Isaiah 8:12-22
Isa 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.
The people who would listen to Isaiah were not agree with
the others who were desiring an alliance with Assyria.
They were not to consent with this wicked desire of an alliance.
Then were also told not to fear their fear, in other words, they were not
to join in on the fear that the other people had because of the alliance that
Syria and Ephraim had. They were
not to fear that alliance and were to trust in the LORD to deliver them out of
this situation.
Isa 8:13
Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him
be your fear, and let him be your dread.
They were to depart from the fear that could stop a
person in their tracks and were to stop fearing the armies of men.
Instead they were to sanctify the LORD in their hearts and fear him
instead and he would be their dread especially if they went ahead with the
alliance with Assyria. If they did
then the LORD would be fighting against them and would have a worst enemy than
Syria and Ephraim. If they feared
the LORD, then their fear would be focused properly and he would fight for them,
if not they would face the consequences.
14 But and if ye suffer
for righteousness' sake, happy are ye:
and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; 15 But
sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and
be ready always to
give an answer to every man
that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: (1
Peter 3:14-15)
Isa 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.
For those who would trust in the LORD he would be a
sanctuary for them, a place of refuge.
For those who refuse to trust him and place their faith in Assyria he
will become a stone of stumbling, that is, like someone who trips on a stone and
falls down. That will be the fate
of Judah because they will fall down under the judging hand of God and those
same people will look to God as an offense for letting these things happen to
them and this will happen to both the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom.
A gin was like a spring loaded net which would catch a person by surprise
and a snare which would be like a trap set for an animal.
If they pursued their present course, then they would become prey for the
invading Assyrians who in 701 B.C. attacked Judah and destroyed all the cities
except Jerusalem.
Isa 8:15
And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be
broken, and be snared, and be taken.
It is recorded that in 701 B.C. Assyria took over 200,000
captives to Assyria and many had died in the defense of their homeland against
Sennacherib. There were no doubt
men from Jerusalem in the armies who defended Judah.
Isa 8:16
Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
Then a charge was given to the disciples of Isaiah.
They were to take the prophecies that Isaiah received up to this point
and they were to bind them up which symbolized that fact that they have already
proven their truth. This binding
and sealing would prevent those in unbelief from stealing, destroying, or even
getting to the writings to change them.
Isa 8:17
And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from
the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.
Then Isaiah declares that he would now wait for the LORD
to carry out his plans. The LORD
has hidden his face from Judah which means he turned his back on them at this
time because of their obstinacy.
Then Isaiah states that he will look for him with the eyes of faith and
expectancy.
Isa 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.
Isaiah and his two children were given to him as signs to
the nation of Judah of both judgment and deliverance.
They were examples of the godly remnant given by the LORD as signs and
symbols to them that although they were undergoing judgments for their
disobedience, they would not be completely forsaken by the LORD.
God was still present with them in the temple as Sennacherib did not
invade Jerusalem as it was still left intact.
God would still fulfill his promise of a coming Messiah.
Isa 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?
Then there were some in Judah who were so far gone from
the LORD that they wanted to consult mediums and spiritualists, those who had
taken up the occultic arts to contact the dead on their behalf.
Mutter is like mumble and murmur.
Peep is like imitating the sound of one who mutters.
Both are done in a low voice.
Wizards were not to be tolerated among the people but were to be put to
death.
A man also or woman that hath a familiar
spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them
with stones: their blood shall be
upon them. (Leviticus 20:27)
Then the LORD states that they should seek the LORD and not the dead because
they will be deceived since no one can ever contact the dead.
These so-called ghosts that people see are demons who are just imitating
the characteristics of the living but offer no solutions just wickedness.
Isa 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.
As touching the law and testimony which would be the law
of God and the testimony of Isaiah, if they do not speak according to either it
is simply because there is no light in them which means they are in Satan’s
kingdom. Idolatry and necromancy
are of Satan and not of the kingdom of God and therefore those who follow those
things will never come to truth but only come to everlasting damnation.
Isa 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.
Those who reject the prophecies of Isaiah will go through
judgment of God in a state of distress and be hungry not only for physical food
but also for the true word of God.
Then when they shall be hungry they will become enraged or wroth and instead of
seeking the LORD and repenting of their ways, they will curse the king because
the trouble they feared has now come upon them.
Then they will also curse God for allowing such things to happen to them
because all along they thought they were God’s special people and nothing could
happen to them. They will look
upward toward Heaven but it will be of no use because they had looked to the
earth to find their strength and defense and now it is too late to look to the
LORD for help.
Isa 8:22
And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble
and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.