June 1
Reading: Isaiah 8
1 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.
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 continues to address the situation that we learned of in the previous chapter. Now we see the immediate fulfillment of the prophesy of Isaiah 7:14. Isaiah’s young wife gives him a son whom they name Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which means “Swift is the booty, speedy the prey.” Assyria is going to catch them from behind like a hunting animal. The birth of the boy coincides with the beginning of the downfall of the northern alliance.
The presence of this child means “God is with us” or “Immanuel.” The last line of verse 8 and the final words of verse 10 remind us of God’s presence. God with His people is the reason that the northern attack fails.
The result of all these events is that Jerusalem and the kingdom of Judah is gripped with fear and rumor mongering. Everyone is whispering about plots and conspiracies. They did not fear or trust in the Lord. Thus, in verses 11-15, the Lord warns Isaiah not to listen to all the conspiracy theorists. In verses 16-22, the Lord tells Isaiah not to look to the sorcerers or fortune-tellers for wisdom in times of war and instability, but to look to the Lord.
Who do you listen to when turmoil rages and everyone is in a panic? We live in a society that is led by our media into fear and anger. To whom do you listen in these troubled times? Do you listen to internet bloggers? Do you listen to friends who post the most recent rumors? Are you panicked by one news cycle after another? Pay it all no attention.
Look to the Lord and read what He says and trust Him.