Cardboard Crowns
By Ben Taylor
Do you remember Burger King’s toy crowns that would come with certain kids’ meals back in the day? Those cardboard cutouts with printed “jewels” and/or stickers.
Full disclosure, I have no idea whether or not these still exist within the realm of the Beef Monarch---I assume I am referencing an older time.
As we walk down memory lane together, imagine how ridiculous it would be to cling to that little piece of circular cardstock as if it held tremendous monetary value or represented true royalty.
If you encountered an adult (or even a child over the age of, say, eight) doing so, the immediate diagnosis would involve a case of “extreme misplaced priorities”---or some such. Celebrating ownership of such a “crown” as anything other than the cheap, children’s distraction that it is would be foolishness.
But maybe we shouldn’t be too quick to judge.
In Isaiah 28:1-6, God gets right to the heart of a sinful tendency that can rear it’s ugly head in our hearts if we are not vigilant. It involves the symbolism of crowns---not of cardboard and fast food but rather of materialism and worldly pleasure.
“Crown” is mentioned three times in these opening six verses of Isaiah 28 and each time it is referring to what is held to be most important1. In the case of the worldly, pleasure-driven people of Ephraim, they find their highest satisfactions revealed to be temporary and doomed for destruction. As we read, we recognize these “proud crowns” as representative of where one places his focus, his priority, or his purpose in life.
“Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, and the fading flower of its glorious beauty…”
“…The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden underfoot; and the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley, will be like a first-ripe fig before the summer: when someone sees it, he swallows it as soon as it is in his hand.”
What humbling language! These “proud crowns”, the culmination of the lives of these rebellious sinners, are nothing more than the adornment of drunkards that will not last.
The unbelieving world cannot offer ANYTHING that will not eventually fade and be trampled underfoot. I love the picture given in verse 4 comparing the short-lived nature of worldly gain to a piece of fruit that is gobbled up as soon as it is ripe!
Isaiah is highlighting how foolish it is to find satisfaction and pleasure in such a fading and soon-to-be-trampled treasure.
Instead, he calls us to remember who the true Crown of Glory is---the “Lord of Hosts” Himself!
“In that day the LORD of hosts will be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people, and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.”
How wondrous!
To those who have eyes to see, the Lord of Hosts is a “crown of glory, a diadem of beauty.” Moreover, it is clear from the rest of the chapter that it is this same Lord of Hosts who will bring about the destruction and trampling underfoot of the false crowns of Ephraim.
The contrast between those who live out their lives pursuing pointless and doomed “crowns” and those who recognize the Lord of Hosts as the only true crown of glory is stark! The former have a destiny of judgement and destruction while the latter gain strength as God’s people as they rejoice in His glory.
I see this portion of God’s Word through Isaiah as a wake up call. No doubt the wayward people of Ephraim were quite confident in their “crowns”, quite happy in their fading riches and comforts. How frightening.
I look inward and if I am honest, there are areas in my life where I am clinging to my own efforts, my own preferences, my own priorities...etc. rather than reflect a heart transformed by the true Crown of Glory: my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Praise God for His wondrous grace and mercy, may His Word redirect our hearts to Him today! Embrace the glories of our God and King---ditch the cardboard cutouts.
Ortlund, Raymond C., Jr., and R. Kent Hughes. Isaiah: God Saves Sinners. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005.