Isaiah 8:1-8

CHAPTER EIGHT
B. PREVISION OF IMMANUEL
1.

THE PROPHECY Isaiah 8:1-8

TEXT: Isaiah 8:1-8

1

And Jehovah said unto me, Take thee a great tablet, and write upon it with the pen of a man, For Maher-shalal-hash-baz;

2

and I will take unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah, the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.

3

And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said Jehovah unto me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

4

For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and My mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be carried away before the king of Assyria.

5

And Jehovah spake unto me yet again, saying,

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Forasmuch as this people have refused the waters of Shiloah that go softly and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son;

7

now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth upon them the waters of the River, strong and many, even the king of Assyria and all his glory: and it shall come up over all its channels, and go over all its banks;

8

and it shall sweep onward into Judah; it shall flow and pass through; it shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of its wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.

QUERIES

a.

Why tell Isaiah to name his son thus (Isaiah 8:3)?

b.

What are the waters of Shiloah?

c.

Who is the Immanuel of Isaiah 8:8?

PARAPHRASE

Again the Lord sent me a message: Make a large signboard and write on it the birth announcement of the son I am going to give you. Use capital letters! His name will be Maher-shalal-hash-baz which means, Your enemies will soon be destroyed I I asked Uriah the priest and Zechairiah the son of Jeberechiah, both known as honest men, to watch me as I wrote so they could testify that I had written it (before the child was even on the way). Then I had sexual intercourse with my wife and she conceived, and bore me a son, and the Lord said, Call him Maher-shalal-hash-baz. This name prophesies that within a couple of years, before this child is even old enough to say Daddy or Mommy, the king of Assyria will invade both Damascus and Samaria and carry away their riches. Then the Lord spoke to me again and said: Since the people of Jerusalem are planning to refuse My gentle care and are enthusiastic about asking King Rezin and King Pekah to come and aid them, therefore I will overwhelm My people with Euphrates-' mighty flood; the king of Assyria and all his mighty armies will rage against them. This flood will overflow all its channels and sweep into your land of Judah, O Immanuel, submerging it from end to end.

COMMENTS

Isaiah 8:1-4 PLEDGE OF GOD'S DELIVERANCE: It appears as if Isaiah turns away from his ministry to the general public and concentrates his teaching upon an inner circle of loyal believers in the kingdom. He lets the nation with its stubborn rulers and fat-hearted people go their way. They have rejected his message. It seems that what immediately follows is for the understanding and edification of the remnant that will remain faithful. It begins with a pledge of God's faithfulness to be symbolized in Isaiah's children. The sign of Immanuel was abstruse and hidden. In its more spiritual sense it appealed to faith in an event far distant. Even in its contemporary fulfillment it would not do much to cheer and encourage more than a few since neither the almah nor her child was pointed out with any distinctness. A fresh sign therefore was given by God's goodness to reassure those of the people who would accept the signthe sign of the son of Isaiah himself. This son was to be born immediately. His name signified the rapid approach of the spoiler. Maher-shalal-hash-baz means literally, Plunder speeds, Spoil hastens. Men could verify the prophecy concerning Isaiah's son; they could check the fulfillment against the written statement. The tablet was probably a large wooden or ivory slab (customary signboards of that day). Besides the written statement the fact of the prediction was verified by two men who were evidently chosen for their acceptability to the people.

The promise was that before this son of Isaiah could utter the first words that a child is supposed to be able to speak, Damascus and Samaria would be despoiled. The scripture does not record fulfillment of this prophecy, but archaeology does. Inscriptions of Tiglath Pileser state that he sent population, goods of the people of Beth-Omri and their furniture to the land of Assyria. That he appointed Husih (Hoshea) to the dominion over them and fixed their annual tribute at two talents of gold and a thou-sand talents of silver. (Cf. Records of The Past, Vol. 5, pg. 52). King Sargon also wrote, Samaria I besieged, I captured. 27,290 people from its midst I carried captive. Tributes and taxes I imposed upon them after the Assyrian manner.

Isaiah 8:5-8 PREDICTION OF GOD'S JUDGMENT: Waters of Shiloah referred in a general sense to the streams, springs, reservoirs (pools) and conduits which supplied the temple service and wor-, ship in Jerusalem. This then would be the same as refusing the temple service and worship which is exactly what Israel had done from the time of Jereboam. The gentle and soft persuasion of God through His priests and prophets the people had rejected. They set up their own priesthood and hired their own false prophets in Israel. God was going to send upon them the raging flood of the Riverthe king of Assyria and his massive horde of soldiers. That mass of Assyrian humanity would completely inundate the northern kingdom of Israel and sweep it away like a great flood. The flood would overflow even into Judah, the southern kingdom, up to its neck. Assyria did sweep into the land of Judah and occupy all that territory except the city of Jerusalem and its immediate invirons in the days of Hezekiah (son of Ahaz). God preserved Jerusalem and slew 185,000 Assyrian troops in one night and sent the Assyrians back to their land (Cf. Isaiah ch. 36-39; II Kings ch. 18-20).

The Immanuel of Isaiah 8:8 is, we believe, the land or nation which is a type of the Messiah. Centuries later the Messiah is attacked by the god of this world and almost overwhelmed, but the Messiah is delivered by the omnipotent and miraculous act of God when He raised Him from the dead. Here the land or nation is almost overwhelmed but delivered by the omnipotent miraculous act of Godall in type. Later, in the book of Isaiah the nation of Israel is made to be a type of the Servant-Messiah (Cf. Isaiah 44:1 ff).

QUIZ

1.

Why does it appear Isaiah is turning to a ministry to the remnant?

2.

What is the significance of making Isaiah's son a sign?

3.

Where is the record of the fulfillment of the prophecy contained in Isaiah's son?

4.

What are the waters of Shiloah and what do they symbolize?

5.

When did Assyria come into Judah up to its neck?

6.

Who is the Immanuel of Isaiah 8:8 and what of its symbolic or typical relationship?