Isaiah 8 GOD STEPS IN There is nothing about this prophecy Isaiah made that was secret. It was written in large letters on a scroll and was confirmed by faithful witnesses who were persons of authority and good reputation. When warnings are given ahead of time, it is a wise person or nation that gives heed. Coming events cast shadows ahead it them. The first verses of this chapter foreshadowed the downfall of Judah’s enemies from Damascus and Samaria. Unfortunately, Judah, under the rule of Ahaz didn’t pay attention to the warnings from God and the solution to the problem the Lord had arranged. Instead he and the nation sought help from others rather than God.
The names of Isaiah’s sons are quite remarkable and would likely have made them stand out among their peers. I can imagine some people would ask Isaiah, “What did you say his name is? And the other one’s name is – what? Shear-jashub?! – “The remnant shall return? Why did you name him that? And – Maher-shalal-hash-baz! The poor kid! He will be made fun of all the time! ‘Speed the spoil, hasten the booty?’ Are you trying to tell us something Isaiah?” Those names were prophetic warnings that would be telling the people what would be coming in the future. Every time they would see the boys, people would be reminded that God had planned for some event that could not be avoided.
Judah sought for help from another nation rather than the Lord. For that, they would be left for punishment themselves. Even though God is a God of love, He is also a God of righteous wrath against those who consider what He says to be lies. Our choices bring on us corresponding consequences. We have freedom to make them, and need to be sure we make the right ones because the wrong ones bring with them disaster. The choice of Ahaz and Judah to turn to Assyria and bribe them into defending them from Syria and the northern ten tribes, ended in Judah itself being overcome by the Assyrians. Israel and Syria had rejected being associated with Judah and so were conquered by the Assyrians like a flood of water from a large river of overflowing banks. They didn’t want the “calm waters of Shiloah” that were found in Judah.
The land of Israel is still “Immanuel’s land” as far as God’s promise to Israel is concerned, but it doesn’t not keep the people of God from being under the judging hand of God, even though He loves His own. When Assyria turned on Judah, Ahaz sought the help of Egypt but that could not stave off the coming judgment he and his people brought down on themselves. Like Judah seeking alliances with the ungodly nations in the past, so various churches and denominations today join together to “provide a united front,” rather than yield to the word of God, and obey what God says. Groups seek to “cross pollinate” to try to form a strong force and influence the ungodly world. That was like Saul the king did when he kept the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord. He spared from the Amalekites that which God hated the most. It is all fleshly schemes and scams, and they do not work when dealing with sin and its consequences.
Sudden fear brings “shattered” courage. Because believers do not support national policies that are contrary to the word of God, and the standards of righteousness God has implanted in human consciences, they are often considered bigoted traitors. Standards of morality and the law of God and His justice are condemned because the majority of people think that is intolerance. As far as many in society are concerned, the changeable laws men make are more important than the unchangeable standards of law that God has established for the benefit and welfare of mankind. His laws have stood the test of time. Man’s changing laws fail even the generation that makes them.
But in spite of all that happens, “God is with us.” Grace will be the ultimate victor. Isaiah urged the righteous people who listened to his message, not to be afraid or intimidated by the conspiracy of Ahaz with the Assyrians. True believers “sanctify the Lord God of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear.” We learn to trust the sovereignty of God and accept gratefully His supremacy in all human affairs. Those who turn away from the Lord as apostates will stumble and fall into destruction and damnation. He will be the stumbling stone and the rock of offense to those who want to do things their own way.
Fear is the enemy of faith and can take away our peace of mind if we give place to it. God is our source of strength and trust. He can deal with our fears when we trust in Him. The “law and the testimony” need to be preserved in believers and passed on to the generations following us. Apostasy will come, but those who “wait upon the Lord,” will look to Him and find He never fails. The prophecy Isaiah wrote is sealed and sure. God will bring it all to pass in His time. Isaiah and his children are a type of our Lord Jesus Christ and those He has bought with His own blood. They are the signs and wonders God has given to the world. The transforming power of God in the lives of those who have been born again by the Spirit of God and the word of God, can’t be denied. We need to encourage those of the generations who follow us to read the Bible, and love its truth. They need to learn what it says, keep it in their hearts, and then pass it on to those who follow them.
The sure word of God stands out against all the counterfeit spiritism and religious forms that will be exposed for what they really are. Those who obey the Lord will find blessing and understanding even in the troublesome times in which we live. Those who are blind leaders and those who follow them will go into everlasting darkness. Those who respond to the law and the testimony find in the Bible absolute truth by which can live and learn, and it has been tried and proven by millions of faithful believers. Those who trust in something else will be disillusioned and will despair because they have no hope of deliverance from the consequences of their sin. They will go into perdition in bitterness and hopelessness with curses on their lips.
Those who trust in the Lord will find testing times and waiting times difficult, but God knows what is best and when to do what is needed. We don’t need to consult those who compromise truth and find biblical Christianity too restrictive in order to be effective in our testimony. To challenge what God says with our own opinions is to fail in the walk of faith. To not walk in the light of faith is to walk in the uncertainty and fear of darkness,