Isaiah 8:11-15

Isaiah 8:11–15 KJV 1900

11 For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, And instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, 12 Say ye not, A confederacy, To all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; Neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. 13 Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; And let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; But for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, For a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, And be snared, and be taken.

Introduction

Isaiah had received strong direction from the Lord. 11

God had spoken to Isaiah in a very convincing fashion.

We have looked over the last few weeks at the stand Isaiah took against the king of Judah, a wicked man named Ahaz.

He had been bold in speaking truth to power.

His boldness had been holy, but it was also well-founded.

He had received a message from God that had gripped His soul.

The phrase “with a strong hand” means “like the strong grasping of the hand.”

It’s what older men like to do to boys and teenagers.

They take their big meaty hands and squeeze that boy’s scrawny hand while sharing some wisdom.

God had spoken to Isaiah as His Spirit came upon the prophet with power.

God got a hold of Isaiah’s soul and squeezed it tight.

God did this for the purpose of assuring him of the truth.

Isaiah needed to remember the message that God was giving Him.

What was God’s message to Isaiah?

Isaiah was told to stand against the flow of his culture.

God knew that Isaiah and his followers were in the minority.

God knew that their political views wildly unpopular.

This is why God spoke so firmly to the prophet.

Isaiah would need something to cling to when the pressure was applied.

When you stand against the majority, they usually don’t appreciate it.

The only real recourse in a day of evil is to cleave to the Lord Himself.

His words.

His promises.

The people could not accept this; which is why Isaiah was in the minority.

Where were the people going that Isaiah was not supposed to follow?

They were focused on confederacies.

There are two primary topics that were dominating the conversations of Judah at the time.

The confederacy of Syria and Israel against Judah.

The possibility of confederacy between Judah and Assyria.

Isaiah was directed not to encourage either the fear of confederacies or the formation of confederacies for protection.

Humans have a tendency to engage in coalition building when they sense danger.

Instinctively, in times of stress and danger, men think of confederacies and association as the best means of preserving the traditions and conditions which they hold dear.

We join with different associations hoping that they will be a bulwark against the on-rushing tide of evil.

We immediately fall back on the “strength in numbers” mentality and we try to increase our numbers.

God warned Isaiah not to follow the majority in support of the pro-Assyrian party.

Such a stand was considered to be treasonous.

The problem was that the Jewish leaders were asking the wrong questions about their situation.

They were asking is it popular, is it safe?

Isaiah was asking is it right?

How was Isaiah supposed to distinguish himself?

Isaiah needed to have a different definition of fear than the people did.

The people were afraid of the invading armies.

Isaiah is not to follow them down the same path of fear.

He was to be afraid, just not of the same thing.

God tells Isaiah to be afraid of Him alone.

The fear of God is a common theme of scripture.

It showed up this morning as a motivation for us to submit to one another within the church.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

It does mean a healthy respect, but it also means God is scary.

We should be more afraid of making God angry by a show of little faith than we are the threats of the world.

Who your afraid of will have a big impact on how you live your life.

Isaiah was expected to demonstrate what the people were unwilling to do themselves.

That was trust in God.

Isaiah was to sanctify the Lord.

This means that Isaiah was to set God apart from all others.

God wants to be set apart in our minds as the only almighty ruler of the universe.

To sanctify God as holy requires one to perceive Him as the high and exalted king.

Isaiah was told to make God his safety.

When God is given His right place, He will be as a sanctuary to those who put their trust in Him.

When God is our sanctuary, He surrounds us with walls.

He hides us in Himself.

Death and tribulation may reign without.

Within the safety of God’s sanctuary, there is comfort, food, and blessing.

Most importantly, when God is our sanctuary, we enjoy gracious fellowship with Him, even in the middle of danger.

Judah wanted to claim God as their own, but still maintain the freedom to make their own arrangements for their safety.

This was primarily due to a lack of faith in God’s abilities.

You cannot honor God as the holy King of the universe an not trust His promises.

In Ahaz’s case, God had expressly promised to save him.

Ahaz just couldn’t trust that.

If we are not convinced that immeasurable methods, though unknown to us, are in His power for our deliverance, we conceive of Him as a dead idol.

God’s faithfulness and power would be a cause for stumbling throughout Judah.

Whereas faith in Him provides a sanctuary, disbelief causes a hazard.

A stone of stumbling is boulder in your path.

A rock of offense is stone thrown at your head.

For an illustration of this, look at what Jesus’ life did to the pharisees.

Unbelief becomes a trap for those who reject God.

Gin - spring trap

Snare is a noose or hook trap bird trap as one author said.

Unbelief leads to destruction.

5 words for it in verse 15.