Isaiah 7-8

saiah 7:1 IN THE days of Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but they could not conquer it. (2) And the house of David [Judah] was told, Syria is allied with Ephraim [Israel]. And the heart [of Ahaz] and the hearts of his people trembled and shook, as the trees of the forest tremble and shake with the wind. (3) Then said the Lord to Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Judah\’s King Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub [a remnant shall return], at the end of the aqueduct or canal of the Upper Pool on the highway to the Fuller\’s Field; (4) And say to him, Take heed and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted because of these two stumps of smoking firebrands–at the fierce anger of [the Syrian King] Rezin and Syria and of the son of Remaliah [Pekah, usurper of the throne of Israel]. (5) Because Syria, Ephraim [Israel], and the son of Remaliah have purposed evil against you [Judah], saying, (6) Let us go up against Judah and harass and terrify it; and let us cleave it asunder [each of us taking a portion], and set a [vassal] king in the midst of it, namely the son of Tabeel, (7) Thus says the Lord God: It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass. (8) For the head [the capital] of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is [King] Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken to pieces so that it will no longer be a people. (9) And the head (the capital) of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah\’s son [Pekah]. If you will not believe and trust and rely [on God and on the words of God\’s prophet instead of Assyria], surely you will not be established nor will you remain. (10) Moreover, the Lord spoke again to King Ahaz, saying, (11) Ask for yourself a sign (a token or proof) of the Lord your God [one that will convince you that God has spoken and will keep His word]; ask it either in the depth below or in the height above [let it be as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven]. (12) But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. (13) And [Isaiah] said, Hear then, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary and try the patience of men, but will you weary and try the patience of my God also?

  • Judah threatened by an alliance between Israel and Judah. (Isa 7:1-6)
  • God gives Ahaz prophecy through Isaiah that they will not succeed (Isa 7:7-9)
  • God gives Ahaz a choice, believe in ME or you will not remain. (Isa 7:10-11)
  • Ahaz chooses not be believe in God. (Isa 7:11-13)

Notes:

  • Ahaz is a bad king of Judah (2 Kings 16). Pekah is also a bad king in Israel.
  • King Pekah (2 Kings 15:25-38, 16:5) – king of Israel who worshipped idols and joined forces with Assyria to attack Israel. He came to the throne by killing the king of Israel before him, Pekahiah.
  • Isa 7:8 – It was sixty-five years from the beginning of the reign of Ahaz, when this prophecy was delivered, to the total depopulation of the kingdom of Israel by Esarhaddon, who carried away the remains of the ten tribes which had been left by Tiglath-pileser, and Shalmaneser, and who planted the country with new inhabitants. (Adam Clarke Commentary)

Questions:

  • What threat is Ahaz facing?
  • Why would Ahaz not want to have a confirmation from God? (See 2Ki 16:7-13)
  • What can we learn from Ahaz’s example?

(14) Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, the young woman who is unmarried and a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel [God with us]. (15) Butter and curds and wild honey shall he eat when he knows [enough] to refuse the evil and choose the good. (16) For before the child shall know [enough] to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land [Canaan] whose two kings you abhor and of whom you are in sickening dread shall be forsaken [both Ephraim and Syria]. (17) The Lord shall bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father\’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim [the ten northern tribes] departed from Judah–even the king of Assyria. (18) And in that day the Lord shall whistle for the fly [the numerous and troublesome foe] that is in the whole extent of the canal country of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. (19) And these [enemies like flies and bees] shall come and shall rest all of them in the desolate and rugged valleys and deep ravines and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes and on all the pastures. (20) In the same day [will the people of Judah be utterly stripped of belongings], the Lord will shave with the razor that is hired from the parts beyond the River [Euphrates]–even with the king of Assyria–[that razor will shave] the head and the hair of the legs, and it shall also consume the beard [leaving Judah with open shame and scorn]. (21) And [because of the desolation brought on by the invaders] in that day, a man will [be so poor that he will] keep alive only a young milk cow and two sheep. (22) And because of the abundance of milk that they will give, he will eat butter and curds, for [only] butter and curds and [wild] honey [no vegetables] shall everyone eat who is left in the land [these products provided from the extensive pastures and the plentiful wild flowers upon which the bees depend]. (23) And in that day, in every place where there used to be a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels, there will be briers and thorns. (24) With arrows and with bows shall a man come [to hunt] there, because all the land will be briers and thorns. (25) And as for all the hills that were formerly cultivated with mattock and hoe, you will not go there for fear of briers and thorns; but they will become a place where oxen are let loose to pasture and where sheep tread.

  • God doesn’t require Ahaz to seek a sign, but offers one anyway (Isa 7:14-16)
  • God reinforces his prophecy against Ephriam and Syria and judgment against Judah (Isa 7:16-25)

Questions

  • What consolation does Judah have that Syria and Israel will be forsaken?
  • Why does God’s judgment start with His people.
  • How is Ahaz’s decision not to “test” God another example of their unfaithfulness?
  • What is left after the Lord’s judgment? What do the bees and flies infest? (Isa 7:18-19) What does the Lord do to the people? (Isa 7:20) (see also 1Ch 19:4-5)
  • What state would Judah be in if families could no longer farm for food, but depend on the milk of one cow and the wool from 2 sheep? (Isa 7:21-25)
  • What is God doing and why?

Notes: Some suppose that by the ‘virgin’ the wife of Ahaz is referred to, and that by the child which should be born, the prophet refers to Hezekiah. This is the opinion of the modern Jewish commentators generally. This interpretation prevailed among the Jews in the time of Justin. But this was easily shown by Jerome to be false. Ahaz reigned in Jerusalem but sixteen years 2Ki_17:2, and Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign 2Ki_18:2, and of course was not less than nine years old when this prophecy was delivered. Kimchi and Abarbanel then resorted to the supposition that Ahaz had a second wife, and that this refers to a child that was to be born of her. This supposition cannot be proved to be false, though it is evidently a mere supposition. It has been adopted by the Jews, because they were pressed by the passage by the early Christians, as constituting an argument for the divinity of Christ. The ancient Jews, it is believed, referred it mainly to the Messiah.

Canal country of Egypt (Isa 7:18) – the Mediterranean Sea side of the Nile river has many smaller tributaries that become swampy and are known for the flies that grow there. Also see Exo 8:21-24 that points to flies as a cause of one of the 10 plagues of Egypt.

(8:1) THEN THE Lord said to me, Take a large tablet [of wood, metal, or stone] and write upon it with a graving tool and in ordinary characters [which the humblest man can read]: Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz [they (the Assyrians) hasten to the spoil (of Syria and Israel), they speed to the prey]. (2) And I took faithful witnesses to record and attest [this prophecy] for me, Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah. (3) And I approached [my wife] the prophetess, and when she had conceived and borne a son, the Lord said to me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz [as a continual reminder to the people of the prophecy], (4) For before the child knows how to say, My father or my mother, the riches of Damascus [Syria\’s capital] and the spoil of Samaria [Israel\’s capital] shall be carried away before the king of Assyria. (5) The Lord spoke to me yet again and said, (6) Because this people [Israel and Judah] have refused and despised the waters of Shiloah [Siloam, the only perennial fountain of Jerusalem, and symbolic of God\’s protection and sustaining power] that go gently, and rejoice in and with Rezin [the king of Syria] and Remaliah\’s son [Pekah the king of Israel], (7) Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings upon them the waters of the River [Euphrates], strong and many–even the king of Assyria and all the glory [of his gorgeous retinue]; and it will rise over all its channels, brooks, valleys, and canals and extend far beyond its banks; Isa. 7:17. And it will sweep on into Judah; it will overflow and go over [the hills], reaching even [but only] to the neck [of which Jerusalem is the head], and the outstretched wings [of the armies of Assyria] shall fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel [Messiah, God is with us]! [Num. 14:9; Ps. 46:7.]

  • Israel’s and Syria will be taken by Assyria before Isaiah’s child can talk – before 3 years
  • Israel and Judah’s refusal of and despising of God’s protection and power will lead to their destruction from foreign invaders.

Questions:

  • What character of God is revealed in verse 8:1
  • How is God revealing his prophecy and warning to his people?

NOTES:

Maher-shalal-hash-baz: making speed to the spoil; he hastens to the prey

Uriah is probably the priest mentioned in 2Kings 16:10

Prophecy spoken of in Isa 8:4 happened less than 3 years after this writing.

(9) Make an uproar and be broken in pieces, O you peoples [rage, raise the war cry, do your worst, and be utterly dismayed]! Give ear, all you [our enemies] of far countries. Gird yourselves [for war], and be thrown into consternation! Gird yourselves, and be [utterly] dismayed! (10) Take counsel together [against Judah], but it shall come to nought; speak the word, but it will not stand, for God is with us [Immanuel]! (11) For the Lord spoke thus to me with His strong hand [upon me], and warned and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, (12) Do not call conspiracy [or hard, or holy] all that this people will call conspiracy [or hard, or holy]; neither be in fear of what they fear, nor [make others afraid and] in dread. (13) The Lord of hosts–regard Him as holy and honor His holy name [by regarding Him as your only hope of safety], and let Him be your fear and let Him be your dread [lest you offend Him by your fear of man and distrust of Him]. (14) And He shall be a sanctuary [a sacred and indestructible asylum to those who reverently fear and trust in Him]; but He shall be a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (15) And many among them shall stumble thereon; and they shall fall and be broken, and be snared and taken. (16) Bind up the testimony, seal the law and the teaching among my [Isaiah\’s] disciples. (17) And I will wait for the Lord, Who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; and I will look for and hope in Him. (18) Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and wonders [that are to take place] in Israel from the Lord of hosts, Who dwells on Mount Zion. (19) And when the people [instead of putting their trust in God] shall say to you, Consult for direction mediums and wizards who chirp and mutter, should not a people seek and consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? (20) [Direct such people] to the teaching and to the testimony! If their teachings are not in accord with this word, it is surely because there is no dawn and no morning for them. (21) And they [who consult mediums and wizards] shall pass through [the land] sorely distressed and hungry; and when they are hungry, they will fret, and will curse by their king and their God; and whether they look upward (22) Or look to the earth, they will behold only distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish, and into thick darkness and widespread, obscure night they shall be driven away.

  • Despite all this power and planning, God protects His people and nothing can harm them. (Isa 8:9-10)
  • God will protect those who walk in His ways, who fear Him and be a stumbling stone for those who do not (Isa 8:11-15)
  • God maintains and strengthens a remnant of the faithful through the teachings of His prophets. Those who seek other places will be empty, distressed, and anguished (Isa 8:16-22).

Questions:

  • How can fearing and honoring God result in Him becoming a sanctuary. (Isa 8:12-13)
  • How is God a stumbling block? (Romans 9:33, 1Peter 2:6-8)
  • Where do you find yourself when you focus on the troubles of the earth?
  • How can you get out of this anguish?
References
2Ki 16:7-13 AMP So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, I am your servant and son. Come up and save me out of the hands of the kings of Syria and of Israel, who are attacking me. (8) And Ahaz took the silver and gold in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king\’s house and sent a present to the king of Assyria. (9) Assyria\’s king hearkened to him; he went up against Damascus, took it, carried its people captive to Kir, and slew Rezin. (10) King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw there their [heathen] altar. King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest a model of the altar and an exact pattern for its construction. (11) So Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, finishing it before King Ahaz returned. (12) When the king came from Damascus, he looked at the altar and offered on it. (13) King Ahaz burned his burnt offering and his cereal offering, poured his drink offering, and dashed the blood of his peace offerings upon that altar.
Exo 8:21 Else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms [of bloodsucking gadflies] upon you, your servants, and your people, and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms [of bloodsucking gadflies], and also the ground on which they stand.
1Ch 19:4-5 AMP Therefore Hanun took David\’s servants, shaved them, cut off their garments in the middle near their buttocks, and sent them away. (5) When David was told how the men were served, he sent to meet them, for [they] were greatly shamed and embarrassed. The king said, Stay in Jericho until your beards are grown, and then return.
2Ki 16:10 AMP King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw there their [heathen] altar. King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest a model of the altar and an exact pattern for its construction.
2Ki 15:29 AMP In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried the people captive to Assyria.
Rom 9:33 AMP As it is written, Behold I am laying in Zion a Stone that will make men stumble, a Rock that will make them fall; but he who believes in Him [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] shall not be put to shame nor be disappointed in his expectations.
1Pe 2:6-8 AMP For thus it stands in Scripture: Behold, I am laying in Zion a chosen (honored), precious chief Cornerstone, and he who believes in Him [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] shall never be disappointed or put to shame. [Isa. 28:16.] (7) To you then who believe (who adhere to, trust in, and rely on Him) is the preciousness; but for those who disbelieve [it is true], The [very] Stone which the builders rejected has become the main Cornerstone, [Ps. 118:22.] (8) And, A Stone that will cause stumbling and a Rock that will give [men] offense; they stumble because they disobey and disbelieve [God\’s] Word, as those [who reject Him] were destined (appointed) to do.
Mat 4:12-17 NASB Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; (13) and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. (14)This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: (15) \”THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES– (16) \”THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT, AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH, UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED.\” (17) From that time Jesus began to preach and say, \”Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.\”

THEME

ATTRIBUTES OF GOD
 

APPLICATION TO YOUR LIFE