A Covenant with Death

Isaiah’s Warning Against Trusting in Nations

Amen. Please turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 28, and we'll continue there. If you remember, I've been trying to announce what section of Isaiah we're in. You know, the way the Bible was originally written, it didn't have even chapters or verses, and so to divide it up into sections is something somewhat artificial, but somewhat meaningful too, since it does seem that there are apparent themes.

So we had read a section about oracles against the nations, and then we read a section of Isaiah that was talking about things to come. It's often called the little apocalypse of Isaiah. And then here in Isaiah 28 through 35, this is about the folly of trusting in the nations.

So Isaiah is particularly talking about the the folly of either Ephraim, the northern kingdom of Israel, or Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel, trusting in foreign allies, but in general just of trusting world powers at all.

Now this particular section in Isaiah 28, 14 through 22, I'd considered breaking up into two sections because there's a lot in here. However, this unit stands together as a whole. If you notice, verse 14 starts with, speaking of you scoffers, and then verse 22, now therefore do not scoff.

15 says, we have made a covenant with death, and then in verse 18 it says, then this covenant will be annulled. So this section stands together as a whole, and I didn't want to break it up, but there is a lot here to look at.

So let me go ahead and read this, and then we'll pray. Please stand for the reading of God's word when you have Isaiah 28, beginning with verse 14. Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers, you who rule this people in Jerusalem, because you have said, we have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement.

When the overwhelming whip passes through, it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter. Therefore, thus says the Lord God, behold, I am one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation.

Whoever believes will not be in haste, and I will make justice the plumb line, excuse me, the line, and righteousness the plumb line, and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.

Then your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be beaten down by it. As often as it passes through, it will take you, for morning by morning it will pass through, by day and by night, and it will be a sheer terror to understand the message.

For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on, and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in. For the Lord will rise up as on Mount Parazim, as in the valley of Gibeon he will be aroused to do his deed, strange as his deed, and to work his work, alien is his work.

Now therefore do not scoff, lest your bonds be made strong, for I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord God of hosts against the whole land. You may be seated. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word, we thank you for all that it communicates to us, all that it reveals to us about you and who you are and who we are.

Lord, I pray that you would help us to understand you better today, that you would help us to understand ourselves better today, and this notion of a covenant of death. Lord, I pray that we would understand it, that we might avoid such things, and that we would honor you in all that we do.

In Jesus' name, amen. So hopefully you've picked up with the, and understand a little about the context of Isaiah's time. The northern kingdom of Israel, also known as Ephraim, has made an alliance with Syria, and then the southern kingdom made an alliance with Assyria, and they battled against each other essentially, and Assyria took away the northern kingdom of Israel, and now it's at a point where, because they had done that, Assyria has turned on the southern kingdom they had made an alliance with, they've turned on Judah.

And so, God is instructing them once again, don't turn to another nation to solve your problems, don't turn to another nation when this, when this nation of Assyria comes against you, because once again, this will be a covenant with death.

Once again, you will just be signing over your own death warrant. Now there are many people in the world, in fact, I'd say every single person who does not believe in Jesus Christ has made a covenant with death.

They expect something else to make them right. They expect either their own natural religion that teaches them that their good deeds will outweigh their bad deeds, and that will make it okay in the end, or maybe they think that technology will save them and raise them back from the dead one day when, long to the future.

There's all kinds of things that people believe, but these things that they trust in are ultimately a covenant with death, because one, they will not save, and two, in trusting in these other things, we are only heaping on condemnation on ourselves.

In trusting in other things, we are dishonoring God, we are rebelling against him, the one who has told us not to make an alliance with other powers. He had told the nation of Judah not to make an alliance with other powers, and they did, assuring their destruction.

Same way, many people not trusting in the Lord, but rather trusting in themselves, trusting in their own works, trusting in something else, make a covenant with death, because that thing will not save them, and on top of that, it is further rebellion against the Lord, further condemnation, further judgment.

The Scoffers and the Covenant with Death

Beginning here in verse 14, therefore, hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. Now these scoffers that Isaiah is speaking of are the ones that he spoke of in the previous passage.

If you remember from last week, we talked about those who called Isaiah's prophecy precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little. Those who had mocked the word of the Lord as it was coming from Isaiah, those who did not value his prophecy, and these were, as it had explained in the previous passage, these were prophets and priests, these were rulers of the land who had scoffed against Isaiah.

So God speaks to all the scoffers, he speaks to those who have some sort of authority, who have some sort of claim to the truth, and yet are far from the truth, in fact they are mocking the truth itself.

Once again, something that definitely resonates with this world we live in. This world we live in, many people claim to have some great hold on the truth, and yet are scoffing at the thing that is actually truth, mocking the word of the Lord as being some sort of myth, some sort of fable for only children, and yet they are the most childish because they are not receiving that which is for the mature that meet the word.

Verse 15 says, Because you have said we have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement. When the overwhelming whip passes through, it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter.

Now this covenant with death is most likely the alliance that Judah is considering with Egypt. They were in talks with Egypt to protect the people from Assyria. Now, as I said, they had already trusted Assyria to protect them from the northern kingdom of Israel, and then Assyria turned on them, and here they're going to trust another nation again rather than the Lord.

And they had even begun these deals. They have made this covenant with death. With Sheol, they had made an agreement. Now, it's unlikely that these people would speak this way. They have made a covenant with death, that we've taken our refuge in lies.

Clearly, this is Isaiah characterizing what they have done. They think that they've made some sure foundation. Egypt in scripture is frequently a sign of great military strength. They have many horses.

They're supposed to have a great strength. But later on in Isaiah, it says that they will be nothing but a broken reed. You know, if you lean on a staff, the staff will support you. If you lean on a reed, it will not.

If you lean on a broken reed, it most certainly won't. Assyria, excuse me, Egypt cannot save these people from Assyria. It is merely death. You know, there was a fable I heard as a kid, and I was trying to remember with Sarah what the fable was exactly, what the animals involved are.

Maybe some of you will remember some story like this, but where a fox is crossing the river for, there's some animal that wants to cross the river, and a fox offers to help this animal, maybe it's a mouse or something, cross the river.

What's that? No, no, that's something different. That's something different. Yeah, that's, when I kept searching, that's all I could find, a scorpion, a frog, but no, it's a fox and something like a mouse.

And so the mouse is on top of the fox, and the fox is kind of, the water is getting deeper and deeper, and the fox keeps telling the mouse to get further and further up on its head, and then finally he eats the mouse.

And so the mouse knows that he can't really trust the fox, but still he gets on the fox's back, and he makes this covenant with death. He knows that this is something that's going to kill him. The people should know that given that God has told them that He can save them, these foreign nations cannot, they're making a covenant with death.

And this is, this is everything that you trust in. If it is not Jesus Christ, if you trust in yourself to make yourself right before the Lord, if you trust in yourself to somehow be fine on your last day, you know, death is coming.

Death is coming. You have to have an answer for it. Maybe you think that it's fine just to pass away into nothing, but as that reality gets closer and closer, you will realize how terrifying that is, and how you need some answer.

Ecclesiastes 3 .11 says that God has put eternity into man's heart so that he cannot know what God has done from the beginning to the end. Even if people don't understand all of what God is doing, they know that there's something more.

They know that it continues on, and especially as that moment approaches, they don't simply dismiss it as though it's nothing, it's just part of the circle of life. That reality sets in. Maybe they keep a straight face, but deep down, no one thinks that death is nothing.

Everyone, as they face death, recognize how great and how serious it is, and that there is an answer, there needs to be some kind of answer to that. And you will rely on something else, but if you rely on something other than Jesus Christ, you have made a covenant with death.

You are going to the very one who's going to kill you. Verse 16 says,. Therefore, thus says the Lord, behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion. A stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation.

The Cornerstone in Isaiah, Paul, and Peter

Now God has offered something that is certain, something that that can be relied upon. The nation of Egypt cannot be relied upon, other foreign powers cannot be relied upon, whatever that you are looking for, for hope in your life, cannot be relied upon unless it is the sure foundation stone that God has already laid.

Now, the Bible has a number of passages about this stone, the most important of which we should be looking at is just earlier in Isaiah, back in Isaiah 8. He speaks of the stone. He says in verse 14, 8 -14,.

And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble on it, they shall fall and be broken, they shall be snared and taken.

Now this in context is speaking of the Lord. Verse 13 said, But the Lord of hosts, him shall you honor as holy. Let him be your fear and let him be your dread, and he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense.

The Lord himself is that stone. The Lord himself is the one that can be relied on. And if you remember last week, there were several phrases that were used in the passage to allude back to that same passage in Isaiah 8.

If you look right here in this previous section, it said in verse 13, that they may go and fall backward and be broken and snared and taken. Now being broken and snared and taken, what's that referring to?

That is referring to the stone of Isaiah 8. And here we have statement of the foundation stone. To those who trust in the stone, it is sure, it is certain. To those who do not trust in it, they fall in it, they stumble over it, and they are broken.

If you trust in the Lord, you are sure. If you do not trust in the Lord, you will fall over him and you will be broken. Now there are other passages that speak of this stone. Please go ahead and if you look at 1 Peter, 1 Peter also speaks of the stone.

Excuse me, let me go to to Romans 9 first. Romans 9, beginning in verse 30, there are a few passages I'd like to look at today, so I guess just get ready to to flip through a few of them. Romans 9, beginning in verse 30.

What shall we say then that Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith, but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law?

Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of a fence.

Whoever believes on him will not be put to shame. So do you see what Paul is doing here in Romans? He's identifying those two stones, the one we read about in Isaiah 8 and the one we read about in Isaiah 28 as being the same stone.

He's calling it a stone of stumbling and a rock of a fence, like it was called in Isaiah 8, and he's also calling it the stone laid in Zion, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. That's that phrase also from 28.

So he's saying that these two stones are indeed the same stone, and how is it the people have stumbled over it? Well, particularly the people of Israel. While in the context of Isaiah 28, they will go on to trust in the Lord.

Hezekiah, the king, will decide that he won't trust in Egypt, and rather he will pray to the Lord, and God does save them. But as time goes on, Israel turns against the Lord because they turn against his foundation stone.

That stone that he has laid is Jesus Christ. It is himself. It is God himself in flesh. The Father sending the Son, and all those who reject that foundation stone are broken on it. All those who trust in that foundation stone have a certain salvation.

Now, how did he say that those who reject it, reject it? He said, in particularly, why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. This is what people go to. All the other, all other religions can basically be summed up into this one idea that you, by something that you do, by some, by some merit, can make yourself right.

Now, it doesn't, that's going to come out in many different ways, and there are some ways of obscuring this, but ultimately this is what all the other faiths are pointing to. However, in Christianity, in true Christianity, it is not one's works that make oneself right.

It is rather God that makes oneself right. God justifies a man. God grants his perfect righteousness in Jesus Christ. Now, how do you have that righteousness? You have it by faith, not by works. And 1 Peter also quotes this to explain further.

1 Peter chapter 2, beginning in verse 4, it says, as you come to him, a living stone rejected by men, but in the sight of God, chosen and precious, you yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

For it stands in scripture, behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone, chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. Now, you notice what Peter did. Peter quotes the verse more directly.

Paul had combined it with that verse in Isaiah 8, but then Peter goes on to quote the verse in Isaiah 8 as well. He says, so the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, that stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

That's from the Psalms. And verse 8, a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble because they disobey the word as they were destined to do. So he identifies, just like Paul, these two stones of Isaiah 8 and Isaiah 28 as being the same stone.

The stone of offense is the foundation stone. It is the Lord himself. And as we discover in the New Testament, it is Jesus Christ who is sent by the Father. Now, there are more statements of judgment here in 1 Peter, speaking of stumbling over the stone.

However, there is a great promise. Listen to this. Verse 9, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. So how is it, how is it that one can lay hold of that foundation stone? They are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possessions.

Those who trust in the Lord are that thing. And they are, as it said, in verse 4, he is a living stone rejected by men, but in the sight of God chosen and precious. You yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house.

We are being built into this building around the cornerstone. Now, do you know what a cornerstone is? You know, the cornerstone is the big stone at the, at the corner of the building that everything else references.

I don't often do a lot of building, but recently I did. And so the one post that we had in the, in the one corner of the little plot was determined where everything else was. The property, the little plot of land that is on is not really a square.

So I couldn't go by the land itself. I was just going by that one post. This is what Jesus Christ is. He is that cornerstone. He is the one who is a right. He is the one who is pointed in the straight direction.

And so as we are being built into it, we are being built around him. We are being built to align with him. The way that you have righteousness is not by works. It's not by yourself. It's not by, uh, the way you are right with God or right with the world is not by anything that you can produce in yourself.

Rather, it is only through Jesus Christ. It is only through being in alignment with him. Once again, not by your own works. What brick puts itself into a building? You need God, the builder of all, to lay you into that building.

The only way for this to happen is if you are pointed to Christ, if you are contemplating Christ. You know, the more you go to God's word, the more you look to Jesus Christ, the more you become aligned with him, the more, uh, the more you have everything you need.

This is not something that's done out of our own, you know, even as I'm sitting here talking about, uh, going to scripture. It is not as though that work is what's making you right before God. Rather, it is through the word of God that God has chosen to work and to align us with Jesus Christ, to build us more and more into that building.

Justice, Righteousness, and the Plumb Line

He keeps speaking here in verse 17, and I will make justice the line and righteousness the plumb line and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies as the waters will overwhelm the shelter. No, he's speaking about building a building.

He's laid that foundation stone. He will sweep away everything that does not line up with that cornerstone. He will sweep it all away. Do you know what a plumb line is? Now, before I started studying the Old Testament more seriously, the only thing I knew of a plumb line was that you use it when you're out in the water and you're trying to see how deep the water is.

You know, occasionally I'd be out in a canoe as a kid, and I'd, uh, you know, have a rock on a string, and I'd put it down, try to see. Usually my rock wasn't really heavy enough to tell when it hit, but I was trying to see how deep the, how deep the waters were.

Well, what they would use plumb lines for is you stand at the edge of the building and you hold it down, and even if you don't have a modern level that has a little bubble in the neon water, you have something that's perfectly hanging straight up and down.

You can tell if the wall is bulging out or whether it will stand for a long time, and if the wall is bulging at all, you knock it down and you replace it. This is what's going to happen. All those who are not around the cornerstone, it will be, they will be destroyed.

Whoever believes will not be in haste, but if justice is the line and righteousness is the plumb line, those who do not believe will be in haste. Haste means, you know, running from your enemies. Haste means anxious and not having peace, not having peace with God.

It says, hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter. You know, this, uh, speaking of hail and waters, once again, something I've been trying to point out is that God has frequently in Isaiah, in this book of Isaiah, spoken of Assyria as a great flood that is coming for Judah.

So it's frequently been called a great flood. In fact, that's what it was called back in verse two. Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong, like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest, like a storm of mighty overflowing waters.

He casts down to earth with his hand. And this really connects us back to Isaiah 8 as well. You know, Isaiah 28 is really resuming where Isaiah 8 left off. Isaiah 8 promised that Assyria would come like a great flood, coming all the way up to the neck of Jerusalem.

It says, then your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand. This covenant will be broken. People think they can rely on these other nations, but they cannot.

The covenant will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be beaten down by it, beaten down by this overwhelming scourge. Now, it's interesting because most translations in verse 15, when it talks about an overwhelming whip, say an overwhelming scourge, there's a reason why the ESV does this.

It's a little too complicated to explain right now. I'm not even entirely certain of it, but most translations speak of an overwhelming scourge twice over. Assyria is this overwhelming scourge. It will, in fact, rush over all who make a covenant with it.

It is that death. That nation of Assyria will come across those who trust in other nations. As Israel, as, excuse me, Judah has trust in Egypt, they trusted in Assyria, and now they're trusting in Egypt.

Assyria will come over them. Anyone who tries to save their life will lose it. That's what Matthew 16 25 says. Anyone who tries to save his own life will lose it, but he who, but he who comes to Jesus Christ, he who gives up his life for Christ's sake will find it.

As often as it passes through, it will take you. From morning by morning, it will pass through. By day and by night. And it will be sheer terror to understand the message. For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on, and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself on.

For the Lord will rise up as on Mount Perizim, as in the Valley of Gibeon, he will be aroused to do his strange deed, and to work his strange work, his alien work. The Lord will destroy all those that trust in other things.

It speaks of the bed being too short. If you lay on a bed, your feet hang off. The bed doesn't really do what it's meant to do. It doesn't give you real rest. Remember, before, God had promised rest in verse 12.

It says, to whom he has said, this is rest, and give rest to the weary, and this is repose, yet they would not hear. Those people who have rejected God's word, they will not find rest. Those who come to his word, those who trust in Jesus Christ, they do find rest.

They have a bed that is long enough, and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in. The Lord will rise up, as on Mount Perizim, as in the Valley of Gibeon, he will be aroused. Now, these two events that he's talking about are recorded in scripture.

Once again, I'd like to show you what these say. So the first of these is in 2 Samuel 6, beginning in verse 17. 2 Samuel 6, beginning in verse, excuse me, 5, beginning in verse 17. When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David.

But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. And David inquired of the Lord, shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?

And the Lord said to David, go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand. And David came to Bel-Perizim, and David defeated them there. And he said, the Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a breaking flood.

Therefore, the name, that place is called Bel-Perizim. And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away. So here you have miraculous intervention by God. David is able to destroy the Philistines, and it's called, it is said to be like a flood.

Like a flood. And then in Joshua, in Joshua 10, verse 6, it speaks of Gibeon. And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, do not relax your hand from your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us and help us.

For all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country are gathered against us. So Joshua went up from Gilgal. He and all the people of the war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. And the Lord said to Joshua, do not fear them, for I've given them into your hands.

Not a man of them shall stand before you. So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of ascent of Bethhoron, and struck them as far as Azekah and Makedah.

And as they fled before Israel, while they were still going down the ascent of Bethhoron, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them, as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.

So once again, God miraculously defeating the enemies of Israel. This time, before it was called as a flood, this time it was with literal hailstones. And so when God speaks of flood and hail, when he compares Assyria to flood and hail, he's referencing these Old Testament events where God had done outlandish things, things that are foreign to the human mind, things that are alien to us.

God is, God is foreign. He is alien. He is unlike anything in this world. And therefore, his judgment is great and unlike anything in this world. In verse 22, it says,. Now therefore, do not scoff, lest your bonds be made strong.

For I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord of hosts against the whole land. So do not scoff, lest your bonds be made strong. On one hand, there's a great warning here. The people should not scoff at the word of the Lord.

They should not reject the word of the Lord or else they will be punished. Now, on the other hand, there's hope embedded in this verse. Not only have we seen about this cornerstone, that it promises a salvation for those who would trust in the Lord, but he says, lest your bonds be made strong.

There's an indication that the bonds can be loosened. There's an indication that God is merciful. And indeed, he is merciful. As the people turn to him, he will free them ultimately from this offense, from this Assyria that is coming over them like a flood.

Yes, the people will be, many will be captured. Yes, many will be destroyed. However, Jerusalem itself will end up being spared as King Hezekiah leads the people to trust in the Lord rather than to trust in the nation of Egypt.

Maybe you know of someone or even yourself has entered a contract that didn't turn out to be what you thought it was because you didn't read all the fine print. You know, imagine if you were to sign a contract with someone and then you realize that it pretty much requires you to be employed to that person forever, and the pay is nothing.

Essentially, this is slave slavery, and there's no way out of this contract. There's no way out of it. What do you do? What do you do if there's no way out of this contract? Well, thankfully, the Lord annuls such contracts.

Now, when he spoke of the covenant of death being annulled, it was destruction for all who hold to it. But any who are willing to leave that behind, any who go to the Lord rather than trusting in themselves, rather than trusting in their own works or anything that they can offer the Lord, any who go to Jesus Christ, who go to that certain foundation, that cornerstone, any of them are saved.

All of them are saved. And that is the hope that this passage has. This passage has a great warning for all who would trust in themselves, who would—all who would trust in the nations of the world, for all who would trust in powers.

You know, Brian mentioned earlier election season's coming up. You know, don't trust. Don't trust in princes and man in whom there is no salvation, as it says in the Psalms. Rather, trust in the Lord.

And the Lord, God Almighty, the Father, has sent his Son to be that foundationstone that we can trust in and find a perfect salvation. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for your Son. We thank you that he is a perfect refuge.

And Lord, there are many refuges of lies. Pray that we would flee from all these, and we would flee only to your Son. In his name we pray. Amen.