April 23 – Isaiah

In April and May, we are reading through the book of the prophet Isaiah. Its major themes are judgment, comfort, and hope, applicable to Jerusalem then in the 8th century B.C. and to us now. Join our study by reading today’s scripture below and journaling about it using SOAP (click on the “What’s SOAP?” link above to learn more). Below today’s scripture is an example SOAP from our team. We love hearing from you! Please use the comment section of our website to share your SOAP, thoughts or questions on the reading, or prayer requests. Join us as we build unity and community through God’s Word!

Isaiah 28 Woe to the Leaders of Ephraim and Judah 28 Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards,     to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley—     to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine! 2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong.     Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour,     he will throw it forcefully to the ground. 3 That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards,     will be trampled underfoot. 4 That fading flower, his glorious beauty,     set on the head of a fertile valley, will be like figs ripe before harvest—     as soon as people see them and take them in hand,     they swallow them. 5 In that day the Lord Almighty     will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath     for the remnant of his people. 6 He will be a spirit of justice     to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength     to those who turn back the battle at the gate. 7 And these also stagger from wine     and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer     and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer,     they stagger when seeing visions,     they stumble when rendering decisions. 8 All the tables are covered with vomit     and there is not a spot without filth. 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 this, do that,     a rule for this, a rule for that;     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 this, do that,     a rule for this, a rule for that;     a little here, a little there— so that as they go they will fall backward;     they will be injured and snared and captured. 14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers     who rule this people in Jerusalem. 15 You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,     with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,     it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge     and falsehood our hiding place.” 16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,     a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it     will never be stricken with panic. 17 I will make justice the measuring line     and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie,     and water will overflow your hiding place. 18 Your covenant with death will be annulled;     your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,     you will be beaten down by it. 19 As often as it comes it will carry you away;     morning after morning, by day and by night,     it will sweep through.” The understanding of this message     will bring sheer terror. 20 The bed is too short to stretch out on,     the blanket too narrow to wrap around you. 21 The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,     he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon— to do his work, his strange work,     and perform his task, his alien task. 22 Now stop your mocking,     or your chains will become heavier; the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me     of the destruction decreed against the whole land. 23 Listen and hear my voice;     pay attention and hear what I say. 24 When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually?     Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil? 25 When he has leveled the surface,     does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place,     barley in its plot,     and spelt in its field? 26 His God instructs him     and teaches him the right way. 27 Caraway is not threshed with a sledge,     nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin; caraway is beaten out with a rod,     and cumin with a stick. 28 Grain must be ground to make bread;     so one does not go on threshing it forever. The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it,     but one does not use horses to grind grain. 29 All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,     whose plan is wonderful,     whose wisdom is magnificent.

SOAP Note

Precious Cornerstone | Becky Newman

Scripture

Isaiah 28:16

Observation

The woe in Isaiah 28 is directed to the government and spiritual leaders who have gone astray. Here in verse 16 is a prophecy of the Messiah, Jesus, who is our Rock, our Cornerstone. The imagery of the sure foundation in Jesus and the storm washing away those whose foundation is not on the rock (vs. 16-19) matches up to Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish builders: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24-25)

Application

“Rely”, depend, trust, and faith all go hand-in-hand. To accept You as my Cornerstone, I must rely and depend on You and put my trust and faith in You. That’s how to weather the storm and make sure I’m not swept away into lies and deception and destruction.

Prayer

Thank You for being my Cornerstone, my sure foundation, my protection and strength in the storms. Help me to rely and depend on You more; may I never be swept away or led astray.

The Discover One Thing main website follows a reading plan that goes through the entire Bible in one year. Click HERE to check out today’s Discover One Thing post.