The Folly of God’s Way to the Self-Reliant • 07.07.24
The Folly of God’s Way to the Self-Reliant
Isaiah 28
Learning to trust that God’s ways are better than ours
- Consider the bitter fruit of man’s ways
- Taste and see the good fruit of God’s ways
- Hear and heed God’s call to repentance
Good morning church family! Have I told you how thankful I am for you? If not, I will say it today. I am thankful for you! It is sweet to be back with you again after a family vacation to Florida. As Dorothy famously said, “There is no place like home!” And this church family is our home. I’m glad to be worshiping the Lord with you this morning.
I also want to share a reason to rejoice! Last month we took in special giving to support one of our missionary friends who is doing work in a closed country overseas. Due to your generosity, we were able to send $8,169 to support this work of training up pastors and making disciples in countries that are hostile to the Gospel! Praise God for that! We’re also looking forward to High Five Camp this coming week, as we have the opportunity to share God’s Word with 115 kiddos – please be praying for that endeavor.
Ushers + Bibles (Isaiah 28; page __)
For those who are new, my name is Nick Lees and I have the privilege of serving as one of the pastors at Harvest. I also get to lead us in our study of God’s Word this morning. We have been working our way through the incredible book of Isaiah this year. By no means has this been an easy or light read, but for those who have been here this year, I hope you will agree that it has been a valuable and timely study. As we will continue to hear today, God’s Word is timeless in the truth it contains. The struggles of Israel and Judah are repeated in our nation and in our own lives. And the reality of God’s character and wonderful sovereignty are still true and relevant today.
We are not gathered to read an old history book, though what we read is historical. We are gathered to read from the living and active Word of God. As the author of Hebrews states, this Word is sharper than any two-edged sword and it pierces us and reveals our deepest thoughts and desires. It exposes us, which is quite uncomfortable and even humiliating at times! But it does so that we might not continue down the path of sin that leads to death but rather walk in the way of faith and truth that leads to life.
There is no denying that each one of us is tempted to think, “I know best.” It is an ever-present temptation for humans. “I know what is best for my life. I’m going to live the way I want. I don’t care what so-and-so says, I want my way!” Even if so-and-so is the Creator God of the Universe…
This is not a new struggle in our day and age. This has been the age-old struggle of humanity since the beginning. We strive for self-reliance and independence, even though God has told us that we are created, dependent beings. In our pride, we do not want to agree with God that it is only in Him that we live and move and have our being. We do not want to have to admit reliance on anyone or anything! Yet, as Isaiah has already shown us, and will continue to show us today, self-reliance (aka pride) is a foolish way to think and live.
Living in self-reliance positions you against God. Those who want to do it “my” way are inherently saying that they do not want to do it “God’s” way. Choose to live according to “your” way long enough and it will lead you to mock and scoff at God’s way. God’s way becomes utter nonsense and complete foolishness to you. We see this on display all around us in our own nation today. And, if we look inwards, we are likely to see it happening in our own hearts on a regular basis. Today’s Word in Isaiah is for all of us. Let’s turn our attention to the text now.
If you were here last week, you heard a rather hopeful message from Pastor Jack. The promise of the Lord is a fruit-filled world. Which is a very helpful reminder of where God is taking everything in the end. He has an eternal plan of redemption that he is working out and nothing will stop him from accomplishing it. In fact, the final few verses of chapter 27 spoke of a future day when God would gather in his people from the nations, and they would come and worship the Lord at Jerusalem. It was a beautiful, hope-filled promise for the future!
Chapter 28 brings us back to the sobering reality of Isaiah’s day, where Israel and Judah’s disobedience invites God’s discipline. This chapter begins a series of “six woes” that carry through chapter 35, as the people continue to put their trust in their own plans and in the foreign nations around them, rather than the One, True God. I know this is not easy reading, and I hope that you will not tune out. Just like the Israelites, we need to hear and heed God’s call to repentance and trust that His ways are better than ours, lest we face the same outcome. This is a message of the utmost importance for us, and those we call neighbors, co-workers, family and friends. Let’s listen to what God has to say:
Isaiah 28:1–29 (ESV)
Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,
and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong;
like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest,
like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters,
he casts down to the earth with his hand.
3 The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim
will be trodden underfoot;
4 and the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
which is on the head of the rich valley,
will be like a first-ripe fig before the summer:
when someone sees it, he swallows it
as soon as it is in his hand.
5 In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory,
and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,
6 and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7 These also reel with wine
and stagger with strong drink;
the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink,
they are swallowed by wine,
they stagger with strong drink,
they reel in vision,
they stumble in giving judgment.
8 For all tables are full of filthy vomit,
with no space left.
9 “To whom will he teach knowledge,
and to whom will he explain the message?
Those who are weaned from the milk,
those taken from the breast?
10 For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.”
11 For by people of strange lips
and with a foreign tongue
the Lord will speak to this people,
12 to whom he has said,
“This is rest;
give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”;
yet they would not hear.
13 And the word of the Lord will be to them
precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little,
that they may go, and fall backward,
and be broken, and snared, and taken.
14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers,
who rule this people in Jerusalem!
15 Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
and with Sheol we have an agreement,
when the overwhelming whip passes through
it will not come to us,
for we have made lies our refuge,
and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;
16 therefore thus says the Lord God,
“Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion,
a stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
17 And I will make justice the line,
and righteousness the plumb line;
and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”
18 Then your covenant with death will be annulled,
and your agreement with Sheol will not stand;
when the overwhelming scourge passes through,
you will be beaten down by it.
19 As often as it passes through it will take you;
for morning by morning it will pass through,
by day and by night;
and it will be sheer terror to understand the message.
20 For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on,
and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in.
21 For the Lord will rise up as on Mount Perazim;
as in the Valley of Gibeon he will be roused;
to do his deed—strange is his deed!
and to work his work—alien is his work!
22 Now therefore do not scoff,
lest your bonds be made strong;
for I have heard a decree of destruction
from the Lord God of hosts against the whole land.
23 Give ear, and hear my voice;
give attention, and hear my speech.
24 Does he who plows for sowing plow continually?
Does he continually open and harrow his ground?
25 When he has leveled its surface,
does he not scatter dill, sow cumin,
and put in wheat in rows
and barley in its proper place,
and emmer as the border?
26 For he is rightly instructed;
his God teaches him.
27 Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge,
nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin,
but dill is beaten out with a stick,
and cumin with a rod.
28 Does one crush grain for bread?
No, he does not thresh it forever;
when he drives his cart wheel over it
with his horses, he does not crush it.
29 This also comes from the Lord of hosts;
he is wonderful in counsel
and excellent in wisdom.
Now I suspect that some of this text made sense to you, while other parts of it left you with lots of questions. That’s what happened to me as I studied it over the past couple of weeks. So, let’s work through it together. And as we do so, I want you to keep the goal in mind. Today we are…
Learning to trust that God’s ways are better than ours
This chapter gets off to a vivid start. The language in verses 1-4 uses repetition and comparison to draw your attention to the behavior of the proud, self-reliant people of Ephraim (Israel). They are described as drunkards wearing their proud crowns and fading flowers (think wreaths woven together on their heads). They were once beautiful, but now they are trodden underfoot. In comparison we are called to BEHOLD the LORD who has a conqueror at hand. One who will unleash a devastating torrent on the land completely overpowering and overthrowing the pomp and pride of men. Ephraim is said to be like a first-ripe fig, which when seen by someone passing by, picks and swallows it. That is how quick and immediate their destruction will be.
These verses are penned as a warning to those who would come after Ephraim. Listen and learn from their folly! Those who are self-exalting and self-sufficient will not prosper in the end. Their proud self-reliance will result in destruction at the hands of the Lord’s servant. Historically, this is speaking of the King of Assyria, who came and conquered Israel and took them into exile in 722 BC.
Already we are building a case for the foolishness of man’s ways. As we continue to move through this chapter, I want you to…
- Consider the bitter fruit of man’s ways
One of these bitter fruits is God’s judgment and opposition, which you’ve already begun to see in verses 1-4. This is tied directly to the people’s proud self-reliance. It was their refusal to trust God and walk in his ways that led to this disastrous outcome. Proud self-reliance is another bitter fruit of man’s ways.
I’ll come back to verses 5-6 later, but as we move into 7-8, another vivid and disgusting scene is put before us. The spiritual leaders of the nation are reeling and staggering with wine and strong drink. Again, notice the repetition that drives home the stumbling and bumbling behavior of these drunks. They are consumed by their passions. Instead of warning the people of the judgment to come and urging them to repent and be saved, they would rather live by the motto we heard back in chapter 22:13 – “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
They care more about their temporary pleasure than honoring God or helping the people they were supposed to lead. They are self-indulgent drunkards. Their vision is blurred, and their judgments skewed. Those who ought to be the voice of reason and righteousness have only filthy vomit to offer to the people. What a disgusting picture of spiritual neglect and fleshly indulgence.
Yet, notice that these people are still in their positions of spiritual authority and influence. Why in the world does the nation put up with them? Because they are just like them… One commentator I read had this fascinating connection to our own day and age…
These people somehow maintained their roles as prophets and priests within Judean society, but God rejected them. The putrid and disgusting aftermath of this drunken confusion is compared to a table completely covered with their vomit and filth. This is hardly a table where anyone would want to dine, and these are hardly the kind of leaders that anyone would want to follow.
Although the source of misguided spiritual information may be different today, many who claim to be spiritual leaders are just as confused and the food on their table looks and smells just as putrid. Nevertheless, some people are so blind that they do not realize that the nutritional value of the “spiritual food” they are fed is not much better than vomit. (NAC)
Yikes! Sinful leaders have a long history of taking advantage of unwise people. The blind following the blind into the pit.
This is the result of another one of the bitter fruits of man’s way – ungodly, self-indulgence – in this case highlighted in the spiritual leaders. Men or women who claim to represent the One, True God yet offer up nothing other than spiritual vomit to their congregations because they are focused on themselves. This happened in Isaiah’s day and it continues to happen in our day. A word of warning to us – be careful to whom you listen. You need to be like the Bereans of the New Testament, of whom it was said:
Acts 17:11 (ESV)
11 …they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Always vet what you’re being taught or hearing from others by the authority of God’s Word. This is our standard of truth, nothing else. Check what I say as well as what others are saying. And be willing to help your family/friends/neighbors/co-workers to wake up to the diet of spiritual vomit they are consuming. Many in our culture and community are deceived by false teachers who do not teach the counsel of God. We must not be ashamed of the truth. It is not judgmental to tell someone they are wrong when they are actually wrong! But do so from a posture of love and compassion, being willing to help them wrestle with the truth.
Unfortunately, as in Isaiah’s day, there are many who are scoffing. This is another bitter fruit of man’s ways. Many who mock and reject the words of the Lord. Who want nothing to do with his will and ways. This is what we see in verses 9 and following. The people of Isaiah’s day were not willing to hear his words of warning from God. They mocked him for it. They taunted him that his message was too simplistic and better suited for young children. While it is debated on what is being said by the repetition in verses 10 and 13 (“precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little”), it is possible that it not only meant the simplicity of his message but also that they were making it sound like baby babble.
To the self-reliant, God’s way seems foolish! Who wants to hear a message of future judgment against sin when you can live however you want here and now? *pause*
The proud, self-reliant fool. In Isaiah’s day and ours. It happens literally every single day in the lives of ordinary people. Perhaps it is happening in your life. Maybe you are here, and you have no desire to turn from your self-reliance and sinful ways to follow God. We all know that sin is enticing, otherwise it wouldn’t be tempting to do it. But do you realize the end of this path!? It leads to condemnation by God. This is no laughing matter. Listen again to Isaiah’s words in verses 11-12:
Isaiah 28:11–12 (ESV)
11 For by people of strange lips
and with a foreign tongue
the Lord will speak to this people,
12 to whom he has said,
“This is rest;
give rest to the weary;
and this is repose”;
yet they would not hear.
God had offered true rest and life to the people. Yet they rejected Him. And now they will face judgment at the hands of the Assyrians. They would go into exile, and it would be a miserable end to their life and entrance into an eternity of judgment. Tell me this: of what value is temporary pleasure in the face of eternal judgment? It is a fool’s trade-off to choose sin over salvation.
From these warnings, God then turns his attention and rebuke to the self-reliant, arrogant leaders of Judah in verses 14 and following. He has Isaiah take their words and change them to reflect what they are really saying. Their self-reliant choice to trust in Egypt is really a covenant with death and an agreement with Sheol (the place of the dead). They have made lies their refuge and taken shelter in falsehood – meaning they are deceiving themselves by pretending it will all work out in the end. Essentially saying, “Disobeying God is no big deal. Trusting in other things will work out just fine. I can live however I want and nothing bad will come of it.”
These days we aren’t typically tempted to trust in a foreign nation for deliverance. But we do turn to plenty of other things. In our day these lies might sound like, “You just have to be your true self.” Or “My truth says there is no god, and I can live however I want.” Or “A loving god would not condemn anyone. I will be fine in the end.” Or “God is proud of who you are. And so are we.” That last one is a literal sign I saw in an advertisement from a so-called church during Pride Month. These are statements I hear all the time in our culture, but what about within the walls of our own church?
In a church like ours, it might look like putting your hope in your good works – “I’m doing the right things, therefore I’m good with God.” Or in making excuses about why you’re too busy to draw near to God in his Word or prayer. “It’s a busy season at work! Life is hectic with the kids’ schedules. I was up late and ran out of time for it. I had so many other things on my mind that I just forgot. Surely God understands.” Or finding your true joy in something other than God – “Truth be told, all I really want is to be entertained. I just want relaxation. Time for my hobby. Success at work. The latest toy/gadget. Money in the bank.” We probably don’t say it out loud like that, but it is what is in our hearts. Perhaps the lie you are tempted to believe may be less noticeable to us, but it is not hidden from God, who knows our hearts.
Turning from God to rely on self ultimately results in the bitter fruit known as failure to deliver. In fact, as we see in verses 17-21, they not only fail to deliver, but, as we heard earlier, they also invite God’s judgment! God’s justice and righteousness will prevail. He will not be deceived and no refuge of lies, or shelter of falsehood will stand when he calls us to give an account.
Verse 20 is a sadly ironic image. The bed they have made for themselves in self-reliance is too short to be comfortable. The covering of lies they tried to wrap themselves up in is too narrow to keep them warm. This is the ultimate outcome of man’s ways – the things you thought would satisfy and protect you instead leave you exposed to the righteous wrath of God.
For the people of Judah, Isaiah’s words in verse 21 had special significance. The Lord had previously fought for Israel against the Philistines on Mount Perazim and against the Amorites in the Valley of Gibeon. But now the Lord was against them! Their scoffing and rejection of God had made him their foe. Whereas before he had saved them, now he will judge them.
These are bitter fruits indeed. Why would you knowingly invite them into your life through self-reliance? In the wise words of the Apostle Paul to the Galatians:
Galatians 6:7–8 (ESV)
7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
The way you live matters. Each one of us, by our daily choices, is sowing a particular kind of seed that will bring a particular kind of harvest. Is the way you are living producing a harvest of righteousness that ends in eternal life? OR is it producing corruption that ends in eternal judgment?
God has graciously allowed us to study Isaiah this year and be confronted with the folly of pursuing our own ways through the examples of Israel and Judah. Isaiah is calling them to repent and turn to the Lord before it is too late. Are you willing to hear this counsel and trust God’s ways over your own ways?
Let’s look through this text again with the focus on the fruit of God’s ways. Now I am inviting you to:
- Taste and see the good fruit of God’s ways
Let’s go back to verses 5-6, where we heard:
Isaiah 28:5–6 (ESV)
5 In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory,
and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,
6 and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
“In that day” again referring to a future reality. Isaiah uses similar language as verses 1-4 to describe the difference in God’s leadership. While Ephraim and its leaders are failing, the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory and diadem of beauty to the remnant of his people. The good fruit of God’s way is that those who trust in Yahweh will not be put to shame! He is the righteous King who rules with a spirit of justice and strength. He is able to provide for and protect the faithful remnant of his people. Our hope is not found in an earthly ruler or political institution, but in God alone. He is worthy of our allegiance, and he deserves all the glory.
We have heard repeatedly throughout the book of Isaiah of God’s plan to rescue and redeem his people from the nations. He is creating for himself a people who love and obey him, who desire righteousness and will inherit eternal life. These people have been described as a precious vineyard whom the Lord cultivates.
Listen to how Isaiah shares God’s very words about the hope and help that he has offered in verse 16.
Isaiah 28:16 (ESV)
16 therefore thus says the Lord God,
“Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion,
a stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
In response to Judah running about trying to secure their own salvation in a treaty with Egypt, God says through his prophet, “I’ve already provided a secure salvation. A sure foundation. It is me. It is my promises. It is my will and ways!” God is the provider of salvation, no one else! He is trustworthy and true, not foreign nations or false deities. The good fruit of God’s ways is that those who find their rest in him will not have to run around in panic like the leaders of Judah trying to secure their future. Because, for those who trust in the Lord and rest in his character and promises, your future is already secure.
If your trust is in God, then you can have a calm deliberateness about your life, even in the midst of great trials. Do you recall what Frasier shared two weeks ago in chapter 26?
Isaiah 26:3–4 (ESV)
3 You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
These are not just nice words to put on a canvas to hang on your wall. These are truths from the LORD of the UNIVERSE to live by. Cling to the Lord as the everlasting rock, the sure foundation, the precious cornerstone. HE IS YOUR SOURCE OF LIFE AND PEACE no matter what storms come your way.
This truth finds its ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. When confronted by the religious leaders of his day, the Apostle Peter said:
Acts 4:10–12 (ESV)
10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Jesus is the cornerstone. Meaning he is the essential foundation of our faith. He is the Son of God, sent to rescue and redeem all who trust in Him. Faith in Jesus is the greatest good fruit of trusting in God’s ways. He is the sure foundation by which sinful men and women like you and me can be saved and have the certainty and security of eternal life. While this is only hinted at in this section of Isaiah, it will continue to become more and more prominent as we enter chapters 40-66 in the future. Please do not miss the necessity of faith in Jesus for the salvation of your soul. Believing in and following him is essential to taste and see the good fruit of God’s ways.
As we have heard today, Isaiah has warned the people about their response to God. He has shown them that there is awful, bitter fruit from trusting their own ways. He has also held out for them the reality of God’s justice and righteousness, as we saw in verse 17. God will not allow injustice or wickedness to prosper in the end, therefore they should turn from it! This is yet another good fruit of God’s way – justice and righteousness will prevail.
Though it may seem like the wicked are prospering at any given moment in our world’s history, their end is sure. They cannot prevail against God’s authority. It is a foolish choice to choose to trust in them or in self-reliance over allegiance and submission to the One, True God. So, trust in Him. Make it your daily work to kill sin and temptation, lest it be killing you. Set your mind on the Lord and rest in his will and ways.
This is only possible if you take to heart this final call to action:
- Hear and heed God’s call to repentance
In verses 22-29, Isaiah warns the people once more not to respond with scoffing. Making light of God’s Word and warnings will only make the coming judgment worse – for them and for us. Instead, the call in verse 23 is:
Isaiah 28:23 (ESV)
23 Give ear, and hear my voice;
give attention, and hear my speech.
Or, as I’ve put it in our main point, “hear and heed God’s call to repentance”. God is so gracious to give us His Word which repeatedly warns us of the folly of sin and the wisdom of trusting His way. Apparently, we need to hear this warning a lot because, as you’ve heard throughout Isaiah, it comes up a lot! We are a stubborn people bent on turning away from God and towards self-reliance.
May today be an opportunity to evaluate where you stand with the Lord. I pray that you would take time to consider where in your life you are trusting in your ways rather than the Lord’s ways. For some of you, the result of that evaluation may be that you need to repent and believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins for the very first time. That is an incredible outcome and I pray that some who are here or listening online would take that step of humble obedience. For those who are already in Christ, you may need to ask a brother or sister in the faith for help in your evaluation. “Where do you see me trusting in my ways rather than the Lord’s?” We are often blind to our own sin. *pause*
But what is it that Isaiah calls the people to hear and pay attention to? In verses 23-29 he lays out two parables, one of sowing and another of reaping. And though the language of these is awkward to our ears, what they tell us is, “God’s dealings with his people, though strange, are wise. He knows exactly what to do to produce the crop he desires.”
Just as a wise farmer learns from God how to sow and reap a bountiful crop, so God, in his infinite wisdom, knows what is necessary to produce a harvest of righteousness in his people. His will and ways can be trusted. He is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom. And he has written it down for your benefit in His Word!
So, as we close today, I exhort you to continue to learn to trust that the Lord’s ways are better than yours. Where you are trusting in your own way over his, confess and turn back to him and enjoy the harvest of righteousness that follows.
Let’s pray.
Pray