Child's Play

Would you listen to the words of a child?

“Whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from milk, those taken from the breast? For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” Truly, with stammering lip and with alien tongue he will speak to this people, to whom he has said, “This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose”; yet they would not hear. Therefore the word of the Lord will be to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little;” in order that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement; when the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter”; therefore thus says the Lord God, See, I am laying in Zion a foundation stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: “One who trusts will not panic.” - Isaiah 28:9-16

The drunken leaders would not listen to Isaiah.  His message was too simple, so they mocked him.

Here a little, there a little.  Words, mere words.

But Isaiah knew they were the ones being misled, and he intentionally kept his message simple, simple enough for a child to understand.

Yet, we don't always pay attention to the words that are spoken so plainly, do we?

We want experts we cannot understand, people whose words are impressive, so we can say, see, he knows what he is talking about.

Isaiah takes their taunting and puts it back on them, telling them they are not too important, too high and mighty, too exalted to hear the simple message of God.

But they will fail and fall, because they want to be swayed by impressive speech.  

There is a message for us in this as well.  Be aware.

Wasn't it the child who called out the emperor for wearing no clothes?

More to come...