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Day 25 Isaiah 28 28:1 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine! 2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand. 3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet: 4 And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looks upon it sees, while it is yet in his hand he eats it up. 5 In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people, 6 And for a spirit of judgment to him that sits in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate. 7 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. 8 For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean. 9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: 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. 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. 14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. 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: 16 Therefore thus says 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 believes shall not make haste. 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. 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. 19 From the time that it goes 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. 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. 21 For the LORD shall rise up as in Mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act. 22 Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth. 23 Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech. 24 Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? Doth he open and break the clods of his ground? 25 When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cumin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rye in their place? 26 For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him. 27 For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cumin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cumin with a rod. 28 Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen. 29 This also comes forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working. Arrogant pride is a dangerous emotion that causes trouble and heartache to those affected by it. You can have pride in your children, and their achievements. You can have pride in your own achievements. However, when you boast to the point of arrogance about what you have accomplished, then pride is dangerous and sinful. God told Isaiah, Ephraim had such pride. They were arrogant to the point they did not put any faith or trust in God for all the prosperity they encountered. Ephraim was a fertile valley. It was the breadbasket of the ten tribes of Israel. Samaria was the capital of Ephraim and the capital of the ten tribes of Israel. Samaria was also the place where all idolatrous worship originated from. Ephraim had no place in their hearts and lives for God. God told Isaiah that Ephraim, as well as the other tribes of Israel needed to get back to the law. They needed to go over it, line by line, precept by precept to know what God’s will was for them. God also told Isaiah he was sending to Zion a tried Stone, a Precious Corner Stone, a Sure Foundation. This prophecy was fulfilled when God sent Jesus to be our Savior. He is our tried Stone, our Precious Corner Stone, and Sure Foundation. Mt 21:42 Jesus said unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? 43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. As Christians, when you accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord, you fell on the stone. You became broken and aware of your sinful state. However, through repentance, Jesus has restored you to a right relationship and fellowship with God the Father. 1 John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. 5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. Therefore, pride has no place in your life as a believer in Jesus Christ. Your boast should be in Jesus and what he has done for you. Not in your accomplishments apart from what God has done in your life. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. By yourself you can do nothing, but with Christ working in and through you, you can do everything he has set for you to do. So then, do what God has given you to do with the best of your ability and God will reward you. You won’t need to worry about the cornerstone (Jesus Christ) falling on you and crushing you to powder. Let’s pray: Father, thank you for instilling your Word in my life so that I will know your will for me. Let me boast in what you have done for me, because I cannot do anything in and of myself, without you working in me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 14 September 2017 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay