How does Isaiah 28:11 illustrate God's use of foreign languages as judgment? Setting the Scene in Isaiah 28 Isaiah addresses leaders in Jerusalem who mock God’s prophet and trust in political alliances instead of the Lord. The prophet warns that their sneering will bring swift judgment. The Core Verse Isaiah 28:11: “For with stammering lips and foreign tongues He will speak to this people.” Foreign Speech as a Sign of Judgment • God’s message would come through a language the people could not understand, underscoring how far they had drifted from Him. • This judgment echoes an earlier covenant warning: – Deuteronomy 28:49 — “The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar… a nation whose language you will not understand.” • Hearing unintelligible words in their streets would shame the nation that prided itself on spiritual insight. Historical Fulfillment: Assyrian Invasion • Within a generation, Assyrian soldiers, speaking Akkadian, swarmed Judah’s borders. • Their harsh commands and military taunts fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy; God’s own people now heard divine warning through foreign lips. • Jeremiah later applied the same picture to Babylon (Jeremiah 5:15). New Testament Echoes • Paul cites Isaiah 28:11 to explain the gift of tongues as a warning sign to unbelieving Israel (1 Corinthians 14:21). • At Pentecost the crowd’s bewilderment—“How is it that we hear, each in our own native language?” (Acts 2:8)—both announced salvation and, for scoffers, signaled impending accountability. • The pattern remains: whenever God’s voice is ignored, He may speak in ways that startle complacent hearts. Key Takeaways • Foreign languages in Scripture often signal God’s displeasure with covenant breakers. • Judgment is never an end in itself; it is a wake-up call inviting repentance and renewed trust in the Lord. • The clarity of God’s Word is a privilege—one that must never be taken lightly. |
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