(The previous post covered Isaiah's commissioning to speak on behalf of God.)
Isaiah 7
1 And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.
(These were first three of six chapters from Isaiah that occurred during Ahaz's reign. In the days of Ahaz (2 Kings 16 and 2 Chronicles 28) king of Judah, the king of Syria and the king of Israel went towards Jerusalem to fight a war but did not prevail.)
2 And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart trembled, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest tremble with the wind.
3 Then said Jehovah unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shear-jashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, in the highway of the fuller's field;
(God told Isaiah to meet up with Ahaz.)
4 and say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither let thy heart be faint, because of these two tails of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.
(God told Isaiah to tell Ahaz to "fear not.")
5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have purposed evil against thee, saying,
6 Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set up a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeel;
7 thus saith the Lord Jehovah, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.
(The reason Ahaz should not fear was because what Syria and Israel wanted to do would not come to pass.)
8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken in pieces, so that it shall not be a people:
(Within sixty-five years, Ephraim would not be a people. The sixty-five years consisted of thirteen years of the reign of Ahaz, twenty-nine years of the reign of Hezekiah, and twenty-three years of the reign of Manasseh.)
9 and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.
(God told Ahaz that if he did not believe, he would not be established.)
10 And Jehovah spake again unto Ahaz, saying,
11 Ask thee a sign of Jehovah thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.
(God told Ahaz to ask for a sign. Why would God do this? What benefit would this had been to Ahaz?)
12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt Jehovah.
(Ahaz would not ask for a sign nor would he tempt God. Was this actually "tempting God"? Did Ahaz only see asking God for a sign as also tempting Him? Was Ahaz going to miss out on something by denying God in asking for a sign?)
13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David: Is it a small thing for you to weary men, that ye will weary my God also?
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
(God Himself still gave Ahaz a sign. God gave Ahaz the opportunity for benefiting from the effects others would receive because of the sign God would give. What was the sign? The most well known Messianic prophecy there was: "a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Jesus!!!
Immanuel meant "God with us." This was fulfilled in Matthew 1:23. Ahaz's son, Hezekiah, did ask God for healing and a sign in 2 Kings 20, and that led to Manasseh being born and God rejecting Judah. Did Hezekiah make his request because he knew his dad did not make a request that God encouraged Ahaz to make?)
15 Butter and honey shall he eat, when he knoweth to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
(Notice, within this Messianic prophecy lied an important piece to understanding Jesus. He was/is Right and Just in His Nature. However, when He was on earth Jesus had a free will. He had the ability to act apart from Right and Just but never did. He had to refuse evil AND choose good. This point was repeated in the next verse...)
16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land whose two kings thou abhorrest shall be forsaken.
17 Jehovah will bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah-even the king of Assyria.
(This prophecy was concerned with the forthcoming invasion by Assyria.)
18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Jehovah will hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
19 And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the clefts of the rocks, and upon all thorn-hedges, and upon all pastures.
20 In that day will the Lord shave with a razor that is hired in the parts beyond the River, even with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the beard.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall keep alive a young cow, and two sheep;
(These days, again, spoke of the invasions by Assyria and Egypt.)
22 and it shall come to pass, that because of the abundance of milk which they shall give he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the midst of the land.
23 And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, shall be for briers and thorns.
(Those days would bring desolation. There would be no place that bore fruit.)
24 With arrows and with bow shall one come thither, because all the land shall be briers and thorns.
25 And all the hills that were digged with the mattock, thou shalt not come thither for fear of briers and thorns; but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of sheep.
(The only fruit left would be for the animals in the pastures.)
Isaiah 8
1 And Jehovah said unto me, Take thee a great tablet, and write upon it with the pen of a man, For Maher-shalal-hash-baz;
(God told Isaiah to grab a pen and write concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz. The name Maher-shalal-hash-baz meant "swift is booty, speedy is prey." It was a symbolic name given by Isaiah, by the Lord's direction, to Isaiah's son with a prophetic indication that Damascus and Samaria were soon to be plundered by the King of Assyria...2 Kings 16:7-17:41.)
2 and I will take unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.
3 And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said Jehovah unto me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz.
(God told Isaiah to name his son Maher-shalal-hash-baz.)
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 carried away before the king of Assyria.
(It was about twenty-one months until Damascus and Samaria would be spoiled by the king of Assyria. Nine months for the child to be born and twelve months for it to have knowledge to cry.)
5 And Jehovah spake unto me yet again, saying,
6 Forasmuch as this people have refused the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son;
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 it shall come up over all its channels, and go over all its banks;
8 and it shall sweep onward into Judah; it shall overflow and pass through; it shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of its wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.
("O Immanuel" was mentioned here because the waters (invasion) would also stretch to Judah, the tribe that Christ came from. This was the second time Immanuel was mentioned. The first was in Isaiah 7:14.)
9 Make an uproar, O ye peoples, and be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and be broken in pieces.
10 Take counsel together, and it shall be brought to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.
11 For Jehovah spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying,
12 Say ye not, A conspiracy, concerning all whereof this people shall say, A conspiracy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be in dread thereof.
13 Jehovah of hosts, him shall ye sanctify; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
(God told Isaiah, and the people through Isaiah, to not fear the other nations but to fear God.)
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.
(Verse 14 was referenced in 1 Peter 2:8.)
15 And many shall stumble thereon, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.
16 Bind thou up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
17 And I will wait for Jehovah, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.
18 Behold, I and the children whom Jehovah hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from Jehovah of hosts, who dwelleth in mount Zion.
(Verses 18 was referenced in Hebrews 2:13.)
19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits and unto the wizards, that chirp and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? on behalf of the living should they seek unto the dead?
(People should seek words from God, not words from familiar spirits or from seeking the dead.)
20 To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them.
(When the wicked told you to seek counsel from those with familiar spirits, you would be able to discern when they spoke not according to God's Word because there would be no light (morning) in them. The wicked would have a wrong or no how/why.)
21 And they shall pass through it, sore distressed and hungry; and it shall come to pass that, when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse by their king and by their God, and turn their faces upward:
22 and they shall look unto the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and into thick darkness they shall be driven away.
(Some effects of believing in the falsehoods of the wicked. The next chapter then focused on the hope from the Messiah...)
Isaiah 9
1 But there shall be no gloom to her that was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the latter time hath he made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
(The land would be in spiritual darkness when the Messiah comes. Even those who dwell in darkness would have a way to the light. Those who grew towards evil would have no Just excuse as to why they did not go towards the light. Verses 1-2 were referenced in Matthew 4:16.)
3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, thou hast increased their joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
(In the KJV, this verse read: "...nation, and not increased the joy:..." The verse above was a more accurate interpretation.)
4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, thou hast broken as in the day of Midian.
5 For all the armor of the armed man in the tumult, and the garments rolled in blood, shall be for burning, for fuel of fire.
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
(Another Messianic prophecy. The government will be upon His Shoulders: This is because Jesus is a leader, not a boss. Jesus is always about serving, about facilitating the purpose and progress of others. A boss would be on top of the government. Jesus will be called: Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.)
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.
(The increase (growth and profitability) of His government and peace will have no end. This was speaking about eternity.)
8 The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel.
9 And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in pride and in stoutness of heart,
10 The bricks are fallen, but we will build with hewn stone; the sycomores are cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.
(Even those in pride will be sent a Word from God. Those in pride will have no Just excuse as to why they did not humble themselves.)
11 Therefore Jehovah will set up on high against him the adversaries of Rezin, and will stir up his enemies,
12 the Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
(God's wrath would pour out against His own people, in response to their wicked and prideful actions.)
13 Yet the people have not turned unto him that smote them, neither have they sought Jehovah of hosts.
(God judged Israel to facilitate their repentance. However, they chose to continue down the path they were going and not turn to God.)
14 Therefore Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm-branch and rush, in one day.
15 The elder and the honorable man, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.
16 For they that lead this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.
(God would cut off the elders (head) and prophets (tail) because they were the people meant to lead the Israelites towards God but instead led them towards evil.)
17 Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over their young men, neither will he have compassion on their fatherless and widows; for every one is profane and an evil-doer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness burneth as the fire; it devoureth the briers and thorns; yea, it kindleth in the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke.
(Because wickedness continued to grow in Israel, God's wrath also continued against them. God continued to facilitate the Israelites towards Him through judgment.)
19 Through the wrath of Jehovah of hosts is the land burnt up; and the people are as the fuel of fire: no man spareth his brother.
20 And one shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm:
21 Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh; and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
(Manasseh and Ephraim would destroy each other and then both invade Judah. This was fulfilled according to 2 Chronicles 28:6-15.)
(This post covered three of the six chapters of Isaiah that occurred during Ahaz's reign which included critical prophecy about Jesus. We still have three more chapters...)
Day 204
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