Isaiah 28
Jeremiah 28 deals with the conflict between Jeremiah and the false prophet Hananiah. This chapter addresses the truth of a prophecy related to the period of the Babylonian exile, beginning with a scene in which the two prophets each deliver different messages, and it goes on to show how God determines whose words are right.
1verseWoe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fertile valley of those who are overcome with wine!
2verseBehold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong. Like a storm of hail, a destroying storm, and like a storm of mighty waters overflowing, he will cast them down to the earth with his hand.
3verseThe crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden under foot.
4verseThe fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fertile valley, shall be like the first-ripe fig before the summer, which someone picks and eats as soon as he sees it.
5verseIn that day, the LORD of Armies will become a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the residue of his people,
6verseand a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7verseThey also reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink. The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink. They are swallowed up by wine. They stagger with strong drink. They err in vision. They stumble in judgment.
8verseFor all tables are completely full of filthy vomit and filthiness.
9verseWhom will he teach knowledge? To whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts?
10verseFor it is precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little.
11verseBut he will speak to this nation with stammering lips and in another language,
12verseto whom he said, “This is the resting place. Give rest to the weary,” and “This is the refreshing;” yet they would not hear.
13verseTherefore the LORD’s word will be to them precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little; that they may go, fall backward, be broken, be snared, and be taken.
14verseTherefore hear the LORD’s word, you scoffers, that rule this people in Jerusalem:
15verse“Because you have said, ‘We have made a covenant with death, and we are in agreement with Sheol. When the overflowing scourge passes through, it won’t come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and we have hidden ourselves under falsehood.’”
16verseTherefore the Lord GOD says, “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. He who believes shall not act hastily.
17verseI will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plumb line. The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place.
18verseYour covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol shall not stand. When the overflowing scourge passes through, then you will be trampled down by it.
19verseAs often as it passes through, it will seize you; for morning by morning it will pass through, by day and by night; and it will be nothing but terror to understand the message.”
20verseFor the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket is too narrow to wrap oneself in.
21verseFor the LORD will rise up as on Mount Perazim. He will be angry as in the valley of Gibeon; that he may do his work, his unusual work, and bring to pass his act, his extraordinary act.
22verseNow therefore don’t be scoffers, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord, GOD of Armies, on the whole earth.
23verseGive ear, and hear my voice! Listen, and hear my speech!
24verseDoes he who plows to sow plow continually? Does he keep turning the soil and breaking the clods?
25verseWhen he has leveled its surface, doesn’t he plant the dill, and scatter the cumin seed, and put in the wheat in rows, the barley in the appointed place, and the spelt in its place?
26verseFor his God instructs him in right judgment and teaches him.
27verseFor the dill isn’t threshed with a sharp instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned over the cumin; but the dill is beaten out with a stick, and the cumin with a rod.
28verseBread flour must be ground; so he will not always be threshing it. Although he drives the wheel of his threshing cart over it, his horses don’t grind it.
29verseThis also comes out from the LORD of Armies, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom.
Chapter Structure and Key Content
| Section | Content summary |
|---|---|
| Hananiah's prophecy (vv. 1-4) | The false prophet Hananiah prophesies that Babylon will fall within two years and that the exiles and the temple furnishings will return. |
| Jeremiah's rebuttal (vv. 5-9) | Jeremiah explains that whether the prophecy of peace truly came from God will be determined by its outcome. He also mentions that in the past, prophets predicted calamity and judgment. |
| Hananiah's actions (vv. 10-11) | Hananiah prophesies again, saying that Jeremiah will have the yoke placed on his neck taken away and broken, and that God will break the yoke. |
| God's word (vv. 12-17) | Through Jeremiah, God tells that instead of wooden yokes, an iron yoke will be put on the people's necks. He also declares that Hananiah will die that very year because Hananiah prophesied a lie that went against God's will. In fact, Hananiah dies that same year. |
Overall Meaning and Message
This chapter emphasizes the truth of God's word and the danger of false prophecy. That is, even when people's desires or the hopes of the public do not come true, God's will and plan do not change. True prophecy is eventually revealed in its outcome, and it contains a warning against the temptation to follow a message that goes against God's will.
Points for Reflection
- Am I seeking God's will, or am I interpreting God according to my own desires?
- Think about how you can distinguish the voices of the world from God's true word.
- Let’s reflect on why a life of obedience to God is important by contrasting Jeremiah and Hananiah.
Try Applying It to Yourself
- Let’s examine whether the message I hear, believe, and follow is truly based on God’s will in the course of my life.
- Even in difficult circumstances or amid confusion, let’s cultivate an attitude of faith in which we ask God and practice patience rather than embracing easy-sounding hopeful messages.
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