Isaiah |
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Isaiah 8
The Lord uses illustrations many times in the bible. Perhaps it is to get us to search, seek and pray for understanding. We need to get dependent upon the Lord to give us understanding. He said in James, "If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God.....". He will give us wisdom if we ask in faith doubting not. Those who truly desire to understand the ways and the Word of God will begin to understand. Those who seek to read in order to excuse their own sin may not always understand truth. Our motives matter in reading the word. Those that take the word lightly or just read the word for comfort passages and don't really search out the deeper things of God, will be less likely to understand unless he or she happens to be blessed by a good biblical teacher. By saying this I don't mean seeking deeper meanings that are not really there and adding to the word of God our own thoughts and agendas. I'm in danger of doing that by writing comments on the bible so I have to be careful to keep the bible in context. A child is born of Isaiah and his wife called Mahershalalhashbaz. meaning - booty, prey and spoil. God is using the son here to show the future defeat of Syria and Ephraim. We read in chapter 7 about a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and He shall be called Immanuel meaning, "God with us." We know now that the prophecy concerning a virgin birth was for the Messiah who we know now as Jesus (Yeshua). Yet we can see that this chapter also makes us wonder if part of that prophecy is immediate concerning this child of Isaiah yet we know it wasn't the virgin birth. It's like part of the prophecy was to be an immediate fulfillment as a sign that the words of Isaiah was verified as truth but yet the double prophecy refers to some time in the future when a virgin did conceive and bear the very way of salvation.
Samaria is the northern kingdom of Israel which sided with Assyria against Judah. Israel was the first kingdom to fall and follow after other nations. As a result Assyria was allowed to conquer Israel. That left Judah remaining. Most of the prophecy concerning Judah is warning them that unless they repent they too would lose their nation also. All these prophecies were fulfilled. The message to us today is to take heed, if God spares not the natural branches, we need to take heed that we do not make the same mistakes. Sin starts out by simply neglecting to worship God. When we neglect to worship our focus changes. If God doesn't fill our hearts, Satan will. Israel started out as a nation God chose to bring the salvation of all mankind. God delivered them out of Egypt's bondage, which kind of represents the world and sin. After they came out, some began to desire to go back to Egypt and the things they enjoyed while there. Others went on to enjoy the presence of God and had the victory of inheriting the promise land. After they got comfortable in the promise land, they began to desire to be like other nations and have a king. Later they wanted to marry the foreign wives. Then later some began to desire to worship the gods of the other nations. This is why they were encouraged not to marry women from other nations because they would be influenced to worship false gods and thereby lose out with the real God. There are demonic spirits behind any false religion. This led to these prophecies, warnings and the eventual downfall of these nations. God only seeks for our good. He sees further down the line and knows where sin will lead us. He sends faithful messengers, he gives us His word and His Spirit to lead us. Let us take heed and hear the Word of God.
The northern kingdom of Israel desired to follow the ways of Syria and other nations, so God is allowing the same nation of Assyria to overcome them. They even turned against their brethren, Judah. They thought Assyria was their friend and ally but that friend became their destroyer. One can't make friends with a rattle snake. Even now we should avoid joining and making treaties with people that we know are out to steal, kill and destroy. We know them by their fruits. We can't bargain with a lying, deceiving crook. This doesn't mean we don't teach and preach the gospel of salvation to all but we are not to be unequally yoked and join up with those that do evil. If we leave God and follow after Satan and the world, eventually Satan will destroy all who follow him. He is not a friend to anyone. When Israel made a league with nations who served other gods and desired their ways instead of God's ways the other nations eventually turned on Israel to destroy them. It is a lesson on compromising. We can't love the world and God too. I will add here that once we receive the real Messiah, Jesus the Son of God in our lives and are filled with the Holy Spirit, the desire to compromise leaves us. Occasionally we may go through temptations to try to lure us back into the world's thinking but the power of the Holy Spirit is always there to bring us through that temptation.
This is a warning also to Judah that the Assyrians would also overflow into their land. Again we see the use of the name of Immanuel meaning "God with Us."
No matter how the enemies of Judah take counsel and gather against God's people they will be destroyed. God allows other nations to punish His people when they disobey but He also destroys the nations that come against His people.
God has always warned Israel and Judah not to make confederacies with other nations but to trust in God. God is to be our fear and dread not other nations. God is the one to whom we are to serve. When they trusted in Egypt and Assyria it backfired every time. The Lord was to be the one they trusted in both then and now.
Here is clear prophecy of the coming Messiah. The answer was so simple and the message the same. Trust in the Lord and not in other nations. They did not recognize Him when He came to them because their trust was not in God. Those who reject the Messiah will stumble, fall and be broken but to those who receive Him, He will be a safety, a sanctuary. The Messiah became a rock of offense to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They later rejected Him as they rejected the Word of God and served other nations in Isaiah's time.
Sin and rejection caused God to hide His face from the house of Jacob. When God hides His face, evil will prevail and Satan has more power. This rock of offence in verse 14 is none other but Jesus Christ. He became a snare to all who did not believe in Him. Many were offended at Him and wanted His death. They were looking for a conquering Messiah who would come as a great and mighty warrior and king. They were looking for someone to give them victory over their Roman oppressors at the time of Christ. They were not looking for someone who preached repentance from sin. His face is hidden temporarily from Israel because of their rejection of the Messiah. We see though as we search the scriptures that God has not permanently cast away His people but a remnant will be saved and the nation of Israel brought back to God just before the reign of Jesus Christ. He then will come as the king, savior and will conquer their enemies. Christ's first coming was to deal with the sins of the entire human race. Christ's Second Coming is to bring judgment and set up His literal kingdom. Don't look for an earthy king to come and solve all the world's problems and call him the Messiah. He will be the wicked one who talks of peace but there will be no peace. He will be the one to whom many people will be deceived and fooled into thinking he is god. Craft will prosper during the antichrist's reign. The economy will prosper. People will be fooled into thinking all is well. This evil one comes just before the reign of Jesus the real Christ. By the way just because a country begins to prosper materially and boost the economy does not mean the leader is the antichrist. Many nations are prosperous at times when the people work hard, avoid the type of sin that causes disease and ruin, and just are blessed in that way. Usually it is caused by giving to the poor in the right way by providing jobs and fairness. Also using common sense in the way they conduct business, is a way to prosper. However, the antichrist at first will build up the economy also. The reign of Christ will get rid of sin and unrighteousness. Enemies of righteousness will be judged and destroyed. He is giving us the chance now to receive His kingdom within us. We can be born again by receiving Christ as Lord and savior and then we will reign with Him in His literal kingdom. Sin has to be turned from and repented of. He came the first time to take away our sin. Many today are skipping this part and trying to receive Christ without any cleansing of sin or repenting. When we receive Christ as savior, we are born again spiritually and become a new creature in Christ Jesus, old things pass away and all things become new. There will one day be a new heaven and earth where there will be no sin. We will not be allowed to enter that new earth unless we get rid of the sin first. That can't be done by doing a few good deeds while we are alive. That can only be done by repenting of sin, believing in Christ as savior, and believing Him to the point that we turn from sin thereby letting the blood of Jesus cover our sins. God has a plan to redeem Israel also. They are now in darkness as a nation. They do not see themselves as sinners in need of repentance. This blindness is what keeps many of us from being born again and a new creature in Christ. We do not see ourselves as sinners in need of repentance. Phrases like "I'm only human," and "Everybody does it," does not bring eternal life.
How this must grieve our Lord when a nation to whom He delivered from Egypt, gave them a land full of milk and honey, and delivered them from all enemies began to turn from Him to seek familiar spirits and other gods. Should we who have received the Lord Jesus Christ as savior and have been redeemed by His blood, dabble in the occult, fortune telling and other counselors who know not God. Jesus Christ redeemed us by His blood and reconciled us back to the God who created us. We were separated from God by our sin. Jesus came to take away that sin and bring us back into the fellowship with God. We now can go straight to God without any mediator whether is be a priest, prophet or preacher. How He must feel when we run here and there and talk to everybody about our problems and never bring them to Him. People of Isaiah's day was actually seeking dead spirits to advise them. Seeking to communicate with the dead is forbidden by the holy scriptures. I would stay away from it like the plague. Seek our Holy righteous God and He will give you His Holy Spirit to abide with you forever. Let Him be your teacher.
This was true then and still is now. Those in darkness do not speak the word. If they are speaking either then or now contrary to the Word of God, they are speaking in darkness and deception. Without the word we abide in darkness but at the entrance of the Word comes light. DC
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