Thoughts on Isaiah 28:9-13

Please carefully read the passage in the King James and then the NIV. Paying particular attention to verses 11-13.

Isaiah 28:9–13 (AV)

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.

 Isaiah 28:9–13 (NIV84)

9 “Who is it he is trying to teach? To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken from the breast? 10 For it is: Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there.” 11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people, 12 to whom he said, “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”; and, “This is the place of repose”— but they would not listen. 13 So then, the word of the LORD to them will become: Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there— so that they will go and fall backward, be injured and snared and captured.

Here we see that God (who has been instructing the Hebrew people/prophets in an organized fashion a little at a time) has been telling them that the purpose of His teaching was that they could find rest and repose. This is a common theme throughout the Old Testamant. Indeed the entire story of the Bible is one of rest, first in the physical promised land, and ultimately spiritually in the Anointed One.

He has been teaching them this concept little by little. That is the entire purpose of the Hebrew scriptures—the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, which we call the Old Testament. Yet, as we find in verse 12, they would not listen. The result of this will be that the nation will be placed in captivity (to the Babylonians) and God will teach them through people who speak another language.

Now in verse 13 we find that the word of the Lord was (KJV) or will become (NIV) simply a study of the scriptures and the voices of the prophets so that they will go, and fall backward, and be broken and trapped and captured.

In other words, they will study the books, the sentences, the words, they will look to the prophets for guidance and miss the rest and repose because they are missing the main point—faith in God.

Doing this is trying to become righteous by ones own strength. It results in the spiritual rollercoaster we see the Hebrews face throughout the Old Testament. They get on track, then they run off after other gods and sinful behavior, then they turn back, and on and on the cycle goes. It is the same with many in the church today who look at the Bible as an instruction manual. They read it to find instructions for daily living and for each decision they make while missing the freedom and rest that it promises and, through faith in Jesus Christ, delivers.

Paul sums this up in Romans 9:30–33 (AV) “30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

I have no real problem with the idea that they were scoffing at God for treating them like babies, as at least one translation renders it.

I think the issue is why would they not listen to Father's instruction and why did they scoff at the way He chose to deliver it. In my view the reason was a fundamental lack of trust.

To me, that is why they ended up in captivity. That is why people today end up in the same situation. What Father did here (in my view) is akin to what Paul did when he told the Corinthians to put the immoral brother out in the world so he would learn his lesson.

I also think that this promise of rest was not merely rest from their temporal enemies, but the Sabbath rest Father had planned for them (and us) in Christ.

I see this passage as yet another shadow of the Gospel of Jesus that was to come. Just a few verses later, we read of the Stone laid in Zion, a tested and precious corner stone upon which the one who trusts it will be unshakable.