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Lesson 98B – Isaiah 24–29. Precepts, Plumb Bobs, and Process. Isaiah 28. Isaiah 28 takes a bit of a break from prophecy and proclamation to teach Though it throws a few good warnings in there as well. Three principles are taught Precepts, Lines, and a little The Foundation Stone
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Lesson 98B – Isaiah 24–29 Precepts, Plumb Bobs, and Process
Isaiah 28 • Isaiah 28 takes a bit of a break from prophecy and proclamation to teach • Though it throws a few good warnings in there as well. • Three principles are taught • Precepts, Lines, and a little • The Foundation Stone • Parable of the Farmer • They may seem unrelated, but they have a core theme that Isaiah wants us to learn.
Isa 28:9-10 • Who shall he teach knowledge? • “them that are [just] weaned from the milk” • Teaching righteousness should start at a very early age • How? • Precept upon precept • Line upon line • Here a little, there a little
Isa 28:9-10 • What is a precept? • American Heritage Dictionary – “A principle imposing a particular standard of action” • We could call that an eternal principle, or a higher law • A line? • Literally, the word translates to “rule upon rule”. • This is more specific conduct, usually as a commandment or “lesser law” • A little? • This is a descending line of imagery. What is the next step down? What helps us keep the law? • The little things we do every day, the personal application • In Jewish tradition, the personal application of laws is called the “fence” around the law. How is it like a fence?
Example: Thou shalt not kill • Usually it’s easier to start with the commandment, then figure out the others. • What is the precept (principle)? • Life is sacred • What is the “little” (the fence)? • I can control my temper • Now you try. Take one of the ten commandments (or a different “line”) and figure out the “precept” and the “little”
Isaiah 28:16 • Who is the corner stone? The foundation stone? • Christ (SM?) • Helaman 5:12 • v17 - “Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet” • We’re talking about building houses now, what is the line and plummet? • Who knows what a plumb bob is? What is it used for? • To find “lines”, to keep things exact and parallel. • Think back to the use of “line” before.
Isa 28:20 • What happens if the correct lines are not found and followed? • The house is no longer sturdy • You could get a bed that is too short • Why is the short bed applicable imagery here? • No matter how much you try to get comfortable, you can’t. • We need full coverage of Christ and the atonement. • So, it doesn’t just matter what our foundation is, but it also matters how we build the house.
The Parable of the Farmer • Broken into 2 parts: Sowing and Reaping • Isa 28:23-26 – The Sowing • Who does the sowing? (v26) • We are the plowman • Each type of seed has a different place • Fitches (Dill) & Cummin (herbs put on the crust of bread) – scattered throughout the field • Wheat – “in their place” – in rows so they don’t choke each other • Barley – most valuable – in rows in a separated place • Rye – more rugged – used as a border, as a protection • “God doth instruct him to discretion” The Farm
What does the reaping involve? • Harvesting, Threshing, Winnowing • Who does the reaping? (v29, also footnote) • The Lord • v27-28 - How does He do it? • “Fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument” • “Fitches are beaten out with a staff” • “Bread Corn is bruised” • The Lord is careful. He must separate the grains of wheat from the chaff, but He will not break the grains with a cart.
Threshing by hand • What does the chaff represent? • What is the chaff attached to? • How is it removed? • The “husks of sin”
What is the common theme? • Learning precept upon precept, building a house, sowing and threshing. • All are about the process, not the end result. • Righteousness is not achieved in a day; we have our whole life to learn, build, and sow. Let us be diligent in the work.
Notebook Ideas • Besides what you wrote about earlier, what are some other “fences” you can place in your life to help you live the commandments and principles of the gospel? • What measurements can you take in your life to make sure your house is sturdy and still on the foundation of Christ?