The Prophecy of Isaiah - Part 37 Discussion

1 file(s) 16.09 MB

Download

Isa 8:1​-4 Samaria [Israel] Shall Be Taken Away Before The King o​f Assyria

Isa 8:1  Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.
Isa 8:2  And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.
Isa 8:3  And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz.
Isa 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.

Remembering that the king of Assyria is a Chaldean king, and is therefore the same as the king of Babylon, and understanding that Babylon symbolizes all religions sitting upon all the kingdoms of this world, in deception and in opposition to the Words of God (Rev 12: 9 and 17:15), we will continue our study of the long process of the fiery judgment which is now upon us as the Lord's house (Luk 20:9 and 1Pe 4:17).

Chapter seven closed with this thrice repeated warning concerning "that day", the day of the judgment of the kingdom of God within us,​ which is in need of being cleansed and is now being judged:

Isa 7:23  And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silver coins, shall be for briers and thorns.
Isa 7:24  [Men] shall come there with arrows and with bow, because all the land shall be briers and thorns.
Isa 7:25  And all the hills that were dug with the mattock, thou shall not come there for fear of briers and thorns, but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of sheep. (ACV)

Chapter 8 continues that same message of warning but with these words:

Isa 8:1  Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.
Isa 8:2  And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.

Here is how the LITV renders these two verses of scripture:

Isa 8:1  And Jehovah said to me, Take a big tablet and write in it with a man's pen: Make haste to plunder! Hurry to the spoil!
Isa 8:2  And I took faithful witnesses to record for me, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.

In its outward, literal application this is a prophecy of the coming invasion of Judah and Jerusalem by the king of Babylon. In chapter 7 the prophecy tells us that a child will be born whose name is to be Immanuel, and the prophecy is that "before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings."

Isa 7:13  And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa 7:15  Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Isa 7:16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

It is true that the prophecy of Immanuel in chapter 7 concerns Samaria in league with Damascus, but Samaria is the capital of the northern king​dom of Israel and is therefore still addressed to the Lord's own people. Lord willing, it is addressed to you and me.

In this chapter 8 is the prophecy of the fall of Judah and Jerusalem. It is still the prophecy of our own judgment, which is reiterated with a witnessed recording of a prophecy which says "Make hast to plunder! Hurry to the spoil!"​

But chapter 8 concerning Mahershalalhashbaz is not a separate prophecy from the prophecy of Immanuel in chapter seven. These two prophecies are actually one prophecy which uses two separate symbols, just as Pharaoh's two dreams used two separate symbols which we are told were actually one dream with one prophetic message.

In the same manner in this second prophecy of the Lord's judgment of His people​,​ Isaiah is instructed by the Lord to gather witnesses and record a second prophecy of the same impending judgment and destruction of Damascus and Samaria, followed by the judgment and destruction of Judah and Jerusalem.

Then we are told:

Isa 8:3  And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz.
Isa 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.

Is not this the exact same message we were given in the prophecy of the birth of Immanuel and the judgment of Israel?​

Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa 7:15  Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Isa 7:16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest [Damascus and Samaria] shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Outwardly this 7th chapter is addressed to King Ahaz, the king of the southern kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem. Ahaz was not counted as a 'good king', and he therefore typifies our own God-condemning Job, and our own self-righteous, self-justifying King Saul.

Other than that, what is the difference between Isaiah 7:16 concerning the immaturity of Immanuel and this verse in Isaiah 8 concerning Mahershalalhashbaz?

Let's compare these two verses side by side:

Isa 7:16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest [Damascus and Samaria] shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Isa 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.

The answer is, there is no difference, because both prophecies are the same prophecy, just as Pharaoh's two dreams were one dream:

Gen 41:1  And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.
Gen 41:2  And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow.
Gen 41:3  And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river.
Gen 41:4  And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.
Gen 41:5  And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good.
Gen 41:6  And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them.
Gen 41:7  And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.
Gen 41:8  And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

What do these two very different dreams mean?

Gen 41:25  And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Gen 41:26  The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.

Pharaoh's two dreams had just one message, and the two prophecies of Isaiah 7 and 8 are also just one message foretelling our own judgment.

Who does Isaiah symbolize? Who does Isaiah's wife, "the prophetess",​ symbolize? Why are we told that Isaiah "went in unto the prophetess; and she conceived and bare a son?" Why are we told the name of Isaiah's son?

We will jump ahead a few verses and get the answer to this last question here in this same chapter:

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.

That is the reason we are given for why we are told the names of Isaiah's sons names. So Mahershalalhashbaz is a sign of "Make haste to plunder! Hurry to the spoil!" Mahershalalhashbaz, along with all of Isaiah's children, "are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells in mount Zion." Mount Zion, of course, is simply the highest, most prominent point in Jerusalem and was also known​ as "the city of David", ancient Israel's most prominent king. There is, as we will see, great spiritual significance in Isaiah's revelation of the function of his children in spiritual 'Israel' and in mount Zion.

Isaiah, as the Lord's prophet,​ is speaking for and represents Christ Himself, and Isaiah's wife therefore symbolizes Christ's wife. Therefore their children are the spiritual symbols of the children of Christ and His wife the church. Speaking plainly, Isaiah's children typify the witness of each of us as Christ's Christ, His elect,​ who speak for Him in this age.

2Co 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Eph 5:22  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
Eph 5:23  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Eph 5:24  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Eph 5:31  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
Eph 5:32  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 

Now let's go back to the meaning of the name 'Mahershalalhashbaz'.

Here is how Strong's renders the meaning of this name:

H4122
מַהֵר שָׁלָל חָשׁ בַּז
mahêr shâlâl châsh baz
mah-hare' shaw-lawl' khawsh baz
From H4118 and H7998 and H2363 and H957; hasting (as he (the enemy) to the) booty, swift (to the) prey; Maher-Shalal Chash-Baz; the symbolical name of the son of Isaiah: - Maher-shalal-hash-baz.
Total KJV occurrences: 2

We have seen that:

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.

What does this verse have to do with us? Notice for whom these prophecies are directed​. Isaiah's children "are for signs and wonders [only] in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwells in Mount Zion".

What does all of that mean? Where is spiritual 'Zion'? According to the scriptures, who do Isaiah's sons symbolize? What are the signs and wonders Isaiah's sons will declare in Israel? Here is the Biblical spiritual answer to all of these questions:

Heb 2:11  For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he [Christ] is not ashamed to call them [you and me] brethren,
Heb 2:12  Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
Heb 2:13  And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

Those symbolized by Isaiah's sons are to "declare thy name unto [their] brothers in the midst of the church, and... sing praise unto [Him]".

In Hebrews 12 we are given more details about these symbolic children which God has given Isaiah, as a type of Christ's children, His Christ:

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

What do these verses have to do with Isaiah's sons? Notice these words: "Ye are come to mount Sion." Now remember what we were just told about Isaiah's sons:

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.

Now we know who Isaiah's sons symbolize. Now we understand that the signs and wonders they proclaim are only for those who dwell with the Lord in mount Zion. They are, in this age, only for "the general assembly and church of the firstborn which are written in heaven".

And​ where are we at this very moment?

Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Every prophet of the Old Testament speaks only the words they have been given to speak by Christ. They are all speaking for Christ who we are told is "the Word".

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

In the sense that Isaiah is speaking for Christ,​ he is a type of Christ. So Isaiah's children typify the children of Christ. Therefore it is Christ's children who are for signs and wonders in Israel,​ and it is only the Lord's Israel who will be given eyes that see and ears that hear those "signs and wonders" because we are told, "I will declare thy name unto my brothers in the midst of the church... the children which God has given me.​"

What are the signs and wonders to be declared to the Lord's Israel?

Psa 22:27  All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
Psa 22:28  For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations.

Who is given the charge of this proclamation?

Psa 22:30  A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
Psa 22:31  They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

This is confirmed by Peter:

1Pe 1:10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

Who are these who are "accounted to the Lord for a generation"?

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

All these verses confirm what we just read about the children God gave to Isaiah, and who it is who "should show forth the praises of Him who has called [us]".

Heb 2:11  For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he [Christ] is not ashamed to call them [you and me] brethren,
Heb 2:12  Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
Heb 2:13  And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

The greatest sign or wonder or demonstration of the power of God that will ever be shown in any generation of mankind will be to know and to hear those who "show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light​."

Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

The apostle Paul explains this to us:

1Co 2:4  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
1Co 2:5  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
1Co 2:6  Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
1Co 2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

How few are those who are given to realize that "the demonstration [of the "signs and wonders in Israel"] of the spirit and of power" is the word spoken by Isaiah's symbolic children of "the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory? Who knew that the Isaiah's children symbolize those who would "sing praise unto thee... [and] declare [His] name unto [their] brothers in the midst of the church"?

Heb 2:12  Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
Heb 2:13  And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

That is why we:

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 

As "the general assembly and church of the firstborn" we are commissioned to proclaim both the judgment of Israel and Damascus, those more outward enemies of the Lord's people who are far easier to recognize than all the self-​righteous, inward sins and rebellions within the Lord'​s own people. The prophecy of Mahershalalhashbaz actually misleads us into thinking that our judgment has been postponed, when in reality it is at hand:

Isa 8:1  Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.
Isa 8:2  And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.
Isa 8:3  And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz.
Isa 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.

"​The riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria", and we have been granted to hear the wonderful gospel of the death and resurrection of the Son of God for our sins, and yet we will still have to be made to see that we ourselves are but "carnal babes in Christ" who are yet only capable of receiving the milk of the word and not strong meat because we are "yet carnal" (1Co 3:1-4).

And that is exactly what we will see, Lord willing in our next study into the depth of the thorough purging process of our judgment:

Isa 8:5  The LORD spake also unto me again, saying,
Isa 8:6  Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son;
Isa 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:
Isa 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.
Isa 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.
Isa 8:10  Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.

Ours is a long and thorough judgment​, but when it is accomplished we will rejoice in the wisdom of our Judge:

Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.