Isaiah 28:26
ESV
For he is rightly instructed; his God teaches him.
NIV
His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.
NASB
For his God instructs and teaches him properly.
CSB
His God teaches him order; he instructs him.
NLT
The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding.
KJV
For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.
NKJV
For He instructs him in right judgment, His God teaches him.
What does Isaiah 28:26 mean?
Farmers plant as God's design and common sense require (Isaiah 28:24–25). This produces the most abundant and healthiest plants. The farmer does it this way because he has been taught the right way to do it. In fact, Isaiah says God is the one who teaches the farmer this. Clearly, the Lord has not published written instructions for best farming practices. Instead, the farmer seeks out and follows the ways that he has learned fit best with the design of God's creation. He has learned from the Lord, ultimately, how to work the ground in accordance with how the Lord has made the ground to work. He doesn't resist God's ways; he submits to them.Jerusalem's leaders would have understood this concept within the framework of farming. Isaiah's greater point is that his people have not followed the same wisdom when leading the nation. Instead, they resist God's clear instructions about how to be strong and successful (Isaiah 28:16). They attempt to do so in their own way (Isaiah 28:15; Isaiah 30:1–2). How many of us are guilty of similar foolishness (Isaiah 53:6)?
