How does Isaiah 28:21 illustrate God's unusual work in our lives today? The Text at a Glance “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.” (Isaiah 28:21) Setting the Scene • Mount Perazim—2 Samuel 5:20 records the sudden breakthrough God gave David over the Philistines. • Valley of Gibeon—Joshua 10:10-14 recounts God hurling hailstones and stopping the sun for Joshua. • Isaiah reminds Judah that the same God stands ready to act again—yet His action may look “strange” or “disturbing” to human eyes. God’s Strange Work Defined • Not random or capricious: it is God’s deliberate response to sin and stubbornness (Isaiah 28:14-19). • Both judgment and mercy intertwine: discipline for the rebellious, deliverance for the faithful. • “Strange” from our viewpoint, never from His—“My thoughts are not your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Why God Works in Unusual Ways Today 1. To Shatter Human Presumption • Judah trusted in political alliances; we trust in bank accounts, insurance policies, career plans. • God overturns false securities so we lean on Him alone—“Some trust in chariots… but we trust in the name of the LORD” (Psalm 20:7). 2. To Preserve His Holiness and Love Simultaneously • At the cross, wrath and mercy meet in a way that looked “strange” even to angels (1 Peter 1:12). • Present-day disruptions—closed doors, unexpected illness, sudden relocations—reveal the same holy love redirecting our paths. 3. To Display Supernatural Power • David’s breakthrough and Joshua’s solar miracle were unmistakable acts of God. • Today He still arranges undeniable interventions—prodigals returning, marriages restored, churches revived—so “no flesh may boast” (1 Corinthians 1:29). 4. To Deepen Our Awe • “His judgments are unsearchable” (Romans 11:33). • When God acts outside our formulas, worship replaces routine, humility replaces pride. Encouragement for Our Walk • Expect divine surprises: God’s faithfulness often arrives wrapped in discomfort. • Interpret hardships through Scripture, not feelings: discipline proves sonship (Hebrews 12:6-11). • Praise in advance: what seems “disturbing” now may later be celebrated as deliverance, just as Perazim and Gibeon became memorials of victory. Living in Expectation of the Unusual • Hold plans loosely; hold promises tightly. • Stay repentant and responsive—God’s strange work often accelerates when hearts are soft. • Share testimonies of God’s unexpected interventions; they prepare others to recognize His hand. Isaiah 28:21 assures us that the God who once shook battlefields still steps into ordinary lives with extraordinary purpose. What appears strange today will eventually be seen as perfect craftsmanship from the Master’s hand. |
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