Drunkards, Scoffers, & Tough Nuts – Part 1
Isaiah 28:1-29 (1-8)
October 1, 2023
For the last 4 messages we have been in Isaiah 27 & 28
And we have talked about the unique relationship
Between sin and suffering and sanctification.
We have learned that sin is worse than suffering
And that God often uses suffering to separate us from our sin.
In fact Isaiah even saw
• That there is coming the Great Tribulation
• As that final period of intense suffering on Israel
• Which will effectively get them to repent of their sin and run to Jesus.
We learned that God will do whatever it takes to save His own.
Following that thought we now come to Isaiah 28.
And the train of thought here is obvious.
If God is willing to do whatever it takes
To separate His people from their sin,
Just how much are you going to force Him to do?
We read it last week:
Psalms 32:9 “Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you.”
HOW STUBBORN ARE YOU GOING TO BE?
You’ll see this specific warning from Isaiah down in verse 22.
(22) “And now do not carry on as scoffers, Or your fetters will be made stronger; For I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts Of decisive destruction on all the earth.”
There again Isaiah reminds that he has seen what God is going to one day
And the advice is “do not carry on as scoffers”.
Don’t force God to make you cry uncle, because He can.
And that is really the thrust of this chapter.
Isaiah is about to confront the stubborn and tell them to yield.
And we can categorize these stubborn people in 3 ways.
Drunkards, Scoffers, and Tough Nuts
• That doesn’t mean we are talking about 3 different groups of people
• Isaiah describes the same people with 3 different analogies.
Perhaps we will learn from Isaiah’s warning to them.
So let’s begin discussing these groups.
#1 DRUNKARDS
Isaiah 28:1-8
As we look at these 8 verses you need to understand what Isaiah is doing here.
He’s actually going to talk about 2 different kinds of drunks here.
• Typical drunkards
• Spiritual or Symbolic drunkards
His objective is to set up his audience by talking about the first
And then lower the boom when he talks about the second.
You’ve actually seen this type of approach before in Scripture.
If you’ve read Romans 1
• You know that there Paul lays out God’s current judgment on what we might call the godless pagan.
• That is the chapter where we read three times the infamous phrase, “God gave them over”
• And Paul talks about idolators and homosexuals and the depraved thinkers.
He talks about those whom we might consider as easy targets.
If you’re in the church at all…
If you read the Bible at all…
It’s obvious that idolatry and homosexuality and depraved thinking
Are contrary to God’s revealed will and are under the judgment of God.
Even today we know these are sins.
And in Romans 1 Paul boldly pronounces judgment on all of them.
But in Romans 2
• Paul makes an almost unexpected shift in his focus.
• He goes from talking about “them” to talking about “you”.
Romans 2:1-6 “Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:”
You see how Paul set up his audience
And then hit them right between the eyes.
One can almost imagine
• The “Amens” from his congregation as he spoke of the sinfulness of idolatry
and homosexuality and deprave thinking.
• The congregation would have felt great about themselves as they
condemned those sins.
But in chapter 2 we found out that they WEREN’T PAUL’S ONLY TARGET.
Paul wanted to talk about “all” sinners, not just the obvious ones.
And the reality is that the religious community
Was also full of sinners who “practice the same things”.
They were actually worse than the pagans of chapter 1 because they knew better.
• They knew it was wrong and did it anyway.
• They just assumed they were ok because they covered it with their religious
involvement.
And Paul set out to expose their stubbornness saying:
“But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:”
So while everything Paul said in Romans 1 about the godless pagan being judged is certainly true…
You almost get the feeling that Paul’s real focus was on the religious pagan who knew better but stubbornly sinned anyway.
I bring that up because Isaiah is doing the SAME THING here.
• He starts by talking about the literal drunkards of the Northern Kingdom who
everyone in the south knew deserved judgment.
• But then Isaiah will jump to the spiritual drunkards of the Southern Kingdom
to point out that they are in just as much trouble before God.
SO LET’S LOOK AT IT.
LET’S START WITH THOSE OBVIOUS SINNERS;
Those literal drunkards up north.
(1) “Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the fertile valley Of those who are overcome with wine!”
Isaiah starts with that familiar “Woe” that he uses so effectively.
OY in the Hebrew, that gut-wrenching cry of one under judgment.
And here his “Woe” is pronounced on “the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim”
WHAT IS THAT?
“And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,”
AGAIN, WHAT IS THAT?
“Which is at the head of the fertile valley of those who are overcome with wine!”
Isaiah is NOT pronouncing woe specifically on the drunkards,
But rather he is pronouncing woe
On the place they love and treasure and value.
Isaiah is talking about Samaria,
• The capital city of the Northern Kingdom.
• He speaks of it like a vineyard that is ruined.
It was their glory and their pride and their crown.
It is described as a place loved by drunkards.
We are talking about worldly men who love all the night life
And partying and celebrating of a pagan and immoral city scene.
It was a den of revelry and the people loved it.
Isaiah pronounces woe because God is about to judge it.
(2) “Behold, the Lord has a strong and mighty agent; As a storm of hail, a tempest of destruction, Like a storm of mighty overflowing waters, He has cast it down to the earth with His hand.”
The fall of Samariah is described like a shed in a tornado.
• A violent storm is coming.
• “a storm of hail”
• “a tempest of destruction”
• “a storm of mighty overflowing waters”
• It’s like a tsunami going to come and wipe this city out.
That is symbolic language for the nation of Assyria would actually do
To the capitol of the northern kingdom.
2 Kings 17:21-23 “When He had torn Israel from the house of David, they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the LORD and made them commit a great sin. The sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them until the LORD removed Israel from His sight, as He spoke through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.”
AND THE RESULT of God’s judgment through Assyria is seen in verse 3.
(3) “The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim is trodden under foot.”
It’s spoken of like an abandoned vineyard.
• No one cares about it.
• No one is protecting it.
• It is ruined.
(4) “And the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the fertile valley, Will be like the first-ripe fig prior to summer, Which one sees, And as soon as it is in his hand, He swallows it.”
“first-ripe” figs were considered delicacies.
If you saw one you grabbed it and ate it.
Samaria would be overthrown, trampled and gobbled up.
So what you have from Isaiah (and remember he is not preaching to the northern kingdom, he is preaching to the southern kingdom)…
What you have from Isaiah is an announcement that
The immoral drunkards of the north, who love their sin
Are about to be judged by God.
AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU, this is NOT a message that would have BOTHERED anyone in the south.
• In fact, it’s the kind of message that might have solicited several shouts of “Amen!” from the congregation.
• “It’s about time those godless drunkards up there got what was coming to them!”
And you see that in verses 5-6
(5-6) “In that day the LORD of hosts will become a beautiful crown And a glorious diadem to the remnant of His people; A spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment, A strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate.”
You see a literal time of worship occurring after God hands out judgment.
But we also see a contrast here.
• In verse 1 Samaria was called “the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim”
• After the judgment of God we see that “the LORD of hosts will become a beautiful crown”
It is the very thing Isaiah has spoken of in the last few chapters.
When God arises to judge sinners He will do away with sin
And He will be the only One glorified.
It’s that same point.
He will be “a glorious diadem to the remnant of His people; A spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment, A strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate.”
In other words, on the day that God judges sinners and puts an end to their corruption, the righteous remnant are going to love it!
• The righteous remnant are those who have been “sitting in judgment”.
• The righteous remnant are those who have been repelling “the onslaught at the gate”.
That is to say they are the ones
Who have been tirelessly battling against the spread of sin.
• They have been outnumbered…
• They have been bullied…
• They have been persecuted…
• They have been a constant voice of righteousness in a world that loves sin
• And they must have felt overwhelmed by the battle.
But on the day when God arises to put an end to sin
THEY WILL SHOUT WITH JOY AND PRAISE that God has dealt with sin.
• They will glory in Him!
• They will praise Him!
• They will overflow with gratitude and worship!
And none of that is new information.
We’ve talked about it over the last few weeks.
Isaiah 26:1-6 “In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; He sets up walls and ramparts for security. “Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter, The one that remains faithful. “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You. “Trust in the LORD forever, For in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock. “For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the unassailable city; He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust. “The foot will trample it, The feet of the afflicted, the steps of the helpless.”
On the day when God judges sinners
The righteous remnant will rejoice in what God has done.
We’ve seen that and Isaiah reiterates it here.
BUT HERE ISAIAH IS ABOUT TO MAKE A DIFFERENT POINT
• While the congregation in Judah is rejoicing that those drunken sinners are finally getting what they deserve,
• Isaiah is about to do what Paul did in Romans and tell them, “not so fast…”
Look at verses 7-8
(7-8) “And these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink: The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; They reel while having visions, They totter when rendering judgment. For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place.”
Isaiah does the same thing Paul did.
• He goes from talking about those who live way up north
• To talking about those who are sitting right in front of him.
He points at the priests…
He points at the prophets…
And he says, “And these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink: The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink”
You think you’re going to rejoice as God judges the pagan of Samaria? I’m telling you that you do the same things.
And it may have very well been that they were also literal drunkards.
That is not beyond the scope of possibility.
BUT IT SEEMS HERE THAT
More than condemning them as literal drunkards Isaiah is comparing their ministries to a drunk.
• Their preaching is wobbly
• Their counsel is crooked
• Their messages are of no value
“They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; they reel while having visions, they totter when rendering judgment.”
That is to say they have no stability, no backbone, no convictions,
And do not offer any helpful truth.
“stagger” – “reel” – “totter”
Those are NOT flattering words
For one who is called to proclaim the truth of God.
It’s as though Isaiah says, “In your preaching you’re not any steadier than a drunk wobbling down the street. Your convictions aren’t any firmer than someone who is too drunk to stand.”
You sway all over the place.
No one can figure out what the truth is by listening to you.
And if that doesn’t make the point strong enough…
(8) “For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place.”
Here Isaiah compares their preaching;
Their sermons are compared to buckets full of vomit.
AND YOU GET THIS IMAGERY.
• I actually see it in my wife most often.
• Just let her read a Facebook post by a preacher that is obvious heresy
• Or play a Joel Olsteen sermon in the background where she can hear it.
• She’ll stick her finger down her throat as if she’s gagging.
She’s saying the same thing Isaiah is saying.
This is garbage. This is vomit. This won’t help anyone.
AND I WOULD IMAGINE
• As Isaiah turned to the crowd
• And called out the religious leaders of his day
All the amening abruptly stopped.
They may be literal drunkards who deserve judgment,
But you are spiritual drunkards
Who provide no benefit for the people either.
SO WHAT IS ISAIAH ACTUALLY SAYING?
Just like the drunkards of Ephraim who value the wrong thing, so do you.
• You put no value on the glory of God.
• You put no value on the truth of His word.
• The crown you delight in is the wrong crown.
You glory in that which is loved by men.
You glory in the esteem and prestige that men give you.
Because you don’t love the word of God
You are no more benefit to your people
Than the town drunk who sits on the sidewalk
And throws up all over himself.
(That’s a feel-good message huh?)
But does it not give us quite a picture of what God thinks of those who do not value His word?
TURN TO: JEREMIAH 23:9-32
Can you see the disdain God has for those who ignore His word?
• Those who put words in God’s mouth…
• Those who value their own advice as equal to God’s word…
They provide no benefit for His people, in fact, they are a hindrance.
Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”
Jeremiah 10:21 “For the shepherds have become stupid And have not sought the LORD; Therefore they have not prospered, And all their flock is scattered.”
Priests and prophets who ignore God’s word
And substitute it with their own
Do no benefit to God’s people, in fact they hinder them.
WE ARE LEARNING THE IMPORTANCE OF
SEEKING AND YIELDING TO GOD’S WORD AS OUR SOLE AUTHORITY.
TURN TO: 1 TIMOTHY 1
• You are familiar with the book of 1 Timothy.
• Paul wrote it to Timothy to give instruction so that we would know “how one ought to conduct himself in the church”.
It is full of practical wisdom.
• Qualifications and expectations of overseers
• Qualifications and expectations of deacons
• Qualifications and expectations of widows
But what you also find when you read this letter is that
At the heart of it is a reoccurring emphasis
That God’s word must be honored and it must take center stage.
(READ: 1:3-7)
Paul wastes no time getting to the point.
• There teachers there teaching “strange doctrines”
• Paul said their teaching was “fruitless discussion”
Their teaching didn’t produce what God’s word was meant to produce.
• See verse 5, “the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
Teaching God’s word should produce a genuine love for God
With righteous living and true faith.
But their teaching didn’t produce that.
Paul knows that central to fixing the church is fixing their view on God’s Word.
In chapter 2 Paul points out that “women” should not be teaching men.
In chapter 3 he points out that the overseers must be “able to teach”
And the deacons must “hold to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience”.
In chapter 4 he talks about some of the heresies being taught,
• Namely that men were forbidding certain foods and marriage
• And Paul tells Timothy to point out the flaws in such bad preaching.
And then Paul gives Timothy another pointed encouragement.
(READ: 4:11-16)
• There must be a commitment to preaching truth because this is what ensures salvation for the congregation.
• You’ve got to read it, preach it, apply it, live it, and then do it all again.
• Pay close attention to it and take it seriously.
Paul hits it again in chapter 5:17 when he says that elders are worth double honor if they “work hard at preaching and teaching.”
You can see the importance of this for God’s people.
And then I love how Paul closes the letter.
(READ 6:20-21)
• “guard what has been entrusted to you” – that is very simply the gospel, the word of God.
• “avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called knowledge”
What is that?
• That’s the jargon of this world.
• That’s worldly philosophy.
• That’s pop-psychology.
• That’s scientific theory.
• That’s personal experience.
Those are all things that can saturate preaching and teaching.
Paul says that stuff is worthless.
It is empty, it is false.
Isaiah would say, it’s like vomit all over the table.
• And thus, “some have professed [it] and thus gone astray from the faith.”
I simply want to point out to you this morning that
It is NOT OK with God for men
To neglect or reject or altar or ignore His word.
Isaiah puts such a crime on the same level as a drunk
Who only lives immorally in the world.
He says they both deserve God’s punishment
And they will both receive it.
They put too much value on the wrong things
And not enough value on the right things.
And that is QUESTION NUMBER ONE for us to evaluate in our own lives.
WHAT DO I VALUE?
What is my proud crown?
Do I value the logic and advice and the secular wisdom of this world
Or do I value the word of God?
Furthermore, what do I offer to the word?
Do I offer logic and advice and the secular wisdom of this world
Or do I offer the word of God?
I fear that the American church today does a great job giving lip-service to the authority of Scripture but a really bad job actually obeying it.
But what you see from Isaiah here in chapter 28 is that
He is outlining those who are walking in stubbornness before God
• And he starts his list with those who stubbornly supplant God’s word for their own wisdom.
He throws the preacher in the pulpit
Into the exact same category as the drunk in the gutter.
• Neither are stable…
• Neither are dependable…
• Neither are beneficial…
• Neither value the right thing…
We must hold the conviction in our lives
That we are going to obey and proclaim God’s word
Even if it totally contradicts THE CULTURE.
If the culture says it’s right but God says it’s wrong,
Where are you going to stand?
If the culture says it’s wrong but God says it’s right,
Where are you going to stand?
Will you stand with the apostles in the New Testament who said:
Acts 5:29 “But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”
We must hold to the conviction in our lives
That we are going to obey God’s word
Even if it totally contradicts OUR LOGIC.
If it seems right to you, but God says it’s wrong,
What are you going to do?
If it seems wrong to you, but God says it’s right,
What are you going to do?
Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”
The entire period of the Judges was a chaotic and sinful period because of one basic reality.
Judges 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
Are you willing to choose God’s word over your own reasoning?
Or will you stubbornly stick to what you think is best?
We must hold to the conviction in our lives
That we are going to obey God’s word
Even if it totally contradicts OUR DESIRES.
What if there is something you want to do but the Bible says not to,
Will you still do it?
What if there is something you don’t want to do but the Bible says you must,
Will you do it?
We are talking about properly valuing God’s word.
Isaiah is pronouncing judgment upon those who don’t.
• They follow their own impulses.
• They follow their own logic.
• They preach their own wisdom.
And before God it is nothing but vomit on the table.
This is where stubbornness begins when we value our own wisdom over God’s.
We must glory in God’s word over our own.
Isaiah 55:8-11 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”
LET’S NOT BE STUBBORN.
For as Isaiah says:
Isaiah 28:22 “And now do not carry on as scoffers, Or your fetters will be made stronger; For I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts Of decisive destruction on all the earth.”
