What is the meaning of Isaiah 28:15? For you said “ For you said, …” (Isaiah 28:15) • God Himself recites the leaders’ own words, showing He hears every boast (Psalm 94:9). • Their speech reveals hearts already hardened (Matthew 12:34). • The Lord will hold them accountable for every idle word (Matthew 12:36), underscoring the seriousness of what follows. We have made a covenant with death • Judah’s officials believed political alliances—with Egypt or any other earthly power—would secure their future (Isaiah 30:1-3). • Calling this pact a “covenant with death” exposes it as a direct rejection of the covenant of life God offered (Deuteronomy 30:15-19). • Any deal that assumes safety while dismissing God is fellowship with death itself (Proverbs 8:36; 1 Corinthians 15:56). We have fashioned an agreement with Sheol • “Sheol” is the realm of the dead (Psalm 49:14-15). Imagining an understanding with it is delusion. • They treated the forces of destruction as negotiable partners, much like King Ahaz earlier sought Assyria’s help (2 Kings 16:7-9). • Scripture insists no one can bargain with the grave (Job 14:14; Hebrews 9:27). When the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not touch us • “Overwhelming scourge” pictures the Assyrian invasion (Isaiah 8:7-8) and, ultimately, any judgment God sends. • Like those in Noah’s day who ignored the coming flood (Matthew 24:38-39), the leaders assumed calamity would pass them by. • Paul echoes the same false security: “While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction comes on them suddenly” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). Because we have made lies our refuge and falsehood our hiding place • Their confidence rested on deception—political spin, self-assurance, idol promises (Jeremiah 7:4). • Lies may feel like shelter, but they crumble when truth tests them (Psalm 52:7; Matthew 7:26-27). • Jesus identifies the source of all falsehood: “for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44); siding with lies means siding against God. summary Isaiah 28:15 exposes leaders who preferred political maneuvering and self-made security over trusting the Lord. By calling their alliance a “covenant with death,” God unmasks the spiritual reality behind their choice: any refuge apart from Him is a pact with destruction. Judgment will sweep away every lie, but those who rest on the sure cornerstone God sets in Zion (Isaiah 28:16) will stand. |
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