Isaiah 28:9-15, The Bed is Too Short

Isaiah 28-29 goes together.  The subject has to do with the unwillingness of God’s people to seriously consider His word(s) to them.  They won’t listen.  They don’t learn.  Therefore, they have made “lies their refuge.”  They have crafted a philosophy of life apart from the word of God.  It is a bed that is too short and blankets that are too narrow.  That’s the gist of it.  Let’s see it in a little more detail.

·       28:1-6: The passage begins with a “woe” upon the “crown of pride,” the drunkards of Ephraim.  He is referring to the priest and prophet (v7) who have erred through intoxicating drink.  The “error” is specifically that they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.”  In vs. 5-6 the LORD promised that “in that (future) day” He will be the “crown of glory” for the remnant of His people.

·       28:9-15: The teaching of the drunken priest and prophet is like teaching infants.  It must be slow, deliberate, and in very small bites.  The LORD promises a time to come when He will speak to these people through someone that speaks in a totally different tongue (a promise fulfilled in the New Testament, 1 Cor. 14:21, referring to “speaking in tongues” in the early church).  That is how “dense” the people were in Isaiah’s day as well as in Christ’s day.  In the end, their reluctance to hear God’s word means they “made lies our refuge.”

·       28:16-22: Again, the LORD makes a promise, that He will “lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.”  This is speaking of Christ, of course ((Mt. 21:42), and involves both His incarnation and His return in glory to rule the earth.  He will be the answer to the “short bed” and “narrow blanket” that Ephraim tried to use.  Connected with this promise is the promise of “a destruction determined even upon the whole earth.”

·       28:23-29: Then the prophet pleads with them to give ear to the teaching of God “who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in speech.”

·       29:1-8: Lest you think this is just for the Northern Kingdom Israel, who were dispersed during Isaiah’s lifetime, a woe is pronounced on Ariel (meaning “Lion of God,” a name for Jerusalem).  Judah too is an “unsatisfied” people, like someone who dreams of eating food and awakens hungry, or of drinking and wakes up thirsty.

·       29:9-16: God has caused their prophets to be in a deep sleep.  Thus, their message is like a book that is sealed.  No one can understand it.  The reason for that is that the people are hypocrites, having a religion for “show” but not one of true fear of the LORD.  Thus the LORD also promised to do a “marvelous work” in their midst (like the “stone laid in Zion” in the previous chapter).

·       29:17-24: He then promises, “in that (future) day,” that the time will come when people will listen, including the LORD’s people Israel.  “These also who erred n spirit will come to understanding, and those who complained will learn doctrine.”

Why do we share these things?  “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”  We need to wake up to this!  We must be much more serious about hearing the Word of God.  Our Bible Studies are often very shallow. Our Bible reading very light.  We waste the best years of our children’s upbringing on sports and video games rather than on the memorization of Scripture.

1 Cor. 3 (gotta read it all), Grow Up!

Heb. 5:12-14 provides a perfect backdrop for 1 Cor. 3.

¹² For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. ¹³ For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. ¹⁴ But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Like Heb. 5-6, today’s passage often leads to discussions as to whether it refers to a saved person or not.  It says they are “saved as through fire,” but they have no works that will glorify Christ in the judgment. 

Let’s consider “maturity.”  The opening verses (v1-4) speak of the Corinthians as “brethren” and as “carnal” (fleshly).  It sounds like differing kinds of Christians, but that cannot be.  But it does seem to me it is talking about “spiritual infancy.”  The writer to the Hebrews called those who were unskilled in the word of righteousness as “babes.”  Paul says “I fed you with mill and not with solid food.”  This makes sense.  There is one kind of human being, but some are children and some adults.  There is one kind of Christian (saved by grace through faith in Christ) but some are children and some adults.  As Hebrews says, adults are those who by exercise (frequent use of the word) they are able to discern both good and evil.

With that in mind, then Paul’s illustrations make sense.  In 3:5-9a we are a “field.”  A young plant is tender, might need some special attention, and has promise.  But it’s ridiculous to think of a plant never coming to maturity, never being fruitful.  Fields need to be watered, then some time in the sun, and it is expected to be putting on a head of grain or an ear of corn.  Then in 3:9b-17 we are, collectively, a building.  Each of us as believers is a part of that building, a brick or light switch or floor tile or whatever.  An unfinished building is ridiculous.  No one ever wants that.  If that happens to us (we move into an unfinished house) then we must alter our expectations, do with less and live with frustrations.  We are a house, the house of God.  And we will stand before Christ and give account of how we have contributed to the construction of this “temple.”

Now, let us consider Paul’s view of “maturity” (v18-23). You can’t mature without a proper diet (the field) or something usable by the Builder (the building).  Paul says that in Christ, everything needed is yours, to bring you from childhood to adulthood.  In the wisdom of this world, you are a fool, and your brain is empty.  You are not getting fed and will not mature by the world’s philosophies and doctrines.  In Christ, in the word of God, you get a full diet.  Just like mom said: gotta get your veggies; you can’t just live on dessert.  I hope we are mindful of this with our physical children.  Are they being fed well spiritually?  Are they getting “practice” using the word of God to light the way in their young lives?

Dan. 9:5-19; Meeting the Present Crisis (8)

We are continuing to hear Daniel’s description of “sin.” 

(8)                        v8: Sin against God. (v11).  The “shame of face” we noted in the previous post is ours because of our standing before God.  If we compare ourselves to other people, our “peers,” we might think we are no worse than they are.  But when we understand that sin is first and foremost against God, then we are ashamed.  We stand before God who has always kept His word, always given good commands, and always provided well for us through Creation.  Mom always said, “you ought to be ashamed.”  Daniel says, we have shame whether we admit it or not.

(9)                        v10: Disobeying God's voice. (v11,14).  Here, the voice of the LORD concerns the written word of God for Israel, the law of Moses.  What the prophets did was to remind them of God’s laws. 

(10)                        v11: Transgression: overstepping the Law of God.  They stepped outside God’s laws, one by one.

(11)                        Turning aside onto another path.  And then, in their idolatry and lifestyle choices, they chose a path different than God’s laws.  They chose to be like the nations around them and lost their distinctive role in the world as God’s witnesses. 

(12)                        v13: Failure to seek His favor.  Lastly, we see Israel’s perseverance in their sin.  They experienced God’s judgment but did not respond to it by turning to the LORD.  We see this in our own world today.  We experience difficulties that should cause us to stop and consider what the LORD is telling us.  Instead, we attribute our problems to “natural” explanations and set about to use our resources to overcome them without seeking God’s help.

There are NO excuses offered, no rationalizations, no mitigating circumstances. There is a clear understanding of sin and its extent!  Even after 70 years in Babylon Daniel still felt deeply the sin and the shame.

In vs16-19 Daniel makes his request of the LORD, reaffirming the truth that he does not ask based on righteous deeds but on the basis of God’s mercy.  God answered the prayer.  In Daniel’s situation, the answer came in the form of words, additional revelation from the LORD in one of the most important Messianic prophecies (9:24-27).  And the answer was delivered by none other than God’s special messenger Gabriel (v20-23). 

In this setting, we are not so much concerned with the answer because it was specific for Daniel’s situation.  Our purpose here was to point out a need, the first need, when we face a crisis.  It is not to “mimic” Daniel’s prayer but to mimic the fact that he prayed, the attitude with which he prayed, and his ability to make a God-honoring confession of sin.  LORD help us in this time of crisis!

Dan. 9:5-15, Meeting the Present Crisis (7)

b)    The confession of Daniel, v5-15. 

i)      This is the heart of Daniel's prayer.  We have considered Daniel’s view of God.  But there is another thing to consider about Daniel’s confession and that is his view of sin.  I have noticed this in some of the “Psalms of confession” (e.g. Ps. 51) where the repentant one uses many terms and phrases to describe the sin that was committed.  These people are not just blowing smoke, trying to make God think they are really sorry.  That, of course, is a ridiculous thought.  Their words indicate they understand not only their sin but the effect of their sin in their relationship with God, in the nation, and in their own lives.  We can meditate on these things and come to understand the terrible effect of our own sin(s).  Sin is...

(1)                        v5: (Sin) Missing the mark. (v15,16).  That is the meaning of the Hebrew term and also the Greek term in the New Testament. 

(2)                        Iniquity: perversity, moral evil. (v16).  This term also brings in the fact of “guilt.”  Whether we feel it or not (in our society, it’s all about feeling; get rid of the guilt feeling), we are accountable to God and have failed to live up to that accountability.  We are guilty, deserving of punishment.

(3)                        Wickedness: badness, evil nature. (v15).  Our sin is part of the general sinfulness of humanity.  Humanity is primarily “wicked” and what we have done is to contribute to that judgment.

(4)                        Rebellion: resistance or defiance to authority. (v9).  When we sin we have exerted our will against God’s will.

(5)                        Turning aside from God's commands.  Of necessity, when we rebel, we find that we have departed from God’s commands.

(6)                        v6: Failure to heed the prophets.  This was true in Israel; they had rejected the words of the men God had sent to warn them and call them to repentance.  God has and is sending His servants into this world to preach the gospel.  The greatest sin is the failure to accept that message, and those who do will be held accountability. 

(a) Let me add a thought.  A friend and I were talking the other day about Jonah, that he did everything he could not to preach God’s call to repentance in Nineveh.  We found it interesting that the Ninevites repented, having heard the message from a not-so-committed prophet.  That is not, and should not be, the standard.  But it reminds us that what people need is God’s message, the call to Christ.

(7)                        v7: Unfaithfulness to God.  This word can be translated trespass but speaks of a treacherous act, where we go against our word.  Sin does just that!  As Daniel says, “shame of face” belongs to us for our sin.

Psalm 119:105-112 Nun: Shine the light of God’s word on your daily path.

Life’s afflictions can be so unrelenting, so difficult.  It seems the Psalmist emphasizes this in this stanza.  He is afflicted “very much” (107).  Fear for his life is constant (109).  Those who afflict him are unmerciful (110).  In the context provided by the opening verse, we can say that he feels he is in the darkest of dark nights.

Several years ago, my wife and I got caught out at night on a trail in Montana.  We had been able to see our way through open areas in the fading light.  But when we entered a thickly forested area; it was pitch black.  We had to spend the night on the trail until morning light.  It would have been good if I had done what I tell others to do: always take a flashlight!  It’s a no-brainer.

Likewise, there are times when we feel as if we are in a dense forest of affliction.  We lose our sense of direction.  We feel we must go on, and yet the darkness is so intense all we can do is wait it out.  Unless, of course, we have had the foresight to pack along a flashlight. 

The Psalmist has his flashlight.  It is the word of God (105).  He is committed to walk in the light (106) to the end of his journey (112).

It is important to note what the Word does for God’s people when they are in the darkness.  They are able to see both their feet and the path they walk.  It reveals to us the exact place we are now in our pilgrimage. 

To use the hiking metaphor again might help us to understand the blessing of the Word.  When hiking it helps to have a map that informs us of the entire journey, as well as a compass to give us our bearings.  These give the big picture.  Every now and then along the way, we may stop for rest and look ahead to see where we are headed.  But then, when we begin again to walk, our eyes must have their main focus on where our feet are at that moment on the trail.  Otherwise, we stumble.  If it is dark, we lose our way, and our situation becomes impossible.

We often liken God’s word to a map and a compass, and that it is.  But it also sheds light on the immediate situation.  How vital it is that His word be part of our daily walk.  How important it is that God’s word be hidden in our hearts and fresh in our minds, so that we have His light for every step along the way.

Dan. 9:14-16; Ps. 51:12-17, Meeting the Present Crisis (6)

Again, what about God is praiseworthy when we come to Him in our crisis?

(v)   His compassion & forgiveness. v9,18.  These are together in v9, and then the first term is repeated in v18.  “Compassion” is a Hebrew term (raham), in the masculine gender, that means literally “womb.”  Now before you get upset, given the sad state of affairs in the confusion of men and women in our society, let me explain.  This is what Paul meant in 1 Thess. 2:7: But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.  Daniel is pleading with God to do something we tend to think mothers (who like fathers are created in the image of God) are best at displaying.  She will discipline her child but never disown her child.  This is powerfully illustrated in Ps. 51 where David is confessing his great sin and pleading for forgiveness.  In the very first verse he too asks for God’s mercy “according to the multitude of Your tender mercies (raham).”  David prayed that God would cleanse him and deliver him from guilt (51:7,14), and his only sacrifice was a “broken and a contrite heart” (51:16-17).  This is how Daniel comes to God.  He can only plead God’s compassion.  He has no other standing. 

(vi)                        His previous deliverance. v15.  Here is another important item of praise for God when we come to Him.  We must not forget when we know that God has done this before for us.  Daniel “reminds” God of the “exodus” from Egypt.  This does two things.  It recognizes our true sinfulness, that we are “often” in need of God’s deliverance.  And second, it acknowledges that God is fully capable of deliverance.  As Daniel says, You made yourself a name, as it is this day when You brought us out of Egypt. 

(vii)                     His glory. v15.  Again, especially when our crisis is something we made for ourselves, we must acknowledge God’s glory, which Daniel does by recognizing God’s great “name” that goes back to the deliverance from Egypt.  Our sin hurts us.  But worse, it causes others to shame our God because we, those who call Him “my God,” have shamed Him through our disobedience.  He created us for His glory.  In times of confession, as well as through our works of service, our motive must be pure: whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). 

Application: Praise is first the recognition of God for who He is.  Thanksgiving recognizes what He has done.  As we come to God in our crisis, let us be serious about “praise.”  It must come first because the requests depend on the “perfections of God.”  How can we ask for forgiveness if He cannot do that.  But when we recognize His mercy and compassion it will embolden us in prayer.  Serious prayer is benefited by serious Bible study on the character of God!

Dan. 9:3-4; Rom. 3:21-26, Meeting the Present Crisis (5)

We are meditating on Daniel’s praise for His God.

(ii)   His mercy, v4.  It makes perfect sense that in the same verse that Daniel worships God for being “great and fearful,” he also worships God for His mercy.  In this praise Daniel is quoting from Ex. 20:6. That is how we can grow in the knowledge of God: seeing how God describes Himself.  In Exodus it is God speaking after giving the first two of the Ten Commandments.  You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image.  The LORD then reminds Israel He is a “jealous” God, but also showing mercy to those who love Him and keep His commands.  This is important in the context of Daniel’s prayer.  “Mercy” is chesed, the term often translated “lovingkindness,” referring to God’s general goodness to His people.  That goodness is based in God’s covenant relationship with His people, as Daniel also notes.  God made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants.  The goodness/mercy of God was to be enjoyed as those people loved Him (Deut. 6:4-5) and kept His commands (Deut. 6:6-9).  So pay attention: Daniel’s prayer is full of the knowledge of God’s word!

(iii)                        His faithfulness. v4,12.  The beginning of the prayer speaks of God’s faithfulness in that He keeps His covenant and the promise of goodness associated with that covenant.  We like that aspect of God’s faithfulness, don’t we.  He keeps His promises of goodness.  But do we praise God for His faithfulness in His promises to judge and to chasten His people.  That is the point of v12.  Quite often, our crisis is of our own making.  It is the result of sin.  Do we exalt God when He faithfully brings great hardships on us because of the path of evil we choose.

(iv)                     His righteousness. v7,14,16.  As always, in a prayer of confession, we must come to the place where we fully praise God for His righteousness.  Dealing with the “crises” in our lives will always require accountability on our own part, taking responsibility when we confess our sins.  Often, the easiest escape from accountability is to blame God for our problems.  In fact, the only way to deal with the crises is to rely on God, which begins by recognizing that He has been, is and will be righteous in everything.  Daniel does this. “O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face …the LORD our God is righteous in all the works which He does … O LORD, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away.”  Note the huge point here.  How can God turn away His anger and maintain His righteousness?  Only if SOMEONE satisfies God’s righteousness.  Daniel is asking for Jesus (Rom. 3:21-26)!