Doing it Our Way

Written by Jan Jalowiec

Isaiah 28 begins with the first of six “woes” which are upon God’s people who scoff at His Word. It is directed against Ephraim, the dominant tribe of Israel at the time. They have put their trust in their own thinking, wealth, and alliances with worldly connections, rather than trusting in God. They are called prideful drunkards with clouded judgment.

vs. 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.”

They openly mocked the principles of God, even going so far as to say in vs. 15 “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:”

They had no understanding that the Lord is compassionate, even teaching His people with a clear, patient, and simple voice line upon line and precept upon precept, so they may find rest for their weary souls. And though He has compassion, He reiterates that His way is the only way, and the precious cornerstone He established will be the plumb line by which they shall be judged. 

When we don’t regard the words of Scripture as the revelation of God, or follow His principles, we too act like prideful, drunken Ephraim. Our stubborn humanity continues to refuse the mercy of the Lord, and this warning- this woe to Ephraim, is a clear directive to us today. 

..though [God] has compassion, He reiterates that His way is the only way

We are here presented with the problem and the solution. 

The problem is our sinful pride and drunken ways, revealed as our refusal to hear and apply the Word of the Lord. We overthrow the truth of God’s word for our own methods, which are most assuredly going to fail. If we question scripture and think, “Surely the Lord didn’t mean that!”, then we are acting like a drunkard and have become intoxicated with pride. 

The solution is humbling ourselves and willingly surrendering to all of the Lord’s teaching and correction. We are to take precept and add it to precept. We are to build our faith on the truth of the previous line that He has laid, and to walk in the way he has set out before us. Only then will we know the rest and refreshing of the Lord.