Isaiah 7-8 Summary

ISAIAH 7-8 SUMMARY

MAIN IDEA Trust God’s word even when the circumstances look extremely bleak. To trust your own judgment will bring painful results. King Ahaz of Judah chose to trust his own judgment which resulted in terrible consequences for Judah.

BACKGROUND Chapters 7 and 8 involve four kingdoms. The kingdom of Judah: its king is Ahaz and its capital city is Jerusalem. Isaiah is prophesying to Ahaz. The kingdom of Israel: Also called Ephraim whose king is Pekah. Its capital city is Samaria. Pekah’s father is Ramaliah. The kingdom of Aram: Also called Syria whose king is Rezin. Its capital city is Damascus. The kingdom of Assyria: A kingdom between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Tiglath-Pileser III was its king. The Assyrian kingdom defeated the Figure 1 The four kingdoms in Isaiah 7-8 northern tribes of Israel in 722 BC and carried away thousands of Israelites and resettled them in other parts of the Assyrian Empire.

Figure 2 The five major events in Isaiah 7-8 and 2 Kings 16

KEY POINTS

Event 1: Aram & Israel attack Judah (7:1) • Ahaz and Judah react in fear (7:2) • Shear-Jashub (7:3) is a symbolic name given to a son of Isaiah. His name

means a “remnant shall return.” This remnant could prophetically be referring to those who return to Jerusalem after the 70-year exile in Babylon beginning in 538 BC. • God tells Ahaz to stay calm (7:3-6) • Ahaz is told to put his faith in God (7:7-9), promising that within 65 years (about 657 BC) Ephraim would no longer exist as a nation indicating that It will have lost its ethnic identity by then after being assimilated into the Assyrian culture. • God offers to give Ahaz a sign of confidence, a child named Immanuel (7:14). Immanuel is the name of an actual child born in Ahaz’s day and a symbolic name applied in later years to Jesus the Messiah. This child (Immanuel) will be your timetable (7:15-16). By the time he can eat curds and honey, and know right from wrong (about a 5 to 6-year-old boy), Israel and Aram will be gone.

Event 2: Ahaz disobeys God and seeks help from Assyria (2 Kings 16:7-9) • In spite of God’s promise of protection, Ahaz places no faith in God and takes matters into his own hands. He seeks the military strength of Assyria whose king is Tiglath-pileser III. • Because of Ahaz’s disobedience God will bring Assyria to attack Judah, “in that day” (7:17-25). • God warns Ahaz that someday, because of his disobedience, the Assyrians will descend on Judah like swarms of flies and bees. Judah will experience total humiliation under the Assyrians who will be like a razor coming to shave the hair from their bodies. The land of Judah will be left barren.

Event 3: Assyria destroys Aram and Israel (8:1-4) • Isaiah and his wife (the prophetess) had a son whom the Lord commanded to be named Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. • He will be like a timepiece for God’s purposes through Assyria. Before the boy is old enough to say “My father” or “My mother” (about 6-12 months) Israel and Aram will be destroyed

Event 4: Assyria attacks Judah (8:5-8)

Event 5: God destroys Assyria (8:9-10) • In 612 BC the Babylonian Empire conquered the Assyrians and began its reign over the area once dominated by Assyria.

God’s final warnings (8:11-22) • God is with those who obey him (8:11-12) • God is with those who regard his holiness (8:13-16) • God is with those who put their full faith and trust in him (8:17-22)