The Sign of What Notes

The Sign of What’s His Name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz Isaiah 8

Scripture quotations are taken from the following translations:

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The events in chapter 8 follow closely behind the events of chapter 7 and Isaiah’s very pointed conversation with King Ahaz the Lily Livered.

He prophesied to the King the fall of Aram (Syria) and the fall of Samaria (Israel).

The sign to King Ahaz was specific to him and not the people and involved God with us.

Since Ahaz rejected what it is that the Lord offered; he also opted to reject God as well on behalf of the people. Instructions are now given to Isaiah to turn to the people and provide them a sign.

The people are scared, like their leader, so the next sign is for them.

Good News and Bad News

The Lord has a message of hope for them, but He also has a message of impending doom because of their continuing rejection of Him.

We have seen the rejection theme in the first five chapters of Isaiah. There is a natural progression to unbelief and its results.

Isaiah receives instructions that he is to become a graphic artist. He receives instructions from the Lord to make a large sign. Basically, a large monument.

Today he would be obtaining space on one of the large signs in a high traffic area along I95 or on Facebook or Google. Or a plane pulling a sign.

Isaiah 8:1 “Then the LORD said to me, “Take for yourself a large tablet and write on it in ordinary letters: Swift is the booty, speedy is the prey.” (NASB95)

The instructions from YAHWEH for Isaiah is to first, find a large tablet. Literally, the Hebrew says a larger than average size, a great, piece of wood or metal, something that can be written on, but it must be huge. We are talking about something that is so large it cannot possibly be missed by anyone going by and possibly shiny to boot to attract attention. www.theunsafebible.com ©The UnSafe Bible 2020 1

The slab or table (cf., Isa. 3:23, where the same word is used to signify a metal mirror) was to be large, to produce the impression of a monument; and the writing upon it was to be “a man’s pen” (cheret ‘enōsh), i.e., written in the vulgar, and, so to speak, popular character, consisting of inartistic strokes that could be easily read (vid., Rev. 13:18; 21:17). (Keil and Delitzsch 1996, 148)

In other words, Isaiah is being told to make a huge sign and write in language that all can read, no encryption, and understand. Got it. And write on it what Lord?

Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz

Belonging to spoil is quick booty hastens. Perhaps it is best to translate, belonging to “One hastens to the plunder, one hurries to the loot.” (Biblical Studies Press 2005, Isaiah 8:1)

Publicity is ‘the name of the game’. The name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz is impressionistic rather than grammatical: ‘Speed-Spoil-Haste-Booty’. It is intended to provoke interest, leaving unanswered questions, but ‘spoil’ and ‘booty’ would suggest the invading foe, while ‘speed’ and ‘haste’ suggest unhindered advance: no thought of a fight ahead, only of the spoil awaiting. (Motyer 1999, 92)

The command to write this phrase is interesting in that Isaiah is to write it as the monument belongs to a person and not just as a phrase that was being yelled out in combat operations. The ESV version makes a little better sense of it.

Isaiah 8:1 “Then the LORD said to me, “Take a large tablet and write on it in common characters, ‘Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz.’” (ESV)

So first of all, the Lord has Isaiah create a huge monument and place this phrase on it, “Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz.” This implies that it is the name of a person. If so, it would be the longest name in the Bible.

Isaiah 8:2 “And I will take to Myself faithful witnesses for testimony, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.” (NASB95)

YAHWEH lets Isaiah know that He has decided He also wants witnesses to this event. This is an event that apparently will involve a prophecy and YAHWEH wants high quality witnesses to the initial event to ensure that once the prophecy comes true, that they can attest to that and as a result, also attest to the next prophecy which will be coming. Of course, they don’t know that yet. All they know is they are being asked to be a witness to the erection of a monument in a public place with a possessive unusual phrase on it.

These two people were known to the nation of Judah and would be faithful witnesses. They would be known and trusted by the nation.

They would also have connections to King Ahaz.

So, Isaiah does this. With two witnesses, Uriah and Zechariah, he creates the monument with the writing on it. Then Isaiah goes home.

It has been created very publicly, legally attested to and now everyone can read it, including King Ahaz. In fact, he cannot ignore it.

This is YAHWEH’s way of being very publicly in Ahaz’s face while he mulls over the question of Assyria.

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Isaiah 8:3–4 “So I approached the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. Then the LORD said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz; for before the boy knows how to cry out ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”” (NASB95)

Isaiah goes home to his wife, who is also a prophetess, and 9 months later they have a little boy, their Isaiah may not have . רֵהַמ לָלָשׁ שָׁח זַבּ second child. YAHWEH says to name him Maher-shalel-hash-baz known that was to be the case when he created the monument. It was created for this little boy, in other words, this was a short turnaround prophecy which has now been fulfilled.

The message connected with this birth, because of the fulfillment found in the birth, is just as certain.

Before the boy can say da da or mama, the King of Assyria will carry away spoil from both Damascus and Samaria, just like King Ahaz was told back in chapter 7.

The baby thus becomes a prophetic sign of imminent judgment. Before the child knows how to cry “Papa” or “Mama,” the king of Assyria will destroy the two coalition powers of Damascus and Samaria. The two parts of the passage are thus united within the one prophetic sign of the child who incarnates the coming judgment. (Childs 2001, 72)

Four words, or rather two sentences, form now the burden of this message; and they are embodied in the name of a boy. Maher-shalal,—this first sentence means that quickly shall trophies be taken—the prophet thus seeing the army of Samaria in full and disgraceful flight. While Hash-baz, the second, tells us about booty being taken, as the Assyrian forces shall enter Damascus in 732 B.C., and help themselves to its wealth. (Exell n.d., 221)

At some point after the end of chapter 7, and prior to the receipt of instructions from YAHWEH and the building of the monument, King Ahaz made the final decision to ally himself with the Assyrian empire making Judah a vassal state. The final actions taking place after Isaiah 8:4.

2 Kings 16:7–8 “Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your dependent. March up and rescue me from the power of the king of Syria and the king of Israel, who have attacked me.” Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that were in the LORD’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as tribute to the king of Assyria.” (NET)

In chapter 7:7-9, King Ahaz was plainly told by Isaiah that there was no need to ally with Assyria as God had it under control. This was underscored by the prophecies of Isaiah 8:1-4.

This did not stop Ahaz though as he was determined to not believe God and instead find his own way out of his predicament. I have found from a practical perspective that that never works out well in my life. This brings us to verse 5.

Isaiah 8:5–8 “Again the LORD spoke to me further, saying, “Inasmuch as these people have rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah And rejoice in Rezin and the son of Remaliah; Now therefore, behold, the Lord is about to bring on them the strong and abundant waters of the Euphrates, Even the king of Assyria and all his glory; And it will rise up over all its channels and go over all its banks. Then it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass through, It will reach even to the neck; And the spread of its wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.” (NASB95)

YAHWEH starts off by reflecting the people have “rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah.”

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“Probably as early as the reign of Solomon, water was brought from this spring to a tank in the valley of Kidron, in order to irrigate the royal gardens south of the city, although the site of this reservoir, which Josephus calls “Solomon’s pool” (“B. J.” V. 4, § 2), is no longer known. A conduit, in which was discovered the Siloam inscription, led to it from the Fountain of the Virgin (‘Ain Sitti Maryam), and through the outer part of the Moriah to a pool in the Tyropœon valley; and it was probably to this conduit that Isaiah alluded in speaking of the “waters of Shiloah that go softly.”” (Singer, ed. 1901-1906, 289)

Siloam Channel (Bolen 2012, Used with Permission)

In Isaiah 8:6–7, the Lord likens Himself to “the waters of Shiloah,” referring to what is now called the Siloam Channel: “Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory.” (ESV). God’s people were trusting in Assyria (represented by the destructive waters of the Euphrates), rather than in the Lord (represented by the gentle, steadfast waters of the Gihon Spring that flowed through the Siloam Channel). (Backfish 2016)

The waters of Shiloah, Siloam, were always there. These waters were used by the Priests in the temple for the water libation celebrated during the Feast of Tabernacles. It is a reliable source of water. The Lord compares Himself to these waters here in chapter 8.

On the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, right after the pouring of the water libation, Jesus expanded on these waters into a teaching on the Holy Spirit.

John 7:37–39 “On the last day of the feast, the greatest day, Jesus stood up and shouted out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says, ‘From within him will flow rivers of living water.’ ”(Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (NET)

We also see in verse 6 the attitude of some in Judah. Remember, there has already been a battle in Judah, over 100,000 troops were killed and 200,000 people were taken captive.

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The latest polling in Jerusalem did not turn out heavily in favor of King Ahaz considering the funds necessary to pay for Assyria to come. There may be popular support in some corners of Jerusalem for Rezin and Pekah to take over and the Lord knows it.

Because of that, and because of their rejection of YAHWEH, the proposed Assyrian vassalage will wind up being more than they ever bargained for. They were entering into an agreement with unbelievers. The OT Prophets were consistently against this. This continued into the NT. From Paul.

2 Corinthians 6:14–18 “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.” (NLT)

Ahaz is an unbeliever, obviously and he has rejected YAHWEH.

He is moving forward on what he believes is politically expedient but is a direct violation of what the Law states. He is to trust, on behalf of the people, in YAHWEH. We already know where his heart is.

So how does it work out for him?

2 Chronicles 28:16–25 “At that time King Ahaz asked the king of Assyria for help. The Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried off captives. The Philistines had raided the cities of Judah in the lowlands and the Negev. They captured and settled in Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its surrounding villages, Timnah and its surrounding villages, and Gimzo and its surrounding villages. The LORD humiliated Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel, for he encouraged Judah to sin and was very unfaithful to the LORD. King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came, but he gave him more trouble than support. Ahaz gathered riches from the LORD’s temple, the royal palace, and the officials and gave them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help. During his time of trouble King Ahaz was even more unfaithful to the LORD. He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus whom he thought had defeated him. He reasoned, “Since the gods of the kings of Damascus helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they caused him and all Israel to stumble. Ahaz gathered the items in God’s temple and removed them. He shut the doors of the LORD’s temple and erected altars on every street corner in Jerusalem. In every city throughout Judah he set up high places to offer sacrifices to other gods. He angered the LORD God of his ancestors.” (NET)

As part of the deal, after Damascus had been taken by the Assyrians, King Ahaz went north to Damascus to meet with Tiglath-pileser the King of Assyria.

While there, King Ahaz made some decisions that added to the misery of folks back home. It also revealed his true heart for all to see.

2 Kings 16:10–18 “When King Ahaz went to meet with King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria in Damascus, he saw the altar there. King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a drawing of the altar and a blueprint for its design. Uriah the priest built an altar in conformity to the plans King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. Uriah the priest finished it before King Ahaz arrived back from Damascus. When the king arrived back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and offered a sacrifice on it. He offered his burnt sacrifice and his grain offering. He poured out his libation and sprinkled the blood from his peace offerings on the altar. He moved the bronze altar that stood in the LORD’s presence from the front of the temple (between the altar and the LORD’s temple) and put it on the north side of the new altar. King Ahaz ordered Uriah the priest, “On the www.theunsafebible.com ©The UnSafe Bible 2020 5

large altar offer the morning burnt sacrifice, the evening grain offering, the royal burnt sacrifices and grain offering, the burnt sacrifice for all the people of Israel, their grain offering, and their libations. Sprinkle all the blood of the burnt sacrifice and other sacrifices on it. The bronze altar will be for my personal use.” So Uriah the priest did exactly as King Ahaz ordered. King Ahaz took off the frames of the movable stands, and removed the basins from them. He took “The Sea” down from the bronze bulls that supported it and put it on the pavement. He also removed the Sabbath awning that had been built in the temple and the king’s outer entranceway, on account of the king of Assyria.” (NET)

King Uzziah blew it when his pride took over his decision making, and he attempted to act in the role of a priest. But he did remain faithful to YAHWEH but died a leper. Jotham also remained faithful but never went to the Temple choosing to worship from afar. Ahaz, put his own god in the Temple compound and then went about acting as a priest to that false god.

All these actions demonstrated that King Ahaz had rejected YAHWEH, he had rejected the waters of Shiloah and fully embraced his new alliance with Assyria. He has moved to systematically removing YAHWEH worship from Judah. But he has a peace deal…right?

Isaiah 8:7–8 “Now therefore, behold, the Lord is about to bring on them the strong and abundant waters of the Euphrates, Even the king of Assyria and all his glory; And it will rise up over all its channels and go over all its banks. Then it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass through, It will reach even to the neck; And the spread of its wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.” (NASB95)

The contrast to the waters of Shiloah is the raging waters of the Euphrates River. As the snow would melt in Turkey each spring, the waters would rise and flood throughout the area of Assyria. This is symbolic of the unpredictable nature of the Assyrian King.

Those raging floodwaters, the Assyrian Army, will sweep down onto the northern kingdom as well as onto Damascus. The flood will sweep both away, but it will not stop there. The Assyrians will then continue on into Judah which they did in 701BC. The picture in verse 8 is not a good one for Judah, or for Ahaz who never did repent of any of his actions.

Isaiah 8:8 “Then it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass through, It will reach even to the neck; And the spread of its wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.” (NASB95)

Assyria would cover Judah up to the neck, meaning that Judah would be almost but not quite drowned. Isaiah changed figures of speech and pictured Assyria as a giant bird whose wings would cover the entire land, ready to devour it. (Martin 1985, 1051)

Notice who the message about what was going to happen to Judah was given to, Immanuel, God with us.

Amid the doom being pronounced here, there is hope, God is still in control.

As we learned in chapter 7, Syria and Israel would not destroy the Davidic dynasty or Judah. The Assyrians will overflow throughout Judah, but God is with Judah. He has not forgotten His people.

The fate of Judah would be different from that of Ephraim. Ephraim would be laid completely under water by the river, i.e., would be utterly destroyed. And in Judah the stream, as it rushed forward, would reach the most dangerous height; but if a deliverer could be found, there was still a possibility of its being saved. Such a deliverer was Immanuel, whom the prophet sees in the light of the Spirit living through all the Assyrian calamities. (Keil and Delitzsch 1996, 152)

Because of the fulfillment of the birth prophecy, this prophecy about soon coming events can be taken to the bank. They will indeed take place. www.theunsafebible.com ©The UnSafe Bible 2020 6

As we will learn further in our study, the Lord will handle the Assyrian Army Himself. Here though, we see the prophecy of those coming days which will be dark indeed for Judah.

But there is good news, and they are wrapped up in trusting YAHWEH and being faithful followers. There is a warning for the nations who believe they can move in on Judah. Remember, God is with them. Just think, if Ahaz had remained faithful, he could be saying this.

Isaiah 8:9–10 “Be broken, O peoples, and be shattered; And give ear, all remote places of the earth. Gird yourselves, yet be shattered; Gird yourselves, yet be shattered. Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; State a proposal, but it will not stand, For God is with us.” (NASB95)

Verse 9 begins with seven commands YAHWEH makes to the nations who have designs on Judah, those who have come up against the land of Immanuel.

God tells the surrounding nations – bring it. Judah indeed will be flooded but YAHWEH will preserve Judah, there will be a remnant and those nations who assume too much will be shattered.

These verses address “peoples” and “distant places of the earth” with plural verbs, taunting them to prepare for a war they will lose, since God is with “us.” (Tull 2010, 182)

The seven commands to those who would attack Judah, a message to Assyria ultimately.

The first command “be broken,” can actually have two meanings,

The Hebrew root for this imperative is either r“, which means “to break,” or r‘h, which means “to unite”…Translators may follow either meaning here, but they should put the alternative in a footnote. (Ogden and Sterk 2011, 262)

(rou) וּע֤ ֹר The word is

Depending upon how the word is translated, the command could be to unite or band together or be broken. Either way, the next command is to be shattered or filled with terror so either translation for the first command would work.

The commands of verse 9

• Be broken or united • Be shattered or terrorized • Listen closely • Prepare yourselves for battle • Yet be shattered or filled with terror • Prepare yourself for battle • Yet be shattered or filled with terror

Not a real promising picture for those who would come against Judah. This is a prophecy of what will happen in a few years under Hezekiah.

In verse 10 the commands continue.

• Make a plan • Threaten and state something

But for each of those commands, YAHWEH has a response as to what the end result of it would be.

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• Make a plan but it will be frustrated and destroyed. • Threaten and state something but it will not endure.

Again, prophetic statements of actions that Assyria will attempt in the near future but will be thwarted by YAHWEH.

Take counsel together is literally “Plan a plan.” In Hebrew the verb and the object come from the same root. This is also true for the parallel clause speak a word, which is literally “speak a speech.” This structure in Hebrew puts emphasis on these clauses. Both of them are spoken as challenges to the nation’s enemies; there is a sarcastic or mocking tone in these words. (Ogden and Sterk 2011, 263)

The last statement of verse 10 summarizes it all for us, the reason why even though commanded by God to do these things, they will all fail. It is because of Immanuel. God is with Judah.

After hearing about the impending over running of Judah by forces that Ahaz believes he has allied with. Forces which will bleed the economic health of the nation away to Nineveh in the payment of tribute. We see that ultimately; the Assyrians will move against Judah with well thought out plans. Plans that will include the delivery of an ultimatum to Judah.

But YAHWEH will not allow it to stand. This is a prophecy of hope that will see an unfolding during the time of King Hezekiah.

And with that Isaiah ends the prophecy involving the monument.

With all that is happening, or about to happen in Judah geopolitically, there will be a temptation to not look to the Lord but rely on conventional wisdom. As with all crisis throughout history, there is a true reason why they take place. It is the natural result of warfare in the unseen realm spilling over into the physical world.

Ephesians 6:10–17 “Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness, by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace, and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (NET)

King Ahaz embraced child sacrifice which took place in the Valley of Hinnom, right next to the place, Mount Zion, where the presence of YAHWEH was. By placing worship paraphernalia to a false god in the confines of the Temple, King Ahaz has committed an act of treason against YAHWEH, one which he never repented of. This was a spiritual level invitation to the powers of darkness to come in directly to the place that YAHWEH had earmarked as His own.

This would be the same today as someone who is dabbling in the occult. They are issuing an invitation.

This plays directly into one of the “I wills” stated by the divine rebel in Isaiah 14:14 “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” (NASB95)

As a result, the unseen war bleeds over into the physical world and God will show Himself to Assyria and to Judah.

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Those who follow Him need to have His mind and His worldview and not the worldview of those who are following the other side.

That still holds for today too by the way.

Spiritual conflict lurks behind a wide range of Old Testament episodes and practices. The conflict between the powers of darkness and the presence of Yahweh was an ever-present part of life for the ancient Israelite. (Heiser 2015, 230)

We need to view the next few verse of warning to faithful followers of YAHWEH in that light.

Isaiah 8:11–12 “For thus the LORD spoke to me with mighty power and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, “You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’ In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.” (NASB95)

Isaiah had just communicated very clearly what God had in store for the nation. He showed why it was coming and what the results would be. He wanted to warn those who were heeding what it was he was saying not to be led astray by the majority of the people. It is Immanuel, God with us, who is the stronghold of the believer in the coming days of judgement via Assyria.

Because of the impending judgement and what has already been communicated by Isaiah, it is entirely possible that the majority, who were not listening to him, would consider what he is saying as fomenting a conspiracy against the crown, against King Ahaz.

King Ahaz has turned to Assyria for help against Rezin and Pekah in the face of clear prophecy that they would not succeed. The people are looking at this as a necessary thing to retain there well-being and economic prosperity. They have no clue what is coming. All they know is the army was devastated and a large number went into captivity only to be released.

The way of God was now a very different one from the way of that people. If the prophet and his followers opposed the alliance with Asshur, this was not a common human conspiracy against the will of the king and nation, but the inspiration of God, the true policy of Jehovah. (Keil and Delitzsch 1996, 153)

The “conspiracy” being referred could also mean other things as well. We have numerous conspiracy theories in play right now regarding current events and trying to explain them or understand them. The Lord is providing for us a solution to all of them

Isaiah 8:13–15 “It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread. Then He shall become a sanctuary; But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, And a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Many will stumble over them, Then they will fall and be broken; They will even be snared and caught.” (NASB95)

We all walk in fear, either fear of the Lord and a reliance upon Him and His promises, or the fear of whatever is going on right now.

Jesus talked about this.

Matthew 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (ESV)

Surrounded by a nation in fear, Isaiah was told to tell those who are faithful to YAHWEH not to fear the armies of Judah’s enemies or anything else for that matter other than to fear the Lord. God would take care of them.

Isaiah told that to King Ahaz who instead chose to do things his way and chose fear but not the fear of YAHWEH.

Isaiah’s instructions to those who are faithful is simple, do not fear what the world fears. “…you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.”

How are we doing in the midst of all the uproar over the coronavirus?

Are we listening to what the word says? Or are we meditating on God’s word? Are we speaking to ourselves His promises and by doing so building up our faith? We need to grasp what He is saying to us in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” (NASB95)

What Isaiah is telling the faithful of Judah is also his word to us today.

As we focus on verses 13 & 14 we see this from Isaiah: “It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread. Then He shall become a sanctuary; But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, And a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” (NASB95)

For the nation and for us: • God is Holy and worthy of our worship • Fear Him and be in awe of Him • He becomes our sanctuary

Psalm 91:1–6 “As for you, the one who lives in the shelter of the sovereign One, and resides in the protective shadow of the mighty king— I say this about the LORD, my shelter and my stronghold, my God in whom I trust— he will certainly rescue you from the snare of the hunter and from the destructive plague. He will shelter you with his wings; you will find safety under his wings. His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall. You need not fear the terrors of the night, the arrow that flies by day, the plague that comes in the darkness, or the disease that comes at noon.” (NET)

The Lord has our six. He has our backs and He had Judah’s as well.

All who sanctified the Lord of lords He surrounded like temple walls; hid them in Himself, whilst death and tribulation reigned without, and comforted, fed, and blessed them in His own gracious fellowship. (Keil and Delitzsch 1996, 154)

For those in Judah and Israel who do not remain faithful to YAHWEH, who are not faithful followers of God, then God with us = doom.

Those who ignore God trip over Him. They will be caught up in traps and snares set for those who are unbelievers.

It is as if a rock were put across a road to block the traveller from danger but, in carelessness or scorn, he refuses the warning and stumbles to his death. The stress in these verses is that what gives most offence to the sinner and what at the same time constitutes his greatest danger is the presence of the divine. The same God in his unchanging nature is both sanctuary and snare; it depends on how people respond to his holiness. (J. A. Motyer 1996, 95)

Isaiah 8:16–22 “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. And I will wait for the LORD who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for Him. Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. When they say to you, “Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,” should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. They will pass through the land hard-pressed and famished, and it will turn out that when they are hungry, they will be enraged and curse their king and their God as they face upward. Then they will look to the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be driven away into darkness.” (NASB95)

The testimony of Isaiah to this point in chapter 8 is now to be bound up and sealed. It is to be made tamper proof. Remember we started off with two witnesses of what it was Isaiah was prophesying. Now he is sealing the testimony he has provided. It has been prophesied, not it is up to the Lord to do what it is He has said He would do. The words cannot be altered or changed. It is as if he has password protected them against change or alteration.

Isaiah relates that He is waiting on the Lord. The same one who is now “hiding His face from the house of Jacob.” This is a message to both the northern and southern kingdoms. The bulk of those who would be called God’s people have gone over to the other side. But Isaiah will continue to wait on the Lord. About the names of Isaiah’s children. Unusual, yes, but we learn that is for a reason. The names are a sign for the nation directly from the Lord.

What forbidden occultic practices has Judah decided to follow? Why are they no longer seeking a word from God?

Isaiah 8:19 “When they say to you, “Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,” should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?” (NASB95)

God has given His clearly stated word to the people through Isaiah. Just like we have God’s clearly stated word as well. Why would we seek from or look to any other source, we have the owner's manual already direct from God. Judah had the law.

Judah has turned from faith to superstition. They have alleged loyalty to YAHWEH but in their actions, they show they are aligning with the enemy. This takes us back to the beginning arguments of Isaiah 1 – 5. Isaiah will state it clearly in Isaiah 29:13, “Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote…”” (NASB95)

The people were relying on sources forbidden to them (Deuteronomy 18:14)

We see practices here to include:

• Fortune telling • Spiritism • Wizardry • Necromancy

Consulting the dead, on behalf of the living, today that looks like praying to saints or to Mary.

Isaiah makes a clear statement – ignore all sources other than God’s word.

Isaiah 8:20 “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.” (NASB95)

God’s sure Word abides and if any speak contrary to it, it is because they are in darkness themselves and there is no morning for them. That is, when the day dawns for the eternal blessing of the redeemed, there will be outer darkness for those who spurned the light of truth only to be misled by falsehood. (Ironside 1952, 56)

2 Timothy 2:14–18 “Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.” (ESV)

Isaiah 8:21–22 “They will pass through the land hard-pressed and famished, and it will turn out that when they are hungry, they will be enraged and curse their king and their God as they face upward. Then they will look to the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be driven away into darkness.” (NASB95)

This is what those who do not go to the law and the testimony have to look forward to. They have rejected truth in favor of a lie and then they will blame others for their own decisions. Paul warned us of the existence of people like this in the last days.

2 Timothy 3:1–5 “But understand this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, opposed to what is good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God. They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power. So avoid people like these.” (NET)

Forsaking the Lord brings certain definite consequences. Having given counsel that is contrary to the law and the testimony, they will one day forsake the Lord Himself. In desperate need they will go through the devastated land, and there will be none to help. When one forsakes the Lord, he will become forsaken of the Lord. (Young 1965, 321)

Works Cited Backfish, Elizabeth H. P. 2016. "Siloam Channel." In The Lexham Bible Dictionary, by John D. Barry, Ed., David Bomar, Derek R. Brown, Rachel Klippenstein, Douglas Mangum, Carrie Sinclair Wolcott, Lazarus Wentz, Elliot Ritzema and Wendy Widder. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. Biblical Studies Press. 2005. The NET Bible First Edition, Bible, English, NET BIble. Biblical Studies Press. Bolen, Todd. 2012. "Siloam Channel from the southeast." Pictorial Library of Bible Lands Revised & Expanded, Jerusalem, Volume 3. Prod. Todd Bolen.

Childs, Brevard S. 2001. Isaiah: A Commentary, 1st ed., The Old Testament Library. Edited by William P. Brown, Carol A. Newsom and Brent A. Strawn. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. Exell, Joseph S. n.d. Isaiah, The Biblical Illustrator. Vol. 1. New York, NY: Fleming H. Revell Company. Heiser, Michael S. 2015. The Unseen realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible, First Edition. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. Ironside, H. A. 1952. Expository Notes on the Prophet Isaiah. Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers. Keil, Carl Friedrich, and Franz Delitzsch. 1996. Commentary on the Old Testament. Vol. 7. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson. Martin, John A. 1985. Isaiah. Vol. 1, in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, by J. F. Walvoord, Ed. and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. Motyer, J. A. 1996. The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. Motyer, J. Alec. 1999. Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Vol. 20. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. Ogden, Graham S., and Jan Sterk. 2011. A Handbook on Isaiah, United Bible Societies' Handbooks. Edited by Paul Clarke, Schuyler Brown, Louis Dorn and Donald Slager. 2 vols. Reading: United Bible Societies. Singer, ed., Isidore. 1901-1906. The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day. 12 vols. New York, NY: Funk & Wagnalls. Tull, Patricia K. 2010. Isaiah 1-39, Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary. Edited by Samuel E. Balentine. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Incorporated. Young, Edward. 1965. THe Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1-18. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm B Eerdmans Publishing Co.