ASSYRIA THE LORD S INSTRUMENT ISAIAH 8:1-22

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 1 Commentary by Ron Thomas Questions by John C. Sewell ASSYRIA THE LORD S INSTRUMENT ISAIAH 8:1-22

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 2 Text: Isaiah 8:1-22, Assyria, The Lord s Instrument Commentary by Ron Thomas 1. The LORD said to me, "Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 2. And I will call in Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses for me." 3. Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the LORD said to me, "Name him Maher-Shalal- Hash-Baz. 4. Before the boy knows how to say 'My father' or 'My mother,' the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria." 5. The LORD spoke to me again: 6. "Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoices over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, 7. therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the River the king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks 8. and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, O Immanuel!" 9. Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered!

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 3 10. Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us. 11. The LORD spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said: 12. "Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. 13. The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, 14. and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. 15. Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured." 16. Bind up the testimony and seal up the law among my disciples. 17. I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him. 18. Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion. 19. When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20. To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. 21. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness. (NIV) Commentary: I. Note how the chapter begins, Then the Lord said to me

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 4 A. As read in the ESV, this suggests a continuation of the theme of the previous chapter. B. In Isaiah 7 the Lord told king Ahaz that Assyria was coming and he would shave the land clean of the stubble, called Israel s stubbornness. II. Next, Isaiah was told to write down the name of his son, Mahershalal-hash-baz (which means: the spoil speeds, the prey hastens); according to verse 3, he was yet to be born. A. This son s birth would represent the final chapter to Israel s and Syria s confederacy and existence. 1. Isaiah 8:3, Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the LORD said to me, "Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. (NIV) 2. The name of the son, to be born to Isaiah, means plunder speeds, spoil hastens (Butler, p. 161). B. Why was Uriah the priest called as a reliable witness? 1. Remember that it was Uriah who built the altar replicating that which the king saw in Damascus (2 Kings 16:10-16)? a. 2 Kings 16:10-16, Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction. So Uriah the priest built an altar in accordance with all the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus and finished it before King Ahaz returned. When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 5 presented offerings on it. He offered up his burnt offering and grain offering, poured out his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his fellowship offerings on the altar. The bronze altar that stood before the LORD he brought from the front of the temple from between the new altar and the temple of the LORD -and put it on the north side of the new altar. King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: "On the large new altar, offer the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king's burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Sprinkle on the altar all the blood of the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance." And Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had ordered. (NIV) b. Maybe it was because Uriah was accepted by the people as a reliable witness, and a prophecy by Isaiah needs to be authenticated (at this particular juncture) by one well-regarded in the religious community. 2. There are some who doubt that the Uriah mentioned in 8:2 is the same wicked priest mentioned in 2 Kings 16; perhaps, it is suggested, the words recorded in Isaiah 8:2 were recorded before the event of 2 Kings 16. a. Uriah the priest, of whom mention is made in 2 Kings 16:10, may not be Uriah of Isaiah 8:2, some think, because he had been proved to be a wicked man, who obeyed the king s command, contrary to the law of God, in building an altar according to the form of one at Damascus; but to this it is replied, that it was before this happened that Isaiah took him to be a witness; and

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 6 besides, because of the authority of his office, and his familiarity with Ahaz, he must be allowed to be a proper and pertinent person to bear testimony in this case (John Gill, E-Sword). i. Isaiah 8:2, And I will call in Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses for me." (NIV) b. In Isaiah 8:3-4 the birth of the child and the intervening time between that and his ability to call the name of his parents would be the final remaining years of existence for Israel and Syria. i. Isaiah 8:3-4, Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the LORD said to me, "Name him Maher- Shalal-Hash-Baz. Before the boy knows how to say 'My father' or 'My mother,' the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria." (NIV) c. Oswalt says this suggests destruction at about 732 B.C. (p. 149). C. The identity of the Zechariah of Isaiah 8:2 is unknown. (Coffman, p. 82) 1. Isaiah 8:2, And I will call in Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses for me." (NIV) 2. Nothing further is known of his father Jeberekiah.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 7 Isaiah 8:5-10, The LORD spoke to me again: "Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoices over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the River the king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, O Immanuel!" Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us. (NIV) I. A second time the Lord speaks to Isaiah, and this time the words are addressed to the people. A. There are two metaphors used to convey a message. 1. The waters of Shiloah are gentle in contrast to the waters of the River (Euphrates). a. The waters of Shiloah is A channel that carried water along the southeast slopes of Jerusalem from the spring of Gihon to the lower pool of Siloam (Scofield Study Bible, p. 881). 2. The metaphors stand for two ways to approach Assyria (8:6-7). a. Isaiah 8:6-7, "Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoices over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the River the king of Assyria with

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 8 all his pomp. It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks. (NIV) b. The choice is the Lord s way, which is gentle and strong, or the king s way which is tumultuous and weak (in comparison). c. Hailey notes that Rezin and the son of Remaliah probably refer to the people s rejoicing over the spoil made of these two by Assyria (p. 94). 3. Taking note of the tone in 8:5-8, God was bringing Assyria to punish Israel (Judah). a. Isaiah 8:5-8, The LORD spoke to me again: Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoices over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the River the king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, O Immanuel!" (NIV) b. With that tone in mind, it is easy to think that 8:9-10 is a continuation of that idea. i. Isaiah 8:9-10, Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 9 plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us. (NIV) c. Thus, one might think that the exhortation that this time Assyria has God with them (8:10), and this powerful tumultuous river that, presumably, deposed Syria and Israel (at this point) will soon flow into Judah (8:7-8). i. Isaiah 8:7-8, therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the River the king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, O Immanuel!" (NIV) 4. Because the people rejected the Lord s Way, the way of militaristic might was about to come upon them. a. On the other hand, the exhortation could be easily read (as many do) that God was actually speaking to those nations, other than Israel; take note of 8:9. i. Isaiah 8:9, Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered! (NIV) ii. If such is the case, then we can read of hope in the midst of despair (or wrath). b. It is made clear (v. 9) that Isaiah is addressing people that think much of their ability in regard to destruction.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 10 i. They seek counsel to do much harm (or avert a threat), but their efforts will be to no avail. 5. No matter to whom Isaiah is addressing these words (Judah, Israel, Syria, or far countries), a principle could be applied to all people everywhere. a. Whatever attempt the people make to thwart the Lord s plan will certainly fail (Psalm 2). b. Psalm 2:1-12, Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. "Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters." The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill." I will proclaim the decree of the LORD : He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery." Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (NIV) Isaiah 8:11-15, The LORD spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said: "Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The LORD Almighty is

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 11 the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured." (NIV) I. The Lord admonishes Isaiah to NOT walk in the ways of the people (Jeremiah 10:23). A. Jeremiah 10:23, I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. (NIV) B. The ways of the people were leading to destruction and the Lord wanted Isaiah to NOT go that way; we have no indication that Isaiah was even contemplating this, but, being a man, he could have been worn down and fatigued by the stress of the situation. 1. Perhaps, as Isaiah preached, the people would accuse Isaiah of a conspiracy against the king. 2. The people, aware of the difficult circumstance surrounding them with Israel and Syria, were having frightened feelings, being in dread of something, and even speaking about a conspiracy taking place. 3. Perhaps there was a popular uprising and they were trying to bring Isaiah along with it, - it is difficult to say. a. In any case, the Lord knew this to be false and the Lord told Isaiah as much. b. Moreover, He told Isaiah that the One to fear is the Lord (Genesis 31:42, 53).

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 12 i. Genesis 31:42, 53, If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you." If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you." (NIV) c. In truth, those who stand opposed to the Lord will be the ones who are opposed by the rock of righteousness that has been placed in their path; they stumble over it because they do not see it (Romans 8:3-7). i. Romans 8:3-7, For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (KJV) C. Isaiah s two sons are for signs.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 13 1. The first son, Shear-Jashub, signified that a remnant would return to Jehovah even then, and that at some future time a remnant would turn to Him and become His people. 2. Maher-shalal-hash-baz pointed to the defeat and captivity of Israel and Syria by the Assyrians (Hailey, p. 97). II. The Lord will be one s strength, and when one seeks to tear down that strength, the Rock will actually crush him. A. As we read this portion of Scripture, it is easy for us to say, with emphasis, Well, duh! 1. However, many might fail to understand the difficulty and strain when faced with difficult circumstances and opposition. 2. Hailey s remark is useful here: Throughout the history of the church, those who have sought to call the church back to her God-given mission and away from her man-made programs have been treated as troublemakers (citing the words of Young, p. 96). Isaiah 8:16-22, Bind up the testimony and seal up the law among my disciples. I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him. Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion. When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 14 curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness. (NIV) I. The Lord told Isaiah that He is his strength; the people are thinking conspiracy; now Isaiah tells those who follow (are listening to) him that they are to bind up the testimony for what reason? A. As stated, the two sons mentioned are signs (8:18); Isaiah has done his preaching as the Lord commanded him. 1. Isaiah 8:18, Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion. (NIV) 2. He had been admonished/encouraged by the Lord to put his trust in the Rock (8:13-14). a. Isaiah 8:13-14, The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. (NIV) 3. Now Isaiah was going to let all this do the talking and he would wait on the Lord (8:17). a. Isaiah 8:17, I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him. (NIV) B. All this would be a guide to the people, but they refused.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 15 1. Then, when some come along and demand of him that he inquire of the dead the stupidity of it the Lord said that they ought to inquire of Him. 2. Why would they inquire of the dead? (Some possible answers include the following: a. First, they want to guide their own path (Jeremiah 10:23). i. Jeremiah 10:23, I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. (NIV) b. Second, they do not want righteousness to be proclaimed because it exposes the sin of the person (John 3:20). i. John 3:20, For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. (KJV) c. And, third, they wanted an answer that was different than the Lord s. i. The Lord bluntly said that if one seeks guidance it must be to the Law and the Testimony they turn (8:20). ii. Isaiah 8:20, To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. (NIV) iii. For those who refuse: all hope is gone, and only despair remains (8:21-22).

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 16 Conclusion: iv. Isaiah 8:21-22, Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness. (NIV) Isaiah 8:11, The LORD spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said: (NIV) I. People do not walk in God s way because: A. they refuse to hear God s word. B. their allegiance is to man. Isaiah 6, 7 and 8 teach: A. Isaiah 6 1. The Lord is holy and our approach to Him is to be reverent (6:3). a. Isaiah 6:3, And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." (NIV) 2. I am not righteous because I serve the Lord I am made clean because of who the Lord is (6:5, 7).

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 17 a. Isaiah 6:5, 7, "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." (NIV) 3. Yet, the Lord s servant will proclaim His righteousness (6:8). B. Isaiah 7 a. Isaiah 6:8, Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (NIV) 1. When one puts trust in man s capability there is much uncertainty (7:1-2). a. Isaiah 7:1-2, When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it. (NIV) 2. A failure to believe is a failure to be established (7:9). C. Isaiah 8 a. Isaiah 7:9, The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.' " (NIV)

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 18 1. The Lord allowed Judah to be over-flowed up to its neck, but the head was not cut-off (8:8). a. Isaiah 8:8, and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its out spread wings will cover the breadth of your land, O Immanuel!" (NIV) 2. Speaking a thus saith the Lord is paramount (8:20). a. Isaiah 8:20, To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. (NIV)

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 19 Questions on Isaiah 8:1-22 by John C. Sewell (Quotations based on NIV text.) 1. The Lord told Isaiah, Take a and on it with an :. 2. Who were Uriah and Zechariah? 3. To what were Uriah and Zechariah to be witnesses?

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 20 4. What does Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz mean? Why was this person so named? 5. Who were Maher-Shalal-Hash Baz s parents? 6. What would happen early in Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz s life? 7. What were the gently flowing waters of Shiloah the people rejected? 8. Who were Rezin and the son of Remaliah over whom the people rejoiced?

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 21 9. What were the mighty floodwaters of the River? Is this to be taken figuratively or literally? When did this happen? 10. What does Immanuel mean? To whom does Immanuel refer in Isaiah 8:8? 11. What were the nations told to do? What would be the result of this encounter? When was Isaiah 8:9-10 fulfilled? What were the historic events involved in the fulfillment of these verses? 12. The spoke to me ( ) with his upon me, me not to the of this ( ).

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 22 13. Isaiah was not to call everything that these ( ) call ; not to what they, nor it. 14. The is the one Isaiah was to regard as, and. God would, if Isaiah did this, be his. 15. For both of, north and south, God will be a that makes them. The of will be a and a. Many of them will ; they will and be, they will be and. 16. Isaiah determined to for the and put his in him. 17. Why did the Lord hide his face from the house of Jacob? 18. and his whom the had given him were and in.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 23 19. The people were advised by men to consult and, who and when they should have inquired of their. 20. What mediums and spiritists do people consult today? 21. What good does it do to consult the dead on behalf of the living? Who does this anyway? Give biblical and non-biblical examples of this practice. 22. We are to consult God s and. Those who fail to to the of God has no in them. 23. What will be the condition of those who fail to follow God s law and testimony?

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org 24 24. Why do people not walk in God s way? Give as many reasons as possible. 25. In whose ways are you walking? Give evidence that your answer is correct?