Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Isaiah Chapter 28
Metaphysically Interpreting Isaiah 28:1-29
28:1Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley of them that are overcome with wine! 28:2Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one; as a tempest of hail, a destroying storm, as a tempest of mighty waters overflowing, will he cast down to the earth with the hand.28:3The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim shall be trodden under foot: 28:4and the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be as the first-ripe fig before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.
28:5In that day will Jehovah of hosts become a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people; 28:6and a spirit of justice to him that sitteth in judgment, and strength to them that turn back the battle at the gate.
28:7And even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they stagger with strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. 28:8For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.
28:9Whom will he teach knowledge? and whom will he make to understand the message? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts? 28:10For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little. 28:11Nay, but by men of strange lips and with another tongue will he speak to this people; 28:12to whom he said, This is the rest, give ye rest to him that is weary; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. 28:13Therefore shall the word of Jehovah be unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little; that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
28:14Wherefore hear the word of Jehovah, ye scoffers, that rule this people that is in Jerusalem: 28:15Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol 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: 28:16therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner -stone of sure foundation: he that believeth shall not be in haste. 28:17And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place. 28:18And your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. 28:19As often as it passeth though, it shall take you; for morning by morning shall it pass through, by day and by night: and it shall be nought but terror to understand the message.28:20For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it; and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it. 28:21For Jehovah will rise up as in mount Perazim, he will be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon; that he may do his work, his strange work, and bring to pass his act, his strange act. 28:22Now therefore be ye not scoffers, lest your bonds be made strong; for a decree of destruction have I heard from the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, upon the whole earth.
28:23Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech. 28:24Doth he that ploweth to sow plow continually? doth he continually open and harrow his ground? 28:25When he hath levelled the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and put in the wheat in rows, and the barley in the appointed place, and the spelt in the border thereof? 28:26For his God doth instruct him aright, and doth teach him.
28:27For the fitches are not threshed with a sharp threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod. 28:28Bread grain is ground; for he will not be always threshing it: and though the wheel of his cart and his horses scatter it, he doth not grind it. 28:29This also cometh forth from Jehovah of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom.
March 24, 1907: Isaiah 28:7-13
The “wine” and “strong drink” referred to in this lesson are evidently symbolical, as evidenced by the context. Failure to understand the true “doctrine” is designated by the prophet as a sort of mental drunkenness.
Thoughts out of harmony with truth do cause a confusion in the mind that sometimes amounts to drunkenness, and the erroneous vision and stumbling judgment are painfully evident. The “priest” and the “prophet” are the faculties that direct our religious thoughts. The “strong drink” of which they partake is worldly thought. In all questions that relate us to God, we should go to God for answers. To successfully receive the instruction of the Most High we must have developed spiritual powers beyond the average. Ordinary spiritual development is not equal to receiving Divine doctrine direct from God. The mind has not been weaned from race infancy, mortal loves and dependence. These are weak, selfish, immature; they have to be raised to a higher plane. This has to be done by repeated lessons, “line upon line, precept upon precept.”
The “trials of faith,” and various hard experiences which truly spiritual people often have, are the result of the “strong drink” of mortal, worldly thought which they have mentally imbibed through their sympathies (breasts) and human weakness (milk). If the mind was pure and clear, the Spirit would reflect into it truth as perfectly as the moon and stars are reflected into the placid lake.
The Word of the Lord has many ways of reaching man's consciousness. Denial upon denial, affirmation after affirmation; these are the “line upon line and precept upon precept” ways of clearing the confused and muddy thoughts of the mental drunkard. Our methods of repeating statements of Truth, holding thoughts at stated times, and in other ways disciplining the mind, seem childish and crude to those who are not in the understanding of mental laws. Ignorance of the real science of life, and the wrong use of mental forces, have reduced the race to a condition of childishness, and we have to begin at the very foundation and learn our lessons like little children.
– UNITY magazine.
October 30, 1921: Isaiah 28:1-13
Does intemperance apply only to the use of strong drink? No. Intemperate thinking is the root of all other forms of intemperance. Therefore, if one would be temperate in all things, it is essential that he control his thinking.
What is the “crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim” that “shall be trodden under foot”? “The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim” to be trodden under foot, is the pride of personality. The egotist builds up false states of mind, the thought back of them being sense gratification.
What fruits do such states of mind bring forth? Chaff and humiliation. The mind becomes confused and unstable, producing disease and weakness of body.
What is the true “crown of glory” and “diadem of beauty”? The true “crown of glory” and the “diadem of beauty” are the attainment of the principles of Truth, and the understanding how to express these principles in mind, body, and affairs.
Is it ever wise to fight evil? No. By fighting evil we infuse into it, by our thoughts, a combative power which reinforces it and strengthens it, thus prolonging its life and making it appear more real.
What is the first step in applying Truth principles? The first step in applying Truth principles is quietly to affirm the nothingness of evil, and to realize God as all-powerful. This undermines the evil, and establishes in consciousness the power of the principles of good.
What is the next step in overcoming according to Divine Law? The next step is to affirm oneself and every one else as perfect, free from the vanities of sense, and with the desire to know and to express God.
Explain: “Precept upon precept; ... line upon line; here a little, there a little.” This refers to the building power of the mind. “Precept upon precept” is: Affirmation of Truth upon affirmation of Truth. “Line upon line” is: Be direct and to the point, be direct and to the point. “Here a little, there a little” is: Do the little things, do the little things.
March 19, 1933: Isaiah 28:1-4
How did the writer of Proverbs consider the drunkard? The writer of Proverbs considered the drunkard a man of woe and sorrow, full of wounds and complaints.
How is the man who is intemperate in thought and speech to be considered? The man who is intemperate in thought, speech, or general conduct, be his taste in food and drink ever so ascetic, is nevertheless setting, a fuse in his life that will disrupt his peace and his ultimate success in the achievement of his desires.
If we would know temperance and true peace, what must we do? We must learn more of God, if we would know temperance and true peace, individually, nationally, and as a world consciousness. Instead of contending outwardly for what we consider our individual rights, let us throw the full weight of our endeavors into the scale of righteousness by yielding our self-will to the higher will of Spirit.
Where does America stand today? America now stands at the crossroads. Whether she will take the “high” road or the “low” road depends on the number of citizens found in her who respond only to the higher Will. God, the impersonal infinite Spirit, leaves man to his own devices, until he comes to himself and seeks to be obedient to the higher Power. Let us hold that mankind has come to itself and can stand before God and achieve conscious sonship.
August 29, 1937: Isaiah 28:1-8
What is meant by “the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim”? The pride of personality is thus described. The egotist builds up false states of mind with the underlying thought of sense gratification. Ephraim represents the will, which is made infirm and vacillating through the drink habit.
What do we understand by the “flower of his (Ephraim's) glorious beauty, ... a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty”? The flower of glorious beauty is the sweet simplicity and naturalness of the divine selfhood, which we can will to know and express. The crown of glory and the diadem of beauty are symbols of the understanding of Truth principles and the ability to express, these principles in mind, body, and affairs.
What practical meaning is in the 7th verse of Isaiah 28? Our natural religious tendencies (the priests in the temple) are not necessarily spiritual. In individual consciousness a prophet is a thought in touch with Spirit. One's religious tendencies may become intoxicated by zeal without understanding, and even thoughts in contact with Spirit may be adulterated with a measure of sense thought, causing misjudgment.
October 26, 1941: Isaiah 28:1-6
What is the “mighty and strong one” of the Lord? This is another name for the divine law that man flouts through intemperance, and whose power he learns, when the effects of his disobedience become manifest in a whirlwind of outraged nerves and other functions out of control, “As a tempest of hail, a destroying storm, as a tempest of mighty-waters overflowing, will he cast down to the earth with the hand.”
What is meant by “the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim”? Ephraim represents the will. The crown of pride of the will is self-control, a person's power to control his desires, so as to conserve his ultimate well-being. By weakening the will drunkenness destroys this power. The crown of pride is “trodden under foot.”
What is the significance of the “first ripe fig before the summer”? This is a reference to the promise of long life, health, and controlled living that is shown in a person who begins life temperately but afterwards drifts into intemperance. The first ripe fig is of little use without the volume and weight of added quantities of figs. It is soon eaten up and forgotten. So the effects of temperate living are soon destroyed by intemperance.
In what practical way will “Jehovah of hosts become a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people”? A person who has lost his personal willpower through the habit of intemperance may always take refuge in the divine will. He who trusts the divine will to hold him true to his best good will find it “a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty,” for through his reliance on the eternal truth of life, the higher will, he will regain control of his powers and the residue of his life, if he continues faithful, will fulfill its original promise.
What other rewards come to him who is obedient to the divine will? He finds all his needs supplied, whatever their nature may be. If he lacks judgment, a spirit of justice is quickened in him, so that he is able to judge clearly and dispassionately. If his resolution is weak, he will find it strengthened. The divine law becomes “strength to them that turn back the battle at the gate” by successfully withstanding temptation.
March 7, 1943: Isaiah 28:1-4,7
What is the “crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim”? Personality. Ephraim represents the will. In the egotist the will is turned entirely toward the self, and false states of mind are built up, the thought back of them being sense gratification.
Where the welfare of a whole nation or people is at stake, how does self-interest appear? As a form of intemperance equaling physical drunkenness in its crippling effect, since it shuts out of mind all sense of responsibility for the good of all, leaving the self dominant.
Does intemperance apply to more than the physical nature? It applies to the mental as well as the physical. A person may become drunk with pride, egotism, or the exercise of unbridled power and authority over others.
Who is in “woe”? All who cherish low ideals are in this classification, because they are oblivious to their highest good.
What works should we learn to do habitually? Those which express the spirit that animates the inner life of Truth and devotion to the highest.
May 25, 1947: Isaiah 28:1-4
What is the “crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim”? Personality. Ephraim represents the will. In the egotist the will is turned entirely toward the self, and false states of mind are built up by the desire for sense gratification.
Where the welfare of a whole nation or people is at stake, how does self-interest appear? As a form of intemperance equaling physical drunkenness in its crippling effect, since it shuts out of mind all sense of responsibility for the good of all, leaving the self dominant.
Does intemperance apply to more than the physical nature? It applies to the mental as well as the physical. A person may become drunk with pride, egotism, or the exercise of unbridled power and authority over others.
Who is in “woe”? All who cherish low ideals are in this classification, because they are oblivious to their highest good.
What rewards come to him who is obedient to the divine will? His faculties are developed to meet his inner needs. If he lacks judgment, a “spirit of justice” is quickened in him, so that he is able to judge clearly and dispassionately. Weak resolution is strengthened in him and becomes strong. As they successfully withstand temptation, the divine law becomes “strength to them that turn back the battle at the gate.”
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 01-20-2014
