MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ!
Opening Prayer
Remind me through your Word today, Lord, of your promises to those who follow you.
Read ISAIAH 8:1–18
Isaiah and His Children as Signs
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 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.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 8:1 Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz means quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil; also in verse 3.
- Isaiah 8:8 Immanuel means God with us.
- Isaiah 8:9 Or Do your worst
- Isaiah 8:10 Hebrew Immanuel
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
‘Do not fear, for I am with you’ (Isaiah 41:10). The Lord expects his presence to reduce your fear. Do you?Some friends of mine named their cat Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (‘Hash-Baz’ for short) because it means ‘quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil’ (v. 1). A dangerous predator for Isaiah’s Jerusalem was the kingdom of Assyria, that would soon invade and plunder Judah’s northern enemies. The Lord told Isaiah and his wife to name their new son Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz as a living sign to the people of Judah that they, too, would be pounced on, overwhelmed, and plundered (vv. 7, 8).
The Lord then encouraged his prophet. Don’t live in dread of disaster, of conspiracies, or rumors (v. 12). The nations of the world may launch unspeakably wicked wars, and they may or may not prosper. But God remains; he is still with us—Immanuel (vv. 8, 10). Fearsome as a threat may be, the Lord Almighty is the one to trust and fear, more than a powerful enemy—though this will be too much for some to swallow. It would be Jerusalem’s downfall (vv. 13–15).
The people were unresponsive, and the Lord was ‘hiding’ from them. So Isaiah withdrew a little to reinforce God’s instruction to his disciples. Isaiah himself would take the opportunity to renew his own trust in the Lord, and wait (vv. 16, 17).
Apply
Are you more inclined to exaggerate threats and problems or to be in denial of them? Perhaps Immanuel, God being with you, can help you bring them into a truer perspective.
Closing prayer
Father God, help me to see my world through your eyes, with more of your eternal perspective. Help me to trust in your faithfulness.
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