BibleProject | One Story That Leads to JesusSample

Ephraim has a drinking problem.

It’s a symptom of the northern tribes’ profound disconnection from God. The priests and prophets in the spiritual driver’s seat are intoxicated at the wheel. Eugene Peterson paraphrases Isaiah’s descriptive words in 28:1, calling the people “tipsy, sloppy-fat, beer-bellied parodies of a proud and handsome past” (The Message).

The northern tribes were not the only ones affected. In the south as well, Judah’s spiritual leaders are unable to walk in a straight line, let alone steer the people down the right path. They spew and vomit slurred gibberish when they should be speaking Yahweh’s wisdom to the people.

So Isaiah warns them: Violent foreign nations will get your attention. When God’s justice sweeps through like a hailstorm, it’s going to wash out your shaky shelter at its corrupted foundation.

Watch the video to see how Jesus picks up on this image in his Sermon on the Mount, including Isaiah’s warning against illegitimate religious leaders.

Isaiah also warns Jerusalem’s leaders not to trust alliances with, and the military support of, other nations. Yahweh wants them to trust him alone, not their own best strategizing. They’ve emptied Judah’s meager savings account, only to send the cash down a snake-infested highway to Egypt, their powerless paper tiger of an ally.

Meanwhile, Jerusalem’s real hope, Yahweh, longs to show his people grace and mercy and to reunite with them. Will they cry out to him?

Reflection Questions

• Meditate on the descriptions of illegitimate religious leaders in the video and today’s reading. What warning signs do Jesus and Isaiah say to watch out for?
• How does Isaiah describe Yahweh’s rescue in today’s passage? What does the prophet say Israel will look like after this restoration?