Isaiah 28:1-13--Judgment on Ephraim and Jerusalem

Isaiah 28:1-13
English Standard Version

Judgment on Ephraim and Jerusalem
28 Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,
    and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
    which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong;
    like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest,
like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters,
    he casts down to the earth with his hand.
3 The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim
    will be trodden underfoot;
4 and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
    which is on the head of the rich valley,
will be like a first-ripe fig before the summer:
    when someone sees it, he swallows it
    as soon as it is in his hand.

5 In that day the LORD of hosts will be a crown of glory,
    and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,
6 and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
    and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

7 These also reel with wine
    and stagger with strong drink;
the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink,
    they are swallowed by wine,
    they stagger with strong drink,
they reel in vision,
    they stumble in giving judgment.
8 For all tables are full of filthy vomit,
    with no space left.

9 “To whom will he teach knowledge,
    and to whom will he explain the message?
Those who are weaned from the milk,
    those taken from the breast?
10 For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
    line upon line, line upon line,
    here a little, there a little.”

​11 For by people of strange lips
    and with a foreign tongue
the LORD will speak to this people,
12     to whom he has said,
“This is rest;
    give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”;
    yet they would not hear.
13 And the word of the LORD will be to them
precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
    line upon line, line upon line,
    here a little, there a little,
that they may go, and fall backward,
    and be broken, and snared, and taken.

---

Lest we forget the warning being issued to the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of the people of Israel and Judah, Isaiah comes back to remind them that they are currently facing judgment and exile because they have broken the LORD's covenant, and His longsuffering has gone on long enough.  It is now time for them to learn His love from His discipline, because they have not learned it from His mercy.

However, there will be a day when the LORD will appear in His glory and win the victory for His people like they were just promised in the previous chapters.  It will also be a day for Him to seek justice and judgment, so they should be careful to answer the question asked of them at Mount Saini, "Who is on the LORD's side?"

The people of God, even the priests and Levites, had been given over to drunkenness from wine and strong drink.  The prophets think they will somehow induce a dream or vision with alcohol (a technique used by the pagans and false prophets), but this is revolting to the LORD for all He sees is people in drunken stupors that have vomited on their tables and there is no space left for the good things that God intends to give them.

The LORD asks who is ready to listen to Him and learn the instruction that He desires to give to them.  The message is too important to give to these drunkards and the spiritually immature.  The LORD concludes that He will have to give His message to another people--a people of another tongue who are ready to hear what He has to say.  They will hear and accept His precepts though they too will not be able to keep the Law fully, but they will understand it, be convicted by it, and condemned by it--not for what they did not know, but for what they did know and did not obey.  The Jews and the Gentiles will be judged by the same standard, for the LORD will make His Word go out through the whole world for all to hear and understand.