Isaiah 8:1

Moreover, the Lord said unto me, "Take thee a great scroll or a roll and write in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershal al-Hashbaz." I took unto me faithful witnesses to record: Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jebrakiah. I went in unto the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to call his name Mahershal al-Hashbaz. 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.

Let's pray. Lord, as we look now into Your word, I ask that You would continue to give us insight into the book of Isaiah. Help us to learn from this passage, from the word that You spoke through the man Isaiah 2,800 years ago. God, continue to instruct us, and Lord, make application to our lives here today, tonight, in 2010.

As we look at our own nation, which in so many ways mirrors the nation of Judah during the time of Isaiah, I ask, Lord, that we would be able to learn. Stir our hearts and stir our lips, that we would speak forth Your word with boldness in the same way that the prophet Isaiah did, as well as Jeremiah, Daniel, and Amos. Lord, all the prophets that we read of in the Old Testament, give us the same boldness. Pour out Your Spirit with the same power and strength upon us. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

You can be seated. You may remember a couple of weeks ago when we were in Isaiah chapter 7. We saw that great prophecy concerning the virgin birth in Isaiah chapter 7, verse 14, where God told Isaiah, or actually spoke to King Ahaz through the prophet Isaiah, saying, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call his name Emmanuel." Butter and honey, or curds and honey, shall he eat that he may know to refuse evil and to choose good. For before the child shall know to refuse evil and choose good, the land that you abhor shall be forsaken by both her kings.

Now, we know for certain that Isaiah chapter 7, verse 14, relates to the birth of the Messiah, the virgin birth of Jesus through Mary. We know that because the Holy Spirit says so through the Gospel of Matthew and through the author of the book of Matthew, Matthew the tax collector. This prophecy speaks of that, but we also know that it had to speak to King Ahaz because it was a word to Ahaz during the time of Isaiah, 700 years before Jesus would come.

Isaiah, you may remember, was going to speak to King Ahaz outside the city of Jerusalem as Jerusalem was about to be besieged by the northern ten tribes of Israel and the nation of Syria. The city was the last remaining stronghold in the nation of Judah at that time. Many of the cities of Judah had been decimated and devastated by the northern ten tribes and their ally, the Syrians. Ahaz, the king, was very concerned about this coming army that was about to sack Jerusalem. He was outside the city walls of Jerusalem, preparing for the siege, at a very strategic location.

We read in Isaiah chapter 7, verse 3, that he was at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller's Field. He was probably trying to secure a water supply for the city of Jerusalem during the siege they were preparing for. Ahaz, as we know from 2 Chronicles and 2 Kings, was already in discussion with the king of Assyria to protect him. He had sent a gift of silver and gold from the house of the Lord, the temple in Jerusalem, and also from the palace of the king to the king of Assyria to come and protect the people in Jerusalem as the northern ten tribes and the Syrians were approaching.

We also know from the books of 2 Chronicles and Kings that Ahaz was not a good king. He did not fully turn to the Lord; he bowed down to and worshipped false gods in Jerusalem and outside the city walls, up on all the different high places around the city. This man was given an opportunity by the Lord in Isaiah chapter 7 to be established. God spoke to him and said, "If you will trust me, if you'll believe me, then you will be established."

But we know that Isaiah, in bringing that word, was going to be met with a hard heart from the king of Jerusalem, the king of Judah, King Ahaz. God says to him, "Just trust me, and I will establish you and I will protect this city. I'm going to protect this city not because you're a good king, but because I'm a good God." We see that throughout the Old Testament, the goodness and graciousness of God are evident time and time again, even in His judgment.

As Isaiah was meeting with King Ahaz, God says to Ahaz, "Listen, if you have a hard time believing me, then ask for a sign, whether in the depths below or the heights above, and I will do whatever you ask me." What a powerful statement that God gives to King Ahaz! If you're having a difficult time trusting me, I'll prove myself to you.

Now, I don't know about you, but there have been times in my life where I've gone through lapses of faith, times when I'm wondering, "Is God going to come through? Is He really going to make good on this promise? Is He really going to bring this to pass?" I believe He will, but I'm having a hard time trusting Him. There have been those times when I've even asked God, "Lord, if you will just do this, then I'll know that you're going to bring this to pass." Like Gideon, when he set that fleece before the Lord. Have any of you ever set a fleece before God? Or just really expected, "God, if you'll just cause a shooting star to go across the sky right now, then I'll know that you're in this." Perhaps you've even prayed that exact prayer.

Here is God speaking through His prophet Isaiah and saying to an unbelieving king, "I will prove myself to you. All you have to do is ask." Of course, Ahaz has kind of a show of spirituality there. He says, "I'm not going to tempt the Lord. I can't test God." Isaiah responds, "Listen, God is giving you an opportunity here to be established, and you're testing His patience. You're trying His patience."

Now, I don't think it's a good idea to try the patience of God, and yet Ahaz was doing just that. So God says to him through the prophet Isaiah, "Well, even though you're not going to ask for a sign from me, behold, I'm going to give you a sign. A virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call His name Emmanuel. Curds and honey He shall eat."

Verse 15 states that He may know to refuse evil and choose good. "For before the child shall know to refuse evil and choose good, the land that you abhor shall be forsaken by both her kings." That was the word and the sign that God promised to King Ahaz: protection was going to come.

The kings of Syria and the northern ten tribes of Israel were going to be destroyed and turned back from defeating Jerusalem. This raises an important question: How could a prophecy that we know is fulfilled by the birth of Jesus 700 years after Ahaz speak to him in his day about protection that was imminently going to come to pass? Clearly, there is a dual fulfillment to the prophecy given in Isaiah chapter 7 regarding the virgin birth. There must be another fulfillment to it.

I believe we see this right here in Isaiah chapter 8, where we read God speaking to Isaiah after the fact. He instructs Isaiah to go and get a scroll. In verse 1, God tells him to write upon it with a man's pen. I mentioned in our last study that I don't fully know what a man's pen is, but it sounds pretty cool. I don't know if it's like my nice Cross pen up here; probably not. The best way to interpret "the man's pen" here is that God wants Isaiah to write very clearly.

This instruction is very similar to the word that God spoke to the prophet Habakkuk. In Habakkuk chapter 2, verse 2, God had given Habakkuk a vision as well. He said to him, "Write the vision and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run that reads it." God wanted Habakkuk to write it in such a way that it was very clear, spelled out in detail, and made accessible so that anyone could look at it and understand. It was to be very clear, not obscure or shaded, but straightforward.

So, God tells Isaiah to write this word: Mahershalal-Hashbaz. This is a very interesting word. It literally means "he makes speed to the spoil" or "he hastens to the prey." Therefore, Isaiah is instructed to write down Mahershalal-Hashbaz. In obedience to the Lord's word, Isaiah, in verse 2, says, "And I took unto me faithful witnesses and recorded Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jebrakiah."

In the book of Deuteronomy, specifically in Moses' second recounting of the law in chapter 19, verse 15, God makes it very clear that for something to be established, there had to be at least two, or even better, three witnesses.

Out of the mouth of two or three witnesses shall a matter be established. For Isaiah to obediently fulfill God's command and word, he brings to himself two witnesses. Remember, he is writing this with a man's pen, making it very clear. He calls two of his friends to stand before him as he writes down on this scroll, Mahershal al-Hashbaz. These two faithful witnesses are Uriah and Zechariah. After he has recorded this, after he has written down Mahershal al-Hashbaz in the presence of these two witnesses, it is established. It is a faithful saying.

Then we read in verse 3, "And I, Isaiah, went unto the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son." After this, the Lord spoke to me again, saying, "Call his name Mahershal al-Hashbaz." Of course, they did not have ultrasound equipment 2,800 years ago in Jerusalem. Isaiah would not have known until the birth of this child that it was a son, except that the Lord had told him, "Your wife has conceived, and she's going to have a son, and you're going to call his name Mahershal al-Hashbaz." That exact word, that exact name that he wrote down in the presence of Uriah and Zechariah, is going to be the child's name.

Why? Verse 4 explains, "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." This pushes us back to Isaiah chapter 7, verses 14 through 16, where we read that prophecy, that sign to King Ahaz of God's protection upon the city of Jerusalem. The northern ten tribes and the nation of Syria are on the warpath to come against Jerusalem. They have already taken many cities in Judah, killed 200,000 mighty men, and carried away many captives.

As they prepare to come against Jerusalem, God says, "Listen, Ahaz, I will protect this city." As a sign of this protection, a young woman is going to conceive and bring forth a child. This child will be a sign to you that God is with you and that God is going to protect this city. Before the child shall have the knowledge to refuse evil and choose good, the events foretold will come to pass.

Then these two nations are going to be done away with. In Isaiah chapter 8, God says, "Listen, Isaiah, you're going to have a son, and his name is going to be Mahershalal-Hashbaz." Before your child knows to cry, "Father" and "Mother," Damascus, the capital of Syria, and Samaria, the capital of the northern ten tribes of Israel, are going to be destroyed. They are going to be taken away, and it will be the king of Assyria who will take them away. They are going to be destroyed.

This brings us to a good fulfillment of Isaiah chapter 7, especially verses 15 and 16. Isaiah was going to have a child, and his son's name was going to be Mahershalal-Hashbaz, which means "speed to the spoil" or "hurry to the plunder." It signifies that he makes speed to the spoil and hastens to the prey. This is a prophecy that the Assyrians are going to come with speed and plunder the northern ten tribes and the nation of Syria, destroying them. This is in fulfillment of God's promise to Ahaz and God's word through Isaiah at the beginning of chapter 8, verse 1. God makes good on His word; He will always make good on His word.

God told Habakkuk, after giving him this great vision, "Though it tarries, wait for it." There are times when God will speak to you or to me. He will reveal a promise in His word, perhaps give us a prophetic word, a vision, or a dream. We may wonder if it is going to come to pass. God may even confirm that vision through a word from a friend or through the scriptures. We find ourselves wondering, "Is it going to come to pass?" We wait, and we wait, and we wait. God would say, "Though it tarries, wait for it."

God set a time on this prophecy. He told Ahaz and Isaiah that this prophecy would come to pass and be fulfilled before Mahershalal-Hashbaz reaches the point where he can discern "father" and "mother." Before that child is able to call out "father" or "mother," or "Papa" or "Abba" in Hebrew, and before he is able to choose good over evil, these two nations will be done away with. In Isaiah chapter 7, verse 15, we see that the child will eat curds and honey so that he may know to refuse evil and choose good.

Before the child is weaned, essentially, is what the Scriptures say. This brings us down to the timing. When would this take place? Well, about how long does it take for a child to be able to say "Mama" and "Dada"? I am already finding out. I have been able to see it with our own son. He knows "Dada" real well, but he still calls "Mama" "Dada." However, he is able to discern the difference.

We come to the point where children are able to eat solid foods or are weaned. Of course, they would wean their children much later than we typically do in our society today. Typically, at the age of two or three, they would wean their children, and sometimes even later in this culture and era. The child learns to choose good over evil. My son Ethan is having a real hard time with this right now. He knows the word "no," and I have mentioned this many times before. You find out very quickly that even the youngest children don't like the word "no," just as much as I don't like it.

He knows that he is not supposed to touch the sunglasses on the table or grab Mom's purse, or whatever it may be. He will look over when he is about to do it just to make sure someone is watching. When we say "no," his face crinkles up, and he gets very angry. But he understands "no." He knows, "Yeah, that's okay. You can touch that."

A very short period of time is given here. God says that within two or three years, He will bring this to pass. He will destroy the northern ten tribes and the people of Syria, but they will not destroy the city of Jerusalem, which was God's promise to Ahaz and also to Isaiah. The Lord continues to speak to Isaiah in verse 5. The Lord spoke also unto me again, saying, "Forasmuch as this people refuses the waters of Shiloh that go softly and rejoices in Rezin and Remaliah's son, now, therefore, behold, the Lord brings up upon the waters of the river strong and many, even the king of Assyria and all his glory. He shall come up over all his channels and go over all his banks. He shall pass through Judah, and 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 Emmanuel."

God's word to Ahaz in Isaiah chapter 7 was, "Trust me."

And you will be established. But we know that Ahaz would not trust the Lord. Instead, he put his trust in the Assyrians. He took silver and gold from the temple and from his own palace. He sent it by the hand of one of his ambassadors to the nation of Assyria, to the city of Nineveh. He asked the king there, Tiglath-Pileser, to come and help him, to come and destroy the Assyrians, and to get rid of the northern ten tribes so that he would not be destroyed.

Tiglath-Pileser, the king, acquiesced. He said, "All right, I'm going to come. I'm going to help you." Because Ahaz would not trust in God, God allowed the king of Assyria to continue his rampage and come right down into Jerusalem, destroying Judah as well, right up to the very neck of the city of Jerusalem.

Had Ahaz trusted the Lord, God would have still used the Assyrian army to destroy the northern ten tribes, as we see in this passage. However, He would have turned them around and sent them back to Nineveh, not to destroy Judah or come up to Jerusalem. But Ahaz would not trust the Lord. Instead, he put his trust in Mammon, in his own money, in his own ingenuity, and in his own alliances in this world.

Instead of choosing the Lord, he chose the armies of this world. Instead of turning to and trusting in God, he turned to and trusted in Tiglath-Pileser, the king of Assyria.

We have here a contrast in verse 6 of Isaiah chapter 8. For as much as this people refuses the waters of Shiloh that go softly, the people of Jerusalem refuse to trust in that God-given spring, the fountain of living water, the Lord God, in His gentle river. This gentle fountain that He sends forth, His living water, is not trusted by them. Shiloh is often a reference to Jesus, the coming of the Lord, the fountain of living waters, even though there is a pool of Shiloh, or Siloam, outside the city walls of Jerusalem. It is a reference to God.

And so God says, because the people of Jerusalem refuse Him and the gentle living water that He will give to them, they will face the consequences of their choice.

They rejoice in the destruction of Rezin, the king of Syria, and Pekah, the king of the northern ten tribes, because they refuse God. Therefore, in verse 7, behold, the Lord will bring upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, in all his glory. He shall come up over all his channels and go over all his banks. He shall pass through Judah and shall overflow, reaching even to the neck.

God says, "You have refused the fountain, so I'll give you the flood." You've refused to trust in Him and look to Him for your protection, so He will give you the very thing that you think you want. The nation of Assyria, in which you will trust, will become the very thing that will destroy you. The thing that you put your trust in will become your vice. You refuse the fountain; you get the flood. The flood will be the king of Assyria, who will come up over his channels, go over his banks, pass through Judah, overflow, and reach right up to the very neck.

If the head of Judah is the city of Jerusalem, then when we read that he will come up to the very neck, it means he will come and surround Jerusalem. When we get to Isaiah 36 and 37, we will see the fulfillment of this, where the armies of Assyria will come up and destroy many of the cities of Judah, surrounding the city of Jerusalem and almost destroying it. If it were not for the Lord and His power, they would be completely consumed.

Now, it will take some time. It will not happen during the reign of King Ahaz; it will ultimately come in the reign of King Hezekiah. However, it will come because God will make good on His word. It all had to do with this one man who made a decision to not trust the Lord. You see, decisions have consequences. Sometimes the decisions we make have consequences that do not come for many years, but those consequences do come.

We are told in the Scriptures in Galatians that if you sow to the flesh, you shall of the flesh reap destruction. There are multitudes of people in the world today who are sowing to the flesh day in and day out, week in and week out, month in and month out, and so on. They may not experience the consequences immediately, but they will come.

The destruction of sowing to the flesh occurs here and now in this life, but there is coming a day when they will reap destruction. Judgment will come. Ahaz was an ungodly man who worshipped false gods. He even caused his children to pass through the fires of Molech, offering them as human sacrifices to these false gods, which were, in reality, demonic. God says, "If you will just turn to me, if you'll trust in me, I'll establish you." However, Ahaz would not trust in the Lord. Therefore, God says, "Well, because you have rejected the fountain, I'll bring the flood." Judah chose the flood; they chose Assyria. It would be Assyria that would be their judgment. The very thing they chose would ultimately be used to bring about their destruction.

Now, I believe God gives a very small promise, just a word of encouragement at the end of verse 8, where we read, "He shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Emmanuel." He still refers to Emmanuel, still refers to God with us. He says, "Listen, I'm still going to be with you, and a remnant shall return." If you remember back to Isaiah chapter 7, Isaiah's first son was named Sherjashub, which means "a remnant shall return." God would ultimately save just a very small remnant of His people, but destruction would come because of their lack of trust in Him.

In verse 9, we continue: "Associate yourselves, O ye people, and you shall be broken in pieces. Give ear, all you of far countries, gird yourselves, and you shall be broken in pieces. Gird yourselves, and you shall be broken in pieces." God, three times in verse 9, prepares the people and says, "Listen, you're going to be broken into pieces." God is calling out to the Assyrian army, saying, "Come, come and destroy the people of Jerusalem, come and destroy the people of Judah because they have not trusted in the fountain of living waters. They've not trusted in the gentle water of Shiloh."

"Take counsel together, and it shall come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not stand, for God is with us." Again, God is giving a promise to the people of Judah, saying, "Listen, when the Assyrians come against you, they will not fully destroy you because God is with you. They'll take counsel together, but their counsel will come to nothing." We will see this in Isaiah chapter 37.

When God will destroy 185,000 of the Assyrian army in one night to protect His people, it seems like such good news. However, as you read between the lines and go to Kings and Chronicles, you find that much of the nation of Judah was destroyed. It was only the city of Jerusalem that was saved as God intervened. The Assyrians would take counsel together, but their counsel would come to nothing. They would speak the word, but it would not pass because God would be with His people. Remember, O Emmanuel, God with us.

For the Lord, in verse 11, spoke thus to me with a strong hand and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people. He said, "Say ye not a confederacy to all them to whom this people shall say, 'A confederacy.' Neither fear ye their fear nor be afraid. Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself and let Him be your fear, let Him be your dread. He shall be for a sanctuary, but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel. He will be a trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and many among them shall stumble and fall, be broken, snared, and taken.

God speaks a second time to Isaiah. First, He said the people of Jerusalem are going to be judged because they have chosen the flood over the fountain. There is a contrast between the fountain of living waters, that gentle living water from the Lord, and the flood of the Assyrians. Now, He says to Isaiah a second time, "Listen, don't walk in the way of this people. I don't want you to be like the people of Jerusalem, and do not say a confederacy to all them of this people who say a confederacy."

You see, all the people of Jerusalem were very excited because after Ahaz had set up this alliance, this confederacy with the Assyrians, they figured they were okay. The northern ten tribes and the Assyrians were on their way down to destroy them. They had already taken over many of the cities of Judah, but they believed they had an ally. They had a confederacy with the king of Assyria, Tiglath-Pileser, and everything was going to be okay. They were encouraging themselves, strengthening themselves in their unholy alliance. They figured they were all right.

We will see this again as we continue through the book of Isaiah. In the later chapters of the 20s of Isaiah, the people are going to say, "We have made a deal with death. We're going to be just fine."

And so, these people in Isaiah's day, during the time of King Ahaz, said, "Listen, we're all right. We have a confederacy with the king of Assyria. Even though the northern ten tribes and the Assyrians are coming against us, we will be just fine." I find that there are people in our own nation who do the same thing.

You remember back in 2001, after the towers had fallen and a war was declared against Afghanistan, a global war on terror. We encouraged ourselves and said, "We have a bigger army, greater plans, and more money. We're going to be just fine." But did we turn to the Lord and trust in Him?

God said to Isaiah, as he was surrounded by a people in his own nation, in his own city, who were saying, "We're going to be just fine because we have silver and gold and we have a league with the king of Assyria. We'll be all right." God told Isaiah, "Don't be like them. Don't walk in their way. Don't trust in these fickle things because these things can be turned around so quickly. Trust in the Lord. Do not say a confederacy like they say, 'Oh, we have a league with this nation. We'll be all right.' Do not be afraid of the things they're afraid of."

Instead, God says to Isaiah in verse 13, "You sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself and let Him be your fear and let Him be your dread." I believe God would say the same thing to you and me as well.

There is the temptation, whether in our own lives individually or as a people in the United States, to trust in external things other than the Lord. Perhaps you lose your job and say, "That's okay. I have a great savings account, and that's what's going to keep me." In that moment, you're trusting in mammon, not in God.

A bill comes unexpectedly in the mail, and you open it with a little bit of dread in your heart. Perhaps your heartbeat increases, your blood pressure rises, but then you think, "Well, it's okay because I have that line of credit. I have that MasterCard, and everything will be just fine."

Or we, as a nation, when another nation comes against us, might say, "Well, we're the strongest nation in the world, maybe the greatest empire that has ever been, and we have the mightiest military. We can overcome." God says, "Don't be like the rest of this people. Don't trust in those false things."

As we read through the Old Testament, we see many references to idols and to gods. We have a tendency in the year 2010 to think that we're so progressive and that we don't have idols and we don't have gods.

But really, all an idol is, is that which you put your trust in. Your God is the thing that you trust in, you hope in, and you look to for help. In thinking about that, we have to wonder what the gods are that we've allowed to come into our lives as the body of Christ today. What are the things we turn to when times are tough and days are difficult? Is it the Lord? Is He the first one that we turn to? Is He our fear and our dread?

Do we sanctify Him in our hearts, as God told Isaiah in verse 13: "Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself. Trust in Him. Let Him be your fear. Let Him be your dread." If He is, notice what verse 14 says: "He shall be for a sanctuary." If you will trust in the Lord, if He will be the one that you fear and revere, then He will be your sanctuary. But if not, we read in verse 14, "He shall be for a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel."

The people in Judah and those who lived in the city of Jerusalem especially thought that they were so much better off than the people of their own nation in the northern ten tribes of Israel. After the reign of King Solomon, when Solomon's son Rehoboam took over, there was a civil war, and the nation split in two. Ten of the tribes of Israel gathered together in the northern part of the nation, while the other two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, stayed in the south and had the city of Jerusalem.

Because they lived in Judah and had the city of Jerusalem and the temple, they thought, "Well, we're okay. We're just fine." They believed that their brothers and sisters in the north were really going to get it bad. We can fall into the same mindset here in America. We live in the same nation among the same group of people. We are men and women of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips, but we are part of the church, so everything's just fine. We might think that all the rest of the people in America who don't go to church are in big trouble, but we are just fine.

However, we are only okay if God is our sanctuary. We are only okay if He is our fear, our dread, and we are trusting in Him alone.

If we are trusting in our bank account or our 401K, which have all become 201Ks because they have all broken apart, that doesn't really make sense, but that's okay. They have all fallen apart. If you trust in anything other than the Lord, then you are no different than the rest of the world, even if you sit in church on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights.

God says here, "I will be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both houses of Israel." It doesn't matter who you are; if you don't trust in the Lord, He says, "I will be a stone of stumbling. I will be a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem as well." God warns us not to follow the people's wrong desire to look to the Assyrians for help. Don't follow their ways or trust in the things they trust in. Put your trust in the Lord. If you trust in the Lord, then He will be your sanctuary. But if you won't, He will be a snare. He will be the very one that entraps you, the one who leads you to judgment.

Many, as it says in verse 15, shall stumble, fall, be broken, snared, and taken. God desires to truly be our God, but He is only our God if we put our trust in Him. We have to question ourselves: Is He the one we trust in, or are we trusting in something else? Have we made other things our gods? This is a question that only you can answer, and you can only answer it as you bring it before the Lord and say, "Lord, reveal to me if I have set anything before You today."

I believe this is something we need to do regularly; it is not something we just do once. We have to come before our Lord and see if He is really the Lord of our lives. Just as Paul the Apostle would say, we need to test ourselves to see that we are in the faith. Seek the Lord, and He shall be a safe sanctuary. Reject the Lord, and He shall be a stone of stumbling and a snare.

In verse 16, we read, "Bind up the testimony. Seal the law among my disciples, and I will wait upon the Lord."

That hides His face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him. Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwells in Mount Zion.

You see, this is the right response. As God is speaking these things to Isaiah, He is saying, "Listen, Isaiah, don't be like your countrymen. Don't be like your brothers, your sisters, and your neighbors who are saying, 'Well, we have a deal. We have a deal with the king of Assyria. We have money. We have silver and gold that's going to help us through this difficulty. We've got water supplies and stays of food. Everything will be just fine.'"

He says, "You trust in Me. You fear Me, and I will be your sanctuary. Bind up the testimony. Seal the law among My disciples. You hide My word in your heart." Then Isaiah says, "I will wait upon the Lord. I'm going to wait upon Him. I'm going to trust in Him, the one that hides His face from the house of Jacob. I will look for Him."

God would tell His people through the prophet Jeremiah, "You will find Me when you search for Me with all of your heart." Here, Isaiah says, "I'm going to look for the Lord. I'm going to wait upon the Lord." It's the very same word that the prophet Habakkuk would say. God would speak to him in that small four-chapter book, and Habakkuk would say, "I'm going to stand upon the rampart. I'm going to wait. I'm going to see what the Lord will do."

God says, "Isaiah, you wait for Me. You trust in Me. I will bring it to pass." Isaiah would learn one of the great verses of the Bible. He would be the one to give it forth in verse 31 of Isaiah chapter 40: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

You see, Isaiah could speak that. He could write it in his scroll because he had learned it. He had experienced it. He had seen it. Those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. And so he says, "I'm going to wait upon the Lord." As he did, he learned another truth: "Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me," verse 18, "we are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwells in Mount Zion." God had given Isaiah and his children to be signs unto the nation. In what way?

Well, the way that they lived, the way that they trusted in the Lord, and the way that they followed Him were significant. They did the things that God had called them to do. Even Isaiah and his sons' names were given as signs to the people. The name Isaiah means "Jehovah has saved" or "Jehovah is salvation." The name of Isaiah's firstborn son, Cher-Jashub, meant "a remnant shall return." It was God's promise, His prophetic word to His people that although judgment was going to come, He would protect a remnant of the people.

Isaiah's second son, Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, was a promise that the Assyrians would bring judgment. It's interesting to me that Isaiah's two sons' names appear in that order. The first son spoke of God's gracious gift, while the second son's name spoke of God's sure judgment. When I consider that, I think about Jesus, the Son of God. When He came the first time, He came to bring a gracious gift. But when He comes the second time, He will come to bring sure judgment. He will come again.

Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells in Mount Zion. Although we may not recognize it, and although we may not realize it, you and I are signs to this world. Peter talks about how you and I are living epistles. God wants to use my life and your life in this world to be the Word of God to this world. The world is watching. They want to see if we really trust God and if we truly follow what His Word says.

We are given to this world as living epistles. God wants to speak through your life. Remember, Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that you and I are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do they take that light and set it under a basket. Instead, they set it at the highest point in the room so that it gives light in that dark space. You and I are to be light to this world. We are to let our light so shine that they may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven. It shouldn't be that the only reason they know we are Christians is because we have a fish on our bumper or a shirt.

That says Jesus. Yes, those things may be good, but they may also be bad because they might be a very bad witness as you're speeding down the 15. It's very sad that it's been said that the California Highway Patrol calls those flying fish as they speed by on the freeway.

It's unfortunate that many people know not to call that auto mechanic or that plumber when they look in the yellow pages and see a fish or a cross. They think, "Well, I don't know if I'll really get good service." So sometimes it is a bad witness and not a good witness. The question is, do they see our lives, the way that we live, the way that we talk, and recognize that we are Christians, that we're disciples? Jesus said in John chapter 15, "They will know that you are my disciples by your what? By your love." Not by your t-shirt, not by the little sign on the back of your chariot, but by your love for one another.

In verse 19, it says, "And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits and unto wizards that peep and that mutter. Should not a people seek unto their God for the living to the dead, to the law and to the testimony? If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."

The children of Judah and Jerusalem chose the flood over the fountain. As a result of not trusting in the Lord, God would become a snare to them and not a sanctuary. Yet the people continued in their wicked path and chose darkness over light. Instead of turning to God and seeking His word, they turned to those that had familiar spirits, to soothsayers, to wizards, to witches, to those that would peep, that would mutter, that would speak on behalf of the dead.

God would say, "Shouldn't this people seek God? Why are they seeking the dead on behalf of the living?" How foolish it is to do this. They should seek, in verse 20, to the law and to the testimony. But if they speak not according to this word, the word of the Lord, then it's because they have no light.

In them. As we look at our world today, we see a growing roar of people who are completely anti-God and against the things of God. However, we also see an even larger pursuit after the occult. I had the privilege in the last several weeks of taking some time off and spending time with my family, including our newborn daughter. A couple of days, as Andrea and I were just sitting around the house watching some things on TV, I was amazed at how many different new shows there are about people seeking after ghosts and trying to find them in this world. The occult is big. It has always been significant, but it seems to be even more prevalent in our day.

All these different Eastern practices that have entered into our world have been happening for a very long time here in our own nation, America. Especially since the 1960s, there has been an influx of Eastern practices. This was something that God judged among the people of Judah, as we saw earlier in the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah chapter 1, it says, "My people are filled with practices of the East." We see this turning to the occult in our own nation as well.

In Isaiah's day, the people were turning to those who had familiar spirits. They sought out palm readers and soothsayers. Even King Saul, before his death, was perplexed about what to do. God no longer spoke to him because he had turned away from God, and as a result, God would not communicate with him. In his desperation, he sought out the witch of Endor, asking her to call Samuel back from the dead, the prophet Samuel, so he could tell him what was going to happen.

For some strange reason, God allowed Samuel to come back and speak to him, which scared the witch half to death. She didn't even know what to do when Samuel actually showed up. Samuel told Saul, "This is it. You're going to die." Saul was seeking those who had familiar spirits and wizards, and God said, "This is insane. This is craziness. Should not these people seek God? Why are they seeking...?"

The dead on behalf of the living? Turn to the law and the testimony. Turn to the word of the Lord. Because if you don't turn to the word of the Lord, there's no light in you. These were a people, as we saw in chapter 5, who were prepared for judgment. We read in verse 20, "Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil; that put darkness for light and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter."

On several occasions in the Scriptures, the word of God is called sweet. In Psalm 19, it is described as sweeter than honey in the honeycomb. In a wicked, fallen world—a world that is prepared for judgment—people put the bitter word of the occult, the bitter word of the enemy, the devil, and the bitter word of man's wisdom before the sweet word of God. The word of God is called, in Psalm 119, verse 105, a lamp unto our feet. Yet, people turn to the darkness of this world instead of looking to the word of God. They turn to the stars and ask, "What do the stars have to say about me today? Please develop a star chart and tell me my horoscope." It's horrible.

Turn to the Lord. He is the only one who can enlighten our eyes. The amazing thing you find when you do turn to the word of the Lord is that His word is sweeter than the honey in the honeycomb. It's interesting; the things of this world often seem sweet in our mouths but are bitter in our stomachs. God desires that we turn to His word. There is no light in them.

In verse 21, we read, "And they shall pass through it hardly bestead and hungry; and it shall come to pass that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves and curse their king and their God, and look upward. They shall look unto the earth and behold trouble and darkness and dimness and anguish, and they shall be driven to darkness." Those who do not seek the Lord and His law, His testimony, and His word have no light in them. As a result, they will pass through the land distressed and hungry.

Isaiah says that they are going to fret; they will be filled with worry and anxiety within themselves. Isn't it interesting that in a nation so eager to seek wisdom and knowledge from the occult or from the wisdom of man, we are the nation filled with more anxiety than any other in the world? They shall fret within themselves and shake their fists at God as if it is His fault.

It blows my mind how many people I have sat down with—non-believers—who are experiencing tragedy in their lives. They have not sought the Lord, they have not served the Lord, and they have not worshipped the Lord. Yet, when tragedy comes, they are angry with God. It makes no sense to me. They do not honor God; they want nothing to do with Him, but they get mad at Him when things do not go right in their lives. It is absolute foolishness, and I have seen it dozens of times.

God says all they are going to receive is darkness. Isaiah chapter 8 ends with gloom and despair. Read again the very last verse: they shall look unto the earth and behold trouble and darkness, dimness and anguish, and they shall be driven to darkness.

Then we read in Isaiah chapter 9, verse 1: "Nevertheless, the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation when at first He lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea beyond the Jordan and Galilee of the nations."

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light, and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them has light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation and not increased the joy before Thee, or their joy before Thee, according to the joy of the harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

For Thou hast broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise and garments rolled in blood, but this shall be with burning and fuel.

For the fire, Isaiah chapter 8 ends with darkness, dimness, and despair. However, the word of chapter 9, verse 1, brings light at the end of the tunnel. Nevertheless, after the darkness, it is so good to see great light. The children of Israel, especially the northern ten tribes, would experience great darkness. In fact, during the life of Isaiah, the northern ten tribes would be completely destroyed by the Assyrian army. They would become what we call the lost tribes of Israel. The region that was called Israel in the north would come to be called Samaria after the capital city there.

God would have a very special blessing planned for that region and for the people of that area. After that darkness and the great distress caused by the Assyrian army, we read that the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, and those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. What light would that be? Who would come into that area? Jesus would be the one to come into the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, that area called Galilee of the Gentiles.

As you read through the New Testament, you find that the bulk of Jesus' ministry took place in Galilee of the Gentiles, surrounding that whole region that had seen such great darkness and distressing events. God would bring light, and when God shone that light into that region, He would increase their joy. We read in verse three that it would be like the joy according to the joy of harvest. God spoke in terms that the people could understand, trying to express to them what this joy would be like when those who had been in darkness would experience the great light of the Lord coming there.

He said it would be like the joy of the harvest after working so hard throughout the season—preparing the land, removing the rocks, planting, weeding, and watering the land. They didn’t have PVC pipes to bring water to the land; they had to carry it. After months of toil and waiting, then the harvest would come.

Come, and such joy would come. He says it's going to be like the joy of the harvest, and not just like the joy of the harvest, but like when men rejoice and they divide the spoil. Who is it that divides the spoil? Those that were victorious in the battle, those who won the war. I mean, you're already happy because you're still alive and you're victorious; you're on the winning side. But then you get to go and divide the spoil of the battle.

If we were going to bring this into our modern-day terms, we might say the joy that the winning team experiences after the Super Bowl. It's going to be that kind of joy. Why is there going to be such great joy? Verse four: "For you, God, 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."

He says the joy is going to be brought about because God is going to do away with the yoke, the burden, the rod of the oppressor, just like He did in the day of Midian, which is a reference back to the Book of Judges and the day of that great judge, Gideon. It was during the time of Gideon that the nation was greatly oppressed because the Midianites would come up into the land every single year during the time of harvest and steal all the food that the people of Israel had worked so hard to harvest.

How many of you have seen the movie "A Bug's Life" from Pixar? Exactly the same thing. You know, the ants gather all their food all season long, and then Hopper and his gang come in and take it away. It's the exact same picture. The Midianites would come; in fact, the scripture says they would come into the land like locusts. Isn't it interesting? In "A Bug's Life," it was the locusts that came and took the food.

So, the Midianites would come and devastate the nation. What was Gideon doing? Well, he's threshing wheat in a wine press, doing the wrong thing in the wrong place. A wine press is found in a valley or on the side of a hill so that they could crush the grapes, and because of gravity, the wine would flow down into the basin. You would thresh wheat on the hilltop where the wind would come and take the chaff away.

And there he is, doing futile work in the wrong place. He's threshing wheat in a wine press. How do you do that? You don't really have any wind there. He's lifting it up and going, and God stands there. The angel of the Lord appears. How dare you say the Lord is with...

If the Lord was with me, I would not be threshing wheat in a wine press. God says, "Go in this strength, and you shall do away with the Midianites." So, Gideon, with 300 men, put to flight an army of 150,000 Midianites. Do you think that Gideon and his 300-man army had a little bit of joy on that day?

It will be like in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warriors is with confused noise. When the battle is going on, it is disorienting with confusion, and at the end of the battle, it is a dirty mess with garments rolled in blood. But this shall be with burning and fuel for fire. God says that at the end of all of it, when the war is over, all the instruments of war are going to be done away with and burned with fire.

This is the very same word that God gave in Isaiah chapter 2, verse 4, where He says that at the end of the age, when everything is said and done, they are going to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation. God says there is coming a day when all this war will be done away with, so it is going to be a great, joyful time when this light shines.

Then God begins to clarify for us just what this light is in verse 6: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder. His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." Of the increase of His government and peace, there shall be no end. Upon the throne of David and upon His kingdom, He will order it and establish it with judgment and justice from henceforth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform it.

Darkness was going to come into that region, into that land, not because God was a mean God, but because the people rejected the light of the Lord. He said, "You turn to me, you turn to my word, and you will have light. You turn to the fountain of living waters, and it will be joy." But they rejected the fountain and turned to the flood; they rejected the light and turned to the darkness.

Yet, because He is a good God, He says, "I’m going to bring light once again, a great light. It’s going to bring joy."

Light comes with joy, like when the harvest arrives or when you are victorious in battle. What is this joy? What is this light unto us? A child is born. It is going to be a light brought by a child—not just any child, but a son, a male child. When he comes, he will bring a new government. The government shall be upon his shoulder, and he will be a good governor; he will be a good king. Why? Because his name shall be called Wonderful. He shall be a Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

When he comes and establishes his government, it will grow and grow. The increase of his government and his peace will have no end. He will fulfill the prophecy given to David in 2 Samuel chapter 7, where it is stated that he will be on the throne of David, ordering and establishing it with judgment and justice forever. God says, "I will perform this."

This prophecy began to be fulfilled when that child came into the world. It was the last fulfillment of the prophecy of the virgin birth given in Isaiah chapter 7, verse 14. When Jesus came into the world, a child was born, but the Son was given. He came with two natures: fully God and fully man. The child being born speaks of his humanity, while the Son being given speaks of his divinity.

When he comes, he will come to rule. He will be born as the king, and the government will be upon his shoulder. When we read about his shoulder, it speaks of his strength to uphold this government. He will not need a military to support it because he himself is strong enough to uphold it. We are told that his name will be called Wonderful. The reign of righteousness will never be dull; it will be filled with awe. We will all be amazed when he stands as king and ruler upon the earth, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father.

The Prince of Peace will be the Counselor, possessing enough wisdom to bring about the right plan. He will be the Mighty God, meaning He will have the power to implement that plan. We are told that He will be called the Everlasting Father. Some people have a hard time with this concept; how can the Son also be the Father? It doesn't speak to the Trinity here. It could be translated as He will be the Father of Eternity, meaning He will be the origin from which you and I will step into eternity.

In John chapter 14, He says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me." He is the way by which we can step into eternity.

What will this government look like when He comes? Pastor Gail Erwin, who has spoken here a number of times, shares insightful thoughts about the government of God. What might such a government look like? First of all, it would look like its King. Politicians of this day look for what they can get from you; Jesus looks for what He can do for you. Leaders of this day surround themselves with servants, while Jesus surrounds us with His servanthood.

Leaders of this day use their power to build an empire; Jesus uses His power to wash our feet and make us clean. Leaders of this day trade their influence for money. God so loved the world that He gave. Generals of this day need regular wars to keep their weapons and skills up to date and to ensure that their kingdom advances. Jesus brings peace and rest to our hearts.

The higher the plane of importance one reaches in this world, the more inaccessible he becomes. But Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. Leaders of this day are desperate to be seen and heard; Jesus sought anonymity so that He could be useful.

Obviously, Jesus is not in charge of the halls of Washington, London, Moscow, Baghdad, Paris, or Bonn. So how can we ever believe that the government will be upon His shoulder? Actually, His government shows its workings in wonderful ways. Whenever I see someone who miraculously leaves the life of drugs or alcohol and is restored to his family and work, I can see the impact of His government.

I see that he is now governed by God. Whenever I see loving Christians gently caring for orphans and those rejected by family, I know that I am watching people governed by God. Whenever I see people eagerly learning the Bible and joyously praising, I know who their governor is.

Whenever I see people give up lucrative careers simply to go and share the good news of Jesus, I know that they are governed by God. When I see people carefully teach and lead the flock of God that was given to them, I know that they are governed by God. They choose to live and teach in distant lands because they love the people who have not heard.

So indeed, the government is alive and working, often silently and mostly unseen. We can be and are, by choice, governed by God. Hope, joy, peace, and rest cover its subjects. Justice, mercy, and grace amazingly coexist. I like this kingdom; the borders are open. Come in!

The government shall be upon His shoulder. His name is Emmanuel, God with us. Of the increase of His government and peace, there shall be no end. He is the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. He is the only one that brings light into the dimness of this world. It is found in no other individual, no other thing, no other experience, and no other way. He is the only way.

If we turn to Him, as we see in this passage, we find sanctuary. We find rest, peace, joy, and all that is needed—everything that man actually seeks for. So many seek these things from the world, but they are only found in Christ. May we be those who, having received this freely, are willing to freely give it to others, because this world desperately needs the light of Christ.

It desperately needs that you and I would shine the light of Christ in the dark day in which we're living. Isaiah, 2800 years ago, was living in the midst of darkness, and yet he had hope and he had joy. Why? Because he knew this government. Although things may become even darker in our day—and I believe they probably will—it’s going to become a lot more dark until the King of Kings and Lord of Lords returns.

May we be those who recognize that He is our Governor. We are a part of His kingdom now, and we need to preach His kingdom to this lost world. Amen.

Let's stand and pray together. Father, I thank You for the fact that You have called us to be a part of Your kingdom and that You have opened the way. I pray that You would give us the words to speak to those who are outside the walls, outside the gates. Lord, help us to be ambassadors of Your kingdom here in this world, bringing the message of the King to those who are lost.

I pray for those family members and friends of ours who have not yielded to Your lordship and have not come to the place where they place their trust in You. I pray that they would see in us an example, that they would see in us Your light shining. Lord, help us to be good witnesses, just as You told Your disciples there before You ascended into heaven, that the Holy Spirit shall come upon you and you shall be witnesses unto Me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts.

Lord, would You pour out Your Spirit afresh and anew upon this group gathered here tonight, that we would be witnesses unto You in Escondido, in North County, in California, in the United States, and in the uttermost parts, wherever You take us. Shine through us, we pray, for we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

Every day, we can do another thing. Maybe we can turn our hearts unto God. Amen.