Isaiah 28:11-20
Isa 28:11
For with stammering lips and another tongue will he
speak to this people.
In the law it is written, With men of other
tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will
they not hear me, saith the Lord. (1 Corinthians 14:21)
An interesting insertion is made by Paul under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit which seemingly has nothing to do with the flow
of discourse in Chapter 14. Paul makes reference to Isaiah 28:11-12 which was a
warning to Jerusalem.
{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.
(Isaiah 28:11-12)
Judah rejected the words of God’s prophets which were
sent to them in their own language and now judgment was to come on them. The
vehicle of judgment God used were the fierce Babylonians who spoke in a
different language or tongue. What
must be transferred from the Babylonian epic is the principle God is
enunciating, which is the fact that judgment did happen. Now what does that have
to do with tongues? Let’s see. The fact that God mentions the destruction of
Judah in conjunction with the church must be seriously considered. There is
nothing written in the Bible incidentally, ALL has a reason for being there.
As Paul continually brings to light that edification of
the people is more important than tongues, this teaching must be factored into
the equation. When a person walks into a church where people are speaking in
tongues, they are not edified but confused. Since God is not the author of
confusion, the confusion of tongues in the modern church must be of different
origin.
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as
in all churches of the saints. (1 Corinthians 14:33)
The event of tongues in the modern church causes
divisions which means it cannot be of God. The awesome principle which God is
transferring from the Babylonian captivity of Judah to the church is that the
judgment of God is on all those churches which have willingly accepted tongues
as part of their spiritual composition. Those churches who accept tongues have
widened their authority from the Bible alone to the Bible plus! The same
principle applies to the church as it did to Judah. Why? Look at the following
verse which the charismatics always misuse to foster their tongues belief.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for
ever. (Hebrews 13:8) Jesus is the
Great I Am of Sinai and the Great I Am does not tolerate disobedience nor
spiritual fornication, whether yesterday, today, or tomorrow. Many churches have
rejected the Bible as their sole authority which was written in their own
language resulting in God judging them by the vehicle of other tongues. "Other
tongues" is the Greek word "heteroglossos" and this is the only place in the New
Testament this word is used.
Those churches which have widened their authority are
false churches. They are under the judgment of God and have had their
candlestick removed.
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and
repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will
remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. (Revelation 2:5)
One of the most devastating verses in the Bible which is
aimed at the corporate church is Revelation 3:3:
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and
hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as
a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. (Revelation
3:3)
This verse states the Lord Jesus Christ will visit a
church in judgment and that church will be unaware of the moment they went from
being a true church to a false church. When a church accepts tongues normally
the other false signs will follow which I have already listed. It is these which
cause a church to go from true to false. This is the primary reason God placed
verse 21 in the midst of the tongues discourse. It is a testing program for the
church to see whether they will remain faithful to the Scriptures or will seek
other revelations which will cause it to become adulterous. If they fail the
test, they become a false church and you must leave quickly.
Just as Judah did not accept the plain words of the
prophets in their language, they continued to remain disobedient until the time
they were removed from the land.
When the Babylonians came and spoke a different language than Hebrew, it was
this prophecy of Isaiah which came true as it was a fulfilled judgment of God
and this must also be a warning to the churches of today, if they reject the
Bible in plain English and accept gibberish as some type of word from God, then
this gives evidence they are under judgment.
Isa 28:12
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.
The massage of Isaiah was to bring a warning to the
people along with a sense of rest and security if they changed their ways but
they refused to listen because they were secure in their belief that they were
God’s people and nothing would happen to them.
They also refused to listen because they were a nation of drunks.
A drunk will not listen until they hit absolute bottom.
This is also a warning to the modern church that they must not turn a
deaf ear to those in the congregation who see the church going in a wrong
direction. God gives rest to his
people when they are in obedience to him and his word but once the warnings from
scripture are rejected, then the church will lose its place among the
candlesticks as many have already.
Isa 28:13
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.
Even though they would not hear the words of the LORD
which were made simple and plain to them, they would still hear it and the more
they heard it, the more they were rejecting it and as a result they would
continue in their sin to the point they would fall backward which was an
indicator they were under the judgment of God.
They would be broken which means they would be crushed under their sin.
They would be snared as an animal which is caught in a trap and then they
would be taken or seized which would happen to them when Babylon comes marching
into Jerusalem.
I want to reveal a truth in this scripture which is
happening in the modern church today.
It is a false phenomenon called “Slain in the Spirit” which has been
around for a while but nevertheless it is unscriptural and ungodly.
When this event happens a person falls backward into the arms of another
so there will be no injury. Concerning the so-called spiritual benefit someone
derives from it, I do not know what is gained. What I do know is that this event
has nothing whatsoever to do with the reception of the Holy Spirit or propelling
someone into a deeper relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
In fact, if we trace the actions involved with this
activity in the Scriptures, we will see that falling backward is not a stepping
stone into a deeper life but it is a sign of the judgment of God. The desire for
signs and wonders in the contemporary church is pandemic. Jesus seriously warns
us about the seeking of signs and wonders in Matthew 12:38-40:
38 Then certain of the scribes and of the
Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39
But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh
after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the
prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the
whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the
heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:38-40)
These passages pull no punches as it states that anyone
who seeks a sign is evil and adulterous. First, they are evil because they seek
to put God to the test. Secondly, they are adulterous because signs and wonders
adulterate the purity and true meaning of the gospel. In our day there are
literally millions who think they are in right relationship with God because of
supernatural events like our topic but are heading straight for hell because
they are evil and adulterous. This speaks of spiritual adultery which is as
sinful as physical adultery.
As we will see, in the Bible, falling backward is always
associated with some type of judgment, which in itself is a strong warning of
the final judgment in Revelation 20. The following Scripture passages shed light
on falling backward:
And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of
God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his
neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged
Israel forty years. (1 Samuel 4:18)
As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they
went backward, and fell to the ground. (John 18:6)
These are two actual, historical events which show us
that falling backward is a judgment.
God also uses the word "backward" in conjunction with
sin and rebellion.
Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path,
that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. (Genesis
49:17)
Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my
soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.
(Psalm 70:2)
Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed
of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they
have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
(Isaiah 1:4)
But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but
walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went
backward, and not forward. (Jeremiah 7:24)
Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone
backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I
am weary with repenting. (Jeremiah 15:6)
Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is
removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her
nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward. (Lamentations 1:8)
Other verses which illuminate this teaching are found
in: Gen. 19:26; Psalm 53:3; Luke 9:62; 17:32; Acts 7:39; Hebrews 10:38-39. In
all these verses, back or backward is directly related to judgment. Those who
believe they are being slain in the spirit are actually under the judgment of
God. Satan comes as an angel of light and we must be aware of his counterfeit
gospels.
Isa 28:14
Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men,
that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
The leaders in Judah have mocked and treated Isaiah with
contempt because of his warnings to them.
Now he specifically addresses these leaders and they are to hearken to
what he has to say because the words come from the LORD and not him.
King Hezekiah was not among the scornful but men like Shebna was and the
other magistrates who ruled were now going to receive a solemn warning from the
LORD. The word “scornful” means
“mocker or derider.”
Isa 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:
Judah was confident that there would be no consequence
to their actions as they have made a covenant with death and hell.
It was like they were saying that they were immune to consequences for
their actions. They also made a
covenant with Egypt to fight against Assyria but that only ended in death as
Assyria was too powerful for both of them and it would be their destruction.
They believed that the coming judgment of God would pass them by but they
did not realize that it was aimed at them.
They created all kinds of false beliefs and lies and actually started to
believe them. Their lies had so
convinced them that they would not suffer any judgment.
Today we have the same scenario as unsaved man creates lies and
falsehoods and then begins to build on those lies thinking they will never have
any accountability for their actions.
Many today are saying there is no God.
What they are really saying is that they hope there is no God.
When a wicked man dieth,
his expectation shall perish:
and the hope of unjust men
perisheth. (Proverbs 11:7)
Isa 28:16
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.
Since Judah had built themselves upon lies, God is now
revealing to them what his plans are to give them real hope and deliver them
from lies which can only be their everlasting destruction.
Here is a prophecy of the coming Messiah which the people can have true
hope on. The words “I lay” in the
Hebrew carries with it the meaning of “establish.”
The foundation of truth and salvation will be the Lord Jesus Christ who
is compared to a stone.
And the rain descended, and the floods
came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was
founded upon a rock. (Matthew 7:25)
The Lord Jesus Christ is the rock upon which salvation and hope are
founded in comparison to those who build their lives on a false foundation of
sand. He will be a “tried stone”
which means that he will live a life which can be proven or examined and will
not come up wanting as false religions are wanting.
Then he shall be called the “precious corner stone.”
Wherefore also it is contained in
the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and
he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. (1 Peter 2:6)
A corner stone can also be considered the “foundation, base, or bedrock.”
The Lord Jesus Christ is the bedrock or foundation of the covenant of
grace and therefore those who are upon him will never be moved as Matthew 7:25
states. The word “sure” carries the
meaning of “established or set.”
Those that believe on him will not make haste which means that those who believe
God will realize that the promises of God are as good as if they are already
fulfilled and will wait for the ultimate fulfillment.
Jesus stated that Abraham longed to see his day but did not because Jesus
was born about 2,000 years later but Abraham did not try to hasten the timing
but trusted that God’s timing was always perfect.
Isa 28:17
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.
Judgment will be according to their sins.
The line was used to measure out lengths and whatever length they went to
sin, they would be judged accordingly.
Then righteousness would be doled out according to the plummet which is
used by builders to check the walls if they were built straight.
If the wall was determined that it was crooked, then the wall would have
to be torn down and rebuilt.
Judah’s refuge and hiding place was the lies and falsehoods they established and
were living under. God promises
that those lies will be exposed and those falsehoods will be shown for what they
are, fantasies. This is also what
will happen on Judgment Day. The
unsaved will be judged according to their sins no matter what false philosophies
they may have built upon to guide their lives.
Judgment day will expose all those lies and false belief systems for
exactly what they are.
Isa 28:18
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.
When Assyria comes through, they will be shown they are
not immune to the penalties for adopting false religions and the worship of
idols. They thought that they would
escape the coming troubles but they will experience it as some countries have
experienced tsunamis and they will not escape.
Just as they would experience the scourge of Assyria, Egypt in whom they
trusted would suffer the same fate.
Isa 28:19
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.
Since they thought that the Assyrian campaign would
bypass them and they would be safe, they will be in for a stark reality that
they will be one of the first groups to be conquered.
The siege will be one that would be continuous, both night and day until
the areas are conquered. The fact
is that the siege will be so bad that the reports they receive concerning the
Assyrian advance will cause much vexation which is a troubled trembling for what
is ahead for them. They will begin
to assess their situation and realize that an escape attempt is futile.
Isa 28:20
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.