Isaiah 28 “Trusting God or man in times of crisis” Jay Wegter
Introduction: true spirituality is a matter of taking refuge in God. For, it is God’s unbending justice against our sin that drives us to His mercy which He offers us in Christ. According to Hebrews chapter six, the Lord Jesus Christ is the ‘city of refuge’ for the believing sinner. In His parable about building upon sand or rock, our Savior proclaimed that only those who hear His words (believe) and act upon them are building upon a foundation of rock—which alone will allow a person to pass safely through death and judgment (Mt 7:24-27).
Thus, to believe the gospel is to take refuge in Messiah. Saved people are those who take refuge in Christ, unbelievers take refuge in other things. In the Psalms alone, the word ‘refuge’ is used more than 40 times. Refuge is such an effective word for active, ongoing trust in God.
In the Psalms, those who trust God as their refuge are said to be glad, to anticipate the goodness stored up for them, to experience God’s lovingkindness, to engage in praise and singing to God, to frequently wait upon God, and to regard the Lord to be their Rock, Shield, Portion, Defender, and Stronghold.
Trust honors God because it treats Him as He truly is: trustworthy. Trusting is not easy, especially when our circumstances appear to contradict a promise of God. Trusting God pulls us out of our cherished plans, defense mechanisms, and comfort zones. When we trust Him unconditionally, we can feel very vulnerable, exposed—out on a limb with God, leveraged upon Him. “Lord, I am counting on you to come through!”
Trust in God’s promises form the heartbeat of our walk with God. For the Lord calls forth fresh faith from us, assuring us that He will fulfill every gospel promise He has made. Let’s be honest, this can create a veritable ‘storm’ in our souls, for we are often haunted by our past stumblings, as if they define us, or limit what God can do.
Brethren, this is why we need the lessons of the book of Isaiah. Those threats and empires of Isaiah’s day, 2700 year ago are long gone. But, God does not change. Thus, we should expect that we, the people of God today, need to learn the same lessons of faith that God’s people did back then.
Your source of trust, your source of refuge right now, this moment is a watershed issue. In our text this morning, the apostate Jews that made up Isaiah’s audience were characterized by not making God their refuge. “Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The lovingkindness of God endures all day long. Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor, O worker of deceit. You love evil more than good, falsehood more than speaking what is right. You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue. But God will break you down forever; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent, and uproot you from the land of the living. The righteous will see and fear, and will laugh at him, saying, “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and was strong in his evil desire’” (Ps 52:1-7).
I. Two crowns (28:1-6). What are we proud of?
A. The pride of Ephraim trampled by Assyria (vv. 1-4). The capital city of Samaria sat at the head of a lengthy fertile valley. And the beauty of this area was pictured as a crown, or ornamental wreath (but it would ultimately be trampled by the Assyrian invasion).
All the way back in Deuteronomy (ch. 8), God had warned that bumper crops can produce wayward hearts if the Israelites were not careful to honor God in all things. The additional discretionary time won by their economic success should have been plowed into service to the Lord and more deliberate training of children in the fear of the Lord. But, now in Isaiah’s day, the blessings of God were being thrown away through the abuse of alcohol. Their loose living revealed their contempt for God.
Isaiah addresses the leaders of the drink-sodden city with a series of divine threats—that their intemperance, rashness, cruelty, and sluggishness would result in a sudden ‘storm’ of destruction (the Assyrian threat). Fertility as temporal as a ripe fig.
The boasting pride of the inhabitants of Ephraim was a telltale sign that what we boast in, we ultimately trust in. God answers their arrogance with the blessed truth that He Himself if the true crown of a faithful man or woman (in this case the remnant whom He will save and preserve).
B. The glory of the remnant empowered by God (vv. 5-6). The drunken prophets, priests, and judges, the leaders of Israel, were not clear-headed enough to fulfill their administrative roles. They lacked insight and common reason; they were ripe for judgment.
But, at the end of the age, when God ushers in the Messianic kingdom, the Lord Himself will be the wise Judge (Is 11). The Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory to His people (Jer 9:23-24). The redeemed will be adorned with God Himself (see the promises to overcomers in Revelation chapters 2-3).
The truly saved gladly identify with the reproach of a rejected Savior (Heb 1313-15ff.). He is their true treasure (Mt 13:43-46).
II. Two ‘hiding places’ (28:7-22). Where are we taking refuge?
A. Degraded leaders insensitive to God’s Word (vv. 7-8). What folly it is to fight against God’s strokes of discipline. For, Scripture states that His discipline is ultimately that He might purify us so that we will eternally share in His holiness (Heb 12:10).
There is reason to believe that verses 7-8 are the record of an actual encounter that Isaiah had with drunken Jewish leaders. The graphic description here of their intoxicated state shows that had abandoned dignity and self-control; and shame had filled its place.
B. God’s simple message rejected; the mockers will be ‘schooled’ (vv. 9-13). Isaiah repeats back to them their insolent response to God’s message. They had treated the Word of the Lord through the prophet as too childlike, too simplistic. Calvin notes; “God appears to be a Barbarian to them because they did not have spiritual ears to hear.” If they will not listen to God’s prophet, then they will hear the unintelligible stammering of their Assyrian invaders (v. 11). Egypt had offered protection, “You can count on us.” They had signed a treaty with the Egyptians, their former captors. They placed their trust in their foreign policy, and assured themselves they could produce peace in their times.
As a consequence, they were deaf to the voice of God in His Word. Almighty God was not real to their hearts. They were trusting in the frailty of man. V. 13 -- Their covenant would prove to be a covenant with death. Their fate was sealed the moment they decided to trust this demon-worshipping idolatrous nation instead of God.
V. 12 -- Now God’s call to them to rest in His safety and refuge bears a great deal of resemblance to Matthew 11:28-29. “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.” The Word of God is designed to soothe our weariness, our uneasy and perplexed consciences. When God’s promises of rest are rejected, there is fear, trembling of conscience, bewilderment, loss of sound judgment, uneasiness. We should pray, “Lord, shine on me by your Word, dispose my heart to obedience.”
For the gospel will only be of aid to us if we respond to the Lord’s testimony in faith and obedience.
C. The plans of scoffing leaders will fail (vv. 14-15). Rejecting the Word of God, and confidence in self go hand in hand. They boasted that the scourge would not touch them, but their hiding places were a lie and falsehood. Isaiah shows us the tragedy of unreality with God (treating God as if He does not hold reality in His hands).
Any shelter that rejects God’s care and trustworthiness is a refuge of lies. These leaders imagined that by their cunning their plan would succeed and God’s Word would fail. They are called scoffers because they have thrown out all fear of God (promising self they would escape punishment). Their crimes made them even more daring—they fearlessly despised God’s threats.
The application for us is quite pointed: when tested, we are to accept God’s answers, surrender control, and keep pace with His timing. Sin is the real enemy. God is saying, ‘take refuge in Me’—you can face the reality of your guilt; My mercy is for those who acknowledge their guilt and repent of their sin. I will show you how I can forgive a sinner through Christ.
D. God our true refuge; He has laid the foundation stone in Zion (v. 16). Here God declares the true basis of Israel’s safety. God lays the foundation stone in Zion. Life in the City of God is trust in Christ Jesus. Trust Him always and you won’t be scurrying about exploring schemes of self-salvation. Our strategies of self-salvation never work. They result in restlessness, compulsiveness, and frustration.
V. 16 – is a comfort to the godly in opposition to the insolence of the reprobate. For in v. 16, God’s emphatic declaration is to be firmly believed. Israel’s apostasy will not interrupt God’s redemptive plan (1 Cor 3:11). Christ the cornerstone supports the weight of the building, as the cornerstone He ties the walls together and determines the design of the building, His Church. Those who trust Him will not be ashamed (put to shame, disappointed) (Rom 9:33; 10:10). They will not wander in uncertainty, running to other remedies. They are fully satisfied with this alone.
‘Til we have faith in Christ, we have a continual level of perplexity and distress (haunted by the unknown). The Lord is our one safe and secure harbor.
He is our peace and serenity; our peace with God (Rom 5:1). God the Father gave Christ, our faith must be wholly applied to Christ, for He is the whole foundation. His glory is that upon Him the vastness of God’s redemptive plan rests. But, faith in God’s infinite goodness in giving Christ is the issue.
Thus, Christ the cornerstone is a stone of stumbling; He is truly a stone of trial. For, His very Person and work tries (tests, examines) the support that each individual relies upon. Ungrateful people stumble over Him because they reject that He is given by the Father. “For this is contained in Scripture: ‘BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.’ This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,’ and, ‘A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE’; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed (1 Pet 2:6-8).
E. Man’s false trust exposed; God’s “strange” work activated (vv. 17-22). The false foundations of the worldly wise will be violently swept away. Judah’s treaty will prove to be a false refuge. A ‘covenant with death’—Assyria will not treat Judah as an ally, but as a subjugated foe. Amidst Assyria’s dreadful campaign Egypt will not come to their aid. Reliance upon Egypt is a substitute for faith in God. The scoffing leaders were not guiding the people into godliness, but were boasting that the scourge would not touch them.
The Lord responds to each of their boasts: their covenant with death will be annulled (v. 18). Their lie will be swept away (v. 17). The scourge will defeat them. The flood of wave after wave of the Assyrian hordes will penetrate all false hiding places. All loftiness will be cast down; these scoffers will be dragged out of their lurking places and stripped of their empty confidence (‘unconquerable soul’ factor, Psalm 10).
V. 20 -- They have made their bed, and they must occupy it. What should be rest has become an implement of torture. The bed is too short and the blanket too small. That is a fitting analogy or picture of trusting false gods. V. 21 -- Destruction will sweep down in the very places in Canaan in which God had in former times defeated their enemies, the Philistines at the time of David. Therefore, stop mocking God’s message given by His servant by the Lord God
Almighty. The message is clear: God will fight for those who trust Him, but He will fight against those who refuse Him.
By these events of coming judgment, these reprobate scorners will be compelled to acknowledge, ‘God is my Judge’ ‘I cannot ward off calamity by my cleverness.’ ‘I cannot escape the punishment my wickedness deserves.’ How this instructs us to heed the command in Isaiah 55:6: “Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.” Brethren, there are seasons in which the Lord is dealing with us. We must be responsive, and trust His ways, the paths He takes with us.
III. Two outcomes (28:23-29). Can we trust God’s ways with us?
A. God’s work of “plowing” is purposeful (vv. 23-26). Each of these methods of harvesting specific crops (beating, clubbing, crushing, threshing, grinding) alludes to some pain (note Hebrews 12). There is a specific method for each crop. And, if a peasant farmer has the wisdom given by God in how to harvest each crop so that it is edible, how much more are God’s ways filled with wisdom and wonder. For, in His magnificent wisdom, He is a Master Farmer.
B. God’s methods of “crushing” are appropriate (vv. 27-29). He does not judge and chastise endlessly. There are seasons for His work which He regulates. He is purifying and refining His people that He may ultimately bring them into His barn. Thus, the wisdom of God calls for reverencing His hidden judgments and counsels—acknowledging His goodness in praise to Him in the smallest and greatest affairs.
A peasant farmer has the knowledge of harvesting each type of crop by a particular method, without damaging it. Our God does not send endless disruptions in our lives, He ordains enough to break up the rock-hard soil in areas of our hearts that He might plant new life there. His purpose is always to enrich us spiritually. WE must yield to Him, for “His counsel is wonderful and His wisdom is great” (v. 29).
Conclusion: Christ’s Person, His dignity, preeminence, divinity, humility, love, and perfect finished cross-work of redemption make Him the cornerstone foundation of His church. He is the cornerstone of God’s glorious plan to redeem sinners. Christ is our ‘city of refuge’ to whom we have fled for mercy and grace. And, regarding this ‘fleeing’ to Christ for refuge; our consciences rightly tell us that we are not what we ought to be. Our sins deserve to be punished. As to this desperate condition of legal guilt before God, the Holy Spirit convicts those He draws of their dire situation. The Spirit presses upon our consciences that we must stand before a holy God, but we do not possess holiness. His convicting work breaks up all of our apathy about God and eternity. For the Law of God demands justice be meted out to law-breakers. The Law of God is the great avenger of God’s honor which we have trampled and bruised by our sinning. Like an investigating marshal, the Law of God issues a warrant for our arrest and trial, and pursues us. My friends, this is why believing sinners have fled to Christ for refuge (refuge from the wrath and punishment their sins deserve). Christ is the gracious source of holiness for those who have none. In Him is righteousness, pardon, cleansing, covering, acceptance.
Now those who have taken eternal refuge in Christ have not found Him on their own (they did not find Him as savvy consumers). No, they freely acknowledge that they were found by Christ; He did the seeking and the saving. Therefore, they are overflowing with gratitude for His grace which effectually called them to the Savior. Those who have Christ as their refuge are a blood-bought, peculiar people for the Lord’s own possession according to Titus 2:14. They no longer belong to themselves (‘not your own, but bought with a price’). Their salvation is not like an insurance policy tucked away in a safe deposit box somewhere. No, their salvation is adoption into the family of God by the Lord of the universe. So, if according to Holy Scripture, this is the nature of true salvation, it would be wise for you to examine your own heart today. Can you say in all honesty, “Lord, by the work of Christ, you have taken possession of me, I am not my own. Christ is my life and my refuge. With all my heart, I desire to live as your possession, giving myself back to you daily in overflowing gratitude. I hate my sin, and it is my purpose to live in obedience to your Word by the power of the Spirit.” That is the heart cry of a true believer. If these holy desires do not describe you, may I advise you to cry out to the Lord and plead with Him to have mercy upon you, enabling you to flee to Christ for refuge.