Isaiah
28:4b
4 And the glorious [ts@biy] beauty [tiph'arah], which
is on the head [ro'sh] of the fat [shemen] valley [gay'], shall be a
fading [nabel] flower [tsiytsah], and as the hasty fruit [bikkuwr] before the summer [qayits];
which when he that looketh [ra'ah] upon it
seeth [ra'ah], while it is yet in his hand [kaph] he eateth it up [bala`]. KJV-Interlinear
4 and the fading flower of its
glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley, will be like a
first-ripe fig before the summer: when someone sees it, he swallows it as soon
as it is in his hand. ESV
When something is devoured, it no longer exists, or it
is left with the impression of being thoroughly destroyed.
Normally we do our study in the Psalms on this day,
but yesterday’s study in Isaiah left some confusion apparently. So here is another look at verse 4.
This verse describes a beautiful valley coming into
its beauty in the spring of the year.
The flowers are blooming, the blossoms are coming out, the colors are
exploding off the charts with their brilliance.
When a person stands at a high point they can see the
vast beauty of the region before them.
Likewise, along with the spring, there are some fruits
that bloom and ripen early. The case at
hand is in reference to the figs of the region, which is the Middle East. Figs generally ripen in late August, but
there are always some that ripen earlier in the summer. These are the obvious
first targets of a would-be picker, who when he sees the fruit, picks it and
eats it. He consumes it or devours it,
leaving nothing for later use.
In a normal harvest the fruit or produce is taken and
stored to some extent, for later use.
Swallowing it as soon as it is in hand, as soon as it
is picked, indicates a rush to eat it, a hurry that leaves little time for
chewing, the desire is so great.
And that is the picture here, which is the devouring
with no hesitation and with nothing left for later use.
The target is Ephraim or Samaria, or todays northern
Israel. The picker is Assyria, as seen
from Isaiah’s day, or as seen from the perspective of the last days, the King of
the North.
The result? The total destruction by the invader of
the intended target.
Isaiah gave fair warning that Ephraim was going to be
invaded and destroyed, with a harshness that left nothing.
In the final days of history, the invader, which then
will be the King of the North, will invade with a dizzying speed, as it rushes
through the Palestine region and into Africa. This is the double cross it will bring
against the King of the South during the Armageddon campaign.
Anyway, the destruction will be horrendous.
In the end times, the King of the South will invade in
concert with the King of the North. The
North will double cross the south and the south will be destroyed. Then the kings of the East and West will attack
from their respective directions, and the whole mess will center on Israel. The result, total disaster for much of the
region.
No one will be trying to conquer in order to capture
and keep for themselves, but the end result will be to destroy everything
without even a second thought.
Remember that Satan is the driving force behind the
entire war, and he wants to destroy everything in order that Christ will have
nothing to save or deliver as promised.
To defeat the promise is to defeat Christ. At least in Satan’s mind.
So, this is the state of things, or the warning of
things against Ephraim, back in Isaiah’s day, which warning was ignored. And so Assyria invaded, and Ephraim and
Samaria ceased to exist.
This will happen again, in the future, just as it has
happened in the past. People do not listen,
do not learn, and are not interested.
The result will be disastrous.
