Passage
For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.
Isaiah 1:29 (ASV)
Nearby Context
Isaiah 1:27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her converts with righteousness.
Isaiah 1:28 But the destruction of transgressors and sinners shall be together, and they that forsake Jehovah shall be consumed.
Isaiah 1:29 For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.
Isaiah 1:30 For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water.
Isaiah 1:31 And the strong shall be as tow, and his work as a spark; and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "shall", "ashamed", "oaks", "desired", "confounded", "gardens", and "chosen". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "ashamed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 28's "But the destruction of transgressors and sinners..." into verse 30's "For ye shall be as an oak...", so "shall" and "ashamed" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "shall" and "ashamed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.