A Path to Rest

What are your thoughts on God’s Law and will and how they impact your life? We know the right thing to do is to follow them and that they bring about the long-term good. Do they really benefit us in the here and now? In this life? It can seem that, at the very best, they are hard to follow and are not so comfortable. At the worst, God’s laws and will make us sacrifice things we don’t want to sacrifice. Similarly, the ancient Israelites had challenges following God’s law and often found more palatable alternatives.

Isaiah 28 is a microcosm of this struggle with God’s will and a reminder of what we are missing out on when we take the so-called easy way.

This passage is divided into three sections. The prophecy over Ephraim, the misunderstood message, and the warning to Judah.

After the reign of Solomon, Israel was divided into two kingdoms. Ephraim was the name given to the northern Kingdom which consisted of 10 out of the original 12 tribes. History tells us that the Assyrian empire conquered Ephraim in the seventh century BC, so Isaiahs message comes a few years before this event.

In ancient text, structures like chiasm, inclusio and parallelism were techniques used to convey meaning, and we find that here.

Reading vv1-6, we see a pattern develop. Verse 1 is almost identical to vv3-4, and these serve as a reminder of the kind of security that Ephraim has chosen. Ephraim has chosen a crown that is founded on their lavish lifestyle, indicated by the drunkards. It’s glory is fading fast. In our culture of hero worship, it’s easy to admire and even chase after such lifestyles, even assuming they are the ideal of the life we were meant to lead. God’s laws and will tend to get in the way of this pursuit. Don’t they?

If verse 1 and vv 3-4, speak of Ephraims poor decision, verse 2 and vv 5-6, present God’s response to that decision.

In hindsight, we know that the mighty agent of God in verse 2 was the Assyrian empire. God tore down Ephraims proud crown through this foreign army. While verse 2 is God’s corrective measure, the result God will bring about is in vv 5-6. In response to the proud crown, God will be a glorious crown. His crown is not based on lavish lifestyles, but on justice and strength.

This was the prophecy to Ephraim. They made their choice against Gods laws.

Why did Ephraim go wrong? The next section of this chapter explains what went wrong. Verses 7-13 place the blame squarely on the priests and prophets. They were supposed to keep the people focused on the purpose of the Law. Instead they restated the same old laws, making them sound like burdens. Verses 10 and 13 repeat their standard sermons, indicating their dull repetition of the laws. And in the Hebrew, this more or less sounds like how one would talk to infants. Clearly the teachers of the day were not doing their job and presenting the true message.

And what was this message? Verse 12 states it clearly and succinctly. The message is “Rest”. God’s will and laws are meant to bring about rest. This is the comfort and security that was promised. The law may seem difficult only because it requires we do not put our trust in false crowns and fading glory. God’s plan for us is rest. Yet, the people of Ephraim did not hear it. The teachers did not preach it. So, in verse 13, the LORD decided to let Ephraim believe whatever they wanted to believe about his plans for them.

Is it intuitively obvious how Gods will leads to our rest? We can sometimes convince ourselves that it’s worth following God for the greater good, but often we cannot envision this rest.

Isaiah concludes with a warning to Judah, the southern kingdom. Don’t be like Ephraim.

Unfortunately, they’ve already placed some level of security in the wrong place. Once again, we see the repeated text in vv 15-16 and again in vv 18-19. The pact made with death and Sheol may refer to other Gods, but during the exile of the northern Kingdom, Judah made a pact with Egypt for security.

Once again placing their security in the wrong place. Ephraim chased wealth and lavish lifestyles, Judah is beginning to chase partnerships with the wrong nations.

God’s response to Ephraim was sending the might agent of Assyria. His response now to Judah will be to establish the cornerstone. God is trying to convince Judah to rely on him and this cornerstone rather than finding their security in foreign nations. The wording used in verse 16 is interesting. He who believes in this cornerstone will not be disturbed. God is not promising wealth and lavish lifestyles. He is promising peace that comes from rest.

Verse 22 onwards is Isaiahs final plea to Judah to find their security in God. Once more, Isaiah argues that observing God’s law is the only way to bring about rest. He uses the analogy of the farmer to try to prove why having that faith in God’s plans and laws can work. Even the farmer knows that his land needs rest and he observes the agricultural practices that provide that rest. In the same way, God’s laws and will provide those communal practices which can bring about rest, so long as you trust in them and not seek other forms of security.

Ephraims time had come. Will Judah learn from their brothers? Will we learn from Ephraim and Judah?

The worldy logic suggests finding our security in acquiring wealth or gaining partnerships with more powerful individuals. God’s logic says trust in his laws and will for us because he has established a cornerstone more powerful than any wealth or partnership. And he has done this so that we can have rest. Do you believe him?