80. Come to the Saviour (3)

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Hymns: RHC 424 Where He Leads Me 428 I Have Decided to Follow Jesus 429 We have not known Thee as We Ought

Isaiah 28:14-29

14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. 15 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: 16 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. 17 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. 18 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. 19 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. 20 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. 21 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. 22 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. 23 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 fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place? 26 For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him. 27 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. 28 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. 29 This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.

Come to the Saviour (3)

OUTLINE

  • Awaken from Pride and Drunkenness (v1-4, 7-8)
  • Hope for the Remnant (v5-6)
  • God’s Good Word spurned (v9-15)
  • Christ Remains the Unshakable Foundation for their Salvation (v16)
  • Refusal of Christ is Utter Folly (v17-29)
  • Refusal of Christ is Utter Folly (v17-29)

17 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.

Judgment also will I lay to the line – The sense of this is that I will judge them according to the exact rule of law, as an architect frames everything according to the rule which he uses.

In other words, there shall be no mercy intermingled. The line is used by a carpenter for measuring; the plummet consists of a piece of lead attached to a string, and is also used by carpenters to obtain a perpendicular line. A carpenter works exactly according to the lines which are thus indicated, or his frame would not be properly adjusted. So God says that He would judge the people of Jerusalem according to the exact rule, without any intermingling of mercy.

Hail, hailstones, and floods of waters are frequent images of the divine vengeance and wrath.

18 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.

Shall be disannulled – The word rendered shall be disannulled – “kaphar”, properly means “to cover, overlay,” then to pardon, forgive; then to make atonement, to expiate. It has the idea of blotting out, forgiving, and obliterating – because a writing in wax was obliterated or “covered” by passing the “stylus” over it.

Hence, also, the idea of abolishing, or rendering nought, which is the idea here. “When the overflowing scourge”.

Then ye shall be trodden down by it – There is in this verse a great intermingling of metaphor, not less than three figures being employed to denote the calamity. There is first the scourge, an instrument of punishment; there is then the idea of inundating waters or floods; then there is also the idea of a warrior or an invading army that treads down an enemy. All the images are designed to denote essentially the same thing, that the judgments of God would come upon the land, and that nothing in which they had trusted would constitute a refuge.

19 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.

From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you – It shall not delay, or be hindered, or put back. As soon as the judgment is sent forth from God it shall come upon you.

For morning by morning – Continually; without intermission. It shall be like floods and tempests that have no intermission; that are repeated every day, and continued every night, until everything is swept before them.

And it shall be a vexation – It shall be an object of alarm, of agitation, of distress. Here it means that the calamity would be so great that it would fill the mind with horror only to hear of it denoting the effect of hearing a report of the judgments of God.

20 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.

For the bed is shorter … – This is evidently a proverbial saying, and means that they would find all their places of defense insufficient to secure them. They seek repose and security – as a man lies down to rest at night. But they find neither. His bed furnishes no rest; his scanty covering furnishes no security from the chills of the night.

So, it would be with those who sought protection in idols, in the promises of false prophets, and in the aid which might be obtained from Egypt. So, it is with sinners. Their vain refuges shall not shield them. The bed on which they seek rest shall give them no repose; the covering with which they seek to clothe themselves shall not defend them from the wrath of God. [Barnes]

21 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.

For the Lord shall rise up – To rise up is indicative of going forth to judgment, as when one rises from his seat to accomplish anything.

As in mount Perazim – There is reference here, doubtless, to the event recorded in 2 Sem. 5:20-21 and 1Ch 14:11, where David is said to have defeated the Philistines at Baal-Perazim. This place was near to the valley of Rephaim 2Sa 5:19, and not far from Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 5:20-21 (KJV) And David came to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there, and said, The LORD hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baal-perazim. And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them.

1 Chronicles 14:11 (KJV) So they came up to Baal-perazim; and David smote them there. Then David said, God hath broken in upon mine enemies by mine hand like the breaking forth of waters: therefore they called the name of that place Baal-perazim.

2 Samuel 5:19 (KJV) And David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand.

The word ‘Perazim’ is from פרץ parats, to tear, or break forth, as waters do that have been confined; and is indicative of sudden judgment, and of a complete overthrow. It was on that account given to the place where David obtained a signal and complete victory (2 Sam. 5:20); and it is here referred to, to denote that God would come forth in a sudden manner to destroy Jerusalem and Judea. He would come upon them like bursting waters, and sweep them away to a distant land.

As in the valley of Gibeon – In 1 Chron. 14:16, it is said that after the victory of Baal-Perazim, ‘David smote the host of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gaza.’ This victory is doubtless referred to here, and not the victory of Joshua over the Gibeonites Joshua 10:10.

1 Chronicles 14:16 (KJV) David therefore did as God commanded him: and they smote the host of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gazer.

That he may do his work, his strange work – This is called His strange work because it would be inflicted on His people. He had destroyed their enemies often, but now He was about to engage in the unusual work of coming forth against His own people, and sweeping them away to a distant land.

The work of judgment and punishment may be called the “strange” work of God always, since it is not that in which He delights to engage, and is foreign to the benevolence of His heart. It is especially so when His own people are the objects of His displeasure, and when their sins are such as to demand that He should visit them with the tokens of His wrath.

22 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.

Now therefore – In view of the certain judgment which God will bring upon you.

Be ye not mockers – This was the prevailing sin (v9-14), and on account of this sin in part the judgment of God was about to come upon the guilty nation.

Lest your bands be made strong – Lest your confinement should be more severe and protracted. God would punish them according to their sins, and if they now ceased to mock and deride Him it would greatly mitigate the severity of their punishment (v22).

For I have heard … – I, the prophet, have heard the LORD of hosts threaten a consumption.

Shall make a consumption – The Hebrew of this verse might be rendered, ‘for its destruction is completed, and is determined on; the LORKD of hosts will execute it in the midst of the land.’

Upon the whole earth – The whole land of Judea – Isaiah 24:1 (KJV) Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

Recall in the previous chapters, from the thirteenth to the twenty-third inclusive, have been occupied mainly in describing the destruction of nations that were hostile to the Jews, or great and distressing calamities that would come ripen them. The prophet had thus successively depicted the calamities that would come upon Babylon, Damascus, Moab, Nubia, Egypt, Dumah, and Tyre. In Isa. 22, he had, however, described the calamities which would come upon Judea and Jerusalem by the invasion of Sennacherib.

In Isaiah 24, the prophet returns to the calamities which would come upon the people of God themselves. This chapter, and the three following, to the end of the twenty-seventh, seem to have been uttered about the same time, and perhaps may be regarded as constituting one vision, or prophecy.

23 Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.

Isaiah pleaded with the people of Judah to take heed.

24 Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?

Doth the plowman … – The question here asked implies that he does “not” plow all the day. The interrogative form is often the most emphatic mode of affirmation.

All day – The sense is, does he do nothing else but plow? Is this the only thing which is necessary to be done in order to obtain a harvest? The idea which the prophet intends to convey here is this. A farmer does not suppose that he can obtain a harvest by doing nothing else but plow. There is much else to be done. It would be just as absurd to suppose that God would deal with His people always in the same manner, as it would be for the farmer to be engaged in nothing else but plowing.

Doth he open … – That is, is he always engaged in opening, and breaking the clods of his field? There is much else to be done besides this. The word ‘open’ here refers to the furrows that are made by the plow. The earth is laid open as it were to the sunbeams, and to the showers of rain, and to the reception of seed. [Barnes]

25 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?

When he hath made plain … – That is, when he has levelled, or made smooth the surface of the ground by harrowing, or rolling it.

Doth he not scatter abroad – He does not sow one kind of grain merely, but different species according to the nature of the soil, or according to his wishes in regard to a crop.

The fitches – an herb of sweet savor. The word ‘fitch’ denotes a small species of pea. The Hebrew word, however, which occurs nowhere else but here, probably denotes fennel, or dill, an herb whose seed the ancients mixed with their bread in order to give it a more agreeable relish.

And scatter the cummin – the word properly denotes an annual plant whose seeds have a bitterish warm taste with an aromatic flavor (Webster). The seeds of this plant were used as a condiment in sauces.

And cast in the principal wheat – Wheat is the principal, or chief grain that is sown; it is that which is most valued and esteemed.

And the appointed barley – The barley is a well-known grain and that it means barley that had been put aside and marked as especially excellent, or seed-barley.

And the rye – a kind of wheat denotes rye.

In their place – literally, “In the border.” The idea seems to be that the spelt or rye was sown in the borders of the field while the wheat was sown in the middle; or that the rye was sown in its “proper bounds,” or in the places which were adapted to it, and best suited to promote its growth.

26 For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.

The idea that skill in agriculture is communicated by God. Thus, the achitectural and mechanical skill of Bezaleel and Aholiab, by which they were enabled to make the tabernacle, is said expressly to have been imparted to them by God (Ex. 31:2-6). Thus, also Noah was taught how to build the ark (Gen. 6:14-16).

God communicates to the farmer by special revelation where, and when, and how he shall sow his grain, but the sense is, that God is the Author of all his skill. He has endowed him with understanding, and taught him by His providence.

It is by the study of what God teaches in the seasons, in the soil, in the results of experience and observation, that he has this art. He teaches him also by the example, the counsel, and even by the failures of others; and all the knowledge of agriculture that he has is to be traced up to God.

27 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.

For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument – denotes properly that which is pointed or sharp, meaning there the threshing dray or sledge; a plank with iron or sharp stones that was drawn by oxen over the grain.

In the passage before us, several methods of threshing are mentioned as adapted to different kinds of grain, all of which are at the present time common in the East. Those which are mentioned under the name of the ‘threshing instrument,’ and ‘a cart wheel,’ refer to instruments which are still in use in the East.

“In threshing their grain, the Arabians lay the sheaves down in a certain order, and then lead over them two oxen dragging a large stone.” They use oxen, as the ancients did, to beat out their grain, by trampling on the sheaves, and dragging after them a clumsy machine.

Neither is a cart wheel – This instrument of threshing is described as consisting of a cart or wagon fitted with wheels adapted to crush or thresh the grain.

But the fitches are beaten out with a staff – With a stick, or flail. That is, pulse in general, beans, peas, dill, cummin, etc., are easily beaten out with a stick or flail. This mode of threshing is common everywhere.

28 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.

Bread corn, the word evidently denotes the material from which bread is made.

Is bruised – That is, is more severely bruised than the dill and the cummin; it is pressed and crushed by passing over it the sledge, or the wain with serrated wheels.

The word means often to break in pieces; to make small or fine.

God takes various methods with his people. He does not always pursue the same course. He sometimes smites and punishes them, as the farmer beats his grain. But he does not always do it. He is not engaged in this method alone; nor does he pursue this constantly. It would crush and destroy them.

29 This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.

This also cometh … – That is, these various devices for threshing his grain comes from the Lord no less than the skill with which he tills his land.

And excellent in working who magnifies His wisdom. The idea of the prophet is, that God, who had so wisely taught the farmer, and who had instructed him to use such various methods in his husbandry, would also be Himself wise, and would pursue similar methods with His people. He would not always pursue the same unvarying course, but would vary His dispensations as they should need, and as would best secure their holiness and happiness.

The reason of afflictions. It is for the same cause which induces the farmer to employ various methods on his farm.

We are not to expect the same unvarying course in God’s dealings with us. It would be as unreasonable as to expect that the farmer would be always plowing, or always threshing.

We are not to expect always the same kind of afflictions. The farmer uses different machines and modes of threshing, and adapts them to the nature of the grain. So God uses different modes, and adapts them to the nature, character, and disposition of his people. One man requires one mode of discipline, and another another. At one time we need one mode of correction to call us from sin and temptation; at another another. We may lay it down as a general rule, that “the divine judgments are usually in the line of our offences;” and by the nature of the judgment we may usually ascertain the nature of the sin. If a man’s besetting sin is “pride,” the judgment will usually be something that is suited to humble his pride; if it be covetousness, his property may be removed, or it may be made a curse; if it be undue attachment to children or friends, they may be removed.

God will not crush or destroy His people. The farmer does not crush or destroy his grain. In all the various methods which he uses, he takes care not to pursue it too far, and not to injure the grain. So, with God’s dealings with his people. His object is not to destroy them, but it is to separate the chaff from the wheat; and He will afflict them only so much as may be necessary to accomplish this. He will not be always bruising His people, but will in due time remit His strokes – just as the thresher does.

We should, therefore, bear afflictions and chastisements with patience. God deals with us in mercy – and the design of all his dispensations toward us in prosperity and adversity; in sickness and in health; in success and in disappointment, is to produce the richest and most abundant fruits of righteousness, and to prepare us to enter into his kingdom above. [Barnes]

This is well summarized by the Apostle Paul in Hebrews 12:5-11 (KJV) And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Amen.