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.

 

Then they shall look back at the earth and hope to find their solace instead of them finding comfort they will only find trouble and darkness of judgment.  They will look for the dimness of anguish, that is, a calmness and a reduction from the anguish they are facing being under judgment for their disobedience.  Then when they believe they had escaped one calamity, then they will go headlong into another and that will be the darkness they are driven into as the light of Heaven has been removed from them at this time.  Just like any unbeliever who goes from darkness to darkness.

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