Isaiah 28:23-29 – To be the best version of who we are

In this passage, Isaiah called on those indulgent people and scoffers he described in Isaiah 28:1-22 to pay attention and listen to what he had to say. Here he tells the parable of the farmer. He used the work of a farmer to show them what they should or should not do. The answer to both his rhetorical questions in verse 24 presupposes “no” for an answer. No farmer would plow continually without sowing. So he also would not continue to break up the ground and not start to plant. A farmer would not only concentrate on preparing the ground but also would start sowing or planting at some point. It would be foolish for him to till the ground continually and not sow after he had prepared the ground. In verses 25-26, Isaiah asked two more rhetorical questions to show that a wise farmer would carefully plant the right crops in the right place to ensure a maximum harvest. Isaiah’s point is this: even a farmer with godly wisdom knew when to till and sow at the right time to ensure maximum harvest, should not wise and godly leaders of Israel and Judah know what to do to guide the people?  

In verse 27 Isaiah shifted his thought to show that good farmers know what equipment to use to separate what they had harvested. They would not thresh dill with a threshing sledge, nor would they drive a cartwheel over cumin. If they used the wrong equipment to deal with the different crops, their harvest would be ruined. Instead, they would use a rod to separate dill and club for cumin. The right equipment would be used to ensure that the grain harvested would be preserved. Here, Isaiah wanted the people to know that the discipline of the LORD was never to destroy but to preserve them. He would use the right method and with the right proportion to deal with His people to ensure maximum effect. The leaders here were urged to take to heart the wise and wonderful counsel of the LORD.

God always has the best interest of His people at His heart. He disciplines us only to get us back on track and never to destroy us. Therefore bear in mind what Hebrews 12:11 says, “For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” Paul also tells us in Romans 8:28,  “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  Take heart and know that those whom God loves He disciplines. And because He loves us, He wants to ensure that we will become the best version of who we are. That’s the heart of our Loving Father!