INTRODUCTION

Throughout the first half of his prophecy, Isaiah addresses the Assyrian threat and its geopolitical consequences (Isaiah 1-12). In a series of six woes in chapters 28-35, he deals the temptation for Judah’s kings to rely on Egypt for protection (e.g., 30:1-5). Then, Yahweh personally delivers Jerusalem from an Assyrian siege, proving His reliability (chs. 36-37). He proves that He is able to make good on His promises to gather even Egypt and Assyria to Himself (cf. 19:24-25; 27:13).

THE TEXT

“Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower which is at the head of the verdant valleys, to those who are overcome with wine! Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one, like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, like a flood of mighty waters overflowing . . . .” (Isaiah 28:1-29).

CROWN FOR CROWN

“Ephraim” is a name of the northern kingdom, and Isaiah condemns the drunkards of the North who reward crowns for drinking contests (vv. 1, 3). Drunkenness may be associated with false worship, but it slowly becomes clear that it is also a result of the “wrath-wine” that Yahweh that makes Ephraim so numb that they stumble and fall (vv. 7-8). Ephraim’s flower fades and it is about to fall, but Yahweh gives hope: In place of the fading glory of a drinking crown, Yahweh promises to be Ephraim’s glorious diadem, a crown of justice and strength (vv. 5-6).

CURSE OF TONGUES

Drunk Ephraimites close their ears to God’s word, and Yahweh responds with an eye-for-eye judgment. They refuse to hear and understand, so He speaks nonsense to them (vv. 9-14; cf. Isaiah 6:10). All the way back to Babel, confusion of tongues is a curse, a prelude to scattering; what happened at Babel is going to happen in Ephraim, as they are scattered into exile (v. 13). Understanding God’s word is always a gift, not to be taken for granted. If we persist in stopping our ears to Him, His word will eventually become impossible for us to understand.

COVENANT WITH DEATH

Because they distrust Yahweh, the drunkards of Ephraim seek protection elsewhere. But this, Yahweh says, is a “covenant with death,” a “pact with Sheol” and an effort to find refuge is falsehood and deception (v. 15). Bargaining with death doesn’t work; death won’t be pacified, and the covenant with death will be cancelled with the Lord brings a scourge through the land (vv. 18-19). Yet again Yahweh offers an alternative: He will rebuild Zion with a tested, precious cornerstone and set the city up with straight lines, the lines of justice (vv. 16-17).

YAHWEH THE FARMER

Ephraim is headed for exile (v. 13), but Isaiah is a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah. Will Judah’s sins lead to the same end? Are Ephraim’s future and Judah’s future the same? Isaiah answers with two parables from farming. Plowing and breaking the land is not the end of the farmer’s work; it’s the necessary preparation for planting. So too Yahweh’s violence against Samaria and Jerusalem is a prelude to sowing and new growth (vv. 24-26). Further, different plants are gathered and threshed in different ways: Dill is threshed with a rod not a sledge, and a wheel driven over cumin will crush it (v. 17). When the time comes, the Lord knows how to harvest His scattered people, and all will see the wonder of His counsel and the greatness of His wisdom (v. 29).