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<h2><a onclick="return mV('Isa',8,'1-');">Isa 8</a> - The Sign of Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz</h2>
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<p><span>A. The coming Assyrian invasion against Syria and Israel.</span></p>
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<p class="c1"><span>1. (<a onclick="return mV('Isa',8,'1-4');">1-4</a>) The invasion is announced by the naming of Isaiah's son.</span></p>
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<p class="c2"><span>Moreover the <span class="c6">Lord</span> said to me, "Take a large scroll, and write on it with a man's pen concerning Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. And I will take for Myself faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah." Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the <span class="c6">Lord</span> said to me, "Call his name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz; for before the child shall have knowledge to cry 'My father' and 'My mother,' the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be taken away before the king of Assyria."</span></p>
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<p class="c4"><span>a. This prophecy continues from <a onclick="return mV('Isa',7,'1-');">Isa 7</a>, where God assured Ahaz, king of Judah, that he would not be overthrown by the combined forces of Syria and Israel. God announced judgment against Syria and Israel, saying of their attack against Judah: <i>It shall not stand, nor shall it come to pass . . . Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken, so that it will not be a people</i></span>. <span>Here, God gives Isaiah a sign to explain more about <i>how soon</i></span> the defeat of Syria and Israel will come.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">Take a large scroll</span></b>: It isn't often that the prophets are commanded to write, but here is one instance. Isaiah will write <b><span class="c3">concerning Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz</span></b>, which means <i><span>speed to the spoil, hurry to the plunder</span></i>.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. Calvin on <b><span class="c3">with a man's pen</span></b>: It "denotes any many of ordinary rank; and the meaning is, that not even the most ignorant and uneducated persons may be unable to read the writing." Isaiah's message was meant to be public, and at a level any man could read and understand.</p>
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<p class="c4">d. <b><span class="c3">I will take for Myself faithful witnesses to record</span></b>: The <span class="c6">Lord</span> appointed two <b><span class="c3">witnesses</span></b>, so the validity of this word would be established. <i>By the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.</i> (<a onclick="return mV('Deu',19,15);">Deu 19:15</a>)</p>
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<p class="c4"><span>e. <b><span class="c3">Then I went to the prophetess</span></b></span>: This refers to Isaiah's wife. She is called a <b><span class="c3">prophetess</span></b>, though it could be in the sense of simply being the wife of the prophet. However, she clearly brought forth prophecy on at least one occasion. The birth and naming of her son <b><span class="c3">Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz</span></b> was a word from God, so she certainly "brought forth" that prophecy!</p>
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<p class="c5">i. There are many examples of prophetesses in the Bible: Miriam (<a onclick="return mV('Exd',15,20);">Exd 15:20</a>), Deborah (<a onclick="return mV('Jdg',4,4);">Jdg 4:4</a>), Huldah (<a onclick="return mV('2Ki',22,14);">2Ki 22:14</a>), Noadiah (<a onclick="return mV('Neh',6,14);">Neh 6:14</a>), Anna (<a onclick="return mV('Luk',2,36);">Luk 2:36</a>), and Philip's four daughters (<a onclick="return mV('Act',21,'8-9');">Act 21:8-9</a>). So, it may be that the wife of Isaiah had a prophetic ministry in her own right. But it may also be that she was simply the wife of the prophet, and her "prophecy" was giving birth to <b><span class="c3">Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c4">f. <b><span class="c3">For before the child shall have knowledge to cry "My father" and "My mother"</span></b>: Through the birth and naming of <b><span class="c3">Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz</span></b>, the <span class="c6">Lord</span> gives a time frame for the invasion of Assyria that will punish Syria and Israel.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. This is essentially the same as the <i>near meaning</i> of the Immanuel sign of <a onclick="return mV('Isa',7,'10-17');">Isa 7:10-17</a>, but this sign was more public and plainer.</p>
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<p class="c1"><span>2. (<a onclick="return mV('Isa',8,'5-10');">5-10</a>) Judah will be afflicted also.</span></p>
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<p class="c2"><span>The <span class="c6">Lord</span> also spoke to me again, saying: "Inasmuch as these people refused the waters of Shiloah that flow softly, and rejoice in Rezin and in Remaliah's son; now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up over them the waters of the River, strong and mighty; yhe king of Assyria and all his glory; he will go up over all his channels and go over all his banks. He will pass through Judah, he will overflow and pass over, he will reach up to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings will fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel. Be shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Give ear, all you from far countries. Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; Speak the word, but it will not stand, for God <i>is</i> with us."</span></p>
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<p class="c4"><span>a. <b><span class="c3">These people refused the waters of Shiloah that flow softly</span></b></span>: The people of northern kingdom of Israel did not appreciate their humble streams (<b><span class="c3">the waters of Shiloah</span></b>). Instead, they rejoiced in wicked leaders (<b><span class="c3">in Rezin and Remaliah's son</span></b>). So, God will give them a different kind of river - <b><span class="c3">the waters of the River, strong and mighty</span></b>. </p>
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<p class="c5"><span>i. </span>"The little stream of Shiloah sprung from Mount Zion on the southwesterly side of Jerusalem. It flowed as softly as oil without any murmur. Jerusalem's existence and continuation depended on it." (Bultema)</p>
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<p class="c5"><span>ii. The capital of the Assyrian Empire was Nineveh, and the city of Nineveh was founded on a great river: the Tigris. The Assyrian Empire was also centered across another mighty river: the Euphrates. The whole land of Israel simply did not have a river like the Euphrates or the Tigris. God is using the difference between the small, humble, yet adequate waters of Israel and the mighty, yet uncontrolled rivers of Assyria to make a point. It is as if God is saying, "You don't like what I have given you? You persist in rejecting what I give you? Then I will give you something different, but you won't like it either."</span></p>
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<p class="c5"><span>iii. </span>"The small and gentle waters should be more highly valued by us than the large and rapid rivers of all the nations, and we ought not to envy the great power of the ungodly." (Calvin)</p>
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<p class="c4"><span>b. <b><span class="c3">He will go up over all his channels and go over all his banks</span></b></span>: Like a large river in a flood, the Assyrian army will not stay confined to its "banks." Instead, they will "flow over" their attack on Israel and Syria, and "flood" Judah with violence and destruction (<b><span class="c3">He will pass through Judah</span></b>). </p>
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<p class="c4"><span>c. <b><span class="c3">He will reach up to the neck</span></b></span>: Assyria would completely conquer the northern nation of Israel. The ten northern tribes would cease to be a nation after the Assyrians conquered them. But the Assyrians would not conquer the southern nation of Judah. They would "flood" them (<b><span class="c3">fill the breadth of Your land</span></b>), and <b><span class="c3">reach up to the neck</span></b>, but not over their heads. Judah would survive the Assyrian invasion, but suffer much destruction from the Assyrians.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Indeed, <a onclick="return mV('2Ki',18,13);">2Ki 18:13</a> describes the extent of the Assyrian invasion against Judah: <i>And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them</i>. Yet, Hezekiah was able to keep the king of Assyria away from Jerusalem, and barely able to survive, by buying his favor with riches from the temple - even stripping gold from the temple doors to appease the pagan king!</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. "The sacred history assures us that these things were fulfilled . . . for the Assyrians, whom the Jews called to their assistance, destroyed them. This was the just punishment of their distrust; and we see in it a striking instance of the wicked greediness of men, who cannot be satisified with the promise and assistance of God." (Calvin)</p>
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<p class="c4">d. <b><span class="c3">Your land, O Immanuel</span></b>: This refers back to the "Immanuel" prophecy of <a onclick="return mV('Isa',7,14);">Isa 7:14</a>. The land the Assyrians will invade doesn't really belong to Judah or to King Ahaz. It belongs to the <span class="c6">Lord</span> God, to the coming Messiah, to <b><span class="c3">Immanuel</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c4"><span>e. <b><span class="c3">Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces . . . speak the word, but it will not stand, for God is with us</span></b></span>: The victims of this Assyrian invasion (Syria, Israel, and Judah) could prepare for the invasion all they wanted (<b><span class="c3">gird yourselves</span></b>). But all their preparation would not protect them (<b><span class="c3">but be broken in pieces</span></b>). They could <b><span class="c3">take counsel together, but it will come to nothing</span></b>. All their plans and words and ideas <b><span class="c3">will not stand, for God is with us</span></b>. God's will was going to be done, despite all the plans and preparations Syria, Israel, and Judah might make against it.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Who is the <b><span class="c3">us</span></b> of <b><span class="c3">God is with us</span></b>? In one sense the <b><span class="c3">us</span></b> is the Assyrian army, because they were the instruments of God's judgment against Syria, Israel, and Judah. Nothing could stop the Assyrian army, because even if they did not know it, or even if their own hearts were wrong in the matter, God was using them. But the <b><span class="c3">us</span></b> is also the prophet himself. As a messenger of God, his word would come to pass no matter what the three nations did to prepare against it.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. <b><span class="c3">God is with us</span></b> also alludes to the <b><span class="c3">Immanuel</span></b> prophecy, because <b><span class="c3">Immanuel</span></b> means "God is with us."</p>
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<p><span>B. How Judah can prepare for this invasion.</span></p>
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<p class="c1"><span>1. (<a onclick="return mV('Isa',8,'11-15');">11-15</a>) Prepare by fearing God, not Assyria.</span></p>
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<p class="c2"><span>For the <span class="c6">Lord</span> spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying: "Do not say, 'A conspiracy,' concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. The <span class="c6">Lord</span> of hosts, Him you shall hallow; <i>let</i> Him <i>be</i> your fear, and <i>let</i> Him <i>be</i> your dread. He will be as a sanctuary, but a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken, be snared and taken."</span></p>
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<p class="c4"><span>a. <b><span class="c3">Do not say, "A conspiracy" . . . nor be afraid of their threats</span></b></span>: Isaiah, and all the people of Judah, were tempted to give into fear and panic, knowing the dangerous place they were in. At the time of this prophecy, the combined armies of Israel and Syria had destroyed much of Judah. Their armies either encircled Jerusalem or were on the way. They planned to depose King Ahaz of Judah and set their own man on the throne (<a onclick="return mV('Isa',7,6);">Isa 7:6</a>). Now, Isaiah's prophecy declared the armies of Syria and Israel would not succeed in conquering Judah, but the Assyrians (who they trusted to help them) would attack them and do much damage. In the midst of all this, it would be easy to let your heart or mind settle on conspiracies and threats. But God tells them not to.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">The <span class="c6">Lord</span> of hosts, Him you shall hallow; let Him be your fear</span></b>: Instead of fearing conspiracies and threats, fear God. Don't see yourself at the mercy of opposing armies; you are in God's hands. Worry about your place with the <span class="c6">Lord</span> instead of your enemies!</p>
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<p class="c4"><span>c. <b><span class="c3">He will be as a sanctuary</span></b></span>: The <span class="c6">Lord</span> will be our <i>sacred place</i>, and our <i>place of protection</i>. He will keep us safe from our enemies.</p>
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<p class="c4">d. <b><span class="c3">But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense</span></b>: For those who trust Him, the <span class="c6">Lord</span> <b><span class="c3">will be as a sanctuary</span></b>. But for those who don't, He will be <b><span class="c3">a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense</span></b>. Instead of finding protection from the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, they will "trip" over Him, falling to destruction. Indeed, <b><span class="c3">many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c5"><span>i. We love to sing the song, "What A Friend We Have In Jesus," and every line of the song is true. But for those who reject the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, they could sing, "What An Enemy I Have In God." Instead of being <b><span class="c3">as a sanctuary</span></b></span>, He will be <b><span class="c3">a trap and a snare</span></b>. Instead of being protected, they <b><span class="c3">shall fall and be broken</span></b>. No wonder <a onclick="return mV('Psa',2,12);">Psa 2:12</a> says, <i>Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him</i>.</p>
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<p class="c5"><span>ii. We know that Jesus is this </span><b><span class="c3">stone of stumbling and a rock of offense</span></b> (<a onclick="return mV('1Pe',2,'6-8');">1Pe 2:6-8</a>). This is a strong statement of the deity of Jesus, because clearly in <a onclick="return mV('Isa',8,'13-14');">Isa 8:13-14</a>, the <span class="c6">Lord</span> of hosts is the stone, and clearly in <a onclick="return mV('1Pe',2,'6-8');">1Pe 2:6-8</a>, Jesus Christ is the stone.</p>
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<p class="c5">iii. This is the same idea behind the statement of Simeon when he held the child Jesus, as recorded in <a onclick="return mV('Luk',2,34);">Luk 2:34</a>: <i>Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against</i>.</p>
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<p class="c1"><span>2. (<a onclick="return mV('Isa',8,'16-18');">16-18</a>) Prepare by waiting on the <span class="c6">Lord</span>.</span></p>
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<p class="c2"><span>Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. And I will wait on the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, who hides His face from the house of Jacob; and I will hope in Him. Here am I and the children whom the <span class="c6">Lord</span> has given me! <i>We are</i> for signs and wonders in Israel from the <span class="c6">Lord</span> of hosts, who dwells in Mount Zion.</span></p>
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<p class="c4"><span>a.<b><span class="c3"> And I will wait on the <span class="c6">Lord</span></span></b></span>: Waiting on the <span class="c6">Lord</span> is not passive inactivity. It means to <b><span class="c3">wait on the <span class="c6">Lord</span></span></b> as a waiter would <i>wait on</i> a table. It means to be totally attentive to the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, focused on His every move, and responsive to His every desire. At times it means inactivity, but even that is an "active inactivity," where we stand before the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, totally focused on Him, waiting for what He wants next.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. At the time Isaiah spoke, the leaders and the people of Judah were waiting on the armies of Israel and Syria, because they were under attack. As they heard of the danger from the Assyrians, they would be tempted to put their focus on them. But their focus was on these armies, not on the <span class="c6">Lord</span>. Isaiah says, "Battle against Syria and Israel by setting your focus on the <span class="c6">Lord</span>. Prepare for the coming attack from Assyria by waiting on the <span class="c6">Lord</span> instead of your enemies."</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples</span></b>: Waiting on the <span class="c6">Lord</span> is connected with His word. We can wait on the <span class="c6">Lord</span> by waiting on His word.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">Here am I and the children whom the <span class="c6">Lord</span> has given me!</span></b> <b><span class="c3">We are for signs and wonders in Israel</span></b>: Isaiah had been called to prophesy, and to use his children in his prophetic messages (<a onclick="return mV('Isa',7,3);">Isa 7:3</a>; <a onclick="return mV('Isa',8,3);">8:3</a>). So he declares, <b><span class="c3">Here am I and the children whom the <span class="c6">Lord</span> has given me!</span></b> It is as if he is saying, "Look at us! We are the message!"</p>
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<p class="c5">i. The name <i>Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz</i> means, "Speed to the spoil, hurry to the plunder." This spoke of the coming attack on Syria, Israel, and Judah by Assyria. The name <i>Shear-Jashub</i> means, "A Remnant Shall Return." This spoke of the restoration God would eventually bring. The name <i>Isa</i> means, "Salvation is of the <span class="c6">Lord</span>." This spoke of the attitude and hope Judah needed to have.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. We are also the children of God, and we are <i>His</i> message. <a onclick="return mV('Hbr',2,'11-13');">Hbr 2:11-13</a> quotes this passage to communicate this truth: <i>For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying . . . "Here am I and the children whom God has given Me."</i> Just as much as Isaiah's children were living witnesses of the truth of God's word, so are we as God's children.</p>
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<p class="c1"><span>3. (<a onclick="return mV('Isa',8,'19-22');">19-22</a>) Prepare by seeking His light and word, not the darkness of the occult.</span></p>
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<p class="c2"><span>And when they say to you, "Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter," should not a people seek their God? <i>Should they seek</i> the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, <i>it is</i> because <i>there is</i> no light in them. They will pass through it hard pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse their king and their God, and look upward. Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and <i>they will be</i> driven into darkness.</span></p>
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<p class="c4"><span>a. <b><span class="c3">Seek those who are mediums and wizards</span></b></span>: In the present danger from Syria and Israel, and in the coming danger from Assyria, Judah will be tempted to seek guidance and comfort from <b><span class="c3">those who are mediums and wizards</span></b>. Isaiah exposes the foolishness of this, when he says, "<b><span class="c3">Should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?</span></b>"</p>
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<p class="c5">i. When you are in trouble, shouldn't you seek your God? If you can't rely on your God when you are in trouble, then what good is your God?</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. What sense does it make to <b><span class="c3">seek the dead on behalf of the living?</span></b> The dead are the dead, the living are the living. The living God speaks through His living Word and His living people to guide us. There is no reason to <b><span class="c3">seek the dead</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c5">iii. This passage also exposes the foolishness of praying to the saints. The exact same question should be asked: <b><span class="c3">Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?</span></b></p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">To the law and to the testimony!</span></b> Forget about <b><span class="c3">mediums</span></b> and <b><span class="c3">wizards</span></b> and the <b><span class="c3">dead</span></b>. Instead of all that deception and foolishness, <b><span class="c3">To the law and to the testimony!</span></b> Go to God's Word!</p>
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<p class="c5">i. <b><span class="c3">Law</span></b> and <b><span class="c3">testimony</span></b> each refer to God's Word. We might say that <b><span class="c3">law</span></b> refers to God's holy commands, and <b><span class="c3">testimony</span></b> refers to His dealings with His people as recorded in His Word. But that may be slicing it too thin, because often similar terms for God's Word are repeated, not for the sake of distinction, but for the sake of emphasis.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. How it needs to be proclaimed <i>to</i> our pulpits today: <b><span class="c3">To the law and to the testimony!</span></b> Enough with your over-use of anecdotes and jokes! Enough with your emphasis on entertainment and sappy stories! Enough with your catering to itching ears! Enough with your hobbyhorses and pet peeves! <b><span class="c3">To the law and to the testimony!</span></b></p>
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<p class="c5">iii. "Let us remember, as ministers of the Gospel, what M'Cheyne beautifully said; 'Depend upon it,' said he, 'it is God's Word not man's comment upon God's Word, that saves souls;' and I have marked, that if ever we have a conversion at any time, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, the conversion is rather traceable to the text, or to some Scripture quoted in the sermon, than to any trite or original saying by the preacher. It is God's Word that breaks the fetters and sets the prisoner free, it is God's Word instrumentally that saves souls, and therefore let us bring everything to the touchstone." (Spurgeon)</p>
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<p class="c4"><span>c. <b><span class="c3">If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them</span></b></span>: If there is a disagreement between God's word and the word of the messenger, it isn't hard to figure out who is wrong. The messenger is wrong. The word judges the messenger; the messenger doesn't judge the word.</p>
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<p class="c4">d. <b><span class="c3">They will be driven into darkness</span></b>: When they forsake God's word and trust in <b><span class="c3">mediums</span></b> and <b><span class="c3">wizards</span></b> and the <b><span class="c3">dead</span></b>, they are courting darkness, not light.</p>
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