The Captivity of Ephraim
“Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower of his glorious splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, the pride of those overcome by wine. Behold, the Lord has one who is strong and mighty. Like a hailstorm or destructive tempest, like a driving rain or flooding downpour, he will smash that crown to the ground. The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards will be trampled underfoot. The fading flower of his beautiful splendor, on the summit above the fertile valley, will be like a ripe fig before the summer harvest: Whoever sees it will take it in his hand and swallow it.
On that day the LORD of Hosts will be a crown of glory, a diadem of splendor to the remnant of His people, a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and a strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate. These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments. For all their tables are covered with vomit; there is not a place without filth. Whom is He trying to teach? To whom is He explaining His message? To infants just weaned from milk? To babies removed from the breast?
For He says, “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there.” Indeed, with mocking lips and foreign tongues, He will speak to this people to whom He has said: “This is the place of rest, let the weary rest; this is the place of repose.” But they would not listen. Then the word of the LORD will come to them: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a little there,” so that they will go stumbling backward and be injured, ensnared, and captured.
A Cornerstone in Zion (1 Corinthians 3:10-15; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-8)
Therefore hear the word of the LORD, O scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. For you said, “We have made a covenant with death; we have fashioned an agreement with Sheol. When the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not touch us, because we have made lies our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.” So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the level. Hail will sweep away your refuge of lies, and water will flood your hiding place. Your covenant with death will be dissolved, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be trampled by it. As often as it passes through, it will carry you away; it will sweep through morning after morning, by day and by night.”
The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror. Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket too small to wrap around you. For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim. He will rouse Himself as in the valley of Gibeon, to do His work, His strange work, and to perform His task, His disturbing task. So now, do not mock, or your shackles will become heavier. Indeed, I have heard from the Lord GOD of Hosts a decree of destruction against the whole land.
Listen and Hear
Listen and hear my voice. Pay attention and hear what I say. Does the plowman plow for planting every day? Does he continuously loosen and harrow the soil? When he has leveled its surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots, and rye within its border. For his God instructs and teaches him properly. Surely caraway is not threshed with a sledge, and the wheel of a cart is not rolled over the cumin.
But caraway is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod. Grain for bread must be ground, but it is not endlessly threshed. Though the wheels of the cart roll over it, the horses do not crush it. This also comes from the LORD of Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.”
While Ephraim was one of Joseph’s sons, the term Ephraim also came to be used to refer to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. While the southern kingdom of Judah had some righteous kings, the northern kingdom was blighted from its inception. Jeroboam, the first king of Israel, created his own religion as a means of keeping his people from traveling to Jerusalem three times a year to observe the feasts. Ignoring promises of God to establish him, Jeroboam engaged in full – bore idolatry. That set the tone for the entire history of the Northern Kingdom. Possessing much of the most fertile land in Israel, the Northern Kingdom had Samaria as its capital, a city set on hills overlooking fertile valleys, hence that reference.
“On that day the LORD of Hosts will be a crown of glory, a diadem of splendor to the remnant of His people, a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and a strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate.” God knows the righteous, but He is grieved because those who should be righteous have become drunkards, drunk on power, drunk on wealth, and confused. The precepts of God that He has laid out so simply are incomprehensible to these people because they have become confused through their idolatry. Satan has even deceived these people, assuring them that they will not die when invasions come. But God is proclaiming that hail and thunderstorms will beat their kingdom into pieces.
“So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken.” This cornerstone is the Messiah, and anyone who believes in Messiah will have a firm foundation and will never be shaken. But for those who refuse to trust in the Lord, Isaiah says, “. Indeed, I have heard from the Lord GOD of Hosts a decree of destruction against the whole land.”
Why does this chapter end with a description of the means of threshing various kinds of seed? It is God who gives knowledge to the farmer so that he knows how to handle his crops. God is promising that just as a farmer handles different kinds of grains using different methods, He will sort out those who love and trust Him from those who do not. “This also comes from the LORD of Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.”
APPLICATION: Several years ago, we were going through an extremely difficult time. Events at the hospital where we were working had left us feeling crushed and in despair. We had returned to the U.S. to spend time in a safe environment where we could recover spiritually and sort out truth from lies. One day while I was praying, God dropped these verses into my heart: ” Surely caraway is not threshed with a sledge, and the wheel of a cart is not rolled over the cumin. But caraway is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod. Grain for bread must be ground, but it is not endlessly threshed. Though the wheels of the cart roll over it, the horses do not crush it.”
By that point, we felt as if we had been endlessly threshed! But when we examined our situation closely, we realized that God was working in our lives, threshing us. Grain is threshed to remove husks so that the grain itself will be available. God was working to remove impurities from our lives so that we would be more useful to Him.
I would be lying if I said that the threshing process was pleasant; actually, it was miserable! But after the threshing process, God restored us and opened new avenues of ministry to us.
Perhaps you are going through a time of threshing and you just wish it would stop right now! Events have overtaken you, and you are in panic mode. Remember what God says, ““See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken.” That cornerstone is Jesus Christ. If you will trust in Jesus and make Him the cornerstone of your life, you will never be shaken and you will not panic. How can you trust Jesus? Let’s pray.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, You sent Your Son Jesus Christ to live as a man, to die a cruel death, and to be resurrected so that He defeated death and hell. Lord, we want to believe these things are true and we want to believe that if we confess our sins, You will forgive us and will give us protection and hope. We give You permission to change our hearts so that we can believe in You and in Your Son Jesus. Thank You for doing this. Amen.
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