[14] Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

[15] Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

[16] Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

[17] Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

[18] And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

[19] From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

[20] For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.

[21] For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.

[22] Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord God of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.

[23] Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.

[24] Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?

[25] When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place?

[26] For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.

[27] For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.

[28] Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.

[29] This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.

He accuses them of trying to make a deal with the devil. It may amount to trying to form alliances with other nations or it could actually be some type of dark alliance, but the end result is that the leaders feel that they have arranged for any attack from Assyria to not affect them due to whatever deal they have made. Isaiah points out that this assumption is based on lies.

Verse 16 is a prophecy of Christ. It being placed right here would seem to indicate that the principles that Jesus would represent would be what is missing from the Israelite leaders at this time. Verse 17 adds that proper judgment (or justice) and righteousness would also be part of the blueprint for living the right type of life in God’s sight. Although Christ wouldn’t come until many years later, His principles are actually timeless.

Whatever agreement was made with the devil or with another nation will be meaningless. When the attack comes from Assyria, it will roll right over the Israelites. Verse 19 and 20 enlarge on the description. Verse 20 seems to indicate that the Israelites won’t even be able to rest properly (whereas the Lord offered rest to them back in verse 12).

The verse is referencing two times when God instructed David to attack the Philistines and God helped David’s army to defeat the Philistines. In this particular prophecy, God’s anger against the Israelites is likened to His anger with the Philistines, so the prophecy indicates that He will now be helping the Assyrian army to defeat the Israelites, as He previously did with the Philistines. (See 1 Chronicles 14:10-16.)

Israel should take this message seriously, or the punishment will be even more severe.

The plan of God does not stand still. Like a farmer, the plowing phase lasts only for a certain amount of time, and then he moves on to the next phase. This is telling Israel that God won’t wait forever for them to get it right. It’s a suitable lesson for people today as well.

These verses continue with the farmer metaphor. Just as a farmer uses different tools for different crops, God uses different methods to reach different types of people.