This procedure would make God a refuge and a holy place of peace for the prophet. The Israelites generally, however, would not trust God and would, consequently, find that He tripped them up by bringing judgment on them (cf. Matthew 21:44; Luke 2:34; Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:8). He would trap them, eventually leading them into captivity. read more
1. Take, etc.] read ’Take thee a great tablet, and write upon it with the pen of a man, Maher-shalal-hash-baz.’ A man’s pen] i.e. such as a common man would use for writing in large characters that all might, undertsand the words. Maher-shalal-hash-baz] i.e. ’The spoil speedeth, the prey hasteth.’ The inscription intimated the speedy spoliation of Syria and Israel (Isaiah 8:4).2. And I took] RV ’And I will take,’ the speaker being Jehovah as in Isaiah 8:1. Witnesses] who would be able when the... read more
(11) For the Lord spake thus to me.—We enter on a new section, separated, probably, by a short interval of time, but dealing with the same subject. In the “strong hand” we have an anthropomorphic phrase, implying a specially high degree of the intensity of inspiration (1 Kings 18:46; 2 Kings 3:15; Ezekiel 1:3; Ezekiel 3:14; Ezekiel 3:22; Ezekiel 8:1; Ezekiel 37:1). Something had occurred which brought the prophet into a state like that of St. Paul in Acts 17:16; Acts 18:5. Indignation and zeal... read more
(12) Say ye not, A confederacy . . .—The words have been very differently interpreted. (1) The confederacy has been thought to be that between Syria or Ephraim, which had at first filled the people with terror, and then had seemed so powerful that men had been willing to join it (Isaiah 7:2; Isaiah 8:6). (2) Translating the word as conspiracy as in 2 Kings 17:4—it was the word used by Athaliah when she cried, “Treason, treason!” (2 Chronicles 23:13)—interpreters have seen in it the cry of the... read more
(13) Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself . . .—The words contain an implicit appeal to the revelation of the Divine Name in Isaiah 6:3. Had the prophet’s disciples entered into the meaning of that “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts?” Had they learnt to sanctify Jehovah Sabaoth, to recognise the power of that infinite holiness? read more
(14) And he shall be for a sanctuary . . .—Literally, he shall become a hallowed thing, with the implied thought as in Ezekiel 11:16, that the sanctuary is also an asylum (1 Kings 1:50; 1 Kings 2:28). In that sanctuary, in the presence of Jehovah, there was a refuge from all terror, the answer to all misgivings (Psalms 73:17).But for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence . . .—The words have become so familiar to us through their Christian application (Matthew 21:44; Romans 9:33; 1... read more
(15) And many among them shall stumble, and fall . . .—The accumulation of words more or less synonymous has obviously, as before, the emphasis of iteration. Possibly for the prophet and his disciples, each word had a distinct ethical significance, which we can only partially recover. Looking to the figure implied in Isaiah 8:14, they seem to describe the several stages of the capture of the animal for whom the trap has been laid. It first stumbles, then falls into the pit, and breaks its... read more
CHAPTER VIKING AND MESSIAH; PEOPLE AND CHURCH735-732 B.C.Isaiah 7, 8, 9:1-8THIS section of the book of Isaiah (chapters 7-9:7) consists of a number of separate prophecies uttered during a period of at least three years: 735-732 B.C. By 735 Ahaz had ascended the throne; Tiglath-pileser had been occupied in the far east for two years. Taking advantage of the weakness of the former and the distance of the later, Rezin, king of Damascus, and Pekah, king of Samaria, planned an invasion of Judah. It... read more
CHAPTER 8 Jehovah’s Word Through Isaiah and the Assyrian Announced 1. The divine instruction and Maher-shalal-hash-baz (Isaiah 8:1-4 ) 2. The Assyrian to come (Isaiah 8:5-8 ) 3. The answer of faith (Isaiah 8:9-10 ) 4. A word to the faithful remnant (Isaiah 8:11-20 ) 5. The coming great distress (Isaiah 8:21-22 ) The names are significant. Isaiah heard the word “Maher-shalal-hash-baz,” and then is told to call his newborn son by this name. The name means “swift for spoil, hasty for... read more
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Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Isaiah 8:12-13
The Lord told him not to fear the armies of Judah’s enemies, but God Himself, Yahweh of armies. He should not become paranoid and think that the enemy’s conspiracy against the people of Judah would succeed, as the people of Judah did. Instead, he should make God the most significant fact in his thinking and thus sanctify Him as holy (cf. Matthew 10:28). read more