Podcasts about maher shalal hash baz

April 25, 2025 - Equipped 2025 - Day 2 - 1:30PM Session   Scott leads a bible study of the political climate of Judiah during the book of Isaiah.   Isaiah 7-12 - Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz 7 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but could not prevail against it. 2 And it was told to the house of David, saying, “Syria's forces are deployed in Ephraim.” So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind. 3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller's Field, 4 and say to him: ‘Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, 6 “Let us go up against Judah and trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel”— 7 thus says the Lord God: “It shall not stand, Nor shall it come to pass. 8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, And the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken, So that it will not be a people. 9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, And the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If you will not believe, Surely you shall not be established.” ' ” The Immanuel Prophecy 10 Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!” 13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.[i] 15 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings. 17 The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father's house—days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah.” 18 And it shall come to pass in that day That the Lord will whistle for the fly That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt, And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 They will come, and all of them will rest In the desolate valleys and in the clefts of the rocks, And on all thorns and in all pastures. 20 In the same day the Lord will shave with a hired razor, With those from beyond the River, with the king of Assyria, The head and the hair of the legs, And will also remove the beard. 21 It shall be in that day That a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep; 22 So it shall be, from the abundance of milk they give, That he will eat curds; For curds and honey everyone will eat who is left in the land. 23 It shall happen in that day, That wherever there could be a thousand vines Worth a thousand shekels of silver, It will be for briers and thorns. 24 With arrows and bows men will come there, Because all the land will become briers and thorns. 25 And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe, You will not go there for fear of briers and thorns; But it will become a range for oxen And a place for sheep to roam. Assyria Will Invade the Land 8 Moreover the Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll, and write on it with a man's pen concerning Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 2 And I will take for Myself faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.” 3 Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Call his name 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 will be taken away before the king of Assyria.” 5 The Lord also spoke to me again, saying: 6 “Inasmuch as these people refused The waters of Shiloah that flow softly, And rejoice in Rezin and in Remaliah's son; 7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up over them The waters of the River, strong and mighty— The king of Assyria and all his glory; He will go up over all his channels And go over all his banks. 8 He will pass through Judah, He will overflow and pass over, He will reach up to the neck; And the stretching out of his wings Will fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel. 9 “Be shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Give ear, all you from far countries. Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces; Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces. 10 Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; Speak the word, but it will not stand, For [r]God is with us.” Fear God, Heed His Word 11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying: 12 “Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,' Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. 13 The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear, And let Him be your dread. 14 He will be as a sanctuary, But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense To both the houses of Israel, As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many among them shall stumble; They shall fall and be broken, Be snared and taken.” 16 Bind up the testimony, Seal the law among my disciples. 17 And I will wait on the Lord, Who hides His face from the house of Jacob; And I will hope in Him. 18 Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me! We are for signs and wonders in Israel From the Lord of hosts, Who dwells in Mount Zion. 19 And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. 21 They will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse their king and their God, and look upward. 22 Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness. The Government of the Promised Son 9 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian. 5 For every warrior's sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire. 6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. The Punishment of Samaria 8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob, And it has fallen on Israel. 9 All the people will know— Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria— Who say in pride and arrogance of heart: 10 “The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild with hewn stones; The sycamores are cut down, But we will replace them with cedars.” 11 Therefore the Lord shall set up The adversaries of Rezin against him, And spur his enemies on, 12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind; And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still. 13 For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts. 14 Therefore the Lord will cut off head and tail from Israel, Palm branch and bulrush in one day. 15 The elder and honorable, he is the head; The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail. 16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err, And those who are led by them are destroyed. 17 Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men, Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows; For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer, And every mouth speaks folly. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still. 18 For wickedness burns as the fire; It shall devour the briers and thorns, And kindle in the thickets of the forest; They shall mount up like rising smoke. 19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts The land is burned up, And the people shall be as fuel for the fire; No man shall spare his brother. 20 And he shall snatch on the right hand And be hungry; He shall devour on the left hand And not be satisfied; Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm. 21 Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; Together they shall be against Judah. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still. Assyria Shall Be Broken 10 “Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, Who write misfortune, Which they have prescribed 2 To rob the needy of justice, And to take what is right from the poor of My people, That widows may be their prey, And that they may rob the fatherless. 3 What will you do in the day of punishment, And in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your glory? 4 Without Me they shall bow down among the prisoners, And they shall fall among the slain.” For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still. Arrogant Assyria Also Judged 5 “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation. 6 I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 7 Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations. 8 For he says, ‘Are not my princes altogether kings? 9 Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? 10 As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, Whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria, 11 As I have done to Samaria and her idols, Shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?' ” 12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.” 13 For he says: “By the strength of my hand I have done it, And by my wisdom, for I am prudent; Also I have removed the boundaries of the people, And have robbed their treasuries; So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man. 14 My hand has found like a nest the riches of the people, And as one gathers eggs that are left, I have gathered all the earth; And there was no one who moved his wing, Nor opened his mouth with even a peep.” 15 Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it? As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up, Or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not wood! 16 Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts, Will send leanness among his fat ones; And under his glory He will kindle a burning Like the burning of a fire. 17 So the Light of Israel will be for a fire, And his Holy One for a flame; It will burn and devour His thorns and his briers in one day. 18 And it will consume the glory of his forest and of his fruitful field, Both soul and body; And they will be as when a sick man wastes away. 19 Then the rest of the trees of his forest Will be so few in number That a child may write them. The Returning Remnant of Israel 20 And it shall come to pass in that day That the remnant of Israel, And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, Will never again depend on him who defeated them, But will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21 The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, To the Mighty God. 22 For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, A remnant of them will return; The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness. 23 For the Lord God of hosts Will make a determined end In the midst of all the land. 24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt. 25 For yet a very little while and the indignation will cease, as will My anger in their destruction.” 26 And the Lord of hosts will stir up a scourge for him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; as His rod was on the sea, so will He lift it up in the manner of Egypt. 27 It shall come to pass in that day That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil. 28 He has come to Aiath, He has passed Migron; At Michmash he has attended to his equipment. 29 They have gone along the ridge, They have taken up lodging at Geba. Ramah is afraid, Gibeah of Saul has fled. 30 Lift up your voice, O daughter of Gallim! Cause it to be heard as far as Laish— O poor Anathoth! 31 Madmenah has fled, The inhabitants of Gebim seek refuge. 32 As yet he will remain at Nob that day; He will shake his fist at the mount of the daughter of Zion, The hill of Jerusalem. 33 Behold, the Lord, The Lord of hosts, Will lop off the bough with terror; Those of high stature will be hewn down, And the haughty will be humbled. 34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One. The Reign of Jesse's Offspring 11 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. 3 His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; 4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist. 6 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea. 10 “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.” 11 It shall come to pass in that day That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time To recover the remnant of His people who are left, From Assyria and Egypt, From Pathros and Cush, From Elam and Shinar, From Hamath and the islands of the sea. 12 He will set up a banner for the nations, And will assemble the outcasts of Israel, And gather together the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth. 13 Also the envy of Ephraim shall depart, And the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, And Judah shall not harass Ephraim. 14 But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west; Together they shall plunder the people of the East; They shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab; And the people of Ammon shall obey them. 15 The Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt; With His mighty wind He will shake His fist over the River, And strike it in the seven streams, And make men cross over dry-shod. 16 There will be a highway for the remnant of His people Who will be left from Assyria, As it was for Israel In the day that he came up from the land of Egypt. A Hymn of Praise 12 And in that day you will say: “O Lord, I will praise You; Though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.' ” 3 Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation. 4 And in that day you will say: “Praise the Lord, call upon His name; Declare His deeds among the peoples, Make mention that His name is exalted. 5 Sing to the Lord, For He has done excellent things; This is known in all the earth. 6 Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!”   Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6T9IGrUlv4   Duration 41:36  

Joshua 2 describes Israel's spying out Jericho by the two spies that were sent by Joshua. Jericho was a fortified and powerful city and is the nation's first challenge in the conquest of the Promised Land. The spies select Rahab's house as their place to lodge and from there to conduct their reconnaissance. Rahab hid the two men among the flax on her roof when the king of Jericho sought their arrest. The city of Jericho was in a state of high alert with Israel's recent great conquests and the fact the city is likely to be Israel's next point of attack. Rahab feigns ignorance of the spies' whereabouts and tells the pursuers to swiftly pursue them that as have just left the city. In verses 8-11 Rahab tells of Yahweh's might and that without doubt He is the only true God. This she did prior to her hiding of the spies. Hebrews 11 verse 31 comments on her faith as the source for her motivation. James 2verse 25 says that her faith moved Rahab to act and by this she was justified. After the king of Jericho's men depart Rahab reminds the spies of the oath that they swore to her. A token of the covenant is the binding of a scarlet rope, by which the spies were let down the city's wall, being left suspended in Rahab's window. Follow the theme of the scarlet thread through the Bible and you will be amazed (start with Genesis 38:28). Rahab gives the spies advice on how to evade Jericho's hostile pursuers. For their part the spies declare that the oath will be honoured. The spies are greatly encouraged by the sign of victory that their mighty God has given them and they confidently say to Joshua that the LORD of hosts has given them the land Isaiah 8 tells of the prophet's wife bearing him a second son – Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz – whose name means: “in speeding to the spoil the enemy hastens against the prey”. This name spoke of the imminent Assyrian invasion of Immanuel's land. Isaiah says that when this happens and the mighty waters of the river will overflow and fill the breadth of the land almost swallowing the nation as those waters will be up to Judah's necks. In its path the Assyrian river would sweep away the kingdoms of Syria and Israel. Why would the Almighty bring such devastating destruction? It was because of Judah's refusal to heed the gentle and beseeching waters of Shiloah – meaning peaceful. Shiloah (and its variants) speak of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9verse 6; Genesis 49 verse 10). The New Testament instructs us to hear the voice of Jesus as the Father commands: “This is My Son, hear him”. Failure to hear will incur certain judgment as Isaiah 8:9-10 and Hebrews 2 verses 1-4 outline. Verses 11-15 encourage the remnant not to be overwhelmed by fear, but rather to trust in the living God who will deliver the faithful who revere Him. Verse 13 is alluded to by Peter who applies the words to the life and speech of the faithful pilgrims in 1 Peter 4verses 15-19. Verses 16-22 conclude Isaiah 8 by explaining the role of the disciple: to give heed to our Sovereign's Word and setting it as a seal upon our heart. Christ is our great example in this matter as John 6 verse 27; Revelation 14verses 1-5 teach us. Judah was a confused nation who were to their shame hearkening to the mystifying wizards who had no understanding in the matters that related to life and death. In listening to those whose teachings fog the minds of the children of God will lead to certain and deserved judgement. 1 Thessalonians 3 verses 1-5 Paul tells us of the sufferings that the Apostle experienced in Athens. Next Paul informs his readers of the great encouragement and comfort that Timothy brings him; and it is the news of the Thessalonians' magnificent response to the gospel. Note how the chapter finishes – read aloud verses 12-13 and pause, and ponder. Chapter 4 speaks of how pleased God and Paul are with the way that the believers are living their lives as a witness to their faith and to their trust in God and His Son. The love the Macedonian believers show to each other is evidence that they have learned what God's Word teaches. They needed to keep working until the Lord Jesus' return. These believers did, however, have a wrong view about the order of events after the Lord's return. The living believers will have no time advantage over those faithful who had fallen asleep in Christ ie died. Verses 13-18 describe what happens at Christ's return to the earth. Jesus will come with angels and the trumpet of God (1 Corinthians 15 verses 52-53). Those believers who are alive when he comes will be caught up together with those believers who have been raised from the dead, into a great cloud of witnesses (see Hebrews 12 verses 1-2). These believers will be caught into the air ie aerial, in the sense that, together with their Lord Jesus Christ, they will be the rulers (or those elevated to be in authority) over the people of the earth – ie the subjects of that coming kingdom. What a comfort to those who are now suffering persecution.

This is message 9 in the Isaiah series. Isaiah 8:1-22 Isaiah urges Judah to trust in Immanuel, God with Us, rather than seeking security in human alliances. Ahaz refuses, turning to Assyria for help, bringing suffering instead of peace. God uses the birth of Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz as a sign that his word will be fulffulled. The people are called to fear the Lord rather than their circumstances, to separate from the world's ways, and to wait upon Him. Those who reject God will stumble in darkness, but those who trust in Immanuel will find their refuge in His unchanging word. Don't forget to download our app for more from the Riverview Baptist Church. http://onelink.to/rbcapp Find more at https://riverviewbc.com/ Donate through Pushpay https://pushpay.com/pay/riverviewbc

Continuing our exposition of the Immanuel prophecy, God now calls upon Isaiah to prophecy again concerning the sign of Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. Through this Word, God not only assures Judah that the Syro-Ephraim coalition will fail, but also calls Judah to respond in faith. If they turn to Assyria in place of God, Assyria will be like a wild river which they will not be able to control, bringing destruction upon them.

Episódio do dia 05/11/2024, com o tema: Quem era a mulher de Isaías? Apresentação: Itamir Neves, André Castilho e Renata Burjato. Quero entender essa passagem: Isaías 8.3 "Então deitei-me com a profetisa, e ela engravidou e deu à luz um filho. E o Senhor me disse: "Dê-lhe o nome de Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz." Era uma mulher qualquer? Outra versão diz que era sua própria mulher.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Comparing the Hebrew of Isaiah 9.6 to most popular English translations results in some serious questions. Why have our translations changed the tense of the verbs from past to future? Why is this child called “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father”? In this presentation I work through Isaiah 9.6 line by line to help you understand the Hebrew. Next I look at interpretive options for the child as well as his complicated name. Not only will this presentation strengthen your understanding of Isaiah 9.6, but it will also equip you to explain it to others. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts —— Links —— See my other articles here Check out my class: One God Over All Get the transcript of this episode Support Restitutio by donating here Join our Restitutio Facebook Group and follow Sean Finnegan on Twitter @RestitutioSF Leave a voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play them out on the air Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library. Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read Sean’s bio here Below is the paper presented on October 18, 2024 in Little Rock, Arkansas at the 4th annual UCA Conference. Access this paper on Academia.edu to get the pdf. Full text is below, including bibliography and end notes. Abstract Working through the grammar and syntax, I present the case that Isaiah 9:6 is the birth announcement of a historical child. After carefully analyzing the name given to the child and the major interpretive options, I make a case that the name is theophoric. Like the named children of Isaiah 7 and 8, the sign-child of Isaiah 9 prophecies what God, not the child, will do. Although I argue for Hezekiah as the original fulfillment, I also see Isaiah 9:6 as a messianic prophecy of the true and better Hezekiah through whom God will bring eternal deliverance and peace. Introduction Paul D. Wegner called Isaiah 9:6[1] “one of the most difficult problems in the study of the Old Testament.”[2] To get an initial handle on the complexities of this text, let's begin briefly by comparing the Hebrew to a typical translation. Isaiah 9:6 (BHS[3]) כִּי־יֶ֣לֶד יֻלַּד־לָ֗נוּ בֵּ֚ן נִתַּן־לָ֔נוּ וַתְּהִ֥י הַמִּשְׂרָ֖ה עַל־שִׁכְמ֑וֹ וַיִּקְרָ֨א שְׁמ֜וֹ פֶּ֠לֶא יוֹעֵץ֙ אֵ֣ל גִּבּ֔וֹר אֲבִיעַ֖ד שַׂר־שָׁלֽוֹם׃ Isaiah 9:6 (ESV) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Curiosities abound in the differences between these two. The first two clauses in English, “For to us a child is born” and “to us a son is given,” employ the present tense while the Hebrew uses the perfect tense, i.e. “to us a child has been born.”[4] This has a significant bearing on whether we take the prophecy as a statement about a child already born in Isaiah's time or someone yet to come (or both). The ESV renders the phrase,וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ  (vayikra sh'mo), as “and his name shall be called,” but the words literally mean “and he called his name” where the “he” is unspecified. This leaves room for the possibility of identifying the subject of the verb in the subsequent phrase, i.e. “And the wonderful counselor, the mighty God called his name…” as many Jewish translations take it.  Questions further abound regardingאֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor), which finds translations as disparate as the traditional “Mighty God”[5] to “divine warrior”[6] to “in battle God-like”[7] to “Mighty chief”[8] to “Godlike hero,”[9] to Luther's truncated “Held.”[10]  Another phrase that elicits a multiplicity of translations is אֲבִיעַד (aviad). Although most versions read “Eternal Father,”[11] others render the word, “Father-Forever,”[12] “Father for all time,”[13] “Father of perpetuity,”[14] “Father of the Eternal Age,”[15] and “Father of Future.”[16] Translators from a range of backgrounds struggle with these two phrases. Some refuse to translate them at all, preferring clunky transliterations.[17] Still, as I will show below, there's a better way forward. If we understand that the child had a theophoric name—a name that is not about him, but about God—our problems dissipate like morning fog before the rising sun. Taking the four pairs of words this way yields a two-part sentence name. As we'll see this last approach is not only the best contextual option, but it also allows us to take the Hebrew vocabulary, grammar, and syntax at face value, rather than succumbing to strained translations and interpretational gymnastics. In the end, we're left with a text literally rendered and hermeneutically robust. Called or Will Call His Name? Nearly all the major Christian versions translate וַיִּקְרָא (vayikra), “he has called,” as “he will be called.” This takes an active past tense verb as a passive future tense.[18] What is going on here? Since parents typically give names at birth or shortly thereafter, it wouldn't make sense to suggest the child was already born (as the beginning of Isa 9:6 clearly states), but then say he was not yet named. Additionally, וַיִּקְרָא (vayikra) is a vav-conversive plus imperfect construction that continues the same timing sequence of the preceding perfect tense verbs.[19] If the word were passive (niphal binyan) we would read וַיִּקָּרֵא (vayikarey) instead of וַיִּקְרָא (vayikra). Although some have suggested an emendation of the Masoretic vowels to make this change, Hugh Williamson notes, “there is no overriding need to prefer it.”[20] Translators may justify rendering the perfect tense as imperfect due to the idiom called a prophetic past tense (perfectum propheticum). Wilhelm Gesenius notes the possibility that a prophet “so transports himself in imagination into the future that he describes the future event as if it had been already seen or heard by him.”[21] Bruce Waltke recognizes the phenomenon, calling it an accidental perfective in which “a speaker vividly and dramatically represents a future situation both as complete and independent.”[22] Still, it's up to the interpreter to determine if Isaiah employs this idiom or not. The verbs of verse 6 seem quite clear: “a child has been born for us … and the government was on his shoulder … and he has called his name…” When Isaiah uttered this prophecy, the child had already been born and named and the government rested on his shoulders. This is the straightforward reading of the grammar and therefore should be our starting point.[23] Hezekiah as the Referent One of the generally accepted principles of hermeneutics is to first ask the question, “What did this text mean in its original context?” before asking, “What does this text mean to us today?” When we examine the immediate context of Isa 9:6, we move beyond the birth announcement of a child with an exalted name to a larger prophecy of breaking the yoke of an oppressor (v4) and the ushering in of a lasting peace for the throne of David (v7). Isaiah lived in a tumultuous time. He saw the northern kingdom—the nation of Israel—uprooted from her land and carried off by the powerful and cruel Assyrian Empire. He prophesied about a child whose birth had signaled the coming freedom God would bring from the yoke of Assyria. As Jewish interpreters have long pointed out, Hezekiah nicely fits this expectation.[24] In the shadow of this looming storm, Hezekiah became king and instituted major religious reforms,[25] removing idolatry and turning the people to Yahweh. The author of kings gave him high marks: “He trusted in Yahweh, the God of Israel. After him there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah nor among those who were before him” (2 Kgs 18:5).[26] Then, during Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib sent a large army against Judea and laid siege to Jerusalem. Hezekiah appropriately responded to the threatening Assyrian army by tearing his clothes, covering himself with sackcloth, and entering the temple to pray (2 Kings 19:1). He sent word to Isaiah, requesting prayer for the dire situation. Ultimately God brought miraculous deliverance, killing 185,000 Assyrians, which precipitated a retreat. There had not been such an acute military deliverance since the destruction of Pharaoh's army in the sea. Indeed, Hezekiah's birth did signal God's coming deliverance. In opposition to Hezekiah as the referent for Isa 9:6, Christian interpreters have pointed out that Hezekiah did not fulfill this prophecy en toto. Specifically, Hezekiah did not usher in “an endless peace” with justice and righteousness “from this time onward and forevermore” (Isa. 9:7). But, as John Roberts points out, the problem only persists if we ignore prophetic hyperbole. Here's what he says: If Hezekiah was the new king idealized in this oracle, how could Isaiah claim he would reign forever? How could Isaiah so ignore Israel's long historical experience as to expect no new source of oppression would ever arise? The language, as is typical of royal ideology, is hyperbolic, and perhaps neither Isaiah nor his original audience would have pushed it to its limits, beyond its conventional frames of reference, but the language itself invites such exploitation. If one accepts God's providential direction of history, it is hard to complain about the exegetical development this exploitation produced.[27] Evangelical scholar Ben Witherington III likewise sees a reference to both Hezekiah and a future deliverer. He writes, “[T]he use of the deliberately hyperbolic language that the prophet knew would not be fulfilled in Hezekiah left open the door quite deliberately to look for an eschatological fulfillment later.”[28] Thus, even if Isaiah's prophecy had an original referent, it left the door open for a true and better Hezekiah, who would not just defeat Assyria, but all evil, and not just for a generation, but forever. For this reason, it makes sense to take a “both-and” approach to Isa 9:6. Who Called His Name? Before going on to consider the actual name given to the child, we must consider the subject of the word וַיִּקְרָא (vayikra), “and he called.” Jewish interpreters have and continue to take אֵל גִבּוֹר (el gibbor), “Mighty God,” as the subject of this verb. Here are a few examples of this rendering: Targum Jonathan (2nd century) And his name has been called from before the One Who Causes Wonderful Counsel, God the Warrior, the Eternally Existing One—the Messiah who will increase peace upon us in his days.[29] Shlomo Yitzchaki (11th century) The Holy One, blessed be He, Who gives wondrous counsel, is a mighty God and an everlasting Father, called Hezekiah's name, “the prince of peace,” since peace and truth will be in his days.[30] Jacob ben Isaac Ashkenazi (16th century) “For a child is born to us.” A son will be born and this is Hezekiah. Though Ahaz is an evildoer, his son Hezekiah will be a righteous king. He will be strong in his service of the Holy One. He will study Torah and the Holy One will call him, “eternal father, peaceful ruler.” In his days there will be peace and truth.[31] The Stone Edition of the Tanach (20th century) The Wondrous Adviser, Mighty God, Eternal Father, called his name Sar-shalom [Prince of Peace][32] Although sometimes Christian commentators blithely accuse Jewish scholars of avoiding the implications of calling the child “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father,” the grammar does allow multiple options here. The main question is whether Isaiah specified the subject of the verb וַיִקְרָ (vayikra) or not. If he has, then the subject must be אֵל גִבּוֹר (el gibbor). If he has not, then the subject must be indefinite (i.e. “he” or “one”). What's more, the Masoretic punctuation of the Hebrew suggests the translation, “and the Wonderful Adviser, the Mighty God called his name, ‘Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace'”[33] However, Keil and Delitzsch point out problems with this view on both grammatical and contextual grounds. They write: [I]t is impossible to conceive for what precise reason such a periphrastic description of God should be employed in connection with the naming of this child, as is not only altogether different from Isaiah's usual custom, but altogether unparalleled in itself, especially without the definite article. The names of God should at least have been defined thus, הַיּוֹעֵץ פֵּלֶא הַגִּבּוֹר, so as to distinguish them from the two names of the child.”[34] Thus, though the Masoretic markings favor the Jewish translation, the grammar doesn't favor taking “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God” as the subject. It's certainly not impossible, but it is a strained reading without parallels in Isaiah and without justification in the immediate context. Let's consider another possibility. His Name Has Been Called Instead of taking אֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor) as the subject, we can posit an indefinite subject for וַיִקְרָ (vayikra): “one has called.” Examples of this outside of Isaiah 9:6 include Gen 11:9; 25:26; Exod 15:23; and 2 Sam 2:16. The phenomenon appears in Gesenius (§144d) and Joüon and Muraoka (§155e), both of which include our text as examples. However, the translation “one has called his name” is awkward in English due to our lack of a generic pronoun like on in French or man in German. Accordingly, most translations employ the passive construction: “his name has been called,” omitting the subject.[35] This is apparently also how those who produced the Septuagint (LXX) took the Hebrew text, employing a passive rather than an active verb.[36] In conclusion, the translation “his name has been called” works best in English. Mighty Hero Now we broach the question of how to render אֵל גִּבּוֹר el gibbor. As I've already noted, a few translations prefer “mighty hero.” But this reading is problematic since it takes the two words in reverse order. Although in English we typically put an adjective before the noun it modifies, in Hebrew the noun comes first and then any adjectives that act upon it. Taking the phrase as אֵל גִּבּוֹר (gibbor el) makes “mighty” the noun and “God” the adjective. Now since the inner meaning of אֵל (el) is “strong” or “mighty,” and גִּבּוֹר gibbor means “warrior” or “hero,” we can see how translators end up with “mighty warrior” or “divine hero.” Robert Alter offers the following explanation: The most challenging epithet in this sequence is ‘el gibor [sic], which appears to say “warrior-god.” The prophet would be violating all biblical usage if he called the Davidic king “God,” and that term is best construed here as some sort of intensifier. In fact, the two words could conceivably be a scribal reversal of gibor ‘el, in which case the second word would clearly function as a suffix of intensification as it occasionally does elsewhere in the Bible.[37] Please note that Alter's motive for reversing the two words is that the text, as it stands, would violate all biblical usage by calling the Davidic king “God.” But Alter is incorrect. We have another biblical usage calling the Davidic king “God” in Psalm 45:6. We must allow the text to determine interpretation. Changing translation for the sake of theology is allowing the tail to wag the dog. Another reason to doubt “divine warrior” as a translation is that “Wherever ʾēl gibbôr occurs elsewhere in the Bible there is no doubt that the term refers to God (10:21; cf. also Deut. 10:17; Jer. 32:18),” notes John Oswalt.[38] Keil and Delitzsch likewise see Isa 10:21 as the rock upon which these translations suffer shipwreck.[39] “A remnant will return,” says Isa 10:21, “the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.” The previous verse makes it clear that “mighty God” refers to none other than “Yahweh, the holy one of Israel.” Without counter examples elsewhere in the Bible, we lack the basis to defy the traditional ordering of “God” as the noun and “mighty” or “warrior” as the adjective.[40] Mighty God-Man Did Isaiah foresee a human child who would also be the mighty God? Did he suddenly get “a glimpse of the fact that in the fullness of the Godhead there is a plurality of Persons,” as Edward Young thought?[41] Although apologists seeking to prove the deity of Christ routinely push for this reading, other evangelical scholars have expressed doubts about such a bold interpretation.[42] Even Keil and Delitzsch, after zealously batting away Jewish alternatives, admit Isaiah's language would not have suggested an incarnate deity in its original context.[43] Still, it would not be anachronistic to regard a king as a deity in the context of the ancient Near East. We find such exalted language in parallels from Egypt and Assyria in their accession oracles (proclamations given at the time a new king ascends the throne). Taking their cue from the Egyptian practices of bestowing divine throne names upon the Pharaoh's accession to the throne, G. von Rad and A. Alt envisioned a similar practice in Jerusalem. Although quite influential, Wegner has pointed out several major problems with this way of looking at our text: (1) the announcement is to the people in Isa 9:6, not the king; (2) Isa 9:6 does not use adoption language nor call the child God's son; (3) יֶלֶד (yeled), “child,” is never used in accession oracles; (4) the Egyptian parallels have five titles not four as in Isa 9:6; (5) Egyptians employ a different structure for accession oracles than Isa 9:6; and (6) we have no evidence elsewhere that Judean kings imitated the Egyptian custom of bestowing divine titles.[44] Another possibility, argued by R. A. Carlson, is to see the names as anti-Assyrian polemic.[45] Keeping in mind that Assyria was constantly threatening Judah in the lifetime of Isaiah and that the child born was to signal deliverance, it would be no surprise that Isaiah would cast the child as a deliberate counter-Assyrian hero. Still, as Oswalt points out, “[T]he Hebrews did not believe this [that their kings were gods]. They denied that the king was anything more than the representative of God.”[46] Owing to a lack of parallels within Israel and Isaiah's own penchant for strict monotheism,[47] interpreting Isa 9:6 as presenting a God-man is ad hoc at best and outright eisegesis at worst. Furthermore, as I've already noted, the grammar of the passage indicates a historical child who was already born. Thus, if Isaiah meant to teach the deity of the child, we'd have two God-men: Hezekiah and Jesus. Far from a courtly scene of coronation, Wegner makes the case that our text is really a birth announcement in form. Birth announcements have (1) a declaration of the birth, (2) an announcement of the child's name, (3) an explanation of what the name means, and (4) a further prophecy about the child's future.[48] These elements are all present in Isa 9:6, making it a much better candidate for a birth announcement than an accession or coronation oracle. As a result, we should not expect divine titles given to the king like when the Pharaohs or Assyrian kings ascended the throne; instead, we ought to look for names that somehow relate to the child's career. We will delve more into this when we broach the topic of theophoric names. Mighty God's Agent Another possibility is to retain the traditional translation of “mighty God” and see the child as God's agent who bears the title. In fact, the Bible calls Moses[49] and the judges[50] of Israel אֱלֹהִים (elohim), “god(s),” due to their role in representing God. Likewise, as I've already mentioned, the court poet called the Davidic King “god” in Ps 45:6. Additionally, the word אֵל (el), “god,” refers to representatives of Yahweh whether divine (Ps 82:1, 6) or human (John 10.34ff).[51] Thus, Isa 9:6 could be another case in which a deputized human acting as God's agent is referred to as God. The NET nicely explains: [H]aving read the NT, we might in retrospect interpret this title as indicating the coming king's deity, but it is unlikely that Isaiah or his audience would have understood the title in such a bold way. Ps 45:6 addresses the Davidic king as “God” because he ruled and fought as God's representative on earth. …When the king's enemies oppose him on the battlefield, they are, as it were, fighting against God himself.[52] Raymond Brown admits that this “may have been looked on simply as a royal title.”[53] Likewise Williamson sees this possibility as “perfectly acceptable,” though he prefers the theophoric approach.[54] Even the incarnation-affirming Keil and Delitzsch recognize that calling the child אֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor) is “nothing further…than this, that the Messiah would be the image of God as no other man ever had been (cf., El, Ps. 82:1), and that He would have God dwelling within Him (cf., Jer. 33:16).”[55] Edward L. Curtis similarly points out that had Isaiah meant to teach that the child would be an incarnation of Yahweh, he would have “further unfolded and made central this thought” throughout his book.[56] He likewise sees Isa 9:6 not as teaching “the incarnation of a deity” but as a case “not foreign to Hebrew usage to apply divine names to men of exalted position,” citing Exod 21:6 and Ps 82:6 as parallels.[57] Notwithstanding the lexical and scholarly support for this view, not to mention my own previous position[58] on Isa 9:6, I'm no longer convinced that this is the best explanation. It's certainly possible to call people “Gods” because they are his agents, but it is also rare. We'll come to my current view shortly, but for now, let's approach the second controversial title. Eternal Father The word אֲבִיעַד (aviad), “Eternal Father,” is another recognizable appellative for Yahweh. As I mentioned in the introduction, translators have occasionally watered down the phrase, unwilling to accept that a human could receive such a title. But humans who pioneer an activity or invent something new are fathers.[59] Walking in someone's footsteps is metaphorically recognizing him as one's father.[60] Caring for others like a father is yet another way to think about it.[61] Perhaps the child is a father in one of these figurative senses. If we follow Jerome and translate אֲבִיעַד (aviad) as Pater futuri saeculi, “Father of the future age,” we can reconfigure the title, “Eternal Father,” from eternal without beginning to eternal with a beginning but without an end. However, notes Williamson, “There is no parallel to calling the king ‘Father,' rather the king is more usually designated as God's son.”[62] Although we find Yahweh referred to as “Father” twice in Isaiah (Isa 63:16; 64:7), and several more times throughout the Old Testament,[63] the Messiah is not so called. Even in the New Testament we don't see the title applied to Jesus. Although not impossible to be taken as Jesus's fatherly role to play in the age to come, the most natural way to take אֲבִיעַד (aviad) is as a reference to Yahweh. In conclusion, both “mighty God” and “eternal Father” most naturally refer to Yahweh and not the child. If this is so, why is the child named with such divine designations? A Theophoric Name Finally, we are ready to consider the solution to our translation and interpretation woes. Israelites were fond of naming their kids with theophoric names (names that “carry God”). William Holladay explains: Israelite personal names were in general of two sorts. Some of them were descriptive names… But most Israelite personal names were theophoric; that is, they involve a name or title or designation of God, with a verb or adjective or noun which expresses a theological affirmation. Thus “Hezekiah” is a name which means “Yah (= Yahweh) is my strength,” and “Isaiah” is a name which means “Yah (= Yahweh) has brought salvation.” It is obvious that Isaiah is not called “Yahweh”; he bears a name which says something about Yahweh.[64] As Holladay demonstrates, when translating a theophoric name, it is customary to supplement the literal phrase with the verb, “to be.” Hezekiah = “Yah (is) my strength”; Isaiah = “Yah (is) salvation.” Similarly, Elijah means “My God (is) Yah” and Eliab, “My God (is the) Father.” Theophoric names are not about the child; they are about the God of the parents. When we imagine Elijah's mother calling him for dinner, she's literally saying “My God (is) Yah(weh), it's time for dinner.” The child's name served to remind her who her God was. Similarly, these other names spoke of God's strength, salvation, and fatherhood. To interpret the named child of Isa 9:6 correctly, we must look at the previously named children in Isa 7 and 8. In chapter 7 the boy is called “Immanuel,” meaning “God (is) with us” (Isa 7:14). This was a historical child who signaled prophecy. Isaiah said, “For before the boy knows to reject evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be abandoned” (Isa 7:16). In Isa 8:1 we encounter “Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz,” or “The spoil speeds, the prey hastens.”[65] This child has a two-sentence name with an attached prophecy: “For before the boy calls, ‘my father' or ‘my mother,' the strength of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off before the king of Assyria” (Isa 8:4). Both children's sign names did not describe them nor what they would do, but what God would do for his people. Immanuel is a statement of faith. The name means God has not abandoned his people; they can confidently say, “God is with us” (Isa 8:10). Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz does not mean that the child would become a warrior to sack Damascus and seize her spoils, but that God would bring about the despoiling of Judah's enemy. When we encounter a third sign-named child in as many chapters, we are on solid contextual grounds to see this new, longer name in the same light. Isaiah prophecies that this child has the government upon his shoulder, sits on the throne of David, and will establish a lasting period of justice and righteousness (Isa 9:5, 7). This child bears the name “Pele-Yoets-El-Gibbor-Aviad-Sar-Shalom.” The name describes his parents' God, the mighty God, the eternal Father. Although this perspective has not yet won the day, it is well attested in a surprising breadth of resources. Already in 1867, Samuel David Luzzatto put forward this position.[66] The Jewish Publication Society concurred in their 2014 study Bible: Semitic names often consist of sentences that describe God … These names do not describe that person who holds them but the god whom the parents worship. Similarly, the name given to the child in this v. does not describe that child or attribute divinity to him, but describes God's actions.[67] The New Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV) footnote on Isa. 9:6 says, “As in many Israelite personal names, the deity, not the person named, is being described.”[68] Additional scholars advocating the view also include Holladay (1978), Wegner (1992), Goldingay (1999, 2015), and Williamson (2018). Even so, Keil and Delitzsch eschew “such a sesquipedalian name,” calling it “unskillful,” and arguing that it would be impractical “to be uttered in one breath.”[69] But this is to take the idea too literally. No one is going to actually call the child by this name. John Goldingay helpfully explains: So he has that complicated name, “An-extraordinary-counselor-is-the-warrior-God, the-everlasting-Father-is-an-officer-for-well-being.” Like earlier names in Isaiah (God-is-with-us, Remains-Will-Return, Plunder-hurries-loot-rushes), the name is a sentence. None of these names are the person's everyday name—as when the New Testament says that Jesus will be called Immanuel, “God [is] with us,” without meaning this expression is Jesus' name. Rather, the person somehow stands for whatever the “name” says. God gives him a sign of the truth of the expression attached to him. The names don't mean that the person is God with us, or is the remains, or is the plunder, and likewise this new name doesn't mean the child is what the name says. Rather he is a sign and guarantee of it. It's as if he goes around bearing a billboard with that message and with the reminder that God commissioned the billboard.[70] Still, there's the question of identifying Yahweh as שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם (sar shalom). Since most of our translations render the phrase “Prince of Peace,” and the common meaning of a prince is someone inferior to the king, we turn away from labeling God with this title. Although HALOT mentions “representative of the king, official” for the first definition their second is “person of note, commander.”[71] The BDB glosses “chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince” as their first entry.[72] Wegner adds: “The book of Isaiah also appears to use the word sar in the general sense of “ruler.””[73] Still, we must ask, is it reasonable to think of Yahweh as a שַׂר (sar)? We find the phrase שַׂר־הַצָּבָא (sar-hatsava), “prince of hosts,” in Daniel 8:11 and שַׂר־שָׂרִים (sar-sarim), “prince of princes,” in verse 25, where both refer to God.[74]  The UBS Translators' Handbook recommends “God, the chief of the heavenly army” for verse 11 and “the greatest of all kings” for verse 25.[75] The handbook discourages using “prince,” since “the English word ‘prince' does not mean the ruler himself but rather the son of the ruler, while the Hebrew term always designates a ruler, not at all implying son of a ruler.”[76] I suggest applying this same logic to Isa 9:6. Rather than translating שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם (sar shalom) as “Prince of Peace,” we can render it, “Ruler of Peace” or “Ruler who brings peace.” Translating the Name Sentences Now that I've laid out the case for the theophoric approach, let's consider translation possibilities. Wegner writes, “the whole name should be divided into two parallel units each containing one theophoric element.”[77] This makes sense considering the structure of Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which translates two parallel name sentences: “The spoil speeds, the prey hastens.” Here are a few options for translating the name. Jewish Publication Society (1917) Wonderful in counsel is God the Mighty, the Everlasting Father, the Ruler of peace[78] William Holladay (1978) Planner of wonders; God the war hero (is) Father forever; prince of well-being[79] New Jewish Publication Society (1985) The Mighty God is planning grace; The Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler[80] John Goldingay (1999) One who plans a wonder is the warrior God; the father for ever is a commander who brings peace[81] John Goldingay (2015) An-extraordinary-counselor-is-the-warrior-God, the-everlasting-Fathers-is-an-official-for-well-being[82] Hugh Williamson (2018) A Wonderful Planner is the Mighty God, An Eternal Father is the Prince of Peace[83] My Translation (2024) The warrior God is a miraculous strategist; the eternal Father is the ruler who brings peace[84] I prefer to translate אֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor) as “warrior God” rather than “mighty God” because the context is martial, and  גִּבּוֹר(gibbor) often refers to those fighting in war.[85] “Mighty God” is ambiguous, and easily decontextualized from the setting of Isa 9:6. After all, Isa 9:4-5 tells a great victory “as on the day of Midian”—a victory so complete that they burn “all the boots of the tramping warriors” in the fire. The word פֶּלֶא (pele), though often translated “wonderful,” is actually the word for “miracle,” and יוֹעֵץ (yoets) is a participle meaning “adviser” or “planner.” Since the context is war, this “miracle of an adviser” or “miraculous planner” refers to military plans—what we call strategy, hence, “miraculous strategist.” Amazingly, the tactic God employed in the time of Hezekiah was to send out an angel during the night who “struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians” (Isa 37:36). This was evidently the warrior God's miraculous plan to remove the threat of Assyria from Jerusalem's doorstep. Prophecies about the coming day of God when he sends Jesus Christ—the true and better Hezekiah—likewise foretell of an even greater victory over the nations.[86] In fact, just two chapters later we find a messianic prophecy of one who will “strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked” (Isa 11:4). The next phrase, “The eternal Father,” needs little comment since God's eternality and fatherhood are both noncontroversial and multiply attested. Literally translated, שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם (sar-shalom) is “Ruler of peace,” but I take the word pair as a genitive of product.[87] Williamson unpacks this meaning as “the one who is able to initiate and maintain Peace.”[88] That his actions in the time of Hezekiah brought peace is a matter of history. After a huge portion of the Assyrian army died, King Sennacherib went back to Nineveh, where his sons murdered him (Isa 37:37-38). For decades, Judah continued to live in her homeland. Thus, this child's birth signaled the beginning of the end for Assyria. In fact, the empire itself eventually imploded, a fate that, at Hezekiah's birth, must have seemed utterly unthinkable. Of course, the ultimate peace God will bring through his Messiah will far outshine what Hezekiah achieved.[89] Conclusion We began by considering the phraseוַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ  (vayikra sh'mo). We noted that the tense is perfect, which justifies a past-tense interpretation of the child who had already been born by the time of the birth announcement. I presented the case for Hezekiah as the initial referent of Isa 9:6 based on the fact that Hezekiah’s life overlapped with Isaiah’s, that he sat on the throne of David (v7), and that his reign saw the miraculous deliverance from Assyria's army. Furthermore, I noted that identifying the child of Isa 9:6 as Hezekiah does not preclude a true and better one to come. Although Isa 9:6 does not show up in the New Testament, I agree with the majority of Christians who recognize this text as a messianic prophecy, especially when combined with verse 7. Next we puzzled over the subject for phraseוַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ  (vayikra sh'mo.) Two options are that the phrase פֶּלֶא יוֹעֵץ אֵל גִּבּוֹר (pele yoets el gibbor) functions as the subject or else the subject is indefinite. Although the Jewish interpreters overwhelmingly favor the former, the lack of definite articles and parallel constructions in Isaiah make me think the latter is more likely. Still, the Jewish approach to translation is a legitimate possibility. I explained how a passive voice makes sense in English since it hides the subject, and settled on “his name has been called,” as the best translation. Then we looked at the phrase אֵל גִּבּוֹר (el gibbor) and considered the option of switching the order of the words and taking the first as the modifier of the second as in “mighty hero” or “divine warrior.” We explored the possibility that Isaiah was ascribing deity to the newborn child. We looked at the idea of Isaiah calling the boy “Mighty God” because he represented God. In the end we concluded that these all are less likely than taking God as the referent, especially in light of the identical phrase in Isa 10:21 where it unambiguously refers to Yahweh. Moving on to אֲבִיעַד (aviad), we considered the possibility that “father” could refer to someone who started something significant and “eternal” could merely designate a coming age. Once again, though these are both possible readings, they are strained and ad hoc, lacking any indication in the text to signal a non-straightforward reading. So, as with “Mighty God,” I also take “Eternal Father” as simple references to God and not the child. Finally, we explored the notion of theophoric names. Leaning on two mainstream Bible translations and five scholars, from Luzzatto to Williamson, we saw that this lesser-known approach is quite attractive. Not only does it take the grammar at face value, it also explains how a human being could be named “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father.” The name describes God and not the child who bears it. Lastly, drawing on the work of the Jewish Publication Society, Goldingay, and Williamson, I proposed the translation: “The warrior God is a miraculous strategist; the eternal Father is the ruler who brings peace.” This rendering preserves the martial context of Isa 9:6 and glosses each word according to its most common definition. I added in the verb “is” twice as is customary when translating theophoric names. The result is a translation that recognizes God as the focus and not the child. This fits best in the immediate context, assuming Hezekiah is the original referent. After all, his greatest moment was not charging out ahead of a column of soldiers, but his entering the house of Yahweh and praying for salvation. God took care of everything else. Likewise, the ultimate Son of David will have God's spirit influencing him: a spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of God (Isa 11:2). The eternal Father will so direct his anointed that he will “not judge by what his eyes see or decide by what his ears hear” (Isa 11:3). In his days God will bring about a shalom so deep that even the animals will become peaceful (Isa 11:6-8). An advantage of this reading of Isa 9:6 is that it is compatible with the full range of christological positions Christians hold. Secondly, this approach nicely fits with the original meaning in Isaiah’s day, and it works for the prophecy’s ultimate referent in Christ Jesus. Additionally, it is the interpretation with the least amount of special pleading. Finally, it puts everything into the correct order, allowing exegesis to drive theology rather than the other way around. Bibliography Kohlenberger/Mounce Concise Hebrew-Aramaic Dictionary of the Old Testament. Altamonte Springs: OakTree Software, 2012. The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text: A New Translation. Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 1917. The Jewish Study Bible. Edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler. Second ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014. Net Bible, Full Notes Edition. Edited by W. Hall Harris III James Davis, and Michael H. Burer. 2nd ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2019. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. Edited by Carol A. Newsom Marc Z. Brettler, Pheme Perkins. Third ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. The Stone Edition of the Tanach. Edited by Nosson Scherman and Meir Zlotowitz. Brooklyn, NY: Artscroll, 1996. Tanakh, the Holy Scriptures: The New Jps Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text. 4th, Reprint. Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 1985. Translation of Targum Onkelos and Jonathan. Translated by Eidon Clem. Altamonte Springs, FL: OakTree Software, 2015. Alter, Rober. The Hebrew Bible: Prophets, Nevi’im. Vol. 2. 3 vols. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2019. Ashkenazi, Jacob ben Isaac. Tze’enah Ure’enah: A Critical Translation into English. Translated by Morris M. Faierstein. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2017. https://www.sefaria.org/Tze’enah_Ure’enah%2C_Haftarot%2C_Yitro.31?lang=bi&with=About&lang2=en. Baumgartner, Ludwig Koehler and Walter. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Edited by M. E. J. Richardson. Leiden: Brill, 2000. Brown, Raymond E. Jesus: God and Man, edited by 3. New York: Macmillan, 1967. Carlson, R. A. “The Anti-Assyrian Character of the Oracle in Is. Ix, 1-6.” Vetus Testamentum, no. 24 (1974): 130-5. Curtis, Edward L. “The Prophecy Concerning the Child of the Four Names: Isaiah Ix., 6, 7.” The Old and New Testament Student 11, no. 6 (1890): 336-41. Delitzsch, C. F. Keil and F. Commentary on the Old Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996. Finnegan, Sean. “Jesus Is God: Exploring the Notion of Representational Deity.” Paper presented at the One God Seminar, Seattle, WA, 2008, https://restitutio.org/2016/01/11/explanations-to-verses-commonly-used-to-teach-that-jesus-is-god/. Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs. The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996. Gesenius, Wilhelm. Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar. Edited by E. Kautzsch and A. E. Cowley. 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1910. Goldingay, John. “The Compound Name in Isaiah 9:5(6).” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 61, no. 2 (1999): 239-44. Goldingay, John. Isaiah for Everyone. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2015. Holladay, William L. Isaiah: Scroll of Prophetic Heritage. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1978. III, Ben Witherington. Isaiah Old and New. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2017. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1ggjhbz.7. Luzzatto, Samuel David. Shi’ur Komah. Padua, IT: Antonio Bianchi, 1867. O’Connor, Bruce K. Waltke and Michael P. An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax. Winona Lake, IN: Esenbrauns, 1990. Ogden, Graham S., and Jan Sterk. A Handbook on Isaiah. Ubs Translator's Handbooks. New York: United Bible Societies, 2011. Oswalt, John. The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1-39. Nicot. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1986. Péter-Contesse, René and John Ellington. A Handbook on Daniel. Ubs Translator’s Handbooks. New York, NY: United Bible Societies, 1993. Roberts, J. J. M. First Isaiah. Vol. 23A. Hermeneia, edited by Peter Machinist. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001. Thayer, Joseph Henry. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996. Walter Bauer, Frederick W. Danker, William F. Arndt, F. Wilbur Gingrich. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. Wegner, Paul D. “A Re-Examination of Isaiah Ix 1-6.” Vetus Testamentum 42, no. 1 (1992): 103-12. Williamson, H. G. M. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Isaiah 1-27. Vol. 2. International Critical Commentary, edited by G. I. Davies and C. M. Tuckett. New York: Bloomsbury, 2018. Yitzchaki, Shlomo. Complete Tanach with Rashi. Translated by A. J. Rosenberg. Chicago, IL: Davka Corp, 1998. https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Isaiah.9.5.2?lang=bi&with=About&lang2=en. Young, Edward J. The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 1-18. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1965. End Notes [1] Throughout I'll refer to Isaiah 9:6 based on the versification used in English translations. Hebrew Bibles shift the count by one, so the same verse is Isaiah 9:5. [2] Paul D. Wegner, “A Re-Examination of Isaiah Ix 1-6,” Vetus Testamentum 42, no. 1 (1992): 103. [3] BHS is the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, the standard Hebrew text based on the Leningrad Codex, a medieval Masoretic text. [4] In Hebrew the perfect tense roughly maps onto English past tense and the imperfect tense to future tense. [5] See NRSVUE, ESV, NASB20, NIV, NET, LSB, NLT, NKJ, ASV, KJV. [6] See translations by Robert Alter, James Moffat, and Duncan Heaster.  Also see Westminster Commentary, Cambridge Bible Commentary, New Century Bible Commentary, and The Daily Study Bible. [7] See New English Bible. [8] See Ibn Ezra. [9] See An American Testament. [10] “Held” means “hero” in German. In the Luther Bible (1545), he translated the phrase as “und er heißt Wunderbar, Rat, Kraft, Held, Ewig -Vater, Friedefürst,” separating power (Kraft = El) and hero (Held = Gibbor) whereas in the 1912 revision we read, “er heißt Wunderbar, Rat, Held, Ewig-Vater Friedefürst,” which reduced el gibbor to “Held” (hero). [11] See fn 4 above. [12] See New American Bible Revised Edition and An American Testament. [13] See New English Bible and James Moffatt's translation. [14] See Ibn Ezra. [15] See Duncan Heaster's New European Version. [16] See Word Biblical Commentary. [17] See Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, the Koren Jerusalem Bible, and the Complete Jewish Bible. [18] In the Dead Sea Scrolls, 1QIsaa 8.24 reads “וקרא,” the vav-conversed form of “קרא,” translated “he will call,” an active future tense. This reading is implausible considering the unambiguous past tense of the two initial clauses that began verse 6: “a child has been born…a son has been given.” [19] “Here the Hebrew begins to use imperfect verb forms with the conjunction often rendered “and.” These verbs continue the tense of the perfect verb forms used in the previous lines. They refer to a state or situation that now exists, so they may be rendered with the present tense in English. Some translations continue to use a perfect tense here (so NJB, NJPSV, FRCL), which is better.” Graham S. Ogden, and Jan Sterk, A Handbook on Isaiah, Ubs Translator's Handbooks (New York: United Bible Societies, 2011). [20] H. G. M. Williamson, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Isaiah 1-27, vol. 2, International Critical Commentary, ed. G. I. Davies and C. M. Tuckett (New York: Bloomsbury, 2018), 371. [21] Wilhelm Gesenius, Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar, ed. E. Kautzsch and A. E. Cowley, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1910), §106n. [22] Bruce K. Waltke and Michael P. O’Connor, An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax (Winona Lake, IN: Esenbrauns, 1990), §30.5.1e. [23] John Goldingay takes a “both-and” position, recognizing that Isaiah was speaking by faith of what God would do in the future, but also seeing the birth of the son to the king as having already happened by the time of the prophecy. John Goldingay, Isaiah for Everyone (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2015), 42. [24] Jewish authors include Rashi, A. E. Kimchi, Abravanel, Malbim, and Luzzatto. [25] See 2 Kings 18:3-7. [26] Unless otherwise noted, all translations are my own. [27] J. J. M. Roberts, First Isaiah, vol. 23A, Hermeneia, ed. Peter Machinist (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001), 153. [28] Ben Witherington III, Isaiah Old and New (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2017), 95-6, 99-100. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1ggjhbz.7. [29] Translation of Targum Onkelos and Jonathan, trans. Eidon Clem (Altamonte Springs, FL: OakTree Software, 2015). [30] Shlomo Yitzchaki, Complete Tanach with Rashi, trans. A. J. Rosenberg (Chicago, IL: Davka Corp, 1998). https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Isaiah.9.5.2?lang=bi&with=About&lang2=en. [31] Jacob ben Isaac Ashkenazi, Tze’enah Ure’enah: A Critical Translation into English, trans. Morris M. Faierstein (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2017). https://www.sefaria.org/Tze’enah_Ure’enah%2C_Haftarot%2C_Yitro.31?lang=bi&with=About&lang2=en. [32] Square brackets in original. The Stone Edition of the Tanach, ed. Nosson Scherman and Meir Zlotowitz (Brooklyn, NY: Artscroll, 1996). [33] Net Bible, Full Notes Edition, ed. W. Hall Harris III James Davis, and Michael H. Burer, 2nd ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2019), 1266. [34] C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 249-50. [35] As mentioned above, the Hebrew is not actually passive. [36] The LXX reads “καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ” (kai kaleitai to onoma autou), which means “and his name is called.” [37] Rober Alter, The Hebrew Bible: Prophets, Nevi’im, vol. 2, 3 vols. (New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2019), 651. [38] John Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1-39, Nicot (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1986), 247. [39] Delitzsch, 252. [40] The אֵלֵי גִבּוֹרִים (eley gibborim) of Ezek 32.21 although morphologically suggestive of a plural form of el gibbor, is not a suitable parallel to Isa 9:6 since אֵלֵי (eley) is the plural of אַיִל (ayil), meaning “chief” not אֵל (el). Thus, the translation “mighty chiefs” or “warrior rulers” takes eley as the noun and gibborim as the adjective and does not actually reverse them. [41] Edward J. Young, The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 1-18, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1965), 338. [42] Translator's note A on Isa 9:6 in the NET states, “[I]t is unlikely that Isaiah or his audience would have understood the title in such a bold way.” Net Bible, Full Notes Edition, 1267. [43] “The Messiah is the corporeal presence of this mighty God; for He is with Him, He is in Him, and in Him He is with Israel. The expression did not preclude the fact that the Messiah would be God and man in one person; but it did not penetrate to this depth, so far as the Old Testament consciousness was concerned.” Delitzsch, 253. [44] See Wegner 104-5. [45] See R. A. Carlson, “The Anti-Assyrian Character of the Oracle in Is. Ix, 1-6,” Vetus Testamentum, no. 24 (1974). [46] Oswalt, 246. [47] Isa 43:10-11; 44:6, 8; 45:5-6, 18, 21-22; 46:9. Deut 17:14-20 lays out the expectations for an Israelite king, many of which limit his power and restrict his exaltation, making deification untenable. [48] Wegner 108. [49] See Exod 4:16; 7:1. The word “God” can apply to “any person characterized by greatness or power: mighty one, great one, judge,” s.v. “אֱלֹהִים” in Kohlenberger/Mounce Concise Hebrew-Aramaic Dictionary of the Old Testament.. The BDAG concurs, adding that a God is “that which is nontranscendent but considered worthy of special reverence or respect… of humans θεοί (as אֱלֹהִים) J[ohn] 10:34f (Ps 81:6; humans are called θ. in the OT also Ex 7:1; 22:27,” s.v. “θεός” in A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. [50] See Exod 21.6; 22:8-9. The BDB includes the definition, “rulers, judges, either as divine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power,” s.v. “אֱלֹהִים” in The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon [51] Thayer points this out in his lexicon: “Hebraistically, equivalent to God’s representative or vicegerent, of magistrates and judges, John 10:34f after Ps. 81:6 (Ps. 82:6)” s.v. “θέος” in A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [52] Net Bible, Full Notes Edition, 1267. [53] Raymond E. Brown, Jesus: God and Man, ed. 3 (New York: Macmillan, 1967), 25. [54] Williamson, 397. [55] Delitzsch, 253. See also fn 40 above. [56] Edward L. Curtis, “The Prophecy Concerning the Child of the Four Names: Isaiah Ix., 6, 7,” The Old and New Testament Student 11, no. 6 (1890): 339. [57] Ibid. [58] Sean Finnegan, “Jesus Is God: Exploring the Notion of Representational Deity” (paper presented at the One God Seminar, Seattle, WA2008), https://restitutio.org/2016/01/11/explanations-to-verses-commonly-used-to-teach-that-jesus-is-god/. [59] Jabal was the father of those who live in tents and have livestock (Gen 4:20) and Jubal was the father of those who play the lyre and the pipe (Gen 4:21). [60] Jesus told his critics, “You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father's desires” (John 8:44). [61] Job called himself “a father to the needy” (Job 29:16) and Isaiah prophesied that Eliakim would be “a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (Isa 22:21). [62] Williamson, 397. [63] For references to Yahweh as father to the people see Deut 32:6; Ps 103:13; Prov 3:12; Jer 3:4; 31.9; Mal 1.6; 2:10. For Yahweh as father to the messiah see 2 Sam 7:14; 1 Chron 7:13; 28:6; Ps 89:27. [64] William L. Holladay, Isaiah: Scroll of Prophetic Heritage (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1978), 108. [65] See NRSVUE fn on Isa 8:1. [66] והנה המכוון במאמר פלא יועץ וגו’ הוא כי האל הגבור שהוא אבי עד ואדון השלום, הוא יועץ וגוזר לעשות פלא לישראל בזמן ממלכת הילד הנולד היום, ואח”כ מפרש למרבה המשרה וגו’. ולפי הפירוש הזה לא לחנם האריך כאן בתארי האל, כי כוונת הנביא לרמוז כי בבוא הפלא שהאל יועץ וגוזר עתה, יוודע שהוא אל גבור ובעל היכולת ושהוא אב לעד, ולא יפר בריתו עם בניו בני ישראל, ולא ישכח את ברית אבותם. ושהוא אדון השלום ואוהב השלום, ולא יאהב העריצים אשר כל חפצם לנתוש ולנתוץ ולהאביד ולהרוס, אבל הוא משפילם עד עפר, ונותן שלום בארץ, כמו שראינו בכל הדורות. Chat GPT translation: “And behold, the intention in the phrase ‘Wonderful Counselor’ and so on is that the mighty God, who is the Eternal Father and the Prince of Peace, is the Counselor and decrees to perform a wonder for Israel at the time of the reign of the child born today. Afterwards, it is explained as ‘to increase the dominion’ and so on. According to this interpretation, it is not in vain that the prophet elaborates on the attributes of God here, for the prophet’s intention is to hint that when the wonder that God now advises and decrees comes about, it will be known that He is the Mighty God and possesses the ability and that He is the Eternal Father. He will not break His covenant with His sons, the children of Israel, nor forget the covenant of their ancestors. He is the Prince of Peace and loves peace, and He will not favor the oppressors whose every desire is to tear apart, destroy, and obliterate, but He will humble them to the dust and grant peace to the land, as we have seen throughout the generations.” Samuel David Luzzatto, Shi’ur Komah (Padua, IT: Antonio Bianchi, 1867). Accessible at Sefaria and the National Library of Israel. [67]The Jewish Study Bible, ed. Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, Second ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), 784. [68] The New Oxford Annotated Bible, ed. Carol A. Newsom Marc Z. Brettler, Pheme Perkins, Third ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001), 991. [69] Delitzsch, 249. [70] Goldingay, 42-3. [71] Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, ed. M. E. J. Richardson (Leiden: Brill, 2000). [72] See s.v. “שַׂר” in The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon [73] Wegner 112. [74] Keil and Delitzsch say the sar of Dan 8:11 refers to “the God of heaven and the King of Israel, the Prince of princes, as He is called in v. 25,” Delitzsch, 297. [75] René and John Ellington Péter-Contesse, A Handbook on Daniel, Ubs Translator’s Handbooks (New York, NY: United Bible Societies, 1993). [76] Ibid. [77] Wegner 110-1. [78] The main text transliterates “Pele-joez-el-gibbor-/Abi-ad-sar-shalom,” while the footnote translates as indicated above. The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text: A New Translation (Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 1917), 575. [79] Holladay, 109. [80] Tanakh, the Holy Scriptures: The New Jps Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text (4th: repr., Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 1985), 634. [81] John Goldingay, “The Compound Name in Isaiah 9:5(6),” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 61, no. 2 (1999): 243. [82] Goldingay, Isaiah for Everyone, 40. [83] Williamson, 355. [84] An alternative is “The warrior God is planning a miracle; the eternal Father is the ruler of peace.” [85] For גִּבּוֹר in a military context, see 1 Sam 17:51; 2 Sam 20.7; 2 Kgs 24:16; Isa 21.17; Jer 48:41; Eze 39:20; and Joel 2:7; 3:9. [86] See 2 Thess 2:8 and Rev 19:11-21 (cp. Dan 7:13-14). [87] See Gesenius § 128q, which describes a genitive of “statements of the purpose for which something is intended.” [88] Williamson, 401. [89] Isaiah tells of a time when God will “judge between nations,” resulting in the conversion of the weapons of war into the tools of agriculture and a lasting era when “nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more” (Isa 2:4).

Wednesday, 25 September 2024   “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: Matthew 4:15   “Land Zebulun and land Naphtali, Way of the sea, beyond the Jordan – Galilee of the Gentiles” (CG).   The previous verse gave an introduction to Isaiah's words, saying “That it might be fulfilled, the ‘having been spoken' through Isaiah the prophet.” Now, the specific words of prophecy are cited by Matthew, beginning with, “Land Zebulun and land Naphtali.”   The words come from Isaiah 9, the first seven verses of which are filled with descriptions of the coming Messiah. Matthew's citation is not directly from the Hebrew or the Greek. Rather, it appears that he was writing from memory and giving the substance of what he knew.   Isaiah's words are directed to the area of two tribes that sat north in the land of Israel. Naphtali extended to the northern border of Canaan. Its eastern border rested along the Jordan and the Sea of Galilee. Zebulun's border ran next to Naphtali in approximately its southwest area. Isaiah's words are addressed to this particular area, next noting, “Way of the sea.”   The sea is speaking of the Sea of Galilee. There is a route that leads to these areas by going around the sea, but so close to the sea that it is considered a sea highway. The next words of Isaiah, “beyond the Jordan,” are usually ignored or completely misunderstood.   The word is peran. It means over, on the other side, beyond, etc. It answers to the Hebrew noun ever, the region across or beyond. Both give the sense of a location that is opposite to the point of reference. However, Naphtali and Zebulun are within the borders of Canaan. Therefore, it seems like the thought is erroneous.   Why would a prophecy about these two tribal inheritances be given as if from across the Jordan when Isaiah was clearly in Jerusalem on the west side of the Jordan? Because of this, the words are ignored at times. Some say that they are speaking of the two areas as a base for Jesus' evangelism on the other side of the Jordan (something not indicated by the words of Isaiah). Others will note it means something like what Albert Barnes says –   “This does not mean to the east of Jordan, as the phrase sometimes denotes, but rather in the vicinity of the Jordan, or perhaps in the vicinity of the sources of the Jordan.”   Such a notion is incorrect. The word means the other side, beyond, etc., and it is used here as if from the area east of the Jordan. It does not mean “in the vicinity of.” The answer comes from looking at the fuller words of Isaiah in the surrounding context. Isaiah 8:1-10 refers to the invasion of Assyria. For example –   “Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, ‘Call his name 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 will be taken away before the king of Assyria.'” Isaiah 8:3, 4   The rest of Isaiah 8 will then describe the state of the people within the land, ending with the words, “Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.” It is from this springboard that the majestic words of hope come forth in Isaiah 9.   Therefore, the words “beyond the Jordan” refer to the area of the land of Israel's northern kingdom, which included Zebulun and Naphtali, but they are spoken from the perspective of Assyria which is east of the Jordan. It is in this area that hundreds of years later, the Messiah would bring hope to a land that had been through so much anguish and darkness at the time of Isaiah.   It is a land that still languished spiritually at the time of the coming of Christ Jesus. Understanding the reference to Isaiah's words clears up the otherwise seemingly incomprehensible words. From this springboard, Matthew continues with, “Galilee of the Gentiles.”   This area contained land given to the Gentile king of Tyre, Hiram as recorded in 1 Kings 9. It was later invaded by Assyria, and the people of the northern kingdom were taken into exile. From there, the Assyrians took Gentile people and moved them into the area as noted in 2 Kings 17:24, 25.   Because of problems within the land, one of the priests of Israel was sent back to instruct these new inhabitants how to live there properly (1 Kings 17:27, 28). From there, the account says –   “However every nation continued to make gods of its own, and put them in the shrines on the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities where they dwelt. 30 The men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31 and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32 So they feared the Lord, and from every class they appointed for themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. 33 They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.” 1 Kings 17:29-33   The pagan practices never really departed from the area and it always remained a place without the light of the Lord. This is why the Jews of Jesus' time who lived in the north and who would travel to Jerusalem would avoid Samaria. It was a place that developed its own worship of the Lord with its own modified version of the writings of Moses known as the Samaritan Pentateuch.   It is to this land of spiritual gloom that Isaiah's prophecy is directed.   Life application: Studying the Bible, contemplating its difficult passages, and keeping things in context is fun. Be sure to study your Bible, carefully contemplate passages that are difficult, and consider the context of what is being said. If you do these things, you will have fun while rightly learning what the Bible is telling you.   How marvelous it is to learn the wonderful word You have given us, O God. Help us always to consider the context of what we are reading so that we don't form erroneous conclusions about what is being said. Your word is far too important to mishandle it simply for the sake of convenience. Give us wisdom in its mysteries, O God. Amen.  

Why did God give Isaiah's son such a peculiar name? Find out with Nathan Jones and Vic Batista on the podcast, The Truth Will Set You Free!

Introduction Approaching the end of what is often called the ‘Book of Immanuel' Last cycle of messages is illustrated by Isaiah & his sons Isa. 9:8-10:19 – Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (quick to plunder, swift to spoil) [ Isa. 10:2 ] Isa. 10:20-34 – Shear-Jashub (a remnant shall return) [ Isa. 10:21 ] Isa.…

Joel Radford – Will Christ save you or break you? – Isaiah 8:1-15   8 The Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.”[a] 2 So I called in Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses for me. 3 Then I made love to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to […]

Isaiah 7-8 are chapters that contain some of the most enduring and influential words of prophecy of the Hebrew Bible. What insights can be gained by reading these chapters in Hebrew? In this episode, Matthew (M.A. Biblical Literature and Semitic Languages) shares a variety of interesting and meaningful ideas from reading this section of Isaiah in Hebrew. All of the content is shared in such a way that people of all different levels of Hebrew (or no Hebrew at all!) can enjoy this episode.  Chapters0:27-2:44: Intro2:45-4:32: Narrative Context 4:33-9:17: Isaiah 7:1-17 in Hebrew9:18-11:50: Isaiah 7:1-17 in English11:51-13:15: Isaiah 8:1-3 in Hebrew and English13:16-21:37: Hebrew “Sound-play” Fear, Assurance, and Conspiracy21:38-27:18: Isaiah's First Word to Ahaz and its Connection to Covenant27:19-31:07: The Archaeology of Isaiah's First Word to Ahaz31:08-36:07: Stumps or Tails? Another Covenant Connection36:08-38:40: Faith and the Most Popular Wordplay of the Hebrew Bible38:41-41:05: Intertextuality and Possible Influence of Isaiah on Historians41:06-42:53: Singular and Plural: Speaking to the People through the King43:40-45:49: "Isaiah" in Hebrew45:50-46:46: "Shear-Jashub" in Hebrew46:47-47:40: "Emmanuel" in Hebrew47:41-50:06: "Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz" in Hebrew50:07-57:01: "Tabeel" in Hebrew57:02-1:02:17: "Ahaz" in Hebrew1:02:18-1:04:18: Thoughts on the Message for TodayJoin the Hebrew Bible Book Club ⁠https://www.patreon.com/hebrewbibleinsights WHERE TO FIND US Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/hebrewbibleinsights⁠ YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLRSNQ7xVw7PjQ5FnqYmSDA⁠ Podcast Platforms: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2268028/share Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/_hebrewbibleinsights/⁠ TikTok: ⁠www.tiktok.com/@hebrewbibleinsights⁠ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/HebrewBibleInsights⁠ Threads: ⁠https://www.threads.net/@_hebrewbibleinsights⁠ Website: ⁠https://www.hebrewbibleinsights.com

This world we live in needs hope. The people in your life, who do not yet know Jesus, need hope. And the culture we live in provides little more than empty promises and vain hope. And this season where much of the world pauses to celebrate Christmas provides one of the best opportunities to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ. Hope for a world in need. Wrapped in swaddling cloths. Lying in a manger. We will be concluding our short Nativity series in our Christmas Eve services this Saturday and Sunday as we look at the last of the three babies, Jesus, the son of Joseph and Mary. He is the fulfillment of the promise and hope given in the births of the two previous babies, Seth and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. To catch up on those messages, check out the sermon archive. Series: Three Babies; One Promise Todd Dugard Message: 3 – Joseph & Mary's baby, Jesus (Fulfillment) Harvest Bible Chapel Text: Matthew 1:1-25 December 23 & 24, 2023 Will you believe God for the ultimate fulfillment of his promise? Recognize what's wrong (v. 18-19) See it in terms of the human condition (v. 1-17) Romans 3:23 Understand the divine remedy (v. 20-23) Embrace the redemptive plan (v. 24-25)

This world we live in needs hope. The people in your life, who do not yet know Jesus, need hope. And the culture we live in provides little more than empty promises and vain hope. And this season where much of the world pauses to celebrate Christmas provides one of the best opportunities to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ. Hope for a world in need. Wrapped in swaddling cloths. Lying in a manger. We will be concluding our short Nativity series in our Christmas Eve services this Saturday and Sunday as we look at the last of the three babies, Jesus, the son of Joseph and Mary. He is the fulfillment of the promise and hope given in the births of the two previous babies, Seth and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. To catch up on those messages, check out the sermon archive. Series: Three Babies; One Promise Todd Dugard Message: 3 – Joseph & Mary's baby, Jesus (Fulfillment) Harvest Bible Chapel Text: Matthew 1:1-25 December 23 & 24, 2023 Will you believe God for the ultimate fulfillment of his promise? Recognize what's wrong (v. 18-19) See it in terms of the human condition (v. 1-17) Romans 3:23 Understand the divine remedy (v. 20-23) Embrace the redemptive plan (v. 24-25)

You've probably heard this saying before: “Faith over fear.” It's one of those classic Christian cliches that is undeniably true but can be categorically unhelpful, especially when it's offered up carelessly in the throes of a challenging season. Our world isn't helpful in this by the way. Peace and hope don't get the same kind of attention that fear does. News outlets, social media pages, politicians and more breed fear by stoking the fires of our emotions through picking the worst possible stories to report on or depicting current events as one more rung on the ladder down to a dystopian nightmare or seeking to get our support by causing us to fear the “other team” and what they might do if they get elected. No wonder doom scrolling has become such a problem. All around us all we see is fear, fear, fear. The question this all comes down to, ultimately, is this: who will you trust? That was the case for the nation of Judah and King Ahaz as they found themselves in the middle of a seemingly dire set of circumstances. But in the middle of it all, God's Word came to them through the prophet Isaiah. God's promises came to them, personified in a baby born then, to remind them of who God is and what he said he will do. That child was a picture of the greater promise God would fulfill in another baby born hundreds of years later, who would be the hope for the world. God fulfills his promises, and his word for us today is the same as it was to his people so many years ago: trust me. Series: Three Babies; One Promise Jordan Coros Message: 2 – Isaiah & His Wife's Baby: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (Hope) Harvest Bible Chapel Text: Isaiah 7-8 December 17, 2023 Will you believe God's promise for an eternal hope? ...Recognize what's wrong (7:1-9) 2 Kings 16:2–3 ...See it in terms of the human condition (7:10-12) Man's nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols. Man's mind, full as it is of pride and boldness, dares to imagine a god according to its own capacity. John Calvin ...Understand the divine remedy (7:13-25; 8:1-10) ...Embrace the redemptive plan (8:11-22; Matthew 1:20-23)

You've probably heard this saying before: “Faith over fear.” It's one of those classic Christian cliches that is undeniably true but can be categorically unhelpful, especially when it's offered up carelessly in the throes of a challenging season. Our world isn't helpful in this by the way. Peace and hope don't get the same kind of attention that fear does. News outlets, social media pages, politicians and more breed fear by stoking the fires of our emotions through picking the worst possible stories to report on or depicting current events as one more rung on the ladder down to a dystopian nightmare or seeking to get our support by causing us to fear the “other team” and what they might do if they get elected. No wonder doom scrolling has become such a problem. All around us all we see is fear, fear, fear. The question this all comes down to, ultimately, is this: who will you trust? That was the case for the nation of Judah and King Ahaz as they found themselves in the middle of a seemingly dire set of circumstances. But in the middle of it all, God's Word came to them through the prophet Isaiah. God's promises came to them, personified in a baby born then, to remind them of who God is and what he said he will do. That child was a picture of the greater promise God would fulfill in another baby born hundreds of years later, who would be the hope for the world. God fulfills his promises, and his word for us today is the same as it was to his people so many years ago: trust me. Series: Three Babies; One Promise Jordan Coros Message: 2 – Isaiah & His Wife's Baby: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (Hope) Harvest Bible Chapel Text: Isaiah 7-8 December 17, 2023 Will you believe God's promise for an eternal hope? ...Recognize what's wrong (7:1-9) 2 Kings 16:2–3 ...See it in terms of the human condition (7:10-12) Man's nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols. Man's mind, full as it is of pride and boldness, dares to imagine a god according to its own capacity. John Calvin ...Understand the divine remedy (7:13-25; 8:1-10) ...Embrace the redemptive plan (8:11-22; Matthew 1:20-23)

Hope for a world in need  The arrival of a newborn baby is cause for celebration. That little bundle of joy brightens days, brings smiles and warms hearts. It is remarkable that though the infant is utterly dependent on the mother, it is the birth of such a helpless child that delivers something to the others that they didn't have before. Encouragement. Happiness. A sense of fulfillment. Of hope. And promise. There are many births recorded in the Scriptures; each one a strategic moment and a turn of history. This is no more obvious than in the birth of three babies in particular: Seth, Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz and Jesus. The three are tied together in the covenant made by God with humanity. The first is the child of promise given in the years immediately following the fall into sin and the curse of death. The second a hopeful sign in troubled times that God had not forgotten his promise. And the third the fulfillment of all God had said; God in the flesh, the infant born to Mary and celebrated by Christians during the Christmas season. These three babies point us to the promise and hope we need as we navigate the darkness and difficulties of the world in which we live. This three-part teaching series will examine the birth of these three babies and give us a reason for celebration and joy at their birth. Series: Three Babies; One Promise Todd Dugard Message: 1 – Adam and Eve's baby: Seth (Promise) Harvest Bible Chapel Text: Genesis 3:15; 4:1-26; Luke 3:38 December 10, 2023 Will you believe God's promise to make things right? Recognize what's wrong (Genesis 4:1-24) Genesis 1:28b Hebrews 11:4 1 John 3:12b See it in terms of the human condition (Genesis 3:15a) Romans 5:12 Understand the divine remedy (Genesis 3:15b) Romans 16:20 Romans 6:5 Embrace the redemptive plan (Genesis 4:24-26; Luke 3:38) When Cainite civilization began to rise and worship at the shrines of abundance and art and technology—when abuse and violence and the devaluation of life became commonplace—when vengeance became exponential—when men fancied that they were captains of their souls—Sethite civilization began to proclaim the name of the Lord, the Captain of their salvation! R. Kent Hughes Cain's firstborn and successors pioneer cities and civilized arts, but Seth's firstborn and successors pioneer worship. Kenneth Mathews Our text provides us a paradigm, an outline to understand civilization and culture today and its ostensible rise with the increase in abundance, music, arts, and technology. It rises impressively, but in its rise there is demise because of sin. The only hope is to call upon the name of the Lord. This is the only hope for culture. This is the only hope for your soul. This is the only hope for the church—to call upon the name of the Lord, who is Jesus Christ. R. Kent Hughes Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. Luke 3:38

Hope for a world in need  The arrival of a newborn baby is cause for celebration. That little bundle of joy brightens days, brings smiles and warms hearts. It is remarkable that though the infant is utterly dependent on the mother, it is the birth of such a helpless child that delivers something to the others that they didn't have before. Encouragement. Happiness. A sense of fulfillment. Of hope. And promise. There are many births recorded in the Scriptures; each one a strategic moment and a turn of history. This is no more obvious than in the birth of three babies in particular: Seth, Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz and Jesus. The three are tied together in the covenant made by God with humanity. The first is the child of promise given in the years immediately following the fall into sin and the curse of death. The second a hopeful sign in troubled times that God had not forgotten his promise. And the third the fulfillment of all God had said; God in the flesh, the infant born to Mary and celebrated by Christians during the Christmas season. These three babies point us to the promise and hope we need as we navigate the darkness and difficulties of the world in which we live. This three-part teaching series will examine the birth of these three babies and give us a reason for celebration and joy at their birth. Series: Three Babies; One Promise Todd Dugard Message: 1 – Adam and Eve's baby: Seth (Promise) Harvest Bible Chapel Text: Genesis 3:15; 4:1-26; Luke 3:38 December 10, 2023 Will you believe God's promise to make things right? Recognize what's wrong (Genesis 4:1-24) Genesis 1:28b Hebrews 11:4 1 John 3:12b See it in terms of the human condition (Genesis 3:15a) Romans 5:12 Understand the divine remedy (Genesis 3:15b) Romans 16:20 Romans 6:5 Embrace the redemptive plan (Genesis 4:24-26; Luke 3:38) When Cainite civilization began to rise and worship at the shrines of abundance and art and technology—when abuse and violence and the devaluation of life became commonplace—when vengeance became exponential—when men fancied that they were captains of their souls—Sethite civilization began to proclaim the name of the Lord, the Captain of their salvation! R. Kent Hughes Cain's firstborn and successors pioneer cities and civilized arts, but Seth's firstborn and successors pioneer worship. Kenneth Mathews Our text provides us a paradigm, an outline to understand civilization and culture today and its ostensible rise with the increase in abundance, music, arts, and technology. It rises impressively, but in its rise there is demise because of sin. The only hope is to call upon the name of the Lord. This is the only hope for culture. This is the only hope for your soul. This is the only hope for the church—to call upon the name of the Lord, who is Jesus Christ. R. Kent Hughes Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. Luke 3:38

On Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded Podcast. EXPOSITORY NOTES ON THE PROPHET ISAIAH by H A Ironside For several years Dr. H. A. Ironside had it on his heart to write an exposition of the Book of Isaiah. His extremely busy preaching and teaching schedule, and later his failing sight, seemed to prevent his making headway on the exposition. Then, when he had progressed part way in this work, the Lord took him to be with Himself. It seemed as if the planned volume were doomed to be left uncompleted. But God had planned otherwise. Surely the events that transpired to produce this volume are of God. We have asked Mrs. Ironside to tell a little about the way this exposition on Isaiah has come to fulfillment, believing that readers of this volume will be thrilled, as we were, to see how God arranges men's affairs so that their work for Him can never be thwarted. In December 1949, Dr. Ironside gave lectures on the Book of Isaiah at Dallas Theological Seminary. One of the students, Ray C. Stedman, made wire recordings of the classroom lectures. Mr. Stedman also did a great deal of secretarial work for Dr. Ironside during his stay at the seminary. He was so efficient and helpful that Dr. Ironside asked him If he would be willing to travel with us during the summer, and help with the writing of his exposition of the Book of Isaiah, which had long been delayed on account of his failing sight. Mr. Stedman joined us in June 1950, after his graduation from the seminary, and for two months served not only as chauffeur, secretary, and companion, but as a “brother beloved” was so helpful in all the varied activities of the itinerant ministry that we came to love him as a son. Without his help and cooperation the publication of Dr. Ironside's “Isaiah” would have been impossible. Traveling constantly, Dr. Ironside's reference library consisted of M. A. Vine's Isaiah - Prophecies, Promises, and Warnings; F. C. Jennings' Isaiah; a one-volume Bible encyclopedia; and J. N. Darby's New Translation of the Holy Scriptures. Links ⁠⁠https://www.hiawathabible.org/youtube-playlist-index-page⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.hiawathabible.org/matthew-henrys-main-page⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZlTAw2GgUjPjhRRp6AY4JmkZjOG2p5ab⁠ You will find the text on my blog at ⁠⁠https://wordpress.com/home/downtoearthbutheavenlyminded.wordpress.com⁠⁠⁠https://downtoearthbutheavenlyminded.com/category/EXPOSITORY-NOTES-ON-THE-PROPHET-ISAIAH/⁠

église AB Lausanne ; KJV Isaiah 8 Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz. And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah. And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz. 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 the king of Assyria. The LORD spake also unto me again, saying, Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son; 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 banks: 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. Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us. ...

In Isaiah chapters 7 & 8, Isaiah describes the coming king as a small shoot of new growth emerging from the old stump of David's family, the holy seed. This king will be empowered by God's Spirit to rule over a new Jerusalem and bring forth justice for the poor. All nations will look to this messianic king for guidance, and his kingdom will transform all creation, bringing peace. Notes: All We Know of Heaven, by Remy Rougeau Christmas by any other name is Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz! Conclusion: The world does not need more Christians blowing each other up on social media. The world doesn’t need more Christians trying to cozy up to political power. The world doesn’t need more Christians who would rather be right than reconciled. The world doesn’t need more Christians who are better known for what they are against than what they are for. Know what the world needs? The world needs Christians who proclaim and demonstrate a God who brings light to darkness, who brings joy to despair, who brings freedom to the oppressed, and who brings love over hatred.

In Isaiah chapters 7 & 8, Isaiah describes the coming king as a small shoot of new growth emerging from the old stump of David's family, the holy seed. This king will be empowered by God's Spirit to rule over a new Jerusalem and bring forth justice for the poor. All nations will look to this messianic king for guidance, and his kingdom will transform all creation, bringing peace. Notes: All We Know of Heaven, by Remy Rougeau Christmas by any other name is Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz! Conclusion: The world does not need more Christians blowing each other up on social media. The world doesn’t need more Christians trying to cozy up to political power. The world doesn’t need more Christians who would rather be right than reconciled. The world doesn’t need more Christians who are better known for what they are against than what they are for. Know what the world needs? The world needs Christians who proclaim and demonstrate a God who brings light to darkness, who brings joy to despair, who brings freedom to the oppressed, and who brings love over hatred.

Isaiah is a challenging book to study and even more challenging to understand. Many people avoid it because of its length, its prophetic language or its difficulty to understand without historical knowledge. These are certainly challenges, but Isaiah is too important a book NOT to read. Yes, it can be challenging, long and difficult to grasp in context, but this study will take you through that and help guide you on your way to becoming familiar with some of the most important prophecies in the Bible. This study will cover the first half of Isaiah. Because there is no cohesive narrative within Isaiah; it is a collection of prophetic words to various nations at different times; we are breaking it up in half to make it easier to digest. In this study, we will look at Isaiah chapters 1-33. From this study, you will gain the necessary historical background, insights into what has been fulfilled and what has not and all that you need to keep reading and know God's Word through the Prophet Isaiah. -----------LINKS----------Support 10WB on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/10weekbibleThe 10 Week Bible - http://www.10WeekBible.comTwitter: @DarrenHibbs - https://twitter.com/DarrenHibbsSign up for my newsletter - http://www.darrenhibbs.comGet a copy of the 10 Week Bible Study today - https://www.amazon.com/Darren-Hibbs/e/B00B4I47CE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl2&tag=darrenhcom0a-20&linkId=401f3d79974c70929517936977e32df9My other YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChUU0XHSHuhSyN8qk-7efYgSupport the show

What are the keys to peace and "peaceableness"? Who does Isaiah the Prophet say is Immanuel? What are Pastor Jeff's favorite Christmas songs? Explore these questions and more in this second week of Advent. --- This episode of The Beyond Sunday Podcast expands upon the sermon "God Is with Us | Philippians 4:4–7" in “Christ Has Come,” our 2022 Advent sermon series. Join the conversation! Submit your question about Bible stories, Christian discipleship, or sermon point applications here: bit.ly/BeyondSundayQuestions

This week on Study Isaiah, Dr. Wegner and host Tyler Sanders complete the palistrophe that begins in chapter 5 and ends with chapter 12. Together they talk through chapter 8 and the beginning of chapter 9, covering topics like the name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, Israel misplacing their fear onto Assyria instead of God, and the instructions Israel receives to bind and seal up the testimony until after the prophecy had been fulfilled as a kind of proof of Isaiah's status as a prophet. Palistrophe Structure of Isaiah 5-12A. Song of the Vineyard (Is 5:1-7)B. Six Woe Oracles (Is 5:8-23)C. Uplifted Hands Oracle (Is 5:24-30)Isaianic Memoir (Is 6:1-9:7)C1. Four Uplifted Hand Oracles (Is 9:8-10:4)B1. Woe Oracle (Is 10:5-11:16)A1. Song of Thanksgiving (Is 12:1-6)

In Isaiah 7-18-8-8, we are shown 3 descriptions of-Yahweh's coming judgment.-I. Isaiah prophesies the conditions of the coming-judgment.-A. -In that day . . . a whistle- -7-18-19-.-B. -In that day . . . a shave- -7-20-.-C. -In that day . . . a diminished food supply---7-21-22-.-D. -In that day . . . a devastated land---7-23-25-.--II. Isaiah enacts a prophetic sign of the coming-judgment.-A. Write the name -8-1-.-B. Witness the name -8-2-.-C. Give the name -8-3-.-D. Explain the name -8-4-.-III. Yahweh explains the extent of the coming-judgment.-A. Because Judah refused the gentle stream of-My provision -8-5-6- . . .-B. Therefore, I will flood Judah with the same-judgment -8-7-8-.

In Isaiah 7-18-8-8, we are shown 3 descriptions of-Yahweh's coming judgment.-I. Isaiah prophesies the conditions of the coming-judgment.-A. -In that day . . . a whistle- -7-18-19-.-B. -In that day . . . a shave- -7-20-.-C. -In that day . . . a diminished food supply---7-21-22-.-D. -In that day . . . a devastated land---7-23-25-.--II. Isaiah enacts a prophetic sign of the coming-judgment.-A. Write the name -8-1-.-B. Witness the name -8-2-.-C. Give the name -8-3-.-D. Explain the name -8-4-.-III. Yahweh explains the extent of the coming-judgment.-A. Because Judah refused the gentle stream of-My provision -8-5-6- . . .-B. Therefore, I will flood Judah with the same-judgment -8-7-8-.

Sermon Outline: 1. The Lord will bring judgment and only if you trust in Him will you remain. 2. God is with us to save and judge 3. Gods judgment comes quickly 4. Immanuels people will see that God is a gentler Lord and faithful Savior 5. Conclusion: what should Immanuels remnant do while they wait? Dont be offended by Immanuel, trust him as your sanctuary Fear only God Cling only to the Word which God has confirmed Family Discussion Questions: 1. What was Ahaz household called? 2. What was happening that caused Ahaz to panic? 3. What was Ahaz solution to that threat? 4. What did Isaiah say was going to happen to those enemies? 5. What does Isaiah mean? 6. What does Shear-Jashub mean? 7. What does Immanuel mean? 8. What does Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz mean? 9. What illustration did God give to describe why He was a better Lord and Savior than Assyria? 10. What events were predicted by Isaiah in this chapter? 11. We get a picture of the remnant huddling together waiting for the Lord. What two things summarize this group? 12. Why is the fear of the Lord good? 13. Who is the Immanuel child? 14. Why is Immanuel either a rock of stumbling or a sanctuary? 15. What is the confirmed or sealed Word of God and why do we need a strong reminder to stick with it?

Isaiah 8. Well, we could call him Fred...or Jim, or........nah, you know what? he looks more like a Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz

Hello New York by Maher Shalal Hash Baz is an album described by founder Tori Kudo as " ..a revolving cast of players from varying backgrounds and varying experience". Described by Harreit as "chaos" However, the more she listens...

In todays episode, we're going to look at the birth of Isaiah's son, and the message contained in his name, Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

Pastor Martin preaches on Isaiah's son.

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." - Isaiah 7:14Double RainbowWe have all have read the verse above and we know, for certain, that this is about Jesus. But did you know it’s also about someone else? Wait, what? Yeah, this is one of those situations where God makes a prophecy that has an immediate fulfillment and then a later fulfillment. This is another amazing example of God’s specific sovereignty over all of human history. The people of Israel needed something to give them hope and God gave it to them. What they didn’t know at the time was that this was also going to give hope to the whole world.Signs of DeliveranceHere is what is happening in the context of Isaiah 7. The king of Israel, Ahaz, is freaking out because there are 2 other kings threatening war with him. So, God sends Isaiah to comfort him. That is where this prophecy comes into play. Let’s read it again but this time let’s go just a little bit farther."Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. The LORD will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”" - Isaiah 7:14-17What is Isaiah saying to Ahaz, and why is it important? God is foretelling the birth of a little boy. When this boy is really young the threat will be over. The whole point of this is to calm Ahaz down and let him know that he doesn’t need to be afraid. This is going to happen in his lifetime, and this is a sign for him that God is going to keep his word.So Is This About Jesus or Not?Yes. This is about Jesus, but first, it’s about Maher-shalal-hash-baz. You see the whole point of this sign is that it provides something tangible for Ahaz to see. That’s why we get the first fulfillment one page over in chapter 8. To understand this we need to know a little something about the Hebrew language (because the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew). You see the word translated as “virgin” doesn’t necessarily have to mean “virgin” and could just mean “young woman”. This little boy is actually born to Isaiah and his wife. God confirms this when he tells Isaiah that before his son is even old enough to say his parents’ names the threat will be over.But you might be thinking, how then do we know that it’s about Jesus? Great question and there are 2 clear ways that we see this...Read the full article at: https://www.swoutfitters.com/resource/advent-14-maher-shalal-hash-baz/Follow the whole study of The Things Concerning Himself at:https://www.swoutfitters.com/advent/Every day, Dec. 1-25, we'll be publishing daily advent study posts (written and audio versions) on our website. You can also access the audio recordings on the Snowbird App, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

Longing for a leader Three desperate kings and three significant kids (Isaiah 7-8) • Kings: Ahaz (Judah) Rezin (Aram/Syrria) Pekah (Israel/Ephraim) • Kids: Shear-Jashub ("A-remnant-will-return/repent") Emmanuel ("God-with-us") Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz ("Quick-to-the-plunder-swift-to-the-spoil") The divine Son, the eternal King (Isaiah 9:1-7) From darkness to light … from distress to joy … from oppression to freedom …under the eternal reign of the Prince of peace O come, O come, Emmanuel!

Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (Quick, Fast, Root, Plunder )~Prophet Shepherd Bushiri

Japanese music special, joined by our irregular guest, Phill Jupitus. Featuring Tenniscoats, Boredoms, Maher Shalal Hash Baz and plenty more. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/46-30/support

Japanese experimental group

Who was Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz? Was Maher Shalal Hash Baz a son of Isaiah the prophet? What is the meaning of the name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz?

Isaiah 8 (NIV)Isaiah and His Children as Signs1 The Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.”[a] 2 So I called in Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses for me. 3 Then I made love to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 4 For before the boy knows how to say ‘My father' or ‘My mother,' the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”5 The Lord spoke to me again:6 “Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloahand rejoices over Rezin and the son of Remaliah,7 therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates— the king of Assyria with all his pomp.It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks8 and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck.Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, Immanuel[b]!”9 Raise the war cry,[c] you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands.Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered!10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.[d]11 This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people:12 “Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy;do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it.13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.14 He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will bea stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.15 Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured.”16 Bind up this testimony of warning and seal up God's instruction among my disciples.17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob.I will put my trust in him.18 Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.The Darkness Turns to Light19 When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God's instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. 21 Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.Footnotes:[a] Isaiah 8:1 Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz means quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil; also in verse 3.[b] Isaiah 8:8 Immanuel means God with us.[c] Isaiah 8:9 Or Do your worst[d] Isaiah 8:10 Hebrew ImmanuelIsaiah 9 (NIV)1 [a]Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy;they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest,as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.4 For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shatteredthe yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.5 Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in bloodwill be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom,establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.The Lord's Anger Against Israel8 The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel.9 All the people will know it— Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—who say with pride and arrogance of heart,10 “The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone;the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.”11 But the Lord has strengthened Rezin's foes against them and has spurred their enemies on.12 Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west have devoured Israel with open mouth.Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.13 But the people have not returned to him who struck them, nor have they sought the Lord Almighty.14 So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day;15 the elders and dignitaries are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail.16 Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray.17 Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men, nor will he pity the fatherless and widows,for everyone is ungodly and wicked, every mouth speaks folly.Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.18 Surely wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns,it sets the forest thickets ablaze, so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.19 By the wrath of the Lord Almighty the land will be scorchedand the people will be fuel for the fire; they will not spare one another.20 On the right they will devour, but still be hungry;on the left they will eat, but not be satisfied.Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring[b]:21 Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh; together they will turn against Judah.Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.Footnotes:[a] Isaiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-21 is numbered 9:1-20.[b] Isaiah 9:20 Or arm

Isaiah 8 (NIV) Isaiah and His Children as Signs 1 The Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.”[a] 2 So I called in Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses for me. 3 Then I made love to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 4 For before the boy knows how to say ‘My father' or ‘My mother,' the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.” 5 The Lord spoke to me again: 6 “Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoices over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, 7 therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates— the king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks 8 and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, Immanuel[b]!” 9 Raise the war cry,[c] you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered! 10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.[d] 11 This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people: 12 “Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. 13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread. 14 He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. 15 Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured.” 16 Bind up this testimony of warning and seal up God's instruction among my disciples. 17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my trust in him. 18 Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion. The Darkness Turns to Light 19 When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God's instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. 21 Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness. Footnotes: [a] Isaiah 8:1 Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz means quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil; also in verse 3. [b] Isaiah 8:8 Immanuel means God with us. [c] Isaiah 8:9 Or Do your worst [d] Isaiah 8:10 Hebrew Immanuel Isaiah 9 (NIV) 1 [a]Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan— 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. 4 For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. 5 Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. The Lord's Anger Against Israel 8 The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel. 9 All the people will know it— Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria— who say with pride and arrogance of heart, 10 “The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.” 11 But the Lord has strengthened Rezin's foes against them and has spurred their enemies on. 12 Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west have devoured Israel with open mouth. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. 13 But the people have not returned to him who struck them, nor have they sought the Lord Almighty. 14 So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day; 15 the elders and dignitaries are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail. 16 Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray. 17 Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men, nor will he pity the fatherless and widows, for everyone is ungodly and wicked, every mouth speaks folly. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. 18 Surely wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns, it sets the forest thickets ablaze, so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke. 19 By the wrath of the Lord Almighty the land will be scorched and the people will be fuel for the fire; they will not spare one another. 20 On the right they will devour, but still be hungry; on the left they will eat, but not be satisfied. Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring[b]: 21 Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh; together they will turn against Judah. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. Footnotes: [a] Isaiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-21 is numbered 9:1-20. [b] Isaiah 9:20 Or arm

Isaiah 8 (NIV)Isaiah and His Children as Signs1 The Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.”[a] 2 So I called in Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses for me. 3 Then I made love to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 4 For before the boy knows how to say ‘My father' or ‘My mother,' the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”5 The Lord spoke to me again:6 “Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloahand rejoices over Rezin and the son of Remaliah,7 therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates— the king of Assyria with all his pomp.It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks8 and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck.Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, Immanuel[b]!”9 Raise the war cry,[c] you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands.Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered!10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.[d]11 This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people:12 “Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy;do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it.13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.14 He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will bea stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.15 Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured.”16 Bind up this testimony of warning and seal up God's instruction among my disciples.17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob.I will put my trust in him.18 Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.The Darkness Turns to Light19 When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God's instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. 21 Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.Footnotes:[a] Isaiah 8:1 Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz means quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil; also in verse 3.[b] Isaiah 8:8 Immanuel means God with us.[c] Isaiah 8:9 Or Do your worst[d] Isaiah 8:10 Hebrew ImmanuelIsaiah 9 (NIV)1 [a]Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy;they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest,as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.4 For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shatteredthe yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.5 Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in bloodwill be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom,establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.The Lord's Anger Against Israel8 The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel.9 All the people will know it— Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—who say with pride and arrogance of heart,10 “The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone;the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.”11 But the Lord has strengthened Rezin's foes against them and has spurred their enemies on.12 Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west have devoured Israel with open mouth.Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.13 But the people have not returned to him who struck them, nor have they sought the Lord Almighty.14 So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day;15 the elders and dignitaries are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail.16 Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray.17 Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men, nor will he pity the fatherless and widows,for everyone is ungodly and wicked, every mouth speaks folly.Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.18 Surely wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns,it sets the forest thickets ablaze, so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.19 By the wrath of the Lord Almighty the land will be scorchedand the people will be fuel for the fire; they will not spare one another.20 On the right they will devour, but still be hungry;on the left they will eat, but not be satisfied.Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring[b]:21 Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh; together they will turn against Judah.Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.Footnotes:[a] Isaiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-21 is numbered 9:1-20.[b] Isaiah 9:20 Or arm

Discovering secret treasure, making 183 of something, songs of gender transition. The percussionist and composer discusses three important albums.

Episode # 17 of 46-30, with Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Tenniscoats, Julia Jacklin, Dip in the Pool, The Goon Sax and plenty, plenty more. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/46-30/support

New tunes by: Christopher Whitley, Less Bells, Yuto Ohashi, Anthené, WIZARD APPRENTICE, Nursalim Yadi Anugerah, Julian Abraham Togar, African Ghost Valley, Babe, Terror, Two Hands, One Engine, Max Ananyev, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Little Wings. For artist descriptions and reviews visit: http://www.tometotheweathermachine.com/ Listen on I-Tunes and become a patron to get longform interviews, secret mixes and discounts: https://www.patreon.com/tttwm

Welcome to the August edition of the Transmissions podcast, just under the wire. We’ve got a great episode this month. First, Aquarium Drunkard’s Mary Sartini Garner sits down with Nate Chinen, author of a new book, Playing Changes: Jazz for the New Century. A longtime New York Times critic and scholar, Chinen’s new book explores the shape of modern jazz, examining how the art form has incorporated new genres, how jazz education has shaped a new generation of players, and where jazz is headed. Then, hosts Jason P. Woodbury and Justin Gage discuss Justin’s experiences in Japan’s kissa bars — small, intimate bars/coffeehouses where the music selection isn’t just incidental — it’s essential to the identity of the place. The concept is gaining traction in the US as well, so we ponder what makes such a dedicated listening space so appealing. Then, Jason sits down with visual artist and musician Kyle Field. For 20 years, he’s played under the Little Wings banner. He’s got a new split 12” out now with Maher Shalal Hash Baz, which we discussed, along with a look at his history and what life on the road looks like for a DIY artist in 2018.

"Woe to those that are wise in their own opinion and clever in their own sight." -- Isaiah 5:21 Isaiah, the biggest beefiest boy of all the prophets, steps into the spotlight to put our very premise to the test. Can we actually do an episode when there's no real narrative and about 66 chapters of prophecies that require a 45-minute history lesson? U-DECIDE! We dive in for some complicated context, check out the most quotable book of the Bible, and at long last, start runnin' with the devil. Topics of discussion: Joshua, Isaiah, and Jesus all having the same name, the Three Isaiahs, the Regret Box, "Feet," Alma vs. Parthenos, the Syro-Ephremite War, Hezekiah building a tunnel to avoid eating his own poop, God is sick of your parties, swords to plowshares and other common phrases, Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz vs. Pele-Joez-El-Gibbor-Abi-Ad-Sar-Shalom, Sheol vs. Hades vs. Hell vs. Gehenna the perpetually burning garbage dump, Lucifer (actually Venus), the first appearance of monotheism, Cyrus the Great

Full Service   1. You can have Immanuel or Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (1-4) God with you or quick to be plunder! 2. You can be carried by the gentle waters of Shiloah or be swamped by the floodwaters of the Euphrates; the alternative god you turn to...

Anthony is back this week and he has some great music with him, including new ones from Diminished Men and Colin Stetson. Gareth adds new ones from grime maestro Novelist and French odd-pop oddballs Gablé. There’s also new tunes from Japenese art collective Maher Shalal Hash Baz, gnarly techno enthusiasts IXTAB, Bitchin Bajas & Bonnie Prince Billy, Australian producer Swell, heavy rockers Black Mountain, and Tel-Aviv producers Calo Wood

Time to catch up with some recent discoveries and recent releases here at the Moonbase. We have some brand spanking new chiptune, some music specially composed for use in planetariums, a double bill of enthusiastic Japanese musicians, the welcome return … Continue reading →

Isaiah 8.1-10 Isaiah reiterates all that he has been sent to tell King Ahaz of Judah. God calls Ahaz again to fear Him. Then, God paints two very different pictures for him. Rejecting God and His Word leads to a sweeping judgment. Trusting in the presence of God (lit. in the Hebrew, Immanuel) leads to … … Continue reading →

I. The Road Not Taken In 1916, one of the premiere poets of the 20th century, Robert Frost, was walking in the woods with a friend of his. The two of them would go frequently walking in the woods. And the friend was constantly second-guessing choices he would make in his life, even to the point of coming to a fork in the road in the woods, not knowing which way to go, then choosing one, then thinking he should go back after going one hundred yards up the road, and wanting to come back to do it again and try the other one. And so Robert Frost wrote his most famous poem "The Road Not Taken." This what it says: Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Now Robert Frost called that a tricky poem because it seems to espouse independence, going the way that no one else goes. He actually says it's not that at all. But frankly, he doesn't say what difference it made. Could be good, it could be bad, we really don't know. What he is saying is, "You have to make a choice." Another poet, not so famous and not so schooled in his letters, Yogi Berra, put it this way, "When you arrive at a fork in the road, take it." Well, I don't think that's going to help us much. But Jesus spoke, I think far more poignantly, of two different roads, and of a choice we all must make. And those roads end up at eternal destinations, and it makes a huge difference which road you take. And somewhat like Robert Frost's poem, in eternity, in the future, you will look back on that decision. I really believe both those in heaven and those in hell will think much on what they did with Christ, and what road they took in the end. II. Two Paths to Eternity Christ’s Clarity: Two Different Roads, Two Different Eternities He spoke of this very plainly in Matthew 7:13-14. He said, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Two different roads that you can be on, two different destinies, two different destinations, both of them eternal. One of them heaven and the other one hell. So Also Isaiah: Two Ways Woven Together And so also, here in Isaiah 8, I believe we see these two ways woven together in the text, side by side, running through the last two-thirds of this chapter. Look at verse eleven. He speaks of it there. "The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not follow the way of this people." He is really speaking there of a way he should not follow, and then one that he should. And this morning I want to unravel those two different ways - what I'm going to call the way of light and the way of darkness - and describe them to you. But they are woven together side by side in the text. And that is somewhat appropriate, isn't it? Because that's the way it is in our everyday life as well. The children of God and the children of the devil live their lives side by side, and in many ways their lives look very, very similar to each other. In the parable of the wheat and the tares both grow up together, intermixed, their root systems seemingly competing for the same soil. If you pull up the wheat, you may root up the weeds with them. If you pull up the weeds, you may root up the wheat. They are just totally intertwined and only on judgment day can they be unraveled. But we must be clear now, in our minds, about what road we're on. We must know whether we are on the road of light or on the road of darkness, whether we're heading for heaven or hell. We must know. And God gives us many indications so that we can know. In the end, we learn from scripture, there is really only one way to eternal life. Jesus doesn't merely point the way, teach the way, display the way. He is the way. John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.” III. Terrifying Context: Assyria Invades the Region Now, what is the context here in Isaiah 8? Well, as always, there is something going on in history, and God is using those current events to bring these spiritual issues to the fore. How deceived are the people of this world who think current events are the real deal, that they are the issue of life? They aren't. What is going on in the hearts of men and women? That is the real deal, what they are doing with Christ. That's it. Phase 1: Assyria Comes to “Deliver” Judah But there are historical issues going on, and so it has to do, again as we saw in chapter seven, with Assyria. Now the context, you remember from chapter seven, is that these two smaller kingdoms of Israel (the northern kingdom of Israel, the ten tribes), and Aram were allying themselves together against the small southern kingdom of Judah. And that was a big problem for a faithless king Ahaz and his people. They were afraid they were going to get wiped out. There was going to be a conspiracy between these two kings, and they were going to topple Ahaz and the Davidic king. And they were going to set up another puppet king and rule over Judah. That's what the plan was. That's the context. Now Isaiah, in chapter seven, had warned them not to fear, not to do anything stupid, not to do anything foolish, but to trust in the Lord and not be like a fluttering leaf. But Ahaz refused this, and he actually sent for the King of Assyria to come and help him. He sent envoys, and he sent money, and he asked for the king of Assyria to come help him. Remember the analogy we used, like a small mouse facing two larger mice or two rats? Afraid he is going to be devoured, he sends for the alley cat. "Please come and help me." And the alley cat is more than happy to come and devour the two rats. And then what? To turn on the mouse. So phase one is Assyria comes to deliver Judah. And so Isaiah, the prophet, wants to give a message to Judah concerning these current events. And he gives them a mysterious message. It's given twice. First, it is written on a large scroll. And second, it is connected with a son that he and his wife (he calls her "The prophetess”), have. The first is written. Look at verse one. “The Lord said to me, 'Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.'” The translation is, "Quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil." "Write those words out, so that everyone can read them. Just write that symbolic message out." Then there is this baby boy with the same name, Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, born to Isaiah and his wife. And the boy is like that boy Immanuel. Maybe he is the same boy with two different symbolic names. He says later in this chapter, "Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols" (verse 18). There are, perhaps, two different children, and there is this symbolic name. But the same issue, both in chapter seven and in chapter eight, is of a ticking clock, a prophetic clock. And so he says in verse four, "Before the boy, [Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz,] knows how to say, ‘My father" or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.” So before the boy can say, literally in Hebrew, "abbi" or "immi." That is "My father, my mother." Not remembering child development like I should, I asked my wife, "Now, when does this happen?" She said, "You have five children." I can say this - she's not here. But she was, "Somewhere between the first and the second year, they begin saying things. Okay, you remember?" I didn't remember but I knew she would, so I asked her. And so within one or two years, these two kingdoms are going to be destroyed. And here comes phase one: Assyria comes to deliver Judah by destroying these two kingdoms. Phase 2: Assyria Comes to Destroy Judah But then comes phase two. Now the ravenous cat turns on the little mouse, and Assyria comes to destroy Judah. And the reasons are given, but we'll get to what Assyria's reasons were in chapter ten. They had their reasons. But God has his reason for bringing Assyria, and the reasons are given right in this text: what they (Judah) rejected, and what they rejoiced in. That's why he is bringing Assyria. Now look what it says in verse six. "Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah." What does that refer to? Well, I believe that these gently flowing waters are being contrasted with the mighty flood waters of the king of Assyria, the River. This is “the king of Assyria with all of his pomp” and his power (verse seven). Ahaz and his people are easily overawed by Assyria. They are impressed by Assyria's power, by their military strength. They are impressed and they reject these gently flowing waters of Shiloah. Now Shiloah was a little tributary stream coming from the Gihon river which carried, by a small aqueduct, the water for the city of Jerusalem. It gathered in a pool there, the Pool of Siloam. It is mentioned a number of other times. In the New Testament it is where the man born blind washed the mud off when Jesus healed him. And these people, therefore, are rejecting God's provision for them. God provides enough. He speaks quietly. You know, as in the still, small voice. It's not spectacular, but he is there sustaining, loving, comforting. People didn't want it. They wanted something spectacular. They wanted deliverance by Assyria. They rejected God, really. What did they rejoice in? Well, they rejoiced over Rezin and the son of Remaliah. The Hebrew word implies great exaltation, a shout of elation and triumph. These are the two kings that are allied against them. Why are the people of Judah so excited? Why are they celebrating? Well, because these two kings are getting destroyed. They are getting judged by God. I believe it refers to gloating sinfully over the demise of dreaded foes. There is a German word, 'schadenfreude,' which means delight in somebody else's misfortune. And the more I meditate on this theme, the bigger it seems to me to be in popular American culture. We swim in a sea of schadenfreude. We love it when other people have trouble. I don't know how YouTube would make it without it. Somebody makes a mistake, somebody says something they ought not to, somebody slips in a speech, somebody says something foolish in a beauty pageant, and for the next three months that person has to relive it. A million hits, one after the other. Or even a political figure, somebody that we don't want to see become president, or something like that. And there is some event that hinders greatly their candidacy, and there is a delight in it. I think the local news feeds on it. Something happens, and I don't know how Jay Leno and David Letterman would make it without this kind of stuff. Something happens, and pretty soon it is fodder for the evening comedy routine. But God hates it. Now, why does he hate it? Because it means we don't understand ourselves properly. We are not looking properly at ourselves. It is the exact opposite of, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." I deserve worse. We deserve that and worse. Jesus dealt very forthrightly with this issue, very forthrightly, that we should not gloat over the misfortune of an enemy. We should instead say, "I deserve this. I deserve it." Unless we repent, we will all likewise perish. More on that in a moment. But the book of Proverbs says this, Proverbs 24:17, "Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice." And Proverbs 17:5 says, "Whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished." Job, in his defense of his own godly lifestyle, rejected schadenfreude, delight in an enemy's misfortune. He said this in Job 31:29: “If I have rejoiced at my enemy's misfortune or gloated over the trouble that came to him, [then…]” In effect, he said, "May I be cursed." It's especially evil when you realize the son of Remaliah was the last king of Israel, the northern ten tribes, and they are being evicted from the promised land because of idolatry. What is there to gloat about in that? The people of Judah should have been weeping. These were the sons and daughters of Abraham, and from the very beginning of that northern kingdom they turned away to idolatry. There should have been brokenness. There should have been sackcloth and ashes. There should have been weeping and sadness and repentance and a looking inward. Because of these things, what the people rejoiced in and what the people rejected, Assyria is coming to destroy Judah as well. Look at verses seven and eight. "Therefore, [because of this], the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty flood waters of the River - the king of Assyria, with all of his pomp. It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, O Immanuel!" Here it the prophecy: Assyria is coming for you too, oh gloating Judah. Assyria is coming like a river that overflows its banks. This is very poignant, because the promised land was to the northern extent of the river. That's as far as the promised land went. Well, the Assyrians are coming over that river. They are coming down into the promised land. They are going to take it over. And note also the accuracy of the prophecy. I love this. Verses 7 and 8, "It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck." You get the picture of a man whose legs are trapped. And he is in a flood. And the flood is getting higher and higher, and he can't get his legs out. He's stuck there, and the water just gets higher, and higher, and higher. It's like one of those submarine movies. Have you ever seen that? And I start to breathe. But the waters are getting higher and it goes right up to the neck. Almost dead, but not quite. The accuracy. Phase 3: Assyria comes to Be Destroyed in Judah Phase three: Assyria comes into Judah to be destroyed. We will get to this later in the book of Isaiah. But you know what happened, how godly Hezekiah spread out the letter from the king of Assyria, and how the Lord sent out one angel, and 185,000 Assyrian troops were dead, like that. So Assyria is going to be destroyed. Those are the three phases. That is the context. And why? Because God is with us, because of Immanuel. That's what he says. Look at verses nine and ten. "Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us." He is referring to Assyria here. So Assyria can make their plans. They can come in, but they cannot extinguish the people of God, because God is with them. God With “Us”… But Who is “Us”? Now in the rest of the chapter he is going to define what 'us' God is with. Who are the people God is saving? Clearly, he is sweeping away the northern ten tribes, with most of them dead. Many of the southern tribe of Judah are going to be killed as well by the Assyrian invasion. But God has his eye on the remnant and he has his eye on the future. He wants to define the people of God. He wants to describe what kind of life it is that he is giving. And so in the rest of the chapter we see these two ways intricately woven together, the way of light and the way of darkness, so that we may know what he works in a people whom he saves, so that we may know whether we are among them. IV. The Way of Light A Life In God’s Strong Grip He describes it and he starts with this: it is a life in the strong grip of the sovereign God. Verse eleven, "The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people." So the way of life begins with the sense of the hand of almighty God plucking you as one rescued from the fire, a sense that God is with you, plucking you from the highway of hell. "His strong hand upon me." That is God's. He has taken hold of Isaiah as a prophet. But I believe that Isaiah also represents the elect, the people of God. And he takes hold of his elect and he will not let them go. They are secure in his grip, praise God. They will most certainly be saved, and not because of their own striving and effort, but because God is mighty, and he will not let us go. John 10:27-30 says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one.” One in what? Well, one at least in this, in holding onto the sheep with the sovereign power of God. That is where it starts, with God taking hold of you. And he will not let you go. A Life Listening to God’s Word… and Warnings Secondly, it is a life of listening to God's word and heeding his warnings. The people of God, those who are on that narrow road that leads to life, listen to God's word and heed his warnings. Look at verse eleven. “The Lord spoke to me, you see, with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said…,” etcetera. He's listening. He's listening. Now Isaiah is a prophet. He hears God speak to him. He hears God's promises. He takes seriously God's warnings. And this is the essence of the way of life. John 10:27 again, "My sheep listen to my voice… they follow me." It is a way of listening to Christ as he speaks. A Life Apart from the Crowd Number three, it is a life apart from the crowd, apart from that broad road that leads to destruction. Most people are traveling on it. This is a life apart from that. Look at verse eleven. "The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people." Don't go their way. It's a way that leads to destruction. At some point, a person says, "I'm not going to do that anymore." And they break with people who are going the wrong way. They break up those relationships. They don't do those things anymore. They stand up under ridicule. They just break off and go a separate way. God calls Isaiah and all of us away from a lifestyle of the crowd. Isaiah was not to look at the threat of Israel and Aram the same way that the lost people do. He is not to look at the invasion of Assyria the same way they do. He's to see everything differently. He's to see God behind all of it. It is a life of separation, a life apart from the crowd. “‘Therefore come out from them and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing and I will receive you.’” (2 Corinthians 6:17). A Life of Fearlessness… and Fear Fourthly, it is a life of fearlessness and fear. For me, theologically, I'll reverse them. First, one kind of fear, and then fearlessness. Let me say directly, fear the Lord and you need fear nothing else. If you don't fear the Lord, you must fear everything else, because God is sovereign, and everything is in his hands, and he can do anything he wants. If you fear the Lord, you need fear nothing else, for God is your loving Father. And he will care for you through some of the most horrendous trials. He will be with you and take you through, into his presence. You need fear nothing else. Look what he says here in verse twelve and thirteen. “Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.” This is the focus here: do you fear God? Do you fear the one who sits high and lifted up on his throne, and the train of his robe fills the temple? And the seraphim are covering their faces before him, because they can't look at his full glory. They are the ones who are calling out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty.” Do you fear him? Do you fear what he thinks, what he can do? Do you realize what omnipotence is? Do you fear God? Well, if so, you need fear nothing else. Nothing else. And don't worry about conspiracy theories. I know some people who spend a ton of time working on conspiracy theories. One world government… That actually freaked me out. I got onto a plane and there was this sign, “One World Airline,” or something like that. I was like, "I don't know. Should I get on the plane?" I just laughed. I said, "Well, I'm in the hand of God. I can get on a One World Alliance airplane. It's okay. It's not the antichrist airplane, not yet anyway." But let me tell you something. I believe there is an intelligent, malevolent conspiracy being formed to seek to take over the world. And I think Satan is running it, and I think he has been for two thousand years. And I believe with all my heart it will break into space and time, and the antichrist will reign. It is all going to happen. I'm not afraid of it. It's been predicted. It's going to come. And the One who will reign over the earth, the Lord Jesus Himself will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and slay with the sword coming out of his mouth, with the splendor of his glory. What do we need to fear? Fear Christ. Fear him and you need fear nothing else. Don't worry about conspiracies and all that. There is one. It's coming in all kinds of kaleidoscopic aspects and it's happening. Don't sweat it. Focus instead on the kingdom of God. Jesus put it this way, very plainly in Matthew 10:28, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, [I'll tell you who to fear,] be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” That's God. You fear him, you need fear nothing else. I think too many Christians live in constant fear of people. Proverbs 29:25 says, “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” Many of you would be far more fruitful evangelistically if you feared people less and feared God more. I know the same is true of me. John Wesley put it this way: "Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen. Such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth" - John Wesley. A Life Resting in the True Sanctuary Fifth, it's a life of resting in the true sanctuary. Verses thirteen and fourteen say, "The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary." That's a safe place, a place of security. "With salvation's walls surrounded, thou may’st smile at all thy foes," says the hymnist John Newton. Isn't that beautiful? Just stand there up on the sure and solid wall of salvation and you need fear nothing else. The Lord is your sanctuary. Proverbs 18:10 says, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe." The New Testament version of that is Romans 10:13, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." We flee to Christ, to Christ crucified, to the one who shed his blood on the cross, and he is the sanctuary from wrath. He is the one that we come to and he will save us. He will protect us and nothing can touch us. A Life in the Written Word Number six: this life is a life in the written word. We do not for the most part, like a prophet, hear God speaking directly. We have the indwelling spirit, but there is a distinction there. What we have are the words of the prophets written down. "We have the word of the prophets made more secure certain," it says in 2 Peter 1:19. We have the written word, and we have access to it. And so verse one says, "The Lord said to me, 'Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen.' " He commanded his prophets to write it down so that it might be for future generations. Verse sixteen, "Bind up the testimony and seal up the law among my disciples." Do you see that? This is about the written word. Verse twenty, “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.” So as long as this church remains, long after I'm gone, if the Lord tarries, you must get a man of God who will speak only according to this word. Because if they don't speak according to this word they have no light to give you. It is a life immersed in the written word of God. And the centerpiece of that word is Christ. 2 Timothy 3:15 says, "The holy Scriptures… are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." The scripture is always pointing to Christ, pointing to Christ. I can't preach a single chapter in Isaiah without mentioning Christ crucified. It's always pointing to Christ. He is the sanctuary. A Life Inquiring of God Seventh, it is a life inquiring of God. “When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God?” (verse 19). Now that's prayer. Go to God and ask. Seek his face. Ask him what to do. Ask God for advice. Say, "Lord, I don't know what to do." “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:5,6). And so we go and we ask. It is a life inquiring of God. As I read this what comes in my mind is faithless King Saul who didn't inquire of the Lord at all. And at the end of his life he is going to a medium, the witch at Endor, and asking for something. We'll get back to him in a moment. But instead, we've got David, the man after God's own heart, and he is asking, "Should I do this?" And the Lord answers. "Should I do that?" And the Lord gives him insight, and he is inquiring of the Lord. It is a life of prayer, based on the word of God. Ultimately: A Life of Faith in the Lord And then eighth, ultimately, it is a life of faith in the Lord. Verse seventeen, “I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him.” That is speaking of adverse circumstances, of trials. I don't know what he is doing. Like Habakkuk saying, "I don't know what you're doing, God, in my life. I don't know what you're doing in history, but I am going to wait for you. I am going to put my trust in you. And I believe, in the end, all things will be clear." It is a life, ultimately, of trust, of faith. That is a description, not exhaustive, but from Isaiah 8, of the life that leads to eternal life. It is the life of light. V. The Way of Darkness A Life Spent Rejecting God’s Gentle Provision What about the way of darkness? Well, first it is a life spent rejecting God's gentle provision. I already gave this to you in the context section, but these people didn't want the gently flowing waters of Shiloah. They are not interested in the still, small voice. They want something more spectacular, something more dramatic, and so they reject God. Jeremiah 2:13, “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” And this rejection, friends, is no accident. They have no taste for God. They don't want that. It is a willful choice to hear the grace of God and turn away empty. They don't want it. A Life of Rejoicing While Others Suffer Judgment Secondly, the way of darkness is a way of rejoicing when others suffer judgment. We already talked about this - schadenfreude. “Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoices over Rezin and the son of Remaliah" (verse 6). They enjoy seeing their enemies fall. This is a great sin. It's cold. It's loveless, delighting in somebody else's downfall. But worse than that, as I've already mentioned, it means you don't know yourself. You don't know who you are apart from Christ. We see some criminal at Enron go down, and we justify ourselves, saying, "We wouldn't do that." Some athlete cheats and uses performance enhancing drugs. "We would never do something like that." Some governor gets caught with a high-priced prostitute. "We would never do anything like that. He deserves what he got." This self-righteousness is the enemy of your soul. We don't know who we are. And as I said, Jesus told us very plainly in Luke 13 what we should think when we see disaster come upon someone. Some were gloating over some Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifice. You remember that? And they said, "They must have been terrible sinners." And Jesus said, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans…? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish" (Luke 13:2,3). And regarding the ones who died when the tower of Siloam fell down, we have the same word here in Isaiah 8, the same thing. A tower fell down and a bunch of people died in that urban tragedy. And he said the same thing, "I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish" (Luke 13:5). We all have to hear that. And I tell you, the way of light hears that and takes that seriously. But the way of darkness blows that off. We always think it is somebody else, the sinners out there. A Life of Stumbling Over God… and Being Snared by Him Number three, it is a life of stumbling over God and being snared by him. Verses fourteen and fifteen, “But for both houses of Israel he, [the Lord Almighty], will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured.” Now God was meant to be a sanctuary. But if he will not be a sanctuary he will be a snare. If he will not be a rock on which you build your life, he will be a rock on which you stumble and that will crush you. He will be friend or he will be a foe. He will be savior or he will be judge. He is going to be something in your life. And so in the way of darkness he is a snare. He is a stumbling block. They especially stumble over Christ, as I will say at the end. Christ is especially offensive to those on the way of darkness. A Life of False Spiritual Guidance Fourthly, it is a life of false spiritual guidance. Verses nineteen and twenty, “When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.” People are desperate for spiritual guidance. They want a word from the supernatural realm. Why? Because they fear the future. They don't know the future, and so they want to know the future. So they go to mediums and spiritists. Does this happen now, even now in the 21st century? Yes, it does. People want to know the future, even at the low level of horoscopes, up to just immersing themselves in the occult, in Ouija boards and all kinds of stuff. They want to know. And those mediums and spiritists whisper and mutter, and gaze into crystal balls and make bizarre pronouncements, and channel spirits and conjure up ghosts of long dead relatives to give spiritual guidance. But no guidance comes. You know why? Because the wicked dead are too busy screaming in agony to give any advice. And there is a chasm that they can't cross, and they can't come over and say anything. And the righteous dead are in the presence of the Lord, gazing at his beauty, and knowing, as Abraham did in that story that Jesus told, that the word of God is enough. They don't need any more than that. Instead, it is the demons who are impersonating the dead, fooling and tricking people into that way of life. A Life of Spiritual Famine and Restless Roaming Fifth, it is a life, therefore, of spiritual famine and restless roaming. Verse twenty-one, “Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God.” Having rejected the gently flowing waters of Christ, they are thirsty with a raging thirst. Having rejected the living bread, which is Christ, they are famished. They are abused by demonic forces, harassed and helpless, totally at the mercy of demons who have no mercy. And they become demonic themselves, interestingly. Hungry for wisdom, hungry for guidance, hungry for a touch from God, hungry for love, hungry for purpose in life, they roam around through life looking for it, much as Jesus described demons, when they come out of a man. Matthew 12:43, “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.” They are restless beings. They say, "Well, I'll go back to the house I left." So they go back. Or like Satan in Job 1:7, “The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.’” And it is so sad to see the roaming of lost people, who are on the road to destruction, hungry for something, feeding it with sex, and drugs, and entertainment, and success, and materialism. And they are feeding, and nothing satisfies. They are just so hungry. They are looking for something. And all of these excursions - it's like drinking salt water. It just leaves you with an even more raging thirst. A Life of Rage and Cursing And therefore it is a life, number six, of rage and cursing. Verse twenty-one, “Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged.” Do you see that? Famished, they are enraged. “And, looking upward, will curse their king and their God.” They are going to curse God because of their hunger. It is so strange how they think. If they would just accept God's gracious provision, they would find everything that they need in him. But instead they end up enraged and cursing God. And again, how like Satan are they? Think about Revelation 12:12, when it says, “Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” And so it is with lost people. They know their time is short. It does not matter how big their mansion is. It does not matter how good the quality of their food, or clothing, or their position. They only have it for a little while, and then they lose it all, and it makes them angry, actually. And they are generally angry people. Do you see the rage in our land? It is an angry country we live in. But it is not just our country. It's all over, because people don't know God. They don't know his peace. They don't know his forgiveness, and so they are angry about it. Ultimately: A Life of Darkness Now and Eternally Ultimately, number seven, it is a life of darkness. Spiritual darkness now, real darkness eternally. And that is a terrifying thing. That is how this chapter ends. Verse twenty-two, "They will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness." This is the way of darkness, fleeing from the light. They live in darkness so that their deeds cannot be exposed. The ultimate punishment then is an eternity of darkness, away from God. You see God is light. They will spend eternity away from that light. And notice the strong word ‘thrust’. "Thrust into utter darkness." It bothers me when pastors or preachers say, “God doesn't send anyone to hell. People send themselves. God, in effect, says, ‘Have what you have always wanted.’” Well, let me tell you something, that is utterly false. On judgment day, when the lake of fire is obvious and some have already been thrown in, no one is going to send themselves to hell. They will be thrust there. That's the word. Matthew 8:12, "But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." God sends people to hell because their sins were not forgiven. They never trusted in Christ. There was no forgiveness. The word 'thrust' is there. They are “thrust into utter darkness.” Matthew 25:41, “Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'” That is the end of the way of darkness - complete darkness apart from God. VI. Christ (Immanuel) the Only Way Now Christ our Savior has come, and he can rescue people from the way of darkness, from the highway that leads to hell. He can rescue them and transfer them onto the narrow road that leads to life. He has that power. How? Because he is Immanuel. He is ‘God with us’. If God is with us, who can be against us? And how does he do it? He does it by entering life as a human being, as a baby, living a life, a physical life here on this earth. He did two thousand years ago. Tempted in every way, just as we are, yet he was without sin. He obeyed perfectly the law of God, obtaining a perfect righteousness, which he then gives us as a gift through simple faith. And all of this is taught in many, many places in the New Testament. He shed his blood on the cross so that the wrath of God might be averted, and we might not have to stand under the just punishment that we deserve. We know it. But we are free from it because Jesus drank it for us. Immanuel - God with us to save us, not to judge us. And so the author of Hebrews, in Hebrews 2, quotes Isaiah 8 twice, and this is what he says. In Hebrews 2:11-15, “Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says, 'I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.' And again, 'I will put my trust in him.'” That is Isaiah 8. “And again he says, 'Here am I, and the children God has given me.'” That is Isaiah 8. Jesus speaks that. “Here I am.” Where? In heaven. "And here are my children, the ones God gave me. And I saved them all. I lost none of them, but they are all safe with me in heaven. Here am I and the children God has given me." “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” VII. Application Understand We Are All on One of Two Roads to Eternity That is salvation. Oh, friends, do you know him? You have to look. What road are you on? Search yourself. Search your heart. Are you on the way of light? Do you have the sense of God's grip of grace on you? Are you listening to him speak? Do you embrace his gently flowing provision for you? Are you delighted in it? Do you walk in the newness of life that Christ alone can give? Do you have the testimony of the Spirit, as you look over this list, that “these things are true of me, by his grace. They are true of me. I'm on the way that leads to life.”? If so, then praise God and keep walking. You're not done yet. By faith in Christ keep going. But if you're not, if you are in the way of darkness, oh, I urge you to flee to Christ. Flee to him now. Trust in him for the forgiveness of your sins. Amen.

"Sting Ray and the Beginning of Time, Part 4" by Exploding Star Orchestra from We Are All from Somewhere Else; "Caramel Cognac" by Milanese from Extend; "Targo"by Denzel and Huhn from Paraport; The title track from Conqueror by Jesu; "Mars on Paljastanut" by Avarus from Ruskeatimantii; "Stalemate Longan Runner" by the Shining from Grindstone; "Nouvelle Forme" by Outputmessage from Nebulae; "Earthed" by Soft Circle from Full Bloom; "Cockles and Mussels" by Matmos featuring Clodagh Simonds from For Alan Turing; "Seal and Seagulls" by Maher Shalal Hash Baz from Faux Depart; The Untitled second track from the Titan CD A Raining Sun Of Light and Love For You and You and You. Courtesy of TeePee.

"Sting Ray and the Beginning of Time, Part 4" by Exploding Star Orchestra from We Are All from Somewhere Else; "Caramel Cognac" by Milanese from Extend; "Targo"by Denzel and Huhn from Paraport; The title track from Conqueror by Jesu; "Mars on Paljastanut" by Avarus from Ruskeatimantii; "Stalemate Longan Runner" by the Shining from Grindstone; "Nouvelle Forme" by Outputmessage from Nebulae; "Earthed" by Soft Circle from Full Bloom; "Cockles and Mussels" by Matmos featuring Clodagh Simonds from For Alan Turing; "Seal and Seagulls" by Maher Shalal Hash Baz from Faux Depart; The Untitled second track from the Titan CD A Raining Sun Of Light and Love For You and You and You. Courtesy of TeePee.

"The Waiting" by Japancakes from The Sleepy Strange; "Warm Woods" by Ghengis Tron from Dead Mountain Mouth; "Yll��n On Aamu, Korennot Ja Kes�" by Paavoharju from Uskallan; "View Finder" by Paul Wirkus from Deformation Professionelle; "Check Weight" by Eliot Lipp from Tacoma Mockingbird; "Brazilian Summer" by Enoch Light from Action; "Spiracle" by Black Moth Super Rainbow and the Octopus Project from The House of Apples and Eyeballs; "Red Split" by Psychic Ills from Early Violence; "Delial" by Isis and Aereogramme from In the Fishtank 14; "The Dust of Months" by Bill Wells and Maher Shalal Hash Baz from Osaka Bridge; "Bumblechord" by Nathan Fake from Drowning in a Sea of Love; "Induced" by Sizemix from Found Sound; "Forest Floor 3" by KTL from their self-titled CD.

"The Waiting" by Japancakes from The Sleepy Strange; "Warm Woods" by Ghengis Tron from Dead Mountain Mouth; "Yll��n On Aamu, Korennot Ja Kes�" by Paavoharju from Uskallan; "View Finder" by Paul Wirkus from Deformation Professionelle; "Check Weight" by Eliot Lipp from Tacoma Mockingbird; "Brazilian Summer" by Enoch Light from Action; "Spiracle" by Black Moth Super Rainbow and the Octopus Project from The House of Apples and Eyeballs; "Red Split" by Psychic Ills from Early Violence; "Delial" by Isis and Aereogramme from In the Fishtank 14; "The Dust of Months" by Bill Wells and Maher Shalal Hash Baz from Osaka Bridge; "Bumblechord" by Nathan Fake from Drowning in a Sea of Love; "Induced" by Sizemix from Found Sound; "Forest Floor 3" by KTL from their self-titled CD.