Isaiah 28:1-4 – The numbing effect of pride and over-indulgence

We are not even midway through this long prophetic book. So before we get lost in our journey, let us recap the drift of what Isaiah had said so far. In chapters 13-23, he had denounced the powerful forces of the earth. In chapter 24, he prophesied the destruction of the world. In chapters 25-27, he described the establishment of the future Kingdom of God and the glorious celebration that would accompany it.

Now in Isaiah 28, he returned to address the nation of Israel and Judah, by first warning of what would happen to the Northern Kingdom. We know that after Solomon, his inconsiderate son Rehoboam caused Israel to be divided. The Northern Kingdom comprising ten tribes of Israel had Samaria as its capital. It is often referred to as Israel or Ephraim in the Old Testament. The Southern Kingdom, comprising the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, had Jerusalem as its capital, is referred to as Judah.  

In Isaiah 28:1-4, the prophet turned to warn Ephraim of the impending attack that was coming. The pronouncement of “woe” was God’s warning of the impending disaster from the invasion of the Assyrians. Directing his message at Samaria, Isaiah called Samaria the proud crown. She was thus referred to because she was located on a hillside overlooking a fertile valley of lush thick foliage and brilliant flowers. Samaria was the crown of Ephraim. However, all this would soon be altered with the impending attack. Isaiah saw Ephraim as habitually drunk. This could be due to their self-indulgence. Their behavior left much to be desired and had made them totally oblivious of the coming catastrophe.  

Verse 2 clearly speaks of the coming invasion of the Assyrians which was part of God’s program for them.  The invading force would be to them a storm of hail and a tempest of destruction.  They would also be like a storm of mighty flowing water that God would release upon Ephraim. Their beauty would be devastated as the enemy force would come trampling over them. The beauty of Samaria was as alluring as the early fig that would appear before summer. It would arouse the appetite of the Assyrians who would leave the place devastated with nothing to show for.

Ephraim was so overly engrossed in self-pandering that they were insensitive to the impending dangers. Their malady was brought on by pride and self-indulgence. These are habits that would bring about a numbing effect. And when the whole nation is indulged, from leaders to citizens, the situation would be made worst. This is a warning for us in the church not to emulate the world. We must not allow pride and self-indulgence to cause us to lose our way in our spiritual journey. We must start aligning our lives and not wait till it becomes too late for us to act. Wise up, sober up, and live right for God!