Isaiah 8
BSB
Assyrian Invasion Prophesied
1Then the LORD said to me, “Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary stylus: Maher-shalal-hash-baz. 2And I will appoint for Myself trustworthy witnesses—Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.”
3And I had relations with the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. The LORD said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz. 4For before the boy knows how to cry ‘Father’ or ‘Mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”
5And the LORD spoke to me further:
6“Because this people has rejected
the gently flowing waters of Shiloah
and rejoiced in Rezin
and the son of Remaliah,
7the Lord will surely bring against them
the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates —
the king of Assyria and all his pomp.
It will overflow its channels
and overrun its banks.
8It will pour into Judah,
swirling and sweeping over it,
reaching up to the neck;
its spreading streams will cover
your entire land, O Immanuel!
9Huddle together, O peoples, and be shattered;
pay attention, all you distant lands;
prepare for battle, and be shattered;
prepare for battle, and be shattered!
10Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted;
state a proposal, but it will not happen.
For God is with us.”
A Call to Fear God
(Ecclesiastes 8:10–13)
11For this is what the LORD has spoken to me with a strong hand, instructing me not to walk in the way of this people:
12“Do not call conspiracy
everything these people regard as conspiracy.
Do not fear what they fear;
do not live in dread.
13The LORD of Hosts is the One
you shall regard as holy.
Only He should be feared;
only He should be dreaded.
14And He will be a sanctuary—
but to both houses of Israel
a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,
to the dwellers of Jerusalem
a trap and a snare.
15Many will stumble over these;
they will fall and be broken;
they will be ensnared and captured.”
16Bind up the testimony
and seal the law among my disciples.
17I will wait for the LORD,
who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob.
I will put my trust in Him.
18Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me as signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD of Hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.
Darkness and Light
19When men tell you to consult the spirits of the dead and the spiritists who whisper and mutter, shouldn’t a people consult their God instead? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
21They will roam the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged; and looking upward, they will curse their king and their God. 22Then they will look to the earth and see only distress and darkness and the gloom of anguish. And they will be driven into utter darkness.
Introduction
Isaiah 8
This chapter, and the four next that follow it (to chap. 13) are all one continued discourse or sermon, the scope of which is to show the great destruction that should now shortly be brought upon the kingdom of Israel, and the great disturbance that should be given to the kingdom of Judah by the king of Assyria, and that both were for their sins; but rich provision is made of comfort for those that feared God in those dark times, referring especially to the days of the Messiah. In this chapter we have, I. A prophecy of the destruction of the confederate kingdoms of Syria and Israel by the king of Assyria (Isa 8:1-4). II. Of the desolations that should be made by that proud victorious prince in the land of Israel and Judah (Isa 8:5-8). III. Great encouragement given to the people of God in the midst of those distractions; they are assured, 1. That the enemies shall not gain their point against them (Isa 8:9, Isa 8:10). 2. That if they kept up the fear of God, and kept down the fear of man, they should find God their refuge (Isa 8:11-14), and while others stumbled, and fell into despair, they should be enabled to wait on God, and should see themselves reserved for better times (Isa 8:15-18). Lastly, He gives a necessary caution to all, at their peril, not to consult with familiar spirits, for they would thereby throw themselves into despair, but to keep close to the word of God (Isa 8:19-22). And these counsels and these comforts will still be of use to us in time of trouble.
Cross-references: Isa 8:1 · Isa 8:5 · Isa 8:9 · Isa 8:10 · Isa 8:11 · Isa 8:15 · Isa 8:19