Commentary - Isaiah 28:23-29

Bird's-eye view

In this closing section of Isaiah 28, the prophet shifts from a direct oracle of judgment against the drunken leaders of Ephraim and Judah to a beautiful and instructive parable from the world of agriculture. It is a call to listen, to pay close attention, because what God is about to say through this illustration is the key to understanding everything that has come before. The Lord's dealings with His people, His methods of judgment and discipline, are not random or chaotic. They are as ordered, purposeful, and wise as the practices of a skilled farmer. This is a passage about divine pedagogy, the methodology of God's instruction.

The parable contrasts the ongoing, preparatory work of plowing with the specific, careful acts of sowing various seeds. It then moves to the harvest, showing how different crops require different methods of threshing. The point is clear: God's wisdom is multifaceted. He doesn't use a sledgehammer for every task. His discipline is tailored, measured, and appropriate for the person and the situation. This section serves as a concluding defense of God's seemingly harsh actions. It assures the remnant of faith that Yahweh of hosts is indeed wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom, even when His plow breaks up the comfortable ground of their lives.

Outline

Context In Isaiah

Isaiah 28 is a "woe" oracle, primarily directed at the northern kingdom of Israel (called Ephraim) but also extending its warning to the leaders of Judah in Jerusalem. The chapter begins by denouncing the pride and drunkenness of Ephraim's leaders, who are about to be overwhelmed by the Assyrian invasion. Then, in verse 14, the focus shifts to the "scoffers" who rule Jerusalem. They have made a "covenant with death," trusting in political alliances rather than in Yahweh. God promises that their refuge of lies will be swept away by a hailstorm of judgment.

In the midst of this, God announces He is laying a cornerstone in Zion, a precious and tested foundation (v. 16). This is the gospel promise shining through the storm clouds of judgment. The parable of the farmer in verses 23-29 functions as the capstone to this entire argument. It answers the implicit question: "Why is God dealing with us so harshly? Is this judgment relentless and unending?" The parable says no. God's work, like that of a farmer, is seasonal, purposeful, and wise. The plowing is for the sake of planting, and the threshing is for the sake of gathering the grain. It is a word of profound comfort to those who will listen.

Key Issues

The Farmer's Wisdom

The central metaphor of this passage is the farmer, whose practices are presented as a model of wisdom, order, and discrimination. This is not simply a quaint, rustic illustration. In the agrarian world of ancient Israel, the farmer's success depended entirely on his ability to work in harmony with the created order, with its seasons, soils, and crop varieties. To fail in this was to starve. This practical, earthy wisdom, Isaiah reveals, is not a human invention. It is a gift from God; it is a reflection of God's own character and the way He governs the world.

The farmer knows when to plow and when to stop plowing. He knows which seed goes where. He knows that delicate spices like dill and cumin cannot be treated with the same force as wheat. This is a picture of God's providential rule. He is not a clumsy, one-size-fits-all deity. His judgments (the plowing and threshing) and His blessings (the planting and harvest) are perfectly suited to their purpose. For the scoffers who see only chaos and destruction, Isaiah presents a world governed by an infinitely wise and purposeful God.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 23 Give ear and hear my voice, Pay attention and hear my words.

The prophet begins with a summons, a command to listen. This is the posture required for wisdom. The scoffers of the preceding verses were deafened by their own drunken shouts and cynical politics. But here, the gate is opened for anyone who will humble himself and simply listen. The repetition, "Give ear... hear... Pay attention... hear," emphasizes the immense importance of what is about to be said. This isn't just more noise. This is the Word of the Lord, which brings understanding. All true learning starts here, not with our own cleverness, but with a quiet, attentive heart before God.

v. 24 Does the farmer plow continually to plant seed? Does he continually turn and harrow his ground?

Isaiah starts with a rhetorical question that expects a resounding "No!" A farmer who did nothing but plow, all year long, would be a fool. He would have a perfectly tilled field with no seed in it. The plowing, the breaking up of hard ground, is a necessary and often harsh preliminary. But it is never the end goal. So it is with God's judgment. He breaks up the fallow ground of our hearts and our nations. He sends the Assyrian plow. But He does not do it forever. The purpose is always for the sake of a future planting. This should be a great comfort to the believer undergoing trial. The discipline is preparatory, not punitive in the final sense.

v. 25 Does he not level its surface And sow dill and scatter cumin And plant wheat in rows, Barley in its place and rye within its area?

The wisdom of the farmer extends to the act of sowing. He doesn't just fling seed randomly. He is discriminating. He levels the surface first, creating a proper seedbed. Then he plants different seeds in different ways. Some are scattered (cumin), some are sown carefully (dill), and the staple grains like wheat are planted in orderly rows. Barley and rye are put in their designated places. This is a picture of God's intricate providence. He deals with each of us, and with each nation, according to a specific, wise plan. He knows what "crop" He intends to grow in each life and He plants accordingly. He doesn't plant wheat in a rock pile or dill in a swamp. His methods are tailored and precise.

v. 26 For his God disciplines and teaches him proper judgment.

Here is the source of the farmer's wisdom. It is not his own native wit. It comes from God. The word for "disciplines" is musar, a key biblical term for instruction, correction, and training. The word for "teaches" is yarah, from which we get the word Torah. God Himself instructs the farmer in the right way, the "proper judgment." This is a profound theological statement. All common grace, all practical wisdom found in the world, flows from God as the fountainhead. And if God teaches a simple farmer how to manage his few acres, how much more does He apply His infinite wisdom to the management of His covenant people and the course of redemptive history?

v. 27 For dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, Nor is the wheel of a cart driven over cumin; But dill is beaten out with a staff, and cumin with a rod.

Now we move from planting to harvesting. The farmer's discriminating wisdom continues. A heavy threshing sledge, dragged by oxen over wheat or barley, would pulverize delicate spices like dill and cumin. That would be foolish and wasteful. So, a different tool is used, a simple staff or rod. The method is fitted to the crop. In the same way, God's discipline is not a blind, crushing force. He knows our frame. He knows what we can bear. For some, a sharp word is enough. For others, a more severe trial is needed. But He never uses more force than is necessary to separate the chaff from the grain.

v. 28 Grain for bread is crushed, But he does not continue to thresh it forever. Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually disturb it, He does not crush it longer.

Even with the hardier grain, the threshing has a limit. The farmer's goal is to get bread, not to pulverize the grain into dust. He threshes it, but not "forever." There comes a point where continuing the process would ruin the crop. This is a glorious promise embedded in a parable. God's judgments upon His people have a set term. The Babylonian exile will last seventy years, not forever. The persecution will last for a time, but not forever. God knows when to stop. His aim is restoration and nourishment ("bread"), not annihilation.

v. 29 This also comes from Yahweh of hosts, Who has made His counsel wonderful and His wisdom great.

The conclusion brings it all home. This wisdom, this entire orderly, purposeful, discriminating process, is a direct reflection of the character of God. It "comes from Yahweh of hosts," the covenant Lord who commands the armies of heaven. All of history, from the tilling of a field to the rise and fall of empires, is under His sovereign hand. His "counsel" is wonderful, beyond our full comprehension. His "wisdom" is great, made effective in all that He does. The scoffers see only a political crisis. The man of faith, instructed by this parable, sees the hand of a wise and wonderful Father, working all things, even the harsh things, for the good of His people and the glory of His name.

Application

This passage is a master class in how to interpret our circumstances, particularly our trials. We are tempted, like the scoffers in Jerusalem, to see only the chaos, the pain, the relentless plowing of our lives. We are tempted to believe that God has forgotten us, or that His actions are random and cruel. This parable calls us to lift our eyes from the dirt being turned over and to look to the Farmer.

First, we must learn to listen. Wisdom doesn't come from frantic activity or anxious speculation. It comes from giving ear to God's Word. It is in Scripture that we learn the character of the Farmer and the patterns of His work.

Second, we must trust in the purposefulness of our trials. If you are being plowed, it is because God intends to plant. If you are being threshed, it is because God intends to gather. The discipline is never for its own sake. It is always directed toward a fruitful end. God is making bread out of you, and that requires some crushing.

Finally, we must rest in the magnificent wisdom of God. He knows exactly what tool to use, what pressure to apply, and when to stop. He will not thresh the dill with a sledge. He will not thresh the wheat forever. He is Yahweh of hosts, wonderful in counsel and great in wisdom. Our lives are not a series of unfortunate accidents. They are the carefully managed field of a Master Farmer, who is bringing in a glorious harvest for His own praise. Trust the Farmer.