Isaiah 6
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Isaiah 8:9-10
Commanding the Waves
In the years 1014-1035 there ruled over England a Danish king named Canute. King Canute tired of hearing his retainers flatter him with extravagant praises of his greatness, power and invincibility. He ordered his chair to be set down on the seashore, where he commanded the waves not to come in and wet him. No matter how forcefully he ordered the tide not to come in, however, his order was not obeyed. Soon the waves lapped around his chair. One historian tells us that, therefore, he never wore his crown again, but hung it on a statue of the crucified Christ.
Source Unknown
Definitions of Political Systems
Communism: You have two cows. The government takes both of them and gives you part of the milk.
Socialism: You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.
Fascism: You have two cows. The government takes both cows and sells you the milk.
Nazism: You have two cows. The government takes both cows, then shoots you.
Bureaucracy: You have two cows. The government takes both of them, shoots one, milks the other, then pours the milk down the drain.
Capitalism: You have two cows. You sell one of them and buy a bull.
In a democracy, everyone has two cows, then a vote is taken, and whatever the majority decides to do, you do, and that's no bull!
Pulpit Helps, August, 1992, p. 8.
The penalty that good men pay for not being interested in politics is to be governed by men worse than themselves.
Plato.
Righteousness exalteth a nation:
But sin is a reproach to any people.
They say the best stories have one message told in three parts. Well Isaiah 8 is written exactly that way. Three pictures one message…
A scroll for the future; A son for right now. The flood waters are a coming. Save this scroll for later.
The unified message will be illuminated as each part of the story is unpacked. But the theme that you will listen for is Redemption and Faith. You will see the vital necessity for faith and the fact that you will not survive without it.
Consider Scene 1…
Isaiah opens he letter with a message straight from God. “Take a great roll”. Now I know that I am speaking someone’s love language. Of course he is speaking of a parchment paper with a roll on either side to keep.
He is commanded to take a man’s pen. This is like an engraving tool. Whatever is being written down needs last a while. It will need to be read again and again in the future. The Word to be written down.
Maher - shalal - hash - baz
quickly - spoil - urgently - spoil
It is four separate words. Put together to spell out the warning that destruction and the spoiling of the enemy is coming quickly.
Then in verse 3 Isaiah lets us in on the development of his family. He goes to his wife and she bares him a son. The name of that boy…Mahershalalhashbaz.
Why???
Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me
Are for signs and for wonders in Israel
From the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.
Well that is weird the one word written on that scroll is the name of his son. Actually it is answer the question as to when. Consider that he Scroll is a device for saving information into the future. While a name is meant to be used on a regular sound.
The people of Isaiah’s day don’t need a Scroll but a name would remind them every time they call his name in the street, school, or worship. Every time his name would be uttered they would hear a reminder that spoiling was on its way.
Spoiling was coming for Israel, and Syria… Remember last week we established that Israel and Syria are in the cross hairs of Assyria, and will be undone soon.
Consider Scene 2…
We find the waters of a river running up on the people of Judah. And the warning from God is that they can watch the waters rushing off with people they know. And the whole thing is hinged on one phrase;
Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly,
And rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son;
The problem was the they rejected the waters of Shiloah. Ancient Civilizations were built around waterways. Well much like modern cities. In Egypt you had the Nile, Syria had Euphrates, Assyria had the Tigris. How many of your remember the waters that ran through Jerusalem. It was the pool of Siloam Hezekiah in his day built a tunnel called the Tunnel of Siloam. These people have rejected the covenant built around the worship of Jerusalem. Which is an issue because just like the Psalmist found
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
Instead they were rejoicing in the strength found in the confederacy of Israel and Syria. God is saying that because they take their comfort in knowing that they have a mighty army, instead of worshipping me then the will find an unbearable river.
Unbearable river…
The army’s of Assyria are like a mighty river. They will annihilate Israel and Syria.
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:
It will be so mighty it will run right up to the neck of Judah. You know that things aren’t great when the water is at your neck… but you’re not dead. God is telling Judah that he is going to take Israel, Syria, and most of Judah leaving them with nothing but Jerusalem left of their mighty kingdom.
Why?
Well the quick answer is because look who is mentioned at the end of verse 8…
“O Emmanuel” he is the only reason the people can draw hope from God. They were not more righteous than Israel. But for Immanuel’s sake they will be spared. For David’s covenant to produce the Messiah there is no reason to leave them in tact.
Then you hear the call of the people that would fight against God’s work through Emmanuel.
Associate yourselves (He doesn’t fear might)
Take counsel together (He is not undone by counsel)
None of it will stand.
Consider Scene 3…
He calls the people to bind up the scroll to be put under the care of his disciples. These are men that will take his writings study them protect them and then deliver them at the right times even after Isaiah is gone.
You and I are holding these works to day because of their work.
Here is the explanation as to why our world has the problem it has…
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.
He describes the foolish heart they have…
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.
Isn’t this the way the sinner goes.
He pushes God away and denies him on every hand and then when tragedy comes they look up and ask “where where you God”.
The only hope for this dilemma to Isaiah is to look this one called Immanuel.
Isaiah is tightening the focal lense of prophecy from the one spoken about by Moses.
The Seed of the woman - Genesis 3.15
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The Passover
The Feast Day
The Sacrifice
The Scapegoat
Even Joseph himself.
These all pointed to that coming Immanuel that could be a hope to the whole world. Yet man persists to put his faith in his own understanding and place his hope in changing circumstances, wealth, or consensus. These are weak foundations on which to build.
I submit to you…
CIT: The only hope for any people is faith in Immanuel.
Emmanuel is God with us. We do not worry about the Ahaz the Syria the Israel. Because we have God with us. Emmanuel came to replace our trust in the king and instead be the one to whom we give our trust.
Our hope is in the grace of the Gospel purchased with his own blood. Our story is not the story of selfish self entitled systems. Our story is the story of a King so great that he could give all and still be our all in all.
We look to the beauty of a king who is a conqueror. A king who is pure, A king who is holy, A king who is righteous.
Isaiah saw him
COMING
OVERCOMING
CENTRAL
It is to us to put him on the throne of our hearts and cling to his gospel as our only hope.
It is true that Righteousness exalteth a nation. He exalteth any that would trust in him.
The hope for our church
The hope for our city
The hope for our politicians
The hope for church leader
Why does he stress this so much? Because what many times people don’t understand is the exclusiveness of God to his people. This includes you and me.
Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself;
And let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
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.
This is why Jesus will not share your salvation with your works, He is extremely exclusive.
If only we would live with such exclusiveness.
For us it is the same.
COMING
OVERCOMING
CENTRAL