Isaiah 8:13

Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. The words of Yahweh. Verse 12. SAY YE NOT, A CONFEDERACY - rather. A conspiracy; Hebrew, quesher, an appropriate term for the unnatural combination of Israel with Syrian foreigners against Judea and the theocracy, to which the former was bound by ties of blood and hereditary religion (Maurer). Do not ye (the godly, such as Isaiah) join in the cry of this people for a "confederacy," which is rather a 'conspiracy,' by either surrendering to the associated king (Vatablus), or forming an alliance with the Assyrian king (Piscator), or deserting, as Shebna is thought to have done, to the Assyrian king () (Grotius). A combination of God's people, the Jews, with the pagan Assyrians, is regarded by God, the Head of the theocr...

13._Sanctify Jehovah of hosts himself. _We have said that the reason why dangers lead to immoderate alarm is, that wretched men do not raise their eyes and minds to heaven. The Prophet now, therefore, proposes a suitable remedy for allaying terrors, that they who dread the evils which threaten them may learn to give to God the honor due to him. To _sanctify the God of armies _means to exalt his power highly; so as to remember that he holds the government of the world, and that the beginning and the end of good and evil actions are at his disposal. Hence it follows that, in some respects, God is robbed of his holiness, when we do not immediately betake ourselves to him in cases of perplexity. This mode of expression, therefore, is highly emphatic; for it shows us that no higher affront can be offered to God than to give way to _fear_, as if he were not exalted above all creatures, so as t...

9-16 The prophet challenges the enemies of the Jews. Their efforts would be vain, and themselves broken to pieces. It concerns us, in time of trouble, to watch against all such fears as put us upon crooked courses for our own security. The believing fear of God preserves against the disquieting fear of man. If we thought rightly of the greatness and glory of God, we should see all the power of our enemies restrained. The Lord, who will be a Sanctuary to those who trust in him, will be a Stone of stumbling, and a Rock of offence, to those who make the creature their fear and their hope. If the things of God be an offence to us, they will undo us. The apostle quotes this as to all who persisted in unbelief of the gospel of Christ, 1 Peter 2:8. The crucified Emmanuel, who was and is a Stumbling-stone and Rock of offence to unbelieving Jews, is no less so to thousands who are called Christi...

SANCTIFY ... - Regard Yahweh as holy; that is, worship and honor him with pious fear and reverence. Regard him as the source of safety, and the true defense. Ahaz and his people sought for aid from Assyria against the armies of Syria and Samaria. The direction here is rather to seek aid from God. LET HIM BE YOUR FEAR - Do not be alarmed at what man can do Isaiah 8:12, but fear and honor God. Be afraid to provoke his wrath by looking to other sources of help when his aid only should be sought....

EXPOSITION ISAIAH 8:1 THE SIGN OF MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ. The sign of Immanuel was recondite. In its more spiritual sense it appealed to faith in an event far distant. Even in its literal import, it was not calculated to cheer and encourage more than a few, since neither the maiden nor the child was pointed out with any distinctness. A fresh sign was therefore given by God's goodness to reassure the mass of the people—a sign about which there was nothing obscure or difficult. Isaiah himself should have a son born to him almost immediately, to whom he should give a name indicating the rapid approach of the spoiler, and before this child should be able to utter the first words which childhood ordinarily pronounces, "Father," "Mother," Damascu

SANCTIFY THE LORD OF HOSTS HIMSELF,.... Christ, Immanuel, God with us, the Lord of the armies above and below, of angels and of men, God over all, the true Jehovah, who is sanctified by his people, when they declare him to be so; as the Targum paraphrases it, "the Lord of hosts, him shall ye say is holy;'' for they cannot make him so, nor can he receive any holiness from them, nor does he need any; but they celebrate the perfection of his holiness, and ascribe it to him; yea, they sanctify him, by ascribing their holiness to him; by looking to him as their sanctification, and by deriving and expecting every degree and measure of holiness from him, to complete theirs; by exercising faith upon him, and showing a regard to his commands and ordinances: AND [LET] HIM [BE] YOUR FEAR, AND [LET] HIM [BE] YOUR DREAD; that is, the object of fear and dread; not of a servile fear and dread, but o...

CHAPTER 8 Jehovah's Word Through Isaiah and the Assyrian Announced 1. _The divine instruction and Maher-shalal-hash-baz (Isaiah 8:1)_ 2. _The Assyrian to come (Isaiah 8:5)_ 3. _The answer of faith (Isaiah 8:9)_ 4. _A word to the faithful remnant (Isaiah 8:11)_ 5. _The coming great distress (Isaiah 8:21)_ The names are significant. Isaiah heard the word “Maher-shalal-hash-baz,” and then is told to call his newborn son by this name. The name means “swift for spoil, hasty for prey.” Isaiah's other son was named “Shear-Jashub,” whic

MORE EXTRACTS ON THE CRISIS FROM ISAIAH'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY. It is not clear how many bits of the autobiography are included here, but the section for the most part probably deals with the coalition of Syria and Ephraim. ISAIAH 8:5. Date of the earlier part about 735. The latter part (from and the stretching) is apparently a late addition. Judah despises the trickling waters of Shiloah, _i.e._ Yahweh's gentle working; her desire for measures less tame and more heroic shall be satisfied by the waters of the Euphrates, which shall burst their bounds and flood into Judah, reaching to the neck and threatening the existence of the nation. The reference is to the Assyrian armies (_cf._ Isaiah 28:9). Then with an abrupt transition and a change in metaphor we read of the sheltering wings protecting

SANCTIFY. Hallow, regard as holy. Compare Isaiah 29:23. See note on Exodus 3:5. Reference to Pentateuch (Numbers 20:12; Numbers 27:14). THE LORD OF HOSTS. See note on Isaiah 1:9 and 1 Samuel 1:9. BE YOUR DREAD. inspire you with awe. Quoted in 1 Peter 3:13....

Isaiah was able to stand alone against the nation during this crisis, because he knew that his thoughts were controlled by a Power not his own....