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Wednesday 7 December 2011

Isaiah 8:1-22 - Fear the Lord

Isaiah was to name his children as signs of what would happen. A key theme of the whole of Isaiah is that God knows the end from the beginning, He can tell them what will happen. Now we need to beware here, this is not the same as fatalism. When God tells us that something is going to happen the key thing is our response. It does not mean that there is nothing we can do, nor does it mean that what we do does not matter. God is eternal, meaning He is beyond time.
The first child is called Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, meaning "quick to the plunder". Isaiah calls the priests as witnesses to this. The prophetess of verse 3 is probably the young woman of chapter 7, and became Isaiah's wife. Samaria and Damascus would fall before the boy was able to speak. 
Israel had rejected God. In so doing they had rejected peace. So Assyria would swarm over the land. It would also carry on to Judah as well.
God challenges the nations to devise their plans, knowing that they would come to nothing.
Isaiah is then warned not to be carried along by the tide of public opinion or the general wisdom of the day. He is not to fear what they fear, and not to call conspiracy what they call conspiracy. When situations get difficult men have all sorts of ideas about what is happening, why it is happening and what can be done. None of their wisdom will take God into the reckoning. Isaiah is to look to the Lord, he is to fear the Lord.
Israel would fall because she did not turn to the Lord, not because of any military, diplomatic or economic failing.
The people would turn anywhere but to the Lord who could save them.

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