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Prepare: What does your name mean to you? Thank God that you are who you are.
A name with meaning
‘We must give this child a name.’ My dad went a whiter shade of pale as he explained he’d been to the registry office and had named me Elizabeth Ellen. Well, he wasn’t to realise that was only a nickname for the bump, and not exactly what my mother had in mind. But the name was now written down, and that was that!
God makes very sure that Isaiah knows what he is to call his son: ‘Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz’. These four words, meaning ‘quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil’ (NIV Bible Commentary), are shorthand for the fact that the mighty Assyrian army will come with great speed – probably within a couple of years (v 4) – and devastate the country.
Never forgotten
Prophets were often called to sum up God’s message and write them down for people to see (eg Habakkuk 2:2). This writing down of Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz’s name in front of two reliable witnesses (v 2) suggests a legal transaction or symbolic ritual of some importance.
Not only would the words on the scroll be remembered far into the future, but Isaiah’s son would be a living embodiment of God’s message that would be impossible to ignore or forget.
Respond: Think about your name – the name ‘Christian’. How effectively do you embody ‘Christ in’ you?
http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-12-22
A name with meaning
‘We must give this child a name.’ My dad went a whiter shade of pale as he explained he’d been to the registry office and had named me Elizabeth Ellen. Well, he wasn’t to realise that was only a nickname for the bump, and not exactly what my mother had in mind. But the name was now written down, and that was that!
God makes very sure that Isaiah knows what he is to call his son: ‘Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz’. These four words, meaning ‘quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil’ (NIV Bible Commentary), are shorthand for the fact that the mighty Assyrian army will come with great speed – probably within a couple of years (v 4) – and devastate the country.
Never forgotten
Prophets were often called to sum up God’s message and write them down for people to see (eg Habakkuk 2:2). This writing down of Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz’s name in front of two reliable witnesses (v 2) suggests a legal transaction or symbolic ritual of some importance.
Not only would the words on the scroll be remembered far into the future, but Isaiah’s son would be a living embodiment of God’s message that would be impossible to ignore or forget.
Respond: Think about your name – the name ‘Christian’. How effectively do you embody ‘Christ in’ you?
http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-12-22
Scripture
About this Plan
WordLive provides a daily slice of Bible reading and commentary that, over four years, covers most of the Bible. The commentary encourages the reader to engage with the Bible passage in order to deepen their relationship with God, through reflection and practical application. The WordLive website offers further multimedia content and group Bible study, while registration offers a daily email, journal and bookmarking, and community tools.
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We would like to thank Scripture Union England & Wales for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: www.wordlive.org/youversion
