Learning by Precept upon Precept

Isaiah 28:1-15

1 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim,
Whose glorious beauty is a fading flower
Which is at the head of the verdant valleys,
To those who are overcome with wine!

2 Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one,
Like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm,
Like a flood of mighty waters overflowing,
Who will bring them down to the earth with His hand.

3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim,
Will be trampled underfoot;
4 And the glorious beauty is a fading flower
Which is at the head of the verdant valley,
Like the first fruit before the summer,
Which an observer sees;
He eats it up while it is still in his hand.

5 In that day the LORD of hosts will be
For a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty
To the remnant of His people,
6 For a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
And for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

7 But they also have erred through wine,
And through intoxicating drink are out of the way;
The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink,
They are swallowed up by wine,
They are out of the way through intoxicating drink;
They err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
8 For all tables are full of vomit and filth;
No place is clean.

9 "Whom will he teach knowledge?
And whom will he make to understand the message?
Those just weaned from milk?
Those just drawn from the breasts?

10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line,
Here a little, there a little."

11 For with stammering lips and another tongue
He will speak to this people,
12 To whom He said, "This is the rest with which
You may cause the weary to rest,"
And, "This is the refreshing";
Yet they would not hear.

13 But the word of the LORD was to them,
"Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line,
Here a little, there a little,"
That they might go and fall backward, and be broken
And snared and caught.

14 Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scornful men,
Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,
15 Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death,
And with Sheol we are in agreement.
When the overflowing scourge passes through,
It will not come to us,
For we have made lies our refuge,
And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves."

This message of woe to Ephraim and Jerusalem was for their continued disbelief and disobedience to God’s word which He taught them by precept built upon precept, on truth at a time until they should have reached und and wisdom.  The same principle goes for us except we have the Holy Spirit to give us both the understanding of God’s word and will as well as the ability to live accordingly in our ongoing growth of sanctification (Philippians 2:12-13).  Israel did not have His Spirit to help them and they kept falling away in various ways.  Therefore the Lord called out the woes of their just due for pride and drunkenness, for fleeting prosperity and resulting stumbling with errors of judgment and their own perceived beauty and power in place of acknowledging those being the Lord’s.  This is a lesson for us to stamp out our pride, power, and our accomplishments and self worth above His.  The principles He taught were based on one principle at a time to build upon, which is how we should learn now as well in our discipleship and teaching each other in Christ.  We must beware falling away as they did in disbelief and disobedience that exposes us and causes our downfall to catch us as they had happen.  Remember that verses 11 and 12 speak of 1 Corinthians 14:20-22 describing gifts of languages (“tongues”) being signs to reach unbelievers  who needed to understand the gospel in their own language.  He called them to His rest in Christ and the refreshing of God’s Spirit sealing and giving them understanding.  But many did not listen then either.  Those whom He called because they were His had been given ears to hear and eyes to see that they might turn and live as the gospel calls His people even now.  Those who refuse to hear and reject His word face the same fate for all the teaching by principle on principle will only lead to judgment and accountability without humility and accompanying holiness as a result, a changed life and new birth.  Otherwise, our fate is as was that of Israel recorded here.  Pride and lies take ineffective refuge against the truth in judgment.  That is a death wish in denying the Lord and His word, yet the world is under the sway of the father of lies and gladly gropes along toward that end of endless lies against God’s word, living and written who was given for us and our deliverance from our just due.  May we then not take His scriptures lightly and be about our Father’s business to tell the truth of the gospel of grace and forgiveness that others may find reconciliation with Him, teaching them precept upon precept.