Isaiah 28 is a prophetic warning to the leaders of Ephraim and Jerusalem, who trusted in drink, alliances and false refuges instead of God. It also looks ahead to a stone laid in Zion and to a God whose wisdom governs even the work of a farmer. These questions suit a small group, a Sunday class, or a personal study that wants to move from what the text says to what it means and how to live it.
Isaiah 28 at a Glance
The chapter opens with a woe against the proud drunkards of Ephraim, whose glory is fading like a flower and will be swept away like an early fig. Verses 5 and 6 turn toward a remnant who will find the LORD of Armies as their true crown. Verses 7 through 13 expose the spiritual leaders who stagger in their own rulings, and verses 14 through 22 confront scoffers who think they have made a deal with death.
The center of the chapter is God’s own stone in Zion, a tested and sure foundation that makes justice the measuring line. The final section, verses 23 through 29, uses the patient, skilled work of a farmer to show that God’s dealings with his people are wise, purposeful and never careless.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers an interpretation. Read the chapter aloud once, then let the group point to the words and images that stand out. Keep the discussion anchored in what the text actually says.
Isaiah 28:5-6
5 In that day, the LORD of Armies will become a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the residue of his people; 6 and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
(WEB)
Read this to highlight the hope at the center of the warning, the LORD becoming a crown of glory for his remnant. It shows that judgment is not the final word for those who turn to him.
Isaiah 28:12
To whom he said, “This is the resting place. Give rest to weary”; and “This is the refreshing”; yet they would not hear.
(WEB)
This verse carries the gracious invitation to rest and refreshment. Reading it aloud lets the group hear God’s offer before discussing why it was refused.
Isaiah 28:16
Therefore thus says the Lord the LORD, “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. He who believes shall not act hastily.
(WEB)
The cornerstone passage is the theological heart of the chapter. Reading it slowly helps the group feel the weight of a foundation that does not shake.
Isaiah 28:17
I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plumb line. The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place.
(WEB)
This verse names justice and righteousness as God’s measuring and plumb lines. Reading it aloud sets the standard by which the refuges of lies are exposed.
Isaiah 28:29
This also comes out from the LORD of Armies, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom.
(WEB)
End the reading with this affirmation that the LORD is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom. It gives the group a settled note of confidence before the prayer.
Memory Verse for Isaiah 28
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come before you as people who have sometimes trusted in refuges that cannot hold us. Thank you for laying a sure foundation in Zion and for making justice and righteousness the lines by which you measure our lives. Teach us to wait on you rather than act in haste, and to receive your rest when we are weary. Make us wise to recognize false security, and give us courage to build on the stone you have provided. Be the crown of glory for us and for those we love, and lead us in your good and wise counsel. Amen.
