Isaiah 8
8
A Son Becomes a Sign
1The Lord Yahweh said to me, “Take a large tablet # 8:1 See also Hab. 2:2. and engrave upon it these words using the stylus of a man: # 8:1 Or “in the form of a man” or “with an ordinary stylus.” God can use what is written by man to touch man. Weak, ordinary, frail man has the grace to write and speak for God. It was with the hand of a man that God wrote on the wall for Belshazzar and all his guests to see. See Dan. 5. Quickly—to the Plunder! Hurry—to the Loot! # 8:1 This is the meaning of the Hebrew name of Isaiah’s soon-to-be-born son, Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 2Then summon two reliable men, Uriah the priest # 8:2 See 2 Kings 16:10. Uriah means “Yahweh is my flame of light.” and Zechariah, son of Jeberechiah, to act as witnesses.” # 8:2 The prophetic act of Isaiah needed to be witnessed by men of stature so that when the fulfillment of the demise of the northern kingdom came to pass, it would be impossible to deny Isaiah’s prophetic message. Perhaps this scroll was unfurled like a banner outside Isaiah’s house or placed over an entrance into the temple area. It would have been publicized in some visible fashion. As the people would pass by this sign, they would wonder what it meant. This was a vivid way to make known the prophecy.
3Then I slept with my wife, the prophetess; # 8:3 Isaiah and his wife were a prophetic duo. Isaiah spoke the word of the Lord, then the prophetess “gave birth” to it. She would literally give birth to the word of God! At the birth of their son, God spoke again and told them the symbolic name of the child, the same message Isaiah had received earlier and had engraved for all to see. Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz was a walking sign; a son became a sign. she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Then the Lord Yahweh told me, “You will name him Quickly—to the Plunder! Hurry—to the Loot! 4For before the boy knows how to say ‘my father’ or ‘my mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and Samaria will be plundered and carried away by the king of Assyria!”
A Flood or a Peaceful Stream
5The Lord Yahweh spoke to me again: 6“Because these people have rejected the gentle flowing stream of my loving presence # 8:6 Or “Shiloah.” Although some see this as a possible reference to one of the streams of the Gihon Spring, it is more likely a metaphor for the loving care, presence, and blessing of the Lord that flowed to them via David’s monarchy. The rejected blessing contrasts with the overflowing flood of the Euphrates (Assyria) that is about to sweep over the land. Because the Euphrates is a figure of speech for Assyria, Shiloah becomes a figure of speech for God’s loving care; a relational God seeks relationship with his people. He longed to be their fountain of peace, flowing within them like a gentle stream. and melt in fear # 8:6 Or “rejoice,” a Hebrew homophone for “melt in fear” or “rejoice.” before Rezin and the son of Remaliah, 7now, therefore, the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty, massive flood of the Euphrates. The king of Assyria and all his glory # 8:7 That is, his vast armies. will overflow on you like a river flooding its channels and running over all its banks! 8It will flood into Judah, swirling over it, overflowing and reaching up to your neck, O Immanuel, # 8:8 Or “God with us.” and spread out its wings # 8:8 A possible metaphor for the Assyrian armies spreading over the land. God once spread out his wings over the Hebrew people and carried them to Sinai. Now the Assyrian armies spread out their wings and overwhelm them with destruction. over your entire land!”
9You will be broken, # 8:9 Or “Unite [assemble] yourselves.” O nations, and will be shattered.
Listen, all you distant nations. Prepare for war, # 8:9 Or “Gird yourselves.”
though it will backfire on you!
Prepare for war, yet you will be shattered!
10Go ahead, hatch a plot, but it will be foiled!
Go ahead, speak a word,
but it will not stand, for God is with us! # 8:10 The Hebrew is immanuel.
A Snare or a Sanctuary
11Yahweh’s mighty hand rested on me, and he gave me a strong warning # 8:11 Or “he turned me aside” (Dead Sea scroll 1QIsaa). not to act like # 8:11 Or “walk in the way of.” these people.
12“Don’t believe their every conspiracy rumor. And don’t fear what they fear—don’t be moved or terrified. 13Fear nothing and no one except Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies! Honor him as holy. Be in awe before him with deepest reverence! # 8:13 Or “dread.” 14He will become for you a holy sanctuary but for them a stone people trip over. He is a rock that causes the two houses of Israel to stumble—a trap # 8:14 Or “a noose.” and a snare for the people of Jerusalem. # 8:14 See 1 Peter 2:8. 15Many will stumble and fall and be broken. Yes, they will be snared and taken away captive.”
Trust in the Hidden God
16Now, tie up the scroll and preserve it as legal evidence. Seal my instructions for the future for my disciples. 17I will wait for the Lord Yahweh, who hides his face # 8:17 See Isa. 45:15. from the family of Jacob. And I will place all my hope in him!
18Behold—here I stand, and the children whom the Lord Yahweh has given me are for signs and wonders # 8:18 Or “symbols.” Isaiah’s family was a living prophecy to all who discerned it. in Israel, sent from the Lord Almighty, Commander of Angel Armies, who is enthroned on Mount Zion! # 8:18 This verse has a dual meaning. Historically, it refers to Isaiah and his sons: Shear-Jashub, “a remnant will return,” and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, “Quickly—to the Plunder! Hurry—to the Loot.” But there is another meaning to all this. In this verse, Isaiah becomes a type or picture of Christ, who would come to the earth (Immanuel). Hebrews 2:13 quotes this verse about the Lord Jesus Christ and his children. Christ and his disciples (children) will be for signs and wonders (miracles). The Zion-realm is more than just a place. It is the realm where God and his people walk together in fellowship. God wants to dwell in Zion with his consecrated ones.
Darkness or the Light of Dawn
19Now, suppose someone says, “Consult mediums and spiritists who moan and mutter their incantations in their ritual pits; after all, isn’t it right for people to seek oracles from their gods # 8:19 Or “from God.” by asking the dead about the destiny of the living?”
20You are to answer them: “Listen to the teaching and instruction of the Lord! If their speech does not line up with his word, they will have no light of dawn! # 8:20 Or “dayspring.” The implication for the believer is that we will have a “dawn.” The light of dawn is the hope of Jesus Christ that grows inside of us. The path of the righteous is like the light of a sunrise shining in the eastern sky. From dark to dim to bright, it increases (Prov. 4:18). In times of calamity, make sure you quiet your heart and seal up the Word of God in your soul. The dawning of Christ’s glory is coming. For us, the early rays of morning light are already shining. 21They will wander here and there, distressed and hungry. And when they are famished, they will be enraged and begin to curse their king and their God. # 8:21 Or “gods.” If they look to the heavens 22or to the earth, they will find only despair and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into obscure darkness!” # 8:22 Or “with no dawn.” The exact meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain.
Currently Selected:
Isaiah 8: TPT
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Passion Translation® is a registered trademark of Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Copyright © 2020 Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Learn More About The Passion Translation