You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth.
1 Woe [howy] to the crown [`atarah] of pride [ge'uwth], to the
drunkards [shikkowr] of Ephraim ['Ephrayim], whose glorious [ts@biy]
beauty [tiph'arah] is a fading [nabel] flower [tsiyts], which are
on the head [ro'sh] of the fat [shemen] valleys [gay'] of them that
are overcome [halam] with wine [yayin]! KJV-Interlinear
1 Ah, the
proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, and the fading flower of its glorious
beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine! ESV
Samaria, is the capital of Ephraim. Samaria is also referred to as the region of the northern kingdom, which split off from Judah in defiance and rejection of the line of David. The line of David is of course the line of Jesus. So the rejection of David was tantamount to a rejection of God and Gods plan.
Samaria called itself, Israel, whereas, Judah retained its tribal name.
Samaria consisted of the ten northern tribes of Israel, whereas Judah and Benjamin were the only two tribes that remained together.
So, the arrogance of Ephraim, is their arrogance in defiance of Gods plan, presuming to establish their own plan for history.
The city of Samaria was built by Omri, who purchased ‘the hill Samaria’ of Shemer, for two talents of silver, and built the city on the hill, and called it, after the name of Shemer, or Samaria, 1 Kings 16:24. Omri was king of the northern kingdom which called itself Israel, and he made this city the capital of his kingdom. The city was built on a pleasant and fertile hill, and surrounded with a rich valley, with a circle of hills beyond; and the beauty of the hill on which the city was built suggested the idea of a wreath of flowers, or a crown.
This is the fading flower reference made by Isaiah. As the northern kingdom faded when it was invaded by Assyria and thus ceased to exist. The beauty of the flower was extinguished, so to speak.
Those who are overcome with wine, is a reference to the loss of the senses and rational thought when one is under the influence of too much to drink. That is the nature of one who has had too much of the view of the world and not enough of the view of God.
A lack of Bible doctrine in the soul means an excess of worldly viewpoint, and thus the fog and confusion that accompanies it.
And so, when God is rejected, ignored, or viewed as uninteresting, then whatever it is that you have, will be lost.
