Isaiah 8

King Ahaz’s attempt to get the King of Assyria to come to his aid against Damascus and Samaria shows how out of touch Ahaz was with God.  Unlike David, Ahaz had not inquired of God.  Thus when God does speak to him, through Isaiah, the message is that you should not fear Rezin and Pekah but rather Tiglathpileser.  A reading of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles tell us this was the truth.  The Assyrian king took Ahaz’s money, but then didn’t really help him.  In the end, after the Assyrians finished killing Rezin and carrying off Israel they then headed south toward Judah.  In the days of Hezekiah they set up a siege of Jerusalem, and only then did the Lord come to their aid in answer to Hezekiah’s prayer.  That’s the story.  Now let us note the prediction of these events made some 20-65 years earlier.

·        In 7:17-25 Isaiah tells Ahaz that Assyria is the problem.  They will come into Judah and make life difficult.

·        In 8:1-4 God uses the birth of Isaiah’s second son as an illustration of this.  The boy has a long name, Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, a name given by revelation to Isaiah which means speed the spoil, hasten the booty.  The one getting the spoil is Assyria.

·        In 8:5-10 the promise is that Assyria will overrun Immanuel’s land (v8) and that the only hope for people is, in fact, Immanuel (v10: God is with us).

·        In 8:11-22 God encourages Isaiah.  Apparently there is opposition to Isaiah for saying these things.  God tells him not to fear men but to fear God (v12f).  There are some important words for us to hear.

o   God tells Isaiah that He (Immanuel, the Child of the prophecy, v14) will be a sanctuary or holy place but will also be a stone of stumbling.  Jesus was Israel’s Holy One (Ac. 2:27; 3:14) but also the One over which they stumbled to their own destruction (cf. Luke 2:34; 20:17; Rom. 9:33; 1 Pet. 2:8 where this phrase is noted and quoted).  Another Messianic prophecy.

o   There is a strong emphasis on trusting God’s word in this passage.  First, Isaiah is told to bind up the testimony (secure the words), to wait and hope on the Lord (v16-17).  The fulfillment is a long time off but there is no reason to doubt that it will happen.  People will tire of waiting and turn to mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter, something that doesn’t make sense of God’s people.  So the cry for Isaiah and for us is: To the law and to the testimony!  If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. 

Even today many have this thought that the predictions of Jesus’ return are getting tiresome and they get tired of waiting.  May it not be so among God’s people.  Those who say these things have no light in them!