Fear God, Follow God, or Fall Away-Isaiah 8:11-23

Isaiah, Old Testament, Sermons

Isaiah 8:11-23 (Isa 7:15-25; 8:1-10)

“Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe”  (Isaiah 8:13-14a, NLT). He will be “a sanctuary” (ESV, NASB, HCSB).

Theme: When we fear God he becomes a safe place and a sanctuary (Isa 8:14a). But when we do not fear God he becomes a stumbling stone (Isa 8:14b-15).

Recap: TRUST OR BUST (Isaiah 7). King Ahaz faced a critical moment of decision. Isaiah challenged him to trust God in a time of severe crisis (Isa 7:3). Isaiah said, “Keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not loose heart” (Isa 7:4). Isaiah also said in no uncertain terms that “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all” (Isa 7:9b, NIV). But Ahaz refused to trust God, prefering to trust his own schemes and plans (2 Ki 16:7-8; 2 Chron 28:16). He became the first tragic person to fulfil God’s commision to Isaiah in Isa 6:9-10 to not see, hear or understand. Though he heard Isaiah proclaim God’s word of promise clearly, yet he perceived and understood nothing and his heart became hard and calloused. As a result, disaster, defeat and devastation came upon him and his people (Isa 7:17-25; 8:1-10).

TRUST OR BUST (Isaiah 7)

  1. Chill (7:1-9): Nothing to fear.
  2. Immanuel (7:10-17): God with us.
  3. …Or Be Busted (7:18-25; 8:1-10): Judgment.
    1. Assyria and Egypt, the two superpower nations, will swarm them like flies at God’s whistle (Isa 7:17-19).
    2. All your hair will be shaved, which means they will be utterly humiliated (Isa 7:20).
    3. Poverty and devastation (Isa 7:21-22).
    4. Depopulation and sparsity (Isa 7:23-25).
    5. Aram [732 BC] and Israel [Isa 722 BC] will fall to Assyria in a very short time (Isa 8:1-4).
    6. Assyria will sweep over you like a river overflowing her banks [701 BC] (Isa 8:5-8).
    7. Nothing can prevail against God’s plan (Isa 8:9-10; 14:24-27).

Only God’s plan and God’s purpose will prevail. “The Lord Almighty has sworn, ‘Surely, as I have planned, so it will be,  and as I have purposed, so it will happen.’ …26 This is the plan determined for the whole world;  this is the hand stretched out over all nations. 27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?” (Isa 14:24, 26-27) What can one do to not be busted (Isa 2:22)? Isaiah makes clear that whatever we rely on rather than trusting in God, will eventually devour and destroy us.

Fear God, Follow God, or Fall Away (Isaiah 8:11-23):

  1. Fear God (8:11-15): Regard him as holy.
  2. Follow God (8:16-20a): Bind up, seal up and consult God’s instructions.
  3. …Or Fall Away (8:20b-23): See only distress and darkness and fearful gloom (Isa 5:30).

What does it mean to fear God (Isa 8:13; Prov 1:7; 9:10)? Is God your refuge or your ruin? Is God all-sufficient or insufferable?

  1. To not afraid of what people fear, especially conspiracies (Isa 8:12; Mt 10:28).
  2. To regard/set apart God as holy (Isa 8:13; Lev 19:2; 1 Pet 3:14-15).
  3. To have God alone as our security/sanctuary/solid strength/safe place (Isa 8:14a; 4:5; Ps 27:5; Ezek 11:16).
  4. To know with confidence that God is never a stumbling stone to us (Isa 8:14b-15).
  5. To commit to God’s “torah” (Isa 8:16, 20; Ps 1:2).
  6. To wait on God (Isa 8:17; 40:31).
  7. Your family become signs and symbols of God (Isa 8:18).

If people do not treat God as holy and fear him (Isa 8:13), then they will end up fearing man and his power (Isa 8:12; Prov 29:25; cf. Isa 2:22). Then God who wants to bless his people will end up being a snare that will bring about their demise. People’s only hope lies in fearing and trusting God (Isa 7:9; 8:17; 40:31) and committing to his word (Isa 8:16, 20a). But if people reject God and his Word, then there is no other source of light, which leads to destruction, painful distress and darkness (Isa 8:21-22).

Questions (7:15-25; 8:1–10; 11-22)

  1. What would happen within the time frame of the sign of Immanuel (7:15-16)?
  2. Instead of the 2 nations Ahaz feared, what 2 nations would threaten Judah (7:17-20)? What would happen to Judah (7:21-23)?
  3. What would happen before Isaiah’s second son was old enough to know his parents (8:1-4)?
  4. Why would desolation come upon Judah (8:5-8)? What would happen to the aggressor nations (8:9-10)? What is the implication of Immanuel (8:8b) and God is with us (8:10b)?
  5. What do the people fear, and what should Isaiah fear (8:11–13, Prov 1:7; 9:10; 29:25; Mt 10:28)? What is God calling for Isaiah to do when he says “(Him) you are to regard as holy”? How should we make God holy in our lives?
  6. What would God be to those who fear God (8:14a)? For those who did not (8:14b-15)? How can Yahweh be both a sanctuary and a stumbling block at the same time?
  7. What is the great contrast in 8:16–20? Where is the true source of guidance for life (8:16, 20a)? What is the result if we refuse that source (8:20b–23)?

References:

  1. Smith, Gary V. Isaiah 1-39. The New American Commentary: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture. B & H Publishing Group. Noshville, TN. 2007. Fear God, Not Armies (8:11-15). Follow God’s Instructions; Other Ways Bring Darkness (8:16-22).
  2. Motyer, J. Alec. Isaiah. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. IVP. Downer’s Grove, IL, USA. 1999. Divine Judgment (7:18-8:8). The Believing Obeying Remnant (8:9-22).
  3. Webb, Barry G. The Message of Isaiah. The Bible Speaks Today. IVP. Downer’s Grove, IL, USA. 1997. From Darkness To Light (8:1-9:7):
    1. A name and its meaning (8:1-4).
    2. The rising river (8:5-10).
    3. The stumbling stone (8:11-15).
    4. The gathering darkness (8:16-22).
  4. Kidner, Derek. New Bible Commentary. IVP. Downer’s Grove, IL, USA. 1994. The choice expounded (7:18-8:22):
    1. Invasion and its aftermath (7:18-25).
    2. The sign of Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (8:1-4).
    3. God’s gentle flow, and Assyria’s torrent (8:5-8).
    4. God our refuge or our ruin (8:9-15).
    5. The light withdrawn (8:16-22).
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