Precept upon Precept?

Precept upon Precept?

Have you ever heard someone say we must read the Bible precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little there a little?

What does it actually mean? Is it a reference to how we should read the Bible?

This is part of my book the Holy Bible vs The Hebrew Israelites

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Precept upon Precept 

The Hebrew Israelites doctrine is built mainly on taking verses out of context and linking them with other verses that have no relevance to the verse that they are being linked to. This is actually what most cults do but, it is the Hebrew Israelites who really push this way of reading the Bible.  Usually the verses they put together may have a common word or phrase, but, very often have absolutely nothing to do with each other in terms of their actual meaning.  When doing this all context is usually ignored and a new meaning is then imputed into those verses.  When questioned about their use of scriptures in this way the Hebrew Israelites will often go to one single verse to justify their tactics and  “prove” that their doing so is biblical. This verse is Isaiah 28:10: 

Isaiah 28:10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

Their claim being that we are told by the Bible itself how to read the Bible.

While I kind of agree with the concept in principle,  I totally disagree with the Hebrew Israelites application of the verse (and by the way any other cult that does the same.)

Before I deal with this verse I need to highlight the dangers of using the Bible in such a manner.  This is basically how ALL false doctrines are created.  Taking verses out of context and meaning and applying a different meaning into the verse, one that has nothing to do with the verse, its context or its actual meaning.

I shall just show you how easy it is to do.  Did you know that it was Peter who tempted Eve in the garden of Eden?

Don’t believe me? 

Let me “prove” it.

It was the serpent who tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden:

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

The serpent is also called Satan:

Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

And Jesus Called Peter Satan……..:

Matthew 16:23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

Pretty simple, but, the biblical evidence is there. The Bible supports my claim.

According to the very words of Jesus, Peter is Satan, who is also the serpent,  who it was that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Boom, by following the Hebrew Israelite interpretation of precept upon precept …..false doctrine in just 3 verses.

However, we know that Jesus didn’t really call Peter Satan, and we know it wasn’t actually Peter that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden.  How do we know? CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT which helps us interpret the verses correctly and so obtain a true understanding of what the verses actually mean.

When verses are ripped from their context and their true meaning you can just about apply any meaning into a verse.  As I just demonstrated.  This is NOT how the Bible works.  This is NOT how to read the Bible and this is NOT how to formulate doctrines.  It is true that often a verse will support another verse that is not in the same place, maybe not even in the same biblical book or even in the same testament. BUT and this is a big BUT, the two verses in context would be referring to the same thing.

For example:

John the Baptist claimed to be the one that Isaiah prophesied about who would come before Jesus: 

John 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

Here John quotes from Isaiah 40:

Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

These two verses which are in separate books, in separate testaments, are related and therefore can be used together.

Matthew 16:23 in NO way is related to either Genesis 3:1 or Revelation 12:9

It is context and understanding that dictates the correlation between one verse or passage and another.

But what about the verse in Isaiah?  Well as i’ve already shown, even if we go with the verse at face value, precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little there a little.  This does not mean rip verses out of context and meaning and apply new meanings into the verses.  This is not in any way a licence to change the meaning of Bible verses and so change the meaning of the Bible.

We must keep context and meaning when linking verses and passages, it’s that simple.

But let’s address the verse itself.  What we will see is that when this verse itself is not taken on its own and its context ignored, and it’s true CONTEXT and TRUE MEANING applied, the verse is not in any way referring to how we must read the Bible.  Even the verse the Hebrew Israelites use to support the reading of the Bible in the way that they do has been removed from context and a totally different meaning has been applied to it.

So let’s put the context back into the verse, or the verse back into its context.

Isaiah 28 is about the forthcoming judgement of Ephraim (the Northern tribes of Israel):

Isaiah 28:1 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which areon the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine! 2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand. 3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet: 4 And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up

Ephraim had gone astray from God and had become full of drunkenness.  Its beauty fading due to it being overcome by wine.   A crown of pride being mentioned.  Ephraim had clearly become “too big for their boots”.  They thought of themselves above others but they are told that they will be brought down and trampled on:

Isaiah 28:5 In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,

Then there is the reference to “in that day”, which is a clear reference to the coming of Jesus.
In that day, the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory rather than the crown of pride that they “wore”.  When he will gather back his people.

He will judge and will be strength for those that turn back to him:

Isaiah 28:6 And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.

Then there is a clear change of reference, in verse 7, to Judah (the Southern kingdom).

Isaiah 28:7 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. 8 For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean

The language obviously metaphorically to the lawlessness that was being carried on by both kingdoms such as drunkenness. 

Then two questions are posed in verse 9 which are also then answered:

Isaiah 28:9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts

There are a number of ways to interpret this verse.

The most popular interpretation, not one that I myself hold to however, is that these questions are being posed by the people of Ephraim.  They are referring to ISAIAH’S teaching. Who will Isaiah teach and will make understand his doctrine?  His teaching is like unto little children who have not yet been weaned from milk of the breast.

Then they complain about the teaching in verse 10, the verse the Hebrew Israelites love to use to support their use of the Bible:

Isaiah 28:10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

Ephraim claiming that Isaiah’s teaching being for children, Command upon command, line upon line.  Constant repetition.

If we look at the Hebrew word for precept it is  צָו tsav and means command.

The blue letter Bible, which is a favourite go to of the Hebrew Israelites,  states that tsav is a mocking of the prophet and his teachings.

So Isaiah was teaching them like children, one command on top of another and the Israelites felt it was below them through their pride.

In fact many other bible versions would “seem” to actually make this obvious:

Isaiah 28:10 For it is: Do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there.” NIV

Isaiah 28:10 “For He says, ‘Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there.’” NASB

Tsav is also used in Hosea 5:11 and translated as commandment.

Hosea 5:11 Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.

But lets go even deeper and show this even more conclusively.

Lets look at the KJV dictionary definition of the word precept.

PRE’CEPT, n. L. proeceptum, from proecipio, to command; proe, before, and capio, to take.

1. In a general sense, any commandment or order intended as an authoritative rule of action; but applied particularly to commands respecting moral conduct. The ten commandments are so many precepts for the regulation of our moral conduct.

No arts are without their precepts.

2. In law, a command or mandate in writing.

But we can also look at the meaning of the word precept in the modern dictionary.

Psalm 119:68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes. 69 The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart. 70Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law.

Forsook not the precepts

Psalm 119:86 All thy commandments are faithful: they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me. 87 They had almost consumed me upon earth; but I forsook not thy precepts. 88 Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth.

 

The common interpretation of verse 11 is that God declares that if they didn’t like the teaching of Isaiah then they really wouldn’t like what was about to happen.  The Assyrian captivity:

Isaiah 28:11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

The another tongue would be that of the Assyrians.

Verse 12:

Isaiah 28:12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

They would not hear the message.

And then in verse 13 it repeats the wording of verse 10 but adds that because the word had been to them like command on command, the word had broken them and they had fallen backwards and ultimately because they had not adhered to the word they were taken, which was soon to happen through the Assyrians:

Isaiah 28:13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Obviously the traditional interpretation of these verses does not support the Hebrew Israelites use of the Bible.  In no way would this be commanding that the Bible be used in the way that they use it.  This was the Israelites complaining how the teaching of Isaiah felt like. Simply command after command, repeating all the time.  Not the endorsement to read the Bible by taking one verse and putting it together with another.

Personally, as I already stated, I am not convinced by this interpretation of the two verses myself.  However, as I said it is the most common understanding.

I rather understand this verse in a different way.  For me, the questions in verse 9 do not seem like they are coming from the Israelites at all.  Rather it would seem far more likely that these questions are being posed by the prophet Isaiah himself.  He is referring to the coming of Christ. The HE of  “Whom shall HE teach knowledge? and whom shall HE make to understand doctrine?“ is a reference back to earlier in the verse regarding IN THAT DAY, the reference to the coming of Jesus.  In that day, the coming of the Messiah, whom will HE, being Jesus, teach and make understand?

The answer being, those that are weaned from the milk of the breast.

Milk of the breast is a metaphorical reference to being immature in biblical matters, or doctrinal matters.

As the writer of Hebrews attests to:

Hebrews 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

The one still using “milk” is referred to as being unskilled in the word of righteousness, being a babe. 

So actually Isaiah is asking who will Jesus teach and make understand.  The answer being those who are mature in their understanding.  Those that have gone past milk and are onto meat, which simply means “proper food” those who are skilled.  They are “grown up” and can handle stronger teaching.

Isaiah 28:9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

Then we have verse 10, the main verse in question:

Isaiah 28:10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

This is actually referring to how the Israelites themselves had to be taught.  Like little children who hadn’t yet come off milk.  They still needed command upon command in order to follow God.

Like little children being told to clean their teeth.  Not doing it because they knew they should or the consequences of not doing it but because “mummy” or in the case of the Israelites “daddy” said so.

We are told in the book of Hebrews that Moses gave them PRECEPTS:

Hebrews 9:19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,

Precepts here is the Greek ἐντολή  entolé which unsurprisingly means command or law.

So Moses took the blood and sprinkled all the people and the book AFTER he had given them the commands of the law.

In verse 13 we are told that the word of the LORD was unto THEM, the Israelites, precept/command upon precept/command:

Isaiah 28:13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Because the Israelites lived by the law like little children, following it because they were told to rather than like adults because they understood why,  it caused them to fall backwards and be broken and taken (into captivity).

Like children they rebelled against the law which Isaiah spoke of:

Isaiah 30:9 That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:

The law was just meant to be a schoolmaster that would lead the Israelites to Christ:

Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

After which the schoolmaster is no longer required:

Galatians 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

So the answer to the question posed in verse 9 is those that are in Christ.  Those that are no longer in need of a law to tell them what to do and how to live in righteousness.  The ones that no longer need milk but can handle meat.

Isaiah 28:10 has NOTHING to do with any kind of instruction as to how we must read the Bible.  This “command” that the Hebrew Israelites use has been interpreted incorrectly.  It has had a new meaning applied to it because it has been taken out of context and misrepresented.

It is referring rather to how those that are still “children” live, command after command. Rule after rule.

Those that are in Christ are not on milk but have now grown up, we do not live nor should not have to live command by command.

 

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