Assyria, and the Law and Testimony
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| 1 ¶ Moreover the LORD
said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen
[or "an ordinary pen"] concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.
2 And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record [witness the authenticity], 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 the LORD to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz. .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 [or "by"] the king of Assyria. |
1
- Mahershalalhashbaz Literally "speed the spoil, hasten the
plunder."
3 - Went in unto the prophetess This would have been Isaiah's wife. 4 - Before ... The young age of the child was used to emphasize the immanence of the Assyrian invasion predicted in 7:17-25 is0717. Fulfilled in 732 BC. |
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| 5 The LORD spake also
unto me again, saying,
.6 Forasmuch as this people refuseth 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 he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his [or "its"] banks: .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. .6 - Refuseth ... Shiloah By refusing the warnings of God and inviting the help of Assyria, Judah under Ahaz, would bring the flood. Notice what is happening. Compare to Dan. 9:26, 27 da0926. 8 - Neck Judah would be almost drowned is3731. |
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12 - Confederacy A conspiracy. Israel joined Assyria against Judah. 13 - Sanctify Here meaning "to recognize as holy." 14 - Sanctuary Hebrew miqdash a holy place as used in ex1517. The other word kodesh is used for the tabernacle sanctuary. Miqdash may describe a pagan "holy" place. 14 - Both houses Both parts of the divided kingdom, Israel and Judah. 15 - Many will stumble The result of refusing to follow God's way. 16 - Bind up ... seal Archaeological discoveries have found scrolls tied with string and the knot covered with a wax seal. A testimony that God preserves His word in the Scriptures. Sealing the testimony and law in the heart was and is God's goal. |
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| .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.
.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? |
18
- I and the children Isaiah's name means Yahweh saves. His
first son's name, Shear-jashub, means a remnant [will] return. The second
reminds of the plunder of the others. This is a call for faithful parenting,
in contrast to turning to the occult which is seen in the next verses.
19 - Seek ... familiar spirits This is what was happening in Judah. God had forbidden it le1931. Spirit mediums are not new. The text indicates seeking the dead on behalf of the living. We may consider the words, "should not a people seek unto their God" as parenthetical. See special page on Harry Potter and Pókemon. 19 - Peep Or "whisper," NASB, or "chirp," RSV. 19 - Can dead people hear? See 1sa28. |
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| .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.
.20 ... it is because they have no dawn. (NASB). However this verse is interpreted, the law and the testimony are shown as the standards to be reached. The "dawn" pictures a little light, but reading the next verses and continuing into the next chapter, those with occult practices are seen in a deep and terrible darkness – not even a little light. .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. .22 And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness. |
20
- Law and testimony This is a test for any message. Does
it agree with the word of the Lord. Many today claim to be guided by the
Spirit while disregarding the claims of God on their lives. This is the
test I invite you to use on the comments here. If you find errors, show
me where they are contrary to Scripture. Compare de1304.
The "law" in Isaiah's time was the Torah, the five books of Moses (Genesis to Deuteronomy). This was the established word of God. God's contemporary witness through Isaiah, for example, would have been the "testimony." These two are seen elsewhere in Scripture. For example re1104wh. An alternate, and perhaps better, identification of the "testimony" would be the ten commandments ex2516. We still have two types of inspired information. Here they are the law, God's explicit and concise rule for happiness, and the testimony, the application of that law in practical life. 21 - Hard pressed and hungry This describes those who refuse the ways of God. |
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A deliverer is coming |
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