~ Isaiah 28, the true Rest ~

Isaiah 28: 1. 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!

2. 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.

3. The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet:

4. 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.

V1--the crown of pride was that O.T. called Ephraim, the priest and prophets, the rulers of the old covenant.

They were full of pride, for they thought they had exclusive rights and power with God.

V2--This is speaking of Jesus, God’s mighty and strong one. His ‘hail�?of words, his flood of waters (holy words, cast them down. This was accomplished when he said to them: Your house is left unto you DESOLATE.

V3--Here is prophesied that the N.T. Church will tread that old covenant under feet.

V4--their beauty, as grass, faded away.

5. 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,

6. And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.

V5--What day? The day Jesus was set up. He was a crown of glory to the residue of his people, those apostles who turned from that faded old covenant, to the glorious New Covenant. They had that spirit of judgment as they judged the old covenant as being laid away and turned to battle to bring in the New Covenant.

7. 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.

8. For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

V7--shows someone erred and was ‘out of the way�? Who? The PRIEST AND THE Prophet, the rulers of the old covenant. It said they stumbled in vision and judgment. See, they could not judge that Jesus was the true minister of God to bring in the New Covenant. They did not see him as the Son of God.

V8--is speaking of the whole old covenant = their ‘table�?or spiritual feeding was full of filthiness and vomit. There was NO PLACE IN THERE CLEAN. So if you go back there, you are eating vomit and filth.

If it was filthy then, it is filthy now.

9. 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.

Now we have a question --- to whom can God teach understanding of doctrine? Those who get away from the breasts; milk. But what is that? According to the preceding verses, we have seen that it is speaking of that old covenant. This whole chapter, so far, has dealt with doing away with the old covenant = the priest and prophets. So, then this is the breasts; milk which it is saying they must get away from in order to learn to understand doctrine.

In other words, to cling to the priests, prophets, the old covenant of law, does blind one. They cannot understand doctrine.

10. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

So how does he teach doctrine? one precept, then another; a little here and there, going from glory to glory.

11. For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

12. 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.

V11--One of the most important verses in Scripture - he is showing how he will bring them into understand doctrine = FOR with stammering lips and ANOTHER TONGUE will he speak to this people.

What people? The ones who broke away from the breasts; the milk; that old covenant.

V12--To whom he said, ( who ? those who were weaned from the breasts and came into the stammering lips and the other tongue --- THIS IS THE REST--

THIS IS THE REST TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD---

THIS IS THE REST WHEREWITH YE MAY CAUSE THE WEARY (WHO? THE WEARY TO FIND REST.

THIS WHAT? THIS STAMMERING LIPS; THIS ANOTHER TONGUE -- IS THE REST WHEREWITH YE MAY CAUSE THOSE WHO ARE WEARY AND HEAVEN LADEN (WITH LAW)--TO FIND REST.

Also this is the REFRESHING. Yet they would not hear. Who would not hear? Those who refused to be weaned from the breasts of the old testament mama, old Jerusalem.

Jesus said Come unto me, all who labor (works of law) and are heaven laden (the heaven burdens of the law)--and I WILL GIVE YOU REST.

So see, this REST is a gift; not something you do yourself each week. It is rest from having to do the works of the law. If they already had it, why did he have to give it to them?

13. 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.

V13--But the word of the Lord was unto them a little here and there, that they would go backward and be broken and snared and taken. Who? Those who refused to walk in His light; those who refused to become weaned from the O.T. breasts; those who refused the new rest of stammering lips and another tongues. These were broken and fell backward; backward to the law and were thus snared and taken into darkness.

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:

V14 is speaking to the scornful men who rule Jerusalem. Who is this? Those priests and prophets. Those who refused the new rest.

V15--they said we have made a covenant with death ----- so what it this? They had a covenant with LAW. So then, the law was death. And so it proves out to be true. The law was that death tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for by the law is the KNOWLEDGE of sin.

Adam was told in the day you eat, or partake of this tree, (law) you will die. Then hell is also part of this covenant. Death and Hell riding that pale horse, the two horns on that beast which rose up out of the earth, the priests and prophets. They are all the same, it equals that old covenant of law; death.

Proof:

Romans 7: 5. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

6. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

7. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

8. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

9. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

10. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

11. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

Now, everyone, please take the time to carefully study this:

V 5--the motions of sins, WHICH WERE BY THE LAW, brought forth DEATH.

V6--Now we are DELIVERED FROM THE LAW.

V8--without the law, sin was dead -- = no sin, no death.

V9--Man was alive without the law --== before the law came; but when the commandment = law--came sin revived and brought forth death = I died.

V10--the commandment -- = law-- was unto DEATH.

V11- man was slain, or killed, or dead because of the sin reviving by the law.

Now back to Isaiah 28:

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.

V15--these old priests and prophets are saying they are hidden under this falsehood, their agreement with death = law. They think because they clung to the law of Moses and kept its works, that the overflowing scourge could not hurt them. They claim to be hidden under that covenant. But watch what God said about THAT COVERING.

V16--Here God told them about his sure foundation, Jesus.

V17--Here he foretold about the Apostles ministry which swept away that refuge of lies and their hiding place of the covering of law.

V18--he told them their agreement with this false covenant, hell, would not stand, that they would be trodden down by the overflowing scourge of the judgment ministry of the Apostles.

Go back to Verse one and two --- see that it was that old covenant, the fading flower, that the hail and destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, -- (this is the ministry of the Apostles and Jesus) -- would cast them down to the earth.

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.

V19--This is speaking of the Apostles ministry -- from the time they go forth they would vex that old covenant people. And it sure proved to be true. That is why they imprisoned, beat, tortured, and killed those New Testament Christians.

V20--Here we see that covering spoken of (the covering of law, the old covenant of law)--it was too narrow, their ‘bed�?to short, it could not cover them; it was not sufficient.

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.

V21--here he is speaking of bring forth his work of New Testament Salvation by the death of Jesus, and the ministry of the Apostles; his strange act of Baptizing with the Holy Ghost, by which he brings in this new covenant.

V22--Here they are told to not mock this strange act, for if they do their bands will be made strong. That is exactly what has happened to those of you who mock the Baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues (v 11) (his strange act)--; and you held to law, the bands of burdens which were made strong to hold you bound.

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

This is Jesus telling them to hear his voice and his speech. This is their only hope of deliverance.

The rest of this chapter speaks of the ministry of the New Testament preachers; or their sowing the seed to bring forth the children of God - the wheat and barley.

V28 is speaking of the death of Jesus, as that corn of wheat fell into the ground and died to bring forth much fruit unto God.

V29, this is a wonderful work of God.