to be more important than God will one day be done away with.  Even as followers of Christ, if we build up things in our life that are outside of God’s will, they will one day be nothing but desolation. 

Verse eleven adds, When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour.  Isaiah said that when the boughs of the trees were withered, or dying, that the women would burn them for fuel.  They would no longer serve as a source of food for the people.  Isaiah said God pronounced them to be people of no understanding, no matter how smart they might have been.  God made them, but He was now going to have no mercy on them because they refused to turn away from their idols.  We cannot afford to allow anything to become more important to us than God is.  

Verse twelve continues, And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.  Isaiah said that there was a promise of God that this punishment would not last forever.  He would once again gather those of His people who remained true to Him and restore them as a nation.  We have the promise of God that no matter how bad things may get in life that one day He is going to gather all His children, those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, to Him. 

Verse thirteen concludes, And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.  Isaiah said when that day came, that a trumpet would sound and the people would be returned to Jerusalem from wherever they were.  This was a temporary restoration, because nowhere on this earth will be our everlasting home.  One day, that final trumpet will sound and we will be called home to our everlasting home with Jesus Christ.