Isaiah Chapter 8 page 1 of 7 M.K. Scanlan Isaiah Chapter 8 V: 1 Make a large poster, a billboard, or picket sign. • The message: “Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz” translated “Haste ye, haste ye to the spoil.” V: 2 The Lord is still speaking, He’s saying He will take for Himself faithful witnesses. Uriah the priest and Zechariah are chosen as faithful witnesses in God’s eyes. Deuteronomy 19:15 “… at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.” • In the midst of general apostasy God seems to always preserve a faithful remnant. V: 3 Isaiah went into his wife, the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son and the Lord picked - his name. • Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz: “Haste ye, haste ye to the spoil.” • Big brother: “Shear-Jashub” - “A remnant shall return.” • Isaiah’s wife is a prophetess, and each of his sons is in the ministry from before their births, each being given prophetic names packed full of meaning. V: 4 Before “Baz” can learn to say “Abba” / father or “Ema” Mother - the Assyrians are going to conquer Damascus / Syria and Samaria (Samaritans). • This puts a time stamp or limit on these events, that they will happen within 2-3 years or so. V: 5 You gotta love it when you know the Lord is speaking to you. Isaiah 30:21 “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.” V: 6 These people have refused God, the waters of Shiloah / Siloam. And they have gone after, put their hope in Rezin & Pekah, who cannot help them. Jeremiah 2:13 “For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. Ps. 20:7) • Pool of Siloam: During the time of King Hezekiah he knew that Sennacherib and the Assyrian army were invading Israel, they were also coming against Judah to attack Jerusalem. Isaiah Chapter 8 page 2 of 7 M.K. Scanlan • The main water supply for Jerusalem was the spring of Gihon, which is in the Kidron Valley just outside the city walls. Any enemy that laid siege against the city could easily cut off the water supply to the city. King Hezekiah ordered men to start digging through the rock that would lead under the city walls. Tunnel map / pictures: • One group started in the rock at what became the pool of Siloam, the others started at the spring of Gihon. They began digging through solid rock in an attempt to connect the tunnels. As they got close they could hear each other and altered course slightly. After digging through 1,749 feet of solid rock the two teams met up. When they broke through, it “sent” the water into the pool of Siloam. Thus it is call “Siloam” or “Sent”. • But sadly they refused the cleansing and life giving waters of the “sent one”. • They would make this mistake in Isaiah’s day, and again in Jesus’ day. Matthew 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” “These people refused the waters of Shiloah that flow softly…” “Soft” gentle waters: Psalm 23:1-2 “1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.” (Waters that flow gently.) • The pool of Siloam is significant in the New Testament: John 7:37-38 “37On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, if anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” • The back drop on this scene is the Pool of Siloam: • The last day, the great day of the feast is speaking of the feast of Tabernacles: During this feast they had what was known as the “water libation.” This is one of the Talmudic traditions that was added to the celebration of Succoth or Tabernacles. • Each of the 7 days one of the priests would carry a golden pitcher from the Temple down to the Pool of Siloam and retrieve a pitcher of water - accompanied by others priests playing various instruments, all in joyful procession. Isaiah Chapter 8 page 3 of 7 M.K. Scanlan • They were commemorating God’s provision during the wilderness times and they were using the water for the ceremonial cleansing of the altar of sacrifice. Each day the priest would return to the Temple, to the courtyard where the altar was, and he’d pour the water onto the altar. • They had two silver bowels that were actually more like funnels. One for wine and the other for the water. As He poured the pitcher of water into the silver bowl he lifted the pitcher high so the people could see what he was doing, and the water ran down to the bottom of the altar. • On the 7th day, that great, and last day, the priest in procession circled the altar 7 times re-enacting the conquest of Jericho when they circled the city 7 times. As the priest emptied the pitcher for the last time, holding it up upside down to demonstrate that it was empty - a lone voice broke the hushed silence and said: John 7:37b-38 “37b… if anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” • Living water, the kind that flows, that you can drink is also representative of the Holy Spirit - Jesus was declaring that He was the One who was the giver of the Holy Spirit, meaning He was God. John 7:40-41 describes that some believed declaring that “Truly this the Prophet” others said “this is the Christ” meaning they believed - others didn’t and wanted Him arrested. John 9 Jesus encounters a man who was blind from birth. Jesus spits on the ground and makes a little bit of clay with the saliva and puts it in the man’s eyes, then tells him to go to Pool of Siloam and wash his eyes. He comes back seeing and sets off a little firestorm on the Sabbath. • Jesus tells him “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” • He goes to the “sent one” and gets washed, then he can see, his eyes are opened. John 15:3 “Now you are clean / washed through the word which I have spoken to you.” • He is washed in the Word by the Word - sadly all of this was rejected by the nation both in Jesus’ day, and previously in Isaiah’s day. • Last little observation here in V:6 before we move on. As he describes their choosing Rezin king of Syria and “Ramaliah’s son - king of the Northern kingdom, he’s still just “Ramaliah’s son” He still won’t say his given name “Pekah.” Isaiah Chapter 8 page 4 of 7 M.K. Scanlan V: 7-8 Judah rejected the gentle stream, so now they get the violent flood, summoned by the Lord. • Describing the conquering of Syria and the Northern kingdom and the threat to Judah, and Jerusalem. • The Assyrians conquered most of Judah, and laid siege to Jerusalem, the flood waters went right up to the neck - then receded. Psalm 61:1-2 “1Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. 2From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy.” • It’s thought that this Psalm, written by David, was reminiscent of a time when perhaps he had his flock down in one of the wadis, or gorges there in Judea when there was a flash flood, and all their lives were in great danger. The flood waters rising, David trying to get his sheep to higher ground, to safety, and getting up on the rock that was higher than he was and being delivered from the flood waters that would destroy him. • During Hezekiah’s reign, Senecharib, king of Assyria placed a siege against Jerusalem, the last hold out in Judea, the Assyrians were at the neck of the nation. It was terrible, they were so desperate that they resorted to cannibalizing their own children. • Then an angel of God intervened and killed 185,000 Assyrians in one night and Senecharib returned to Assyria in defeat where he was killed by his own sons. • “O Immanuel”, “God with us”, simply a reference to “Immanuel’s land. V: 9 Gird yourselves, get ready. Prepare yourself, get ready - but you’re doomed. (X2) V: 10 Speaking of the alliance of King Ahaz with Tiglathpilezer and the subsequent betrayal. This deal, this counsel will not stand. Why? Why won’t it stand? • “For God is with us” – Immanuel! Romans 8:31 “For if God is for us, who can be against us?” Proverbs 21:30 “There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the LORD.” V: 11 God is giving Isaiah very specific instruction.