Isaiah 28:9-10 – Spiritual Babies
God deals here with two classes of people within Israel. He is dealing with all of them together, but in different ways. All of them together profess the name Israel. All of them together claim to be the people of God. But God knows the heart even better than they themselves do. He is dealing with hypocrites and with the remnant. The remnant weren’t entirely holy yet. They were not completely sanctified yet. That is the case with you and me as well. And here the true people of God need to be disciplined because they have been foolish. The false people of God will be getting difficulty too.
Isaiah looked to lead and teach the people. God had called him to do so in the office of prophet. In this office, he and all prophets gave out the Word of God. This was not merely their religious insight. This was not merely their private opinions. No, this was something far greater. The true prophets of God gave out the Word of the living God. The Word of God tells us what we are to believe concerning God, and what God requires of us (Westminster Shorter Catechism #3). And in this office, Isaiah and all the prophets of the Scripture, point to the Lord Jesus Christ, who gives the Word of God and Who is Himself the Word become flesh. So, Isaiah looked to lead and teach the people, as God called him to do. But there was a problem. It’s a problem that continued into the New Testament and continues into this day. And that is the spiritual immaturity of the people. (Hebrews 5:12-14)
Spiritually speaking, these people to whom Isaiah was speaking, were little babies. So Isaiah had to go over the same stuff, very basic stuff, over and over again. And once maybe somebody got a little bit, then he’d go on to the next step. And once that was taken on, okay, now the next little step. This is a reproach to these people. For they should have been much, much farther along in their knowledge and in their godliness, in their knowledge of who God is, and in their obedience to what He has said for them to do. We all need to be maturing, to be pressing on. It is a shame to us if we are not.
Questions
- What was the problem with the people?
- Why is it bad if we don’t mature in our Christian faith?