8:12
Especially in times of crisis, there is all sorts of talk. For the past two years or so there has been all sorts of talk in the UK about Brexit (UK leaving the European Union). People come up with all sorts of theories and ideas, ideas about how things can go wrong, all sorts of conspiracies. Isaiah is told not to listen to this talk, not to go along with it, and not to fear what the people fear. In any age we need to be careful that we do not get caught up in the hysteria of the times.
8:13
Instead of fearing what the people fear, Isaiah is to fear God, and so are we. He is the one we are to regard as holy. And fear here means fear, as the “He is the one you are to dread” implies. The people feared Aram and Ephraim, and would later fear Assyria. The wrong fear leads to bad decisions. They feared that it was Aram, Ephraim and Assyria that could do most harm to their lives. They were wrong, and when we fear other things we are wrong. It is the Lord who can do most harm to our lives (Matt 10:28)! But we are not just to fear Him, we are to regard Him as holy. The Lord is different, He is totally good.
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