ISAIAH LESSON 10


     We will begin this lesson in Isaiah 8:1 "Moreover the LORD said
unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen
concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz."

     We know the sign that was to be given in the previous lesson was
the sign of the virgin having a child, who would be their Messiah. We
now see that the warnings Isaiah had given these people had not been
heeded to the extent God wanted them to. We see, now, God tells Isaiah
to take a tablet and write the warning on the tablet with a natural
pen that can be read with natural eyes. The Message was just 4 words.
The words being connected just shows that one will immediately follow
the other. The meaning of Maher-shalal-hash-baz means, plunder speeds,
and spoil hastens. Not only was this a sign to be posted and read, but
Isaiah named his son this. This sign being posted was a sign to all
the people, and not just to the king.

     Isaiah 8:2 "And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record,
Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah."

     Uriah was a priest who was not separated from the king. We will
find in later lessons, that Ahaz had great influence on Uriah. It
appears that at this writing he was respected as a true witness. The
priesthood was to be Godly men, who were in direct contact with God
and could not be controlled by the king. It seemed Uriah was not a
strong priest. The name "Zechariah" means Jehovah remembers. This
particular Zechariah seems to have been just an ordinary man of this
time in extraordinary circumstances.  The name "Jeberechiah" means
Jehovah blesses. Very little is known of him.

     Isaiah 8:3 "And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived,
and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Maher-shalal-
hash-baz."

     We got into the discussion earlier about the wife of a prophet
not being a prophetess. The office of prophetess is a call from God,
and not a station in life received because of marriage to a prophet.
We know then, that Isaiah's wife was called of God to be a prophetess.
The reason I stress this is the fact, that a man being a preacher does
not make his wife a preacheress. The call to be a prophet, or
prophetess, is an individual calling. The fact that a woman is married
to a prophet does not give her the messages from God that she would
need to be a prophetess. We mentioned earlier in this lesson, that
Isaiah's son was named the same as the wording of the sign that Isaiah
had posted.

     Isaiah 8:4 "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 taken away before the king of Assyria."

     Isaiah is speaking of the swiftness with which this prophecy will
come.  Many children can speak mother and father by the time they are
a year old.

     Isaiah 8:5  "The LORD spake also unto me again, saying,"

     We see from this, that God spoke to Isaiah more than once.

     Isaiah 8:6 "Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of
Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son;"
Isaiah 8:7 "Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the
waters of the river, strong and many, [even] the king of Assyria, and
all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over
all his banks:"

     People are many times spoken of as waters. This is the case hear.
This is speaking of the armies that come. Shiloah sometimes means
Jesus. To refuse the waters of Shiloah, would be to refuse to worship
God who gave the water. Rezin was the king of Damascus at the time
Pekah was king of Isreal, and the same time of Jotham and Ahaz in
Judah.  Pekah was the son of Remaliah.  This water coming up over the
land is the flood of the Assyrian army. There could have been a
natural flood that accompanied this, as well. The primary thought, I
believe, is the flood of the army.

     Isaiah 8:8 "And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow
and go over, he shall reach [even] to the neck; and the stretching out
of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel."

     The word that gives this away as being an army and not a literal
flood is "he". We will see this army continue on, until it is in
Judah. They will be up to their neck with this army. There will be a
remnant left, however. They do not go beyond the neck and totally
destroy them. It does not speak of this army covering their head. "O
Immanuel" is a cry similar to "come quickly Lord Jesus".  "Immanuel"
means God with us. It is as if he is saying, O God be with us.

     Isaiah 8:9  "Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be
broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird
yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye
shall be broken in pieces."

     If they resist, they would be fighting against the wishes of God.
The army may be the Assyrians, but God allows this to happen to them,
because of their idolatry.

     Isaiah 8:10 "Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought;
speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God [is] with us."

     Plans made against God and His people will never work. The
Assyrians will be the sufferers in the end. These people the Assyrians
are attacking are God's people. This could not happen, had God not
allowed it. The victory for Assyria is short-lived.

     Isaiah 8:11  "For the LORD spake thus to me with a strong hand,
and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people,
saying,"

     This is the LORD speaking to Isaiah. Isaiah was in the hand of
the LORD. Isaiah was not an idolater. He was separated from the sins
of this people. He was speaking all of this representing God. He was
speaking as an ambassador for God with God's message to this people.
God was his protection. It was as if he were hidden in the hand of the
LORD.

     Isaiah 8:12 "Say ye not, A confederacy, to all [them to] whom
this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor
be afraid."

     Isaiah was to say , "do not make a deal with these Assyrians".
Isaiah is calling for the few who would, to stand up for God and be
counted.  He reminded them, their strength is in the LORD, and they
should not fear what these worldly people could do to them.

     Isaiah 8:13 "Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and [let] him
[be] your fear, and [let] him [be] your dread."

     "Sanctify" in the verse above means to separate the LORD and
worship only Him. Fear God only. The fear, or reverence, of God is the
beginning of wisdom. They were not to fear the Assyrians. This is a
call to worship and fear only the LORD.

     Isaiah 8:14 "And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of
stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for
a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem."

     Those, who fear and reverence the LORD, will be hid in Him. He
will be their safe haven. He will protect them from all harm. Those,
who do not, will stumble and fall. The same Rock {Jesus Christ} which
saves the believers is a stone of stumbling to those who do not
believe. He is their downfall. He is saying that those of the house of
Israel, or of Judah, who do not continue in faith in the LORD will
fall.  This message can be to the many Christians today who do not
remain with the Lord. Jerusalem would fall then. Zion {the church of
the Lord Jesus Christ} will fall now, if we do not fear and reverence
the Lord and walk daily in His ways.

     Isaiah 8:15 "And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be
broken, and be snared, and be taken."

     This is just a warning to those who are not hid in the LORD. It
was impossible then, and it is impossible now, to live victorious
lives, unless we find our sanctuary in the Lord.

     Isaiah 8:16 "Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my
disciples."

     A "disciple" is someone who has disciplined themselves to follow
a particular teaching. In this instance, Isaiah is speaking of those
who have disciplined themselves to walk with him. These are a
dedicated few, who still loved and reverenced the LORD. They were of
one mind with Isaiah. God wants them to protect the testimony. They
are to bind it up to keep it safe.

     Isaiah 8:17 "And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face
from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him."

     Isaiah was willing to stand firm and wait as long as was
necessary. Isaiah is saying, that the house of Jacob had displeased
the LORD, so the LORD would no longer look with favor upon them.

     Isaiah 8:18 "Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given
me [are] for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts,
which dwelleth in mount Zion."

     We know that the names that were given to Isaiah's children were
actually living messages to these people. This could be the signs
spoken of here. Mount Zion is speaking spiritually of the church, but
it, also, speaks of God's holy hill in Jerusalem.

     Isaiah 8:19  "And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them
that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that
mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the
dead?"

     We know that king Saul had made the terrible mistake of seeking
information from those with familiar spirits. We should learn a lesson
from that, not to ever seek for answers from wizards and those who
have familiar spirits. Those who do these things are dead and dying.
They minister death to those who come to them. Jesus Christ ministers
life. Isaiah was saying, God is life. Do not choose death over life.

     Isaiah 8:20 "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not
according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them."

     The law and the testimony is the Word of God. The Word of God is
Light. There is no darkness where the true Word is. Those who do not
live by the Word of God are filled with darkness and death. John 1:1
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God." John 1:2 "The same was in the beginning with God."
John 1:3 "All things were made by him; and without him was not any
thing made that was made." John 1:4 "In him was life; and the life was
the light of men." John 1:5 "And the light shineth in darkness; and
the darkness comprehended it not." The Word and the Light are the same
One {Jesus Christ, as we know Him}.

     Isaiah 8:21 "And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and
hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry,
they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and
look upward."

     This is speaking of those who walk through life in darkness. They
curse their own life, because they are not filled with the Light which
brings life, and hope. When these people are hungry, they have no one
to go to, since they have rejected God.

     Isaiah 8:22 "And they shall look unto the earth; and behold
trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and [they shall be] driven
to darkness."

     Darkness brings eternal death, and no hope while you are alive.
John 3:19 "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the
world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds
were evil." John 12:35 "Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while
is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness
come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he
goeth."









































                          Isaiah 10 Questions

1.  In verse 1, we know that God told Isaiah to write on the great
    roll with what?
2.  Why was he to use this type of pen?
3.  What was the message on the roll?
4.  What did it mean?
5.  Why was this to be posted so all could see?
6.  Who was the priest that was carried for a witness?
7.  What type of priest was he?
8.  What does "Zechariah" mean?
9.  Who was his father?
10. Who is verse 3 calling a prophetess?
11. Was her name this because she was a prophet's wife?
12. What did she name her son?
13. When will this prophecy come to pass?
14. What country will be the aggressor?
15. Does the LORD speak to a person more than once?
16. What was the waters of the river that the Lord would bring upon
    them?
17. Where did Rezin rule?
18. Who was Pekah's father?
19. What word tells us they were not completely overcome?
20. What does "Immanuel" mean?
21. What are the people saying, when they say, "O Immanuel"?
22. If they resist, they will be fighting against the wishes of ____.
23. What was the only reason the Assyrians could take them?
24. How was Isaiah different from these people?
25. What is God really saying to them in verse 12?
26. What does "sanctify", in verse 13, mean?
27. What is "fear in verse 13?
28. What one word covers what the Lord is to those who put their trust
    in Him?
29. What is He to those who will not believe?
30. What is a "disciple"?
31. What had happened to the house of Jacob?
32. What are the signs spoken of in verse 18?
33. Why should you not seek information from a wizard?
34. Who had made that mistake and paid dearly for his mistake?
35. What is the law and the testimony?
36. Quote John chapter 1 verse 4.
37. Quote John chapter 3 verse 19.
38. Quote John chapter 12 verse 35.