Isaiah
28:1
1 Woe [howy] to the crown [`atarah] of pride [ge'uwth], to the
drunkards [shikkowr] of Ephraim ['Ephrayim], whose glorious [ts@biy]
beauty [tiph'arah] is a fading [nabel] flower [tsiyts], which are
on the head [ro'sh] of the fat [shemen] valleys [gay'] of them that
are overcome [halam] with wine [yayin]! KJV-Interlinear
1 Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards
of Ephraim, and the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head
of the rich valley of those overcome with wine! ESV
Samaria, is the capital of Ephraim. Samaria is also referred to as the region of
the northern kingdom, which split off from Judah in defiance and rejection of
the line of David. The line of David is
of course the line of Jesus. So the
rejection of David was tantamount to a rejection of God and Gods plan.
Samaria called itself, Israel, whereas, Judah retained
its tribal name.
Samaria consisted of the ten northern tribes of Israel,
whereas Judah and Benjamin were the only two tribes that remained together.
So, the arrogance of Ephraim, is their arrogance in
defiance of Gods plan, presuming to establish their own plan for history.
The city of Samaria was built by Omri, who purchased ‘the hill
Samaria’ of Shemer, for two talents of silver, and built the city on the hill,
and called it, after the name of Shemer, or Samaria, 1 Kings 16:24. Omri was king of the northern kingdom which
called itself Israel, and he made this city the capital of his kingdom. The
city was built on a pleasant and fertile hill, and surrounded with a rich
valley, with a circle of hills beyond; and the beauty of the hill on which the
city was built suggested the idea of a wreath of flowers, or a crown.
This is the fading flower reference made by Isaiah. As the northern kingdom faded when it was
invaded by Assyria and thus ceased to exist.
The beauty of the flower was extinguished, so to speak.
Those who are overcome with wine, is a reference to the
loss of the senses and rational thought when one is under the influence of too
much to drink. That is the nature of one
who has had too much of the view of the world and not enough of the view of
God.
A lack of Bible doctrine in the soul means an excess
of worldly viewpoint, and thus the fog and confusion that accompanies it.
And so, when God is rejected, ignored, or viewed as uninteresting,
then whatever it is that you have, will be lost.
