Isaiah continues to lay out God's word for Judah and Israel. On the other hand, we don't want to forget what God says to His people. He keeps a remnant and tells them what He expects from them.
For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall regard as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”
Isaiah 8:11-15
This warning is a warning to be separate from the political gossip and fear that is ruling Isaiah's society. God calls Isaiah and his community to live in a different way as their society is judged by God. So God is to be held up as holy and we are only allowed to fear Him. We do not fear what society fears but rather we fear God and His holiness. Remember Isaiah's fear in the throne room. It was a fear that stemmed from the conviction of sin. We know that the cross met the penalty for sin and the Holy Spirit produces a fear of offending God in our heart after our salvation. We are not to be in dread of the things that cause dread in unsaved members of our society. Now to be fair this will be a fairly common sin for many of us given the times we live in but as long as we realize this is a sin we can deal with it. We may get caught up in the fear and dread of our time but the Holy Spirit will not let us stay there. We are to show courage with God as our sanctuary.
Also we find that Romans 9:33 and 1st Peter 2:8 that Jesus is the stone or rock. Rebellion causes us to reject salvation but the Holy Spirit changes our hearts. But at this point in history, Judah and Israel were headed into centuries of offense and stumbling into traps and snares leading eventually to exile. For us, I think the great take home message from these verses is that we are to fear God and not fear what the world fears. We can seek God's wisdom for our lives, seek prudence in all we do, pray for revival, be good citizens, and be good employees but we can't fear the future because we fear God and He holds the future.
Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples. I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their faces upward. And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.
Isaiah 8:16-22
Like Isaiah we need to wait on God and hope in Him. God has given Isaiah children with names that show what God will do. His first child was “Shear-jashub” or “A Remnant Will Return” and his second child was “Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz” or “The Spoil Speeds, The Prey Hastens”. Like much of the prophecy, both the judgment and the promise of God's keeping power are in view at the same time. Notice that when this society is under pressure it doesn't turn to God but turns to other sources of spiritual guidance. Of course, these other sources are much more positive but they will not see the light of day (morning). Eventually, we find a population that simply is angry with the political leadership and with God. There is a continual drift from God to ourselves
But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil.For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as son the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end,on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9:1-7
God gives a glimpse of the future. First short term and then He telescopes out to Christ's kingdom. First there will be no gloom. Then the light will shine and destroy the oppressor.
The contrast ranges from “every garment rolled in blood” to “For to us a child is born” in no time. These verses form a clear basis for looking forward to the messiah. However, notice the already and the not yet aspects. We often make mistakes in understanding prophecy because our transcendent God has such a striking perspective.
We see the trinity in these verses and also we see the last days. The increase of His government will have no end. Eventually we'll see the establishment of His kingdom in a completely and fully. We are commanded to pray “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done” by our Lord. So this is the “not yet” aspect of this verse but the Lord of Hosts will do it.
The Lord has sent a word against Jacob, and it will fall on Israel; and all the people will know, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart: “ The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down,but we will put cedars in their place.”
Isaiah 9:8-10
Even in the face of judgment, Israel says that even though they have had a few downturns they will rebuild and reforest with better things than they had before.
But the Lord raises the adversaries of Rezin against him, and stirs up his enemies. The Syrians on the east and ithe Philistines on the west devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. The people did not turn to him who struck them, nor inquire of the Lord of hosts.
Isaiah 9:11-13
Rezin was king of Syria (Damascus his capital) so Assyria was coming to destroy him. However, Israel was being squeezed at the time between the Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west. However, as we've mentioned before, they sought a political solution and trusted in men rather than God.
So the Lord cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed in one day—the elder and honored man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail; for those who guide this people have been leading them astray, and those who are guided by them are swallowed up. Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
Isaiah 9:14-17
Leadership in both political and spiritual areas has become useless. They all spouting lies.
For wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns; it kindles the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke. Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts the land is scorched, and the people are like fuel for the fire; no one spares another. They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry, and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied;each devours the flesh of his own arm, Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh; together they are against Judah. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.
Isaiah 9:18-21
Wickedness was simply growing in response to the difficulty and stress of the nations that were surrounding Judah and Israel. The response of Israel was fighting within their coalition and then to attack Judah. This confusion was part of God's judgment as He withdrew the Holy Spirit from Judah and Israel.
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