Isaiah 8:5 - 15

Isaiah continues with a vision of Assyria’s effect on Judah:

​ NKJV5 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 God is with us.”

Here God uses the imagery of a river. These people refused the waters of Shiloah that flow softly: The people of northern kingdom of Israel did not appreciate their humble streams (the waters of Shiloah). Instead, they rejoiced in wicked leaders (in Rezin and Remaliah's son). So, God will give them a different kind of river - the waters of the River, strong and mighty.i. "The little stream of Shiloah sprung from Mount Zion on the southwesterly side of Jerusalem. It flowed as softly as oil without any murmur. Jerusalem's existence and continuation depended on it." (Bultema)ii. The capital of the Assyrian Empire was Nineveh, and the city of Nineveh was founded on a great river: the Tigris. The Assyrian Empire was also centered across another mighty river: the Euphrates. The whole land of Israel simply did not have a river like the Euphrates or the Tigris. God is using the difference between the small, humble, yet adequate waters of Israel and the mighty, yet uncontrolled rivers of Assyria to make a point. It is as if God is saying, "You don't like what I have given you? You persist in rejecting what I give you? Then I will give you something different, but you won't like it either."It’s a lesson in be careful what you ask for. There is a verse that says you sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.“Assyria”....he will go up over all his channels and go over all his banks. He will pass through Judah, he will overflow and pass over, he will reach up to the neck;The picture is one of a mighty river overflowing and uncontrollable. We see pictures of these big floods in the mid-west and what can you do. Notice the description, he will overflow and pass over, he will reach up to the neck;The picture is one of being barely alive having lost everything!The historical record of Assyria’s invasion of Judah is recorded in and 19,

​ NKJV13 And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. 14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; turn away from me; whatever you impose on me I will pay.” And the king of Assyria assessed Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15 So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house. 16 At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria. 17 Then the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh from Lachish, with a great army against Jerusalem, to King Hezekiah. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they had come up, they went and stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, which was on the highway to the Fuller’s Field. 18 And when they had called to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to them.

The 2 chapters are a great story of God’s protection of Judah and ultimately God’s angel wipes 185,000 Assyrians in one night.Note in Verse 8 Will fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel.Whose land is it? God’s..Verse 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.He is saying you can make a plan and try to prepare but you will be broken in pieces. We saw the rich and elite a few weeks ago building expensive shelters under ground and in mountains, It doesn't matter when that day comes.Verse 10 Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; Speak the word, but it will not stand, For God is with us.” (Immanuel)This verse should remind you of a Psalm?

​ NKJV 1 Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. 5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: 6 “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.” 7 “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ” 10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

It’s hard for us a Christians to think that anyone, “the Kings and rulers”, would believe that they could take on Jesus Christ in a battle and think they could win. As the saying goes your arms are too short to box with God.

Jacob wrestled

() Prepare by fearing God, not Assyria.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: "Do not say, 'A conspiracy,' concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. The LORD of hosts, Him you shall hallow; let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. 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. And many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken, be snared and taken."

The idea is here that in times of trouble conspiracies run rampant. In our day with social media and fake news there are all kinds of conspiracies that can frighten you make you lose hope.So God reminds them,

The LORD of hosts, Him you shall hallow; let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. He will be as a sanctuary.

Jesus told us to not fear the one who could take your life, but rather the One Who could send you to hell.

But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense: For those who trust Him, the LORD will be as a sanctuary. But for those who don't, He will be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.

Instead of finding protection from the LORD, they will "trip" over Him, falling to destruction. Indeed, many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken.We know that Jesus is this stone of stumbling and a rock of offense (). This is a strong statement of the deity of Jesus, because clearly in , the LORD of hosts is the stone, and clearly in , Jesus Christ is the stone.

Luke 20:18 NKJV

18 Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”

Luke 21:18 NKJV

18 But not a hair of your head shall be lost.

​ NKJV 6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” 7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

() Prepare by waiting on the LORD.

Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. And I will wait on the LORD, who hides His face from the house of Jacob; and I will hope in Him. 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.And I will wait on the LORD,

What dose it mean to wait on the Lord? Often it means stop and believe in full trust that He will answer our need. The idea is we are not going to move until we get direction.

Here am I and the children whom the LORD has given me! We are for signs and wonders in Israel - God is delivering His message through our lives.

Have you considered that the world is watching you, and that how you live and react to thing can have an effect on someone eternity.

 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

() Prepare by seeking His light and word, not the darkness of the occult.

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? 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. 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. Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.

This is the way it goes for those who seek spiritual help out side of God. Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? Whole belief systems are built on this premise.

Video - Medium seeks control 5 min

But their end is they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness. What does this say in regard to praying to Saints and Ancestors? Their end is not good.