IV. PREDICTIONS OF THE FUTURE MESSIAH ARE INTERMINGLED WITH THE PRESENT POLITICAL CRISIS (7:1-12:6) - It is important to note that these chapters not only tell of the coming oppressions, but also of the coming consolations (through Immanuel).
A. Jerusalem Is Threatened By Syria And Ephraim (7:1-16) - The Assyrian threat had caused former enemies Syria and Israel (Ephraim) to become allies. They very much wanted Judah in their alliance, but Judah refused. The events described in this chapter must have occurred in the early part of the reign of Ahaz, before he was totally given over to idolatry.
1. Ahaz is told not to fear an attack from Syria and Ephraim (7:1-9)
(1,2) Ahaz was indeed a faithless King or he would have trusted in the Lord like David or even Uzziah; instead he trembled with fear at the thought of war with Israel and Syria.
(3) The Lord sent Isaiah and his son Shear-jashub ("a remnant shall return") to meet the King. The presence of the son with such a name should have given the King a sign as to the meaning of the prophet's message. Even in the event of the fall of Judah, there would remain a remnant to carry on the seed of David.
(4) The prophet, by God's instructions, encourages the King not to fear Rezin and Pekah because they were two smoldering stumps; their fierceness had burned out and their power was used up.
(5,6) Rezin and Pekah planned to dethrone Ahaz and set up their own king over Judah.
(7) But they had not accounted for Jehovah's interference in their plan. Because Ahaz represented the lineage of David, he would not be overthrown. Ahaz should have had faith in God, but as we see he did not.
(8,9) Jehovah declares that Rezin will not expand his borders beyond Syria and Samaria would fall within 65 years. While it was only a few years until the physical fall of Samaria, it would take until the reign of Assyrian King Esarhaddon and his colonization policies to bring Ephraim (Samaria) to a complete and final end. Samaria will never rule Judah. Ahaz should have had faith in these words of the Lord, but he did not. His continued rule and the continued existence of the ruling house of David was contingent on faith. Note: 1, the quiet confidence of Isaiah concerning this confrontation; 2, the assurance by God, that within a man's lifetime Ephraim would be broken down; 3, God required faith on the part of Ahaz if the King was to be established and the people delivered.
2. The Lord's sign is given to Ahaz (7:10-16)
(10,11) The prophet calls on the King to ask a sign from God to confirm the veracity of the prophecy.
(12) Ahaz refused to ask for a sign, insisting that he did not want to tempt God. But it is not tempting God if one does as he is instructed by God. Many scholars feel that Ahaz had already appealed to the Assyrians for help and thus rejected God's sign in favor of the Assyrians.
(13) Ahaz's rejection of God's sign would affect the entire house of David. It is interesting to note that in verse 11 Isaiah referred to the Lord as "thy God" but now in verse 13 "my God," showing that the King had rejected Jehovah as his God.
(14) The nation will receive a sign anyway. The unusual birth of a special child will occur, who will be a sign to both the house of Israel and the house of David. While controversy exists as to the translation of the word "virgin," the conservative scholars agree that it refers to a young woman who was neither married nor had known a man. Commentators through the ages have argued as to the identity of this "virgin." Is she Hezekiah's mother, Isaiah's wife, a symbol of the young women of Israel or just a young woman known to Ahaz. These suppositions leave much to be desired in light of Matthew (Mt. 1:22,23) and Luke who taught otherwise. Prophecies of Isaiah and Micah lead us to believe that this child will have characteristics of both God and man (Mic. 5:2; Isa. 9:6). It would take a miraculous entrance into this world to produce someone to be the God-man. The virgin birth fulfills this need nicely. This child will be called "God with us" (Isa. 8: 5-10). Edward Young summarizes the conservative viewpoint on Isaiah's reference to Christ's coming in this verse: 1, His birth would be in the form of a wondrous sign; 2, the mother would be a chaste virgin; 3, the very presence of the Child would bring God to His people; 4, the prophecy can only be correctly interpreted in light of Jesus' birth.
(15,16) How did this sign apply to the immediate situation? Note that the promise of the sign was to the "house of David," not to Ahaz who had rejected any sign. More on this point as we view verse 17.
B. Ahaz Should Fear The Destruction Which Is Coming From The Lord Through Assyria (7:17-8:10)
1. Desolation is promised because of their unbelief (7:17-25)
(17) Since Ahaz had rejected the Lord's help, Assyria would be allowed to come down upon the nation. The nation had begun to crumble when Israel and Judah divided. The Assyrians would deliver a second major blow towards the nation's final destruction which would eventually come at the hands of the Babylonians. What of the seed promise God had made to Abraham? How would it be maintained if the nation was destroyed? This is the immediate situation in view: the continuation of the lineage of David. Isaiah was indeed prophesying concerning Immanuel, the Branch, the Servant born of a virgin ­ He would fulfill this promise (Jn. 12:41; Acts 28:25).
(18) The rest of this chapter is a description of the devastation that will take place at the hands of the Assyrians. The "fly and the bee" represent the armies of Egypt and Assyria. They would come at Jehovah's bidding.
(19) These armies will completely take over the land and use it for their various purposes.
(20) As Ahaz had wanted Assyria to shave Syria and Israel, Assyria would shave Judah. Judah would be completely denuded of its people and its wealth.
(21,22) The prophet is not speaking here of the land flowing with milk and honey, but instead a land where that is all that there is to eat because the desolation brought on by the unbelief of Ahaz and his people had ruined the vineyards and farms and left only pasture.
(23-25) Briars and thorns will replace the vineyards, men will sustain themselves by hunting because the domesticated animals will be gone. This judgment will come from Jehovah for He is the one who will whistle for the fly and the bee to come. [TOP OF THIS CHAPTER]
2. The sign of Maher-shalal-hash-baz foretells an imminent destruction (8:1-10)
(1) Isaiah is directed to write what would become the name of his second son on a tablet and display it so that all could read it. His son's name meant: "the spoil speedeth, the prey hasteth."
(2) Witnesses were obtained from among the priests of Ahaz to be able to testify that Isaiah made this prophecy long before it was fulfilled.
(3) Isaiah had relations with his wife which produced the son named Maher-shalal-hash-baz who stood as a living witness of the prophecy. His wife is called the prophetess because she was the wife of a prophet, not necessarily because she was a prophet herself.
(4) By stating the time when the child would have certain knowledge Isaiah limited the time until the fulfillment of the prophecy to two or three years. Sometime during the reign of Pekah, the people of northern Israel were taken captive by Assyria (2 Ki. 15:29). By 732 B.C. Damascus (Syria) was also in the hands of the Assyrians. Isaiah had provided the people with the same sign as he had given Ahaz - Syria and Israel would be captured by Assyria.
(5,6) In attempting to court favor with Assyria, Ahaz would not save the land, but bring further misery and ruin upon the people. Judgment would come because: 1, the people looked to the foreign nations and their possessions as richer (rejecting their own small source of water versus the mighty Euphrates) and 2, they rejoiced in the spoil that Assyria made over Syria and Israel (yet this very nation would soon overpower them).
(7) The people should being looking toward the Lord with fear and respect, because it is He that will bring the Assyrians down upon them.
(8) The "flood" of Assyrians will reach into Judah and up to but not including Jerusalem itself (the head above the neck). Neither the land nor the city will be completely destroyed, because a place has been reserved for the birth and work of Immanuel. Not even a power such as Assyria can stand in the way of Jehovah's purposes.
(9,10) Since the prophet knows that God is on his side, he is not afraid to challenge the heathen enemies of God and His people. Any nation that would oppose God would eventually be brought to ruin. Their plotting and planning will come to nought because God is with His people. Here "Immanuel" (God with us) is used in the general sense, but looks forward to the coming of the Messiah as well.
C. The Lord Should Be Feared And Not Enemy Nations (8:11-9:21)
1. Confidence in the Lord is contrasted with the futility of false religion (8:11-22)
(11) God's message to Isaiah was one of restraint, instruction and assurance. The prophet was instructed to not walk in the way of the people which would keep him from being influenced by their actions or their charges against him.
(12) It was possible that Isaiah's opposition to Ahaz concerning an alliance with Assyria would be construed as treason by the people. He is not to fear any charges brought against him. Isaiah was not so much in opposition to the King as he was to the King's (and the people's) infidelity and unbelief which were leading the nation to destruction. Isaiah was not speaking for himself in these matters, but for God.
(13) If Isaiah would recognize the holiness of the Lord, any fear of the King or people would be set aside. This assurance is as true today as it was then. If we hold God in the reverential awe that He deserves, there is no other we need to fear.
(14,15) Jehovah will be the refuge of the faithful (Nah. 1:7). But for unbelievers, Jehovah stands in their way as a stumbling block on which they will fall and be broken into pieces (1 Pet. 2:8). The prophet lists five consequences of rejecting the sanctuary of the Lord: 1, many will stumble; 2, fall; 3, be broken; 4, be snared; 5, and be captured. Total destruction awaits those who follow their own wisdom to the point of rejecting divine truth.
(16,17) Three different interpretations have been suggested as to who is speaking here: 1, God v.16, the Messiah v. 17 (Heb. 2:13); 2, God v.16, the prophet v.17; 3, or the prophet speaking to his disciples in both verses. The safest viewpoint is to say that God is speaking through the prophet to those being instructed by the prophet - his disciples - either to bind the teachings of this prophecy in a roll (scroll) or perhaps in their hearts. The prophet intends to wait for Jehovah to act in His own time, it might be a long time before His glory will be revealed.
(18) The prophet continues speaking to his disciples. The names of Isaiah and his sons were given as a sign or pledge of something that God would accomplish. Review the meaning of each name to see the assurances to which they looked forward. The coming of Immanuel would ultimately fulfill all of God's purposes.
(19) The disciples are warned not to seek knowledge from wizards or mediums. God is the only source of answers to spiritual questions - not dead men.
(20) The people must return to God. To the law and the testimony! This is where the answers, truth, direction and light will be found. To ignore the law and the testimony would bring darkness, despair and an absence of all hope. This principle is still in operation today.
(21) The Assyrian invasion will bring distress among all the unbelieving people. "They shall curse their King and their God," as the alternate translation reads. Their rage at their situation will cause them to lose all sense of what is right. They will look to place blame for their distress and find the King and even God as an outlet for their frustration.
(22) When they do look to the heavens for assistance they find none. They have forsaken their God and now must reap the wages of their sin. The blessing of free moral agency becomes a curse to the wicked. The invasion of Tiglath-pileser (734-732 B.C.) would bring the very distresses prophesied by Isaiah. The darkness here consisted not only of physical distress, but spiritual hopelessness brought on by their rejection of God and their serving of idols.
2. The Light of the future is in the Messiah (9:1-7)
(1,2) The trials would eventually end. While the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali would bear the brunt of the Assyrian invasion because of their geographic location (NT Galilee), they would be the first to see the light break the darkness of despair. Isaiah projects himself far into the future, using the prophetic style of speaking of things to be accomplished as if they are already accomplished. It is interesting to note that upon His baptism by John, Jesus began His work on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali (Mt. 4:12-16; Jn. 8:12; 1:4,9; Mal. 4:2).
(3) The new Israel would be extended to include the Gentiles (Isa. 2:2; 42:6). The people will rejoice as in an abundant harvest or as in dividing the spoils of victory. The spiritual life of the nation would be full, the adversary would be totally defeated.
(4) Now the prophet explains the basis for this rejoicing. 1, Oppression will be lifted. Relief will be offered to the entire nation, but only a remnant will accept it (Jn. 8:31-36; Gal. 4:8,9; 5:1). Judges 7 and 8 tell us that a handful of men under God's guidance overthrew the entire nation of Midian and ended seven years of oppression against Israel. In like manner, Jehovah would dispense with the current enemy.
(5) 2, The enemy's military forces will be defeated. The physical accouterments of war will have no place in the new Israel (Isa. 2:2-4; Hos. 2:18; Zech. 9:10). The new Israel will be a spiritual kingdom and it's soldiers outfitted with spiritual armor (Eph. 6:10-20).
(6) 3, Immanuel will come to lead, deliver, and ultimately save God's people. The names of the ancients reflected all that they were. God gave names to the Messiah that reflected all that He would be: Wonderful (He would excite awe in the heart of the honest), Counselor ( as Prophet, Priest, and King), Mighty God (both in deity and power), Everlasting Father (eternal, Creator, Sustainer of this world), Prince of Peace (conquering with a message directed at men's hearts, Eph. 2:17). While we have no NT evidence of Jesus being called by these specific names, they certainly reflect His true character.
(7) Through the power of peace, His government will be universal and eternal (Mic. 5:4-5a). The Child will take His place on God's throne. A throne founded on justice (fairness) and righteousness (conforming to the Lord's ethical and moral standards). The zeal of God would cause these things to occur. That all these things came true with Jesus are confirmed by Gabriel, Matthew, and Peter (Lk. 1:26-38; Mt. 4:12-16; Acts 2:29-36).
3. Ephraim will be cut off because of pride and wickedness (9:8-21) - The prophet returns to the theme of Jehovah's anger and upcoming judgment against His enemies. The message can be divided into four stanzas each ending with the phrase: "For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still" (9:12; 17,21, 10:4). Compare to Isa. 5:25.
(8) God's word will light upon Israel like a time-bomb or a thunderbolt. His words bring His deeds to pass (Jn. 14:10).
(9,10) Whatever calamity had come upon Israel, they had not learned from it. If their houses were torn down, they boasted they would build more expensive houses to replace them.
(11,12) To answer Israel's boasting, God would bring Assyria against it. Even under attack, Israel will not repent - God says, "there is more to come."
(13) Jehovah is the only source of help for the people, but they have not returned to Him.
(14) The Lord will take Israel down from head to tail, from the tall tree to the lowly grass. The destruction will come suddenly and completely.
(15) The leaders of the people are the "head," while the false prophets are the "tail." The head makes the bad decisions and the tail wags its approval. Both will be cut off.
(16) Political and religious leaders bear a tremendous responsibility to their followers. If the leaders are wrong not only will they suffer, but so will the followers. If the blind try to lead the blind they will both fall in a hole (Mt. 15:14).
(17) None of the people were fit to live. Neither the young, the old, the orphans nor the widows. They are all: 1, profane; 2, evildoers; and 3, foolish. We see the deadly refrain repeated once again: God's wrath is not yet quenched. What we can learn from this is that not only are God's love and mercy absolute, so are His anger and judgment.
(18) The spark of evil ignites the underbrush of the nation, but the fire rises to consume everyone.
(19) This consumption is an expression of Jehovah's wrath (Deut. 29:20; Ps. 18:8; 97:3). Brother will be turned against brother as wickedness works within the hearts of men.
(20,21) The foreign threat was real, but in addition to this threat the northern tribes were internally being destroyed by civil war. Even the two tribes that should have been the closest, Ephraim and Manasseh, were at each other's throats. Yet, says Jehovah: " the end of judgment is not yet come." [TOP OF THIS CHAPTER][TOP OF THIS PAGE]