#968 Isaiah 8 Speed To The Spoil

 

Then the Lord said to me, “Take a large tablet and write on it in common characters, ‘Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz.’ 2 And I will get reliable witnesses, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah, to attest for me.”

3 And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz; 4 for before the boy knows how to cry ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”

5 The Lord spoke to me again: 6 “Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, 7 therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, 8 and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.”

9 Be broken, you peoples, and be shattered;

give ear, all you far countries;

strap on your armor and be shattered;

strap on your armor and be shattered.

10 Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing;

speak a word, but it will not stand,

for God is with us.

Fear God, Wait for the Lord

11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

16 Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples. 17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. 18 Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. 19 And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. 21 They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their faces upward. 22 And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness. Isaiah 8 ESV

Isaiah 8 Coming Assyrian Invasion

1-2. Take a large tablet and write on it in common characters - Some translations say a man's pen. This was to be understood in the common language, a public prophecy, held to a high standard of record. It sings of the reformers of old, like Luther, Wycliffe and Tyndale, who would have the Bible translated into the common language of the people, so that even the plow hand could know God better than the Pope. 

…21You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?” 22When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him. Deuteronomy 18: 21-22

Calvin on with a man’s pen: It “denotes any many of ordinary rank; and the meaning is, that not even the most ignorant and uneducated persons may be unable to read the writing.”

And I will get reliable witnesses - This will be notarized so that it is sealed upon the date, and can be checked against what comes to pass. This is a case against Israel and Syria, but also against Judah for not relying on the true God. None the less, God will demonstrate His sovereignty in showing that He is the One who calls Assyria forth, and He can also send them away. 

15A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. Deuteronomy 19: 15

Maher-shalal-hash-baz - He prophesies a son, and his name means speed to the spoil, hurry to the plunder. 

3-4. And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son - Isaiah's wife is a prophetess, at the very least in giving birth to this sign, but we do not know of any other prophetic ministry associated to her. Both her children's names are prophetic, this one of the coming Assyrian invasion and the other of the remnant. 

For before the boy knows - This shortens the time of expectation, before he can speak, in a matter of maybe 2 years, they will see Damascus and Samaria plundered. This child's birth will also give near prophecy credence to that which is prophesied about Messiah, much further out. 

5-8. Because this people have refused the waters of Shiloah - Shiloah was a spring that flowed from Mt. Zion on the S. western side of Jerusalem. It represents God's steady supply, gentle governance, but the people have turned from Immanuel to look elsewhere. They are impressed by the king of the mighty Tigris and Euphrates river. Instead of trusting God they sell themselves to this king, but his banks will overflow, his armies will not be satisfied. 

“The small and gentle waters should be more highly valued by us than the large and rapid rivers of all the nations, and we ought not to envy the great power of the ungodly.” (Calvin)

9-10. No matter what nations may conspire, it is God Whose will is carried out. Even hearing what God plans, they cannot stop the Assyrian army, and the Assyrians can only go as far as God allows. This is Immanuel's land in the end, and it is His purging now.

11-15. Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy - Only the remnant ever understand such a decree. Their enemies have met at the table, there is much political talk, a desire to remove and replace leaders, but do not fear what this people fears. God is in control. "Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread." 

And He will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense - 

…6For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” 7To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were appointed.… 1 Peter 2: 6-8

…41“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and will rent out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his share of the fruit at harvest time.” 42 Jesus said to them, “ Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’ 43Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.… Matthew 21: 41-43

16-22. Behold, I and the children the Lord has given me are signs and portents - Their names spoke of both the coming destruction and the hope of the remnant. 

…11For both the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12He says: “I will proclaim Your name to My brothers; I will sing Your praises in the assembly.” 13And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” And once again: “Here am I, and the children God has given Me.”… Hebrews 2: 11-13

Inquire of the mediums and necromancers, who chirp and mutter - There are people who call themselves Christians today who have no issue with calling a psychic for lottery numbers, or to find out about their love life. I have been in churches that promote books by Dr. Phil, who has a necromancer come on his show, and calls the man an expert on spiritual matters. According to God that's the wrong spirit. I have been in many a Pentecostal service where they babbled, "prophesied", and carried on like pagan witch doctors, all in the name of earthly prosperity. They hold themselves to a 60, 50, and even 40 percent rate of accuracy, but care little for the truth of God's word, mediums that call themselves "Christians".  

When you are in trouble, shouldn’t you seek your God? If you can’t rely on your God when you are in trouble, then what good is your God?

ii. What sense does it make to seek the dead on behalf of the living? The dead are the dead, the living are the living. The living God speaks through His living Word and His living people to guide us. There is no reason to seek the dead.

iii. This passage also exposes the foolishness of praying to the saints. The exact same question should be asked: Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? - Enduring Word

…30You must keep My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the LORD. 31You must not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out, or you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.32You are to rise in the presence of the elderly, honor the aged, and fear your God. I am the LORD.… Leviticus 19: 30-32

To the teaching and to the testimony - If they don't go to God's word, by God's word, it is because they do not have the light in them. All they can do is lead astray. God's word is the standard, the just weight and balance, let all who claim to know Him be held to and evaluated by His word. 

iii. “Let us remember, as ministers of the Gospel, what M’Cheyne beautifully said; ‘Depend upon it,’ said he, ‘it is God’s Word not man’s comment upon God’s Word, that saves souls;’ and I have marked, that if ever we have a conversion at any time, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, the conversion is rather traceable to the text, or to some Scripture quoted in the sermon, than to any trite or original saying by the preacher. It is God’s Word that breaks the fetters and sets the prisoner free, it is God’s Word instrumentally that saves souls, and therefore let us bring everything to the touchstone.” (Spurgeon)

And when they are hungry - They will claim to know God, but they only want His blessing, fair weather disciples who will not accept His correction. When they don't get what they really want, which was never God, they will curse Him as Job's wife suggested Job should do. They will turn to a dying world, and try to resuscitate it, make heaven here, for it is all they will ever know, all they want to know, though it is passing and their days are shorter still.