Isaiah 12
Though God is angry with our sin, yet He is our deliverer. As Romans 5:8 points out, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, demonstrating God's love for us.
That's why we can trust Him and not fear - He gives us strength and protects us. Hallelujah!
“Praise the Lord! Ask him for help! Publicise his mighty acts among the nations. Make it known that he is unique. Sing to the Lord, for he has done magnificent things; let this be known throughout the earth.”
- Isaiah 12:4-5
Isaiah 11
Verses 1-5 at first seem to tell of a just and godly human king, but then verses 6-9 is either hyperbole or it's pointing to something out of this world.
Verses 10-13 talk about the reunification of Israel & Judah and the return of the exiles, Then verse 14 talks about how this reunified Israel will take over Philistia Edom, Moab, and Ammon. And that YHWH will dry up the Red Sea and the Euphrates River so that they will no longer be a barrier and people to walk across, symbolic of the return of the exiles.
Some of these things seem be fulfilled by the Maccabees, for they did conquer Philistia and Edom, but Moab and Ammon had disappeared as a separate people by then and been absorbed into the Nabataean kingdom. Furthermore, the Maccabees were Levites, not descended from Jesse.
So, it makes more sense to interpret this as fulfilled in the Kingdom of God of Jesus, which wasn't a political conquest, but rather, a spiritual conquest.
Therefore, when we study yet-to-be-fulfilled prophecy, we should also be careful not to impose our too-often literal interpretations on them.
Isaiah 10
Beware, those who enact unjust policies; those who are always instituting unfair regulations, to keep the poor from getting fair treatment, and to deprive the oppressed among my people of justice, so they can steal what widows own, and loot what belongs to orphans. What will you do on judgment day, when destruction arrives from a distant place? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your wealth?
Isaiah 10:1-3
This seems so relevant in Malaysia today, as we see foreign workers and the poor being abused and exploited.
Not all stealing is done by “thieves”. Some do their stealing by such corrupt means.
We must fight for social justice as well. In this way, Marxists like Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, Arutchelvan, A Sivarajan, and Bawani KS of the Parti Socialis Malaysia are doing the work of God, whether they know Jesus personally or not. So while I do not agree with Marxist atheism, I respect their track record on social justice.
Isaiah 9
The humiliation of the north, including "Galilee of the nations" in the Assyrian conquest, though dark, will be overcome by the coming of the Messiah, the bright light shining in the darkness:
Now he brings honor
to the way of the sea,
the region beyond the Jordan,
and Galilee of the nations.
The people walking in darkness
see a bright light;
light shines
on those who live in a land of deep darkness.
You have enlarged the nation;
you give them great joy.
and then:
For a child has been born to us,
a son has been given to us.
He shoulders responsibility
and is called
Wonderful Adviser,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
His dominion will be vast,
and he will bring immeasurable prosperity.
He will rule on David’s throne
and over David’s kingdom,
establishing it and strengthening it
by promoting justice and fairness,
from this time forward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will accomplish this.
Today, we recognise this as the prophecy of Jesus the Messiah, but I wonder how the people of Isaiah's time would have seen this?
It's not surprising that the Jews of Jesus' time thought the Messiah would throw out the Romans and re-establish an independent Jewish kingdom.
Then Isaiah goes on to point out that God was the one who allowed other nations to conquer Israel, because they did not repent when He judged them.
The people did not return to the one who struck them, they did not seek reconciliation with the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
The Messiah has provided salvation. Our part is to repent and turn to Him and receive that salvation.
Isaiah 8
Poor kid, being named “Quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil” just because your dad’s a prophet and God wanted to make a point to the Israelites 😅. But it may be that Maher Shalal Hash Baz is the same baby boy as Immanuel, as the NET footnote says:
The appearance of the name Immanuel (“God is with us”) is ironic at this point, for God is present with his people in judgment. Immanuel is addressed here as if he has already been born and will see the judgment occur. This makes excellent sense if his birth has just been recorded. There are several reasons for considering Immanuel and Maher Shalal Hash Baz one and the same. 8:3 is a birth account which could easily be understood as recording the fulfillment of the birth prophecy of 7:14. The presence of a formal record/witnesses (8:1-2) suggests a sign function for the child (cf. 7:14). As in 7:14-16, the removal of Judah’s enemies would take place before the child reached a specified age (cf. 8:4). Both 7:17-25 and 8:7-8 speak of an Assyrian invasion of Judah which would follow the defeat of Israel/Syria. The major objection to this view is the fact that different names appear, but such a phenomenon is not without parallel in the OT (cf. Gen 35:18). The name Immanuel may emphasize the basic fact of God’s presence, while the name Maher focuses on the specific nature of God’s involvement. In 7:14 the mother is viewed as naming the child, while in 8:3 Isaiah is instructed to give the child’s name, but one might again point to Gen 35:18 for a precedent. The sign of the child’s age appears to be different in 8:4 than in 7:15-16, but 7:15-16 pertains to the judgment on Judah, as well as the defeat of Israel/Syria (cf. vv. 17-25), while 8:4 deals only with the downfall of Israel/Syria. Some argue that the suffixed form “your land” in 8:8 points to a royal referent (a child of Ahaz or the Messiah), but usage elsewhere shows that the phrase does not need to be so restricted. While the suffix can refer to the king of a land (cf. Num 20:17; 21:22; Deut 2:27; Judg 11:17, 19; 2 Sam 24:13; 1 Kgs 11:22; Isa 14:20), it can also refer to one who is a native of a particular land (cf. Gen 12:1; 32:9; Jonah 1:8). (See also the use of “his land” in Isa 13:14 [where the suffix refers to a native of a land] and 37:7 [where it refers to a king].)
But interestingly enough, then the prophecy of judgment ends with:
Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted.
Issue your orders, but they will not be executed!
For God is with us!
That last bit “God is with us” being Immanuel.
So in the face of a bad time, Isaiah is still urging people to trust God.
You must recognize the authority of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
He is the one you must respect;
he is the one you must fear.
So yes, it’s turbulent times. But instead of panicking, we rest in the assurance God is still in control, and we should trust Him. Quick the the plunder, swift to the spoil, but yet, God is with us.
Isaiah 7
Israel/Ephraim and Syria gang up to attack Judah, but God sent Isaiah and his son Shear Jashub, whose name means “A remnant will return”, to reassure King Ahaz of Judah that they will not succeed.
YHWH (probably through Isaiah) told Ahaz to “Ask for a confirming sign from the Lord your God. You can even ask for something miraculous.” But Ahaz gave a supposedly pious response “I don’t want to ask; I don’t want to put the Lord to a test.”
This of course bring to mind Jesus’ similar words when the devil tempted Him. But there’s a big difference – whereas Ahaz was exhibiting false piety, a smokescreen designed to cover up his lack of faith in YHWH, Jesus was showing His faith.
So, ironically, this then leads to Isaiah’s reply and his famous Immanuel prophecy:
“Pay attention, family of David. Do you consider it too insignificant to try the patience of men? Is that why you are also trying the patience of my God? For this reason the Lord himself will give you a confirming sign. Look, this young woman is about to conceive and will give birth to a son. You, young woman, will name him Immanuel. He will eat sour milk and honey, which will help him know how to reject evil and choose what is right. Here is why this will be so: Before the child knows how to reject evil and choose what is right, the land whose two kings you fear will be desolate. The Lord will bring on you, your people, and your father’s family a time unlike any since Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!” (Isaiah 7:13-17, NET - New English Translation.)
The NET footnotes point out these interesting points:
Now, you might have noticed, the passage says “young woman” and not “virgin” like when Matthew quoted it in Matthew 1:22-23 to apply it to Mary and Jesus’ virgin birth.
Did Matthew make it up? Nope. Long before Matthew was born, Jewish scholars in Alexandria had translated the Old Testament into Greek in what came to be known as the Septuagint. This is because Greek was the English of that time. Getting the scriptures into Greek meant that it was accessible to people of many countries. And when those scholars – remember, that was long before Jesus was born – translated it, they translated the Hebrew word "עַלְמָה" (almah), which generally means “young woman of marriageable age” (who might or might not be a virgin) to the Greek word “παρθένος” which explicitly means virgin.
Furthermore, Jewish understanding at the time of Jesus expected a second fulfilment of this prophecy to be that of the Messiah.
So it is very interesting, that this (and possibly other) prophecies may have a first fulfilment that is close to the lifetime of the original hearers, and then a later fulfilment much longer down the line.
Some Christians think that this is the case with the prophecy of 666 – the Antichrist – whose first fulfilment was the Emperor Nero, because of the Jewish interpretative method of Gematria, which numerical values to letters. When the name "Nero Caesar" is translated from Greek to Hebrew, it can be rendered as "נרון קסר" (Neron Kesar). The numerical values of these Hebrew letters add up to 666:
Just as with Isaiah 7:14, some Christians believe in a double fulfilment of the prophecy of 666. This means that while Nero might be the initial historical fulfilment, a future, more ultimate fulfilment is still anticipated – Nero is viewed as a type or foreshadowing of a future Antichrist figure. Just as Nero represented the ultimate earthly antagonist to early Christians, the future Antichrist will embody the ultimate opposition to Christ and his followers at the end of time.
So, all this is very interesting, but what does it mean for application in my life today?
I take the lesson that we must trust in YHWH even when the situation seems dire. The combined strength of Syria and Ephraim/Israel would have been able to destroy Judah, but God still had His plans for Judah. We must trust in the Lord like Jesus, and not like Ahaz. Yet, even with Ahaz's weak faith, God can do something.
Isaiah 3-6
Jerusalem and Judah had stopped following YHWH so He was removing His protection from them. Disaster will befall them. But there will come a time when God will cleanse them.
God likened Israel to a vineyard that He looked after and expected to produce good grapes, but instead it produced bad ones. So He would remove its protection.
He points out the injustice that they do, and the punishment that it brings.
Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord (called Adonai here, not YHWH) and seraphim - i.e. "burning ones" - serpentine creatures with wings. God is so glorious and holy, Isaiah was dismayed by his own sin.
Yet God called him in spite of his sin and asked him to go - and so one of the seraphim touched a hot coal to his lips and his sins were forgiven.
God calls the people to repent, but the were pigheaded in not repenting, so He used sarcastic language to describe their unrepentance.
The lesson I take from this is that I need to keep short accounts with God. When I sin, I need to repent quickly and not allow it to build up and build up until it's too late.
