Isaiah 44

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Isaiah 44:1

A Sanctuary and a Stone to Strike

The LORD points out to Isaiah that instead of being afraid of people and of things that people are afraid of (Isaiah 8:12), he should only have “the LORD of hosts” before his attention (Isaiah 8:13). The LORD of hosts is He Who possesses all the heavenly and also earthly powers, the good and also the evil. He is in control of everything.

To “regard” Him “as holy” means to live in the constant awareness that He has absolute authority and control over the heart and the will, so that they are completely separated for Him. Then we will not have to be afraid of anything or anyone. Whatever someone is planning or saying (Isaiah 8:10), he will not be able to do anything against us if we regard Him as holy.

Living in the fear of God means that every activity of life, the whole walk, contains nothing that is not pleasing to Him. It is the opposite of fearing people in general and not only the kings of the world. That He must be our “fear” and “dread” does not mean that we flee from Him, but that our attitude is one of reverence and awe.

It is about knowing ourselves in His presence and not in the presence of people. It is about a holy fear of God opposite an unholy fear of men. This is the only and fitting answer to the redeeming grace and love of Christ (1 Peter 3:14b-15; Isaiah 29:23; cf. Numbers 20:12). Peter’s reference to this verse in Isaiah shows that Christ, or the Messiah, is the same as “the LORD of hosts”.

The consequence of regarding the LORD as holy is that He will be “a sanctuary” for the remnant (Isaiah 8:14). “Sanctuary” here has the meaning of a refuge (cf. Ezekiel 11:16). Just as the temple to Israel is meant to be the center of their spiritual life, of their joy in worship and praise, as a place of holiness and peace, and also of protection, so is Christ for the believer. Christ not only has a holy place in our hearts, but He Himself is a holy place where we can take shelter.

But to the unbelievers of all Israel He will be “a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over” (Isaiah 8:15; Romans 9:32b-33; 1 Peter 2:7-8). In Romans 9:33, Paul, like Peter, applies what is said here of the LORD to the Lord Jesus. Faith in Christ is the dividing line that runs right through His people. “Both the houses of Israel” – the ten tribes realm of Ephraim and the two tribes realm of Judah – and “the inhabitants of Jerusalem” will reject Him. Not only the two tribes will reject Him, but also the ten tribes. In the course of time quite a few of them have come to live in Judah (2 Chronicles 15:9; 2 Chronicles 30:11; cf. Luke 2:36-38).

All twelve tribes will therefore reject Him because He does not meet what a Messiah should be in their eyes. They stumble over Him because of their unbelief. By their rejection of Him, many will “fall and be broken”. Those who do not fall and become broken will “be snared and caught”. A first fulfillment of this happens in the year 70 at the destruction of Jerusalem. At the time of the great tribulation, the majority of Israel will stumble, fall and be caught in the snare of the antichrist.

Isaiah 44:2

Isaiah and His Children

Because of their rejection of the Messiah, the judgment of blindness takes place. They will be blind and deaf to the words of God. All the study of the Torah, which points to the Lord Jesus in all its parts, by orthodox Jews does not bring them anything (John 5:39; 46-47). They discover nothing of the Messiah. Their eyes are closed (2 Corinthians 3:14). It is the judgment of hardening that for a part, that is the mass, has come over Israel (Romans 11:25). Therefore they will accept the antichrist (John 5:43b).

By “the testimony” (Isaiah 8:16) is meant what Isaiah said about Immanuel and the future condition of Israel. It is the prophetic testimony. It must be secured and preserved for the remnant in those days and also for the remnant in later generations. That is what is meant by “bind up”. With “the law”, that is the law of Moses rejected by the people (Isaiah 5:24), the same must be done, which is indicated by the command “seal”. Only the faithful remnant, “my disciples”, those who open themselves to be taught by the LORD through the mouth of Isaiah, and later the followers of the Messiah, will be encouraged by it.

This also applies to us. After Paul has foretold the elders of Ephesus the coming apostasy, he commends them, and us, to God and the Word of His grace (Acts 20:32). For all those who want to be faithful in a time of apostasy, the Word of God is full of encouragement. As times get darker, the Word of God will become increasingly valuable to the pupil-disciple.

In the midst of the people from whom the LORD has hidden His face because of their sins, Isaiah is determined to persevere and wait for Him (Isaiah 8:17). Waiting for the LORD is, just like praying, an acknowledgment of one’s own powerlessness and being completely dependent on Him. When the LORD “is hiding His face”, it means that he withholds the blessing from His people. Man then cannot see Him. God is there, but man does not perceive that blessing.

Every true believer, just like Isaiah, will, despite the lack of blessing, trust in God and look forward to His salvation. In times of need due to the sins of God’s people, when God does not openly connect with His people, the individual believer knows that God’s heart goes out to him. He knows this because he draws from the enduring Word of God. This testimony of God’s Word remains sealed for the mass of the people who persist in their sins; it remains illegible and misunderstood.

The last part of Isa 8:17, “I will even look eagerly for Him”, is quoted in Hebrews 2. It is rendered there with “I will put My trust in Him” (Hebrews 2:13a). The Speaker there is Christ, the Messiah. The quote proves that Christ is truly Man. That proof is seen in the trust He as Man places in His God.

Herein is a valuable lesson. We too live in a state of decay and refusal to listen to God’s Word. If we remain faithful and remain standing in God’s purposes, we will focus our hearts all the more steadfastly on Him in this state. Also our expectation will be from Him. It can depress us when we see the decline of those who once gave hope for fruit through our service. Then the Spirit of God wants to bring us closer to the Lord, so that we will find our sources in the power He has to still glorify His Name through us.

The prophet finds comfort in the two children the LORD has given him (Isaiah 8:18). In the meaning of the name of his first son, Shear-jashub (Isaiah 7:3), we hear a word of grace. He is the sign that ‘a remnant will return’. This will happen in the future. In the meaning of the name of his second son, Maher-shalal-hash-baz (Isaiah 8:3), we hear a word of judgment. He is the sign that there will be ‘swift booty, speedy prey’. That judgment will be carried out quick and soon.

The two children are “signs and wonders” of the redemption of Israel. “Signs” means that their names have a deeper meaning that includes a message from God for the people. We have had that meaning several times before. “Wonders” are the indication of the Divine, supernatural source of this message. The redemption of Israel will happen through judgment on the enemies. Those enemies are there on two sides. Internally it is the wicked mass of the people and externally it are the hostile surrounding peoples.

The prophet Isaiah, together with the children whom God has given him, is also a type, a symbol of Christ together with the children whom God has given Him (cf. John 17:2; 6; 24). We see this in the quotation of the first part of Isa 8:18 in Hebrews 2 (Isaiah 8:18a; Hebrews 2:13b). As Man Christ has connected Himself with the children whom God has given Him, that is the remnant of Israel. The Spirit of God applies Isaiah 8:18a in Hebrews 2 to the spiritual children of God at this time (Hebrews 2:13b). They are in connection with Christ.

They are not ‘children of Christ’ or ‘children of the Lord Jesus’. The Bible does not use such expressions for believers anywhere. They are incorrect expressions. They are the children of God whom He, God, gave to the Lord Jesus. The natural children of Isaiah are the symbolic representatives of the believers who must be a witness to the world in the same way.

Isaiah 44:3

Isaiah and His Children

Isaiah 44:4

Isaiah and His Children

Isaiah 44:5

Consulting Demons

He who does not listen to God’s words turns to the powers of darkness. The difference between them is like the difference between the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and the wild waters of Assyria (Isaiah 8:6-7). One brings blessing, the other destruction. Now that the LORD hides His face from the house of Jacob, the people seek salvation with spiritistic mediums (Isaiah 8:19). Spiritism has penetrated into Judah (Isaiah 2:6; Isaiah 3:2-3). These mediums try to influence the family and disciples of Isaiah. Thus, believers today also undergo attempts by evil spirits to influence them.

Here we see that “the living” consult “the dead” although the law and the testimony are with them in which the light of God shines. This practice is strongly condemned by God in His Word (Leviticus 20:27; Deuteronomy 18:9-12). Those who do not believe in the Word of God seek counsel and help from other sources (1 Samuel 28:6-8). The LORD reproaches the people for this way of acting by asking two questions, the answer to which is contained in the question. Instead of consulting the living God, the dead idols are consulted, behind which there are demons (1 Corinthians 10:19-20).

Around every major crisis in human affairs often an eruption of spiritism takes place. This is the case in Judah and Israel. This is the case in the time of Christ’s coming to earth. It is the same today, just before Christ’s return. In times of need, man massively prefers to resort to divination rather than to God. People see the uncertainty of the future and want information about it. Instead of turning to the God of truth one turns to the father of lies. But God has provided in the holy Scriptures everything necessary for our guidance and all our spiritual needs (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The people are reminded of the Word (Isaiah 8:20). The teaching of the law answers the questions of life and leads to a life in the light (Isaiah 2:5). He who ignores this will end up in eternal darkness. For such a person there is no future, “no dawn”. The way to that awful future is horrible and becomes more and more terrifying (Isaiah 8:21). There is a lack of everything that is necessary to live. There is also total darkness inwardly. Blame is placed on anyone who, in their eyes, has the power to change their misery.

In the future, when the king of the North invades (Daniel 11:40-44), the antichrist, who will be king of Israel, will not be able to do anything. The people will then realize that their king is in fact a worthless shepherd who abandons the sheep (Zechariah 11:17) and will then curse their king. This will be partly justified because the king of the North invaded the land because of him. But instead of repenting and acknowledging their guilt, they will blame God for all this, as many do today. Instead of blaming themselves, they will harden their hearts and curse God.

They will be driven away (Isaiah 8:22). This concerns the nation. They will be expelled from the land of Immanuel and carried away to a strange and dark land. There they will be deprived of all light in which they refused to walk when they had it at their disposal. They have chosen the darkness and they are now receiving it in abundance. On the outside and on the inside, above and below, there is darkness and fear everywhere.

Isaiah 44:6

Consulting Demons

Isaiah 44:7

Consulting Demons

Isaiah 44:8

Consulting Demons

Isaiah 44:10

Darkness Will Not Remain

The deep darkness of the previous verses does not have the last word. The “but” with which Isaiah 9:1 begins introduces a new section that contrasts with the previous section. In the previous verses it is about darkness that will come as judgment on the people, while here God provides a light that He will send in the coming of the Messiah in the darkness for those who will accept Him. He is the light that shines in the darkness (John 1:5a).

He has especially “the land of Zebulon” and “the land of Naphtali” in mind. The LORD has brought “contempt” over that area. We can think of the time when Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee for his help, cities which Hiram despicably called “the land of Cabul”, meaning: the land of nothing (1 Kings 9:11-15). He cannot appreciate that gift. Furthermore, we see that after the tearing of the realm, the judgment of the LORD came in various stages on the ten tribes through Assyria (2 Kings 15:29; 2 Kings 17:1-8; 22-23). These two tribes, Zebulon and Naphtali, were first conquered by the Assyrians.

Instead of the defamation of the past, “in earlier times” (cf. John 1:46-47; John 4:9), later on the LORD “shall make [it] glorious”. This will happen through the coming of the Messiah. Precisely in this area, where darkness is at its deepest, God will let His light shine in the coming of Christ. So it is not in Jerusalem, the capital, but in the despised Galilee.

The Christ will be born in Bethlehem in Judah, but shortly after His birth He will live and grow up in Nazareth in Zebulon (Matthew 2:22-23). Later He lives in Capernaum (Matthew 4:13; Matthew 9:1a) which is in Naphtali. There He begins His service (Mark 1:21). Here the prophet moves again from the darkness of the actual situation where the invasion is imminent to the days of the shining light in the coming of Christ in the flesh in the midst of the people, especially in Zebulon and Naphtali.

This area is further described with three names:

“The way of the sea” (the Via Maris), which is the trade route between Syria and Egypt through Galilee along the Mediterranean Sea. This indicates that many heathens passed through Galilee.
“The other side of Jordan”, which is east of Jordan.
“Galilee of the Gentiles”, which indicates that the region is strongly under heathen influence and that there has also been mixing of God’s people with the heathen.

Everything speaks of contempt. But what is not regarded among God’s people and is in darkness for God, is not despised by Him, but visited in His grace in His Son. He did not despise the Gentiles either.

Prophetically this verse points to the deep darkness in which the faithful remnant will be, first by the government of the antichrist and then by the invasion of Assyria, or the king of the North (Daniel 11:40-41). If in the future the unbelieving part of Israel is exterminated by the Assyrians – “two parts” of three parts (Zechariah 13:8) – and the darkness and distress are greatest, there is the promise: “But” the LORD “shall make” this northern part of Israel “glorious” through the appearance of Christ. Then He will grant salvation, partly through the destruction of the army of the king of the North. This will be explained in detail in the next verses.

Isaiah 44:11

The Appearance of the Messiah

Here we come to the climax of the section that begins in Isaiah 7:1. Instead of the short-sighted unbelief of King Ahaz, who plunges his people into deep darkness, we find the King Messiah, Who, though a Child, is the promised Immanuel. He will end all strife and misery and introduce an everlasting kingdom based on law and righteousness.

The first fulfillment of Isa 9:1 and Isaiah 9:2 can be seen in Matthew 4. The evangelist cites these verses of Isaiah to describe the work of the Lord Jesus in Galilee (Matthew 4:12-16). He is “a great light” offering salvation to people who are “in darkness”. He is the great light, the sun of the fourth day of creation (Genesis 1:16), Who illuminates everything (Malachi 4:2). He shines like the light for people who live in a land over which “the shadow of death” hangs and brings light and life there (John 1:4).

The full fulfillment of these verses will take place at the end of the anger of the LORD (Isaiah 10:5). When the king of the North is back in the land after defeating the king of the South, the judgment will be executed, not in Judea, but in Galilee. Also at the first coming of Christ, His service is mainly in Galilee in the north. The army of the restored Western Roman Empire (Europe) and the army of the king of the North will both be destroyed at the appearance of the Lord Jesus.

From the moment the people see the great light, the prophet in Isaiah 9:3-7 goes to an event even further into the future. He speaks in those verses about the breaking of the power of the antichrist and the establishment of the realm of peace and justice of the Messiah. We see 1. a great light (Isaiah 9:2) instead of darkness (Isaiah 9:1), 2. increasing gladness (Isaiah 9:3) instead of distress (Isaiah 8:21), 3. deliverance (Isaiah 9:4) instead of slavery, and 4. peace (Isaiah 9:7) instead of war (Isaiah 9:5).

Isaiah 9:3 has not yet been fully fulfilled. Only a remnant has returned from exile and not a “multiplied” nation. Among the successive heathen rulers there has never been a situation of the joy described in this verse. When in the future the Lord Jesus comes at the end of the great tribulation to personally deliver His earthly people, there will be immense joy with the remnant.

They have had an extremely tough time. During the great tribulation they will go through a heavy persecution caused by the antichrist, who will be king of Israel, with the help of the beast of the sea, the restored Roman Empire (Revelation 13:1-10). Because of the great tribulation, the remnant will be scattered all over the land (Matthew 24:21-22), over the mountains and in the farthest corners of the land. But when the king of the North overruns the land of Israel, it is these faithful Israelites who will survive the massacre – just like the Christians who fled in the year 70 at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem (cf. Revelation 12:16-17).

The people will become numerous with the return of the remnant of both the two and the ten tribes. The joy that will then be there will be compared to the joy there is when the harvest is brought in and when booty is distributed. The first joy is that of the blessing of the land, the second is that of the defeated enemies.

The joy in the presence of the Lord can already be experienced by us now. It should always be like this. This is not an expression of a natural joy over earthly prosperity, but a joy in Him that He is always with us.

Isaiah 9:4 gives the reason for the joy in the previous verse. It is the joy of salvation from the LORD. This verse is in the perfect tense, the so-called prophetic perfectum, the prophetically perfect tense. This means that the event has yet to take place, but it is described as if it had already taken place.

“The yoke”, “the staff” and “the rod”, the symbols of the powers that have oppressed Israel, are all broken. The people have been delivered from them. All disciplinary instruments, the yoke of the antichrist on the faithful remnant and the staff and the rod of the surrounding hostile peoples on Israel – the king of the North – have been broken.

The “battle of Midian” recalls Gideon’s victory over Midian (Judges 7:19-25). Then the LORD redeemed His people, not by the military strength of that people on whom they trusts so much today, but by His own choice of a small company. Therefore, they could not attribute the victory to their own strength (Judges 7:2). In this way, the Lord Jesus will also appear in the future and personally stand up for His people and be assisted in this by a small remnant that is in the greatest weakness, but becomes strong through their connection with Him.

This also applies to us. If we want to fight the enemy in our own strength, it only plays into the hands of the enemy. But if we are weak, then we are strong (2 Corinthians 12:10; cf. 2 Chronicles 28:21), because then He is our strength. We ”can do all things through Him who strengthens us” (Philippians 4:13).

In the description of Isa 9:5 we find again the prophetic Assyrians, who go up for the great battle against Israel. The ground is pounding with the pounding of the boots of the soldiers of the advancing armies (Joel 3:9-14). The cloak of the soldiers drips with the blood of the victims that will flow abundantly in this last battle (Isaiah 63:3; Revelation 14:20). The end of all this violence is described briefly and powerfully. It will be burned as “fuel for the fire”. The judgment of the LORD will consume all opposition (Isaiah 66:15-16).

The third “for” (Isaiah 9:6) indicates the reason for the salvation (Isaiah 9:4-5) and the joy (Isaiah 9:3). There is joy because God gives salvation, but how does He do that? It all begins with the birth of the King Messiah, the Christ, and ends with His everlasting reign.

In Isaiah 9:6 both the first and the second coming of Christ are mentioned in one verse. That there is a first and a second coming is due to the rejection of the Messiah. If He had not been rejected, the kingdom would have been established by Him immediately at His first coming. His rejection makes a second coming necessary.

The time in between has been foreseen by God, but not foretold by Him in the Old Testament. The church is not part of the prophecy, because it is a mystery for the prophets (Ephesians 3:5). In the prophecy the first and the second coming are always directly connected, without mentioning or referring to the time in between in which we now live, the time of the coming into being and the formation of the church.

In Isaiah 9:6-7 we have one of the richest descriptions of Christ in the Old Testament. The hope of Israel begins with “a child” in a manger. The mention of His birth is an elaboration on the meaning of “Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). In Isaiah 7:14 is spoken about Him as a sign. Here He is a gift. He is born as a “child”, that means that He partook of flesh and blood (Hebrews 2:14). He is real and perfect Man, He is “[the] man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).

The “us” among whom this Child is born are those who have looked forward to Him, among whom Isaiah also counts himself. We see them at the beginning of the Gospel according to Luke in Joseph and Mary, Zechariah and Elizabeth, the shepherds, Simeon and Anna. They are a picture of the faithful remnant and the core of the reborn nation, the whole of Israel that will be preserved during the great tribulation. The Child is born long before that time, but they will greet Him as if He were just born (cf. Isaiah 66:7-8). It is the time for God to bring His Son back into the world, then to accept dominion over the world (Hebrews 1:6).

Then it is said that He is given as a “son”, which refers to His Godhead, giving Him the right to exercise power as God. This might and power are expressed in the statement “the government will rest on His shoulders [Darby Translation: shoulder, singular]”. As Creator and Redeemer (Revelation 4-5), He bears all dominion and all burden. All responsibility rests on Him. But this task is not too great for Him. He will solve all problems and exercise His dominion in a perfectly righteous way. As the One Who brought about salvation, He can say: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). He will use that power in blessing and in judgment.

In the parable of the lost and found sheep that the Lord Jesus tells us, we read that He puts the sheep “on His shoulders” (plural) (Luke 15:4-6). For the dominion of the world, one shoulder suffices; to bring a lost sheep back to the flock, He uses both His shoulders. Similarly, the high priest in the Old Testament in the picture of the two precious stones with on them the names of the twelve tribes bears the entire people on both His shoulders (Exodus 28:9-13).

That He is the Son Who is “given”, shows that He is already Son before He is born as a Child. He is the eternal Son Who became Man and was given in that way. The fact that the Son is “given” also recalls the grace and love of God for lost people: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The Son is not only worthy, but He is also capable to exercise dominion. His Name, which describes His features, demonstrates that. His Name is He Himself in His Person. His Name is in the first place “Wonderful” (cf. Judges 13:18). In His Person He is beyond our human thinking, for “no one knows the Son but the Father” (Matthew 11:27a; Revelation 19:12b). His Name is “Wonderful” because He is wonderful in Himself and because He did a wonderful work on the cross for the glory of God and for our salvation. Above all, reverence and admiration befits us toward Him.

Immediately follows that He is “Counselor”. This indicates His wisdom. Nobody advises Him, He never has to consult anyone. “Who became His counselor?” (Romans 11:34b). He works according to a plan perfectly conceived by Himself, which He carries out in wisdom without hesitation and without ever having to return to anything. All those He involves in His plans and to whom He makes them known, He gives counsel (Isaiah 11:2; Psalms 32:8). The counsel He gives is wonderful; it transcends human capabilities. The two features ‘wonderful’ and ‘counsel’ are also found in Isaiah 25 and 28 (Isaiah 25:1; Isaiah 28:29).

It is also possible to consider these two expressions as one Name, a double name: Wonderful Counselor. That unity in the Name or double name can also be seen in the three following Names: Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The Messiah, He Who is Child and Son, has four wonderful Names with in each Name a combination of His Being and a feature that enlarges His glory. They are all honorary names of the Messiah.

He is capable to carry out all His purposes, for He is the “Mighty God” (cf. Isaiah 10:21). That Name indicates the great contrast with failing, weak, mortal man. The Name “Eternal Father” is literally “Father of Eternity”. The Lord Jesus, because He is the One this description is about, is clearly distinguished in the Godhead as the eternal Son from the eternal Father. The name “Father” therefore has here the meaning of origin, from Whom something originates. The Lord Jesus is ‘Father of eternity’ in the sense that He is the origin of eternity. This is how the Septuagint translates this verse: Father of the age to come (cf. Hebrews 6:5).

In the Old Testament ‘eternity’ often refers to the millennial realm of peace. The many times that it is said “His lovingkindness is everlasting” (Psalms 118:1-4; Psalms 136:1-26) indicates that time. The realm of peace is the time when He will openly reign as the “Prince of Peace”. He will subdue every rebel, remove every disruptive element, and thus work peace for His people and all nations. This is the “peace on earth” the angels announced at His birth (Luke 2:14).

He wants to give His peace right now in the hearts of all those who have peace with God through Him. When Christ says: “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you” (John 14:27a), the first “peace” is peace with God. It is the peace that Christ “leaves” behind through His death for all who believe. The second “peace” refers to the peace of God that Christ experienced on earth through perfect fellowship with God and that He now “gives” to each one who is guided by Him.

Peace with God is given to the sinner when he confesses his sins and believes in the work of the Lord Jesus and that God has accepted that work (Romans 4:24-25; Romans 5:1). The peace of God is the part of the believer who brings all things to God in prayer (Philippians 4:6-7). Prayer is one of the proofs that someone puts his life under the dominion of the Lord Jesus and already now acknowledges Him as Lord, while the world does not yet.

The area of His reign will expand more and more and be all-encompassing (Isaiah 9:7). It will encompass heaven and earth with all imaginable powers and result in God being all and in all (1 Corinthians 15:20-28).

The duration of His reign will be endless (Luke 1:33; Revelation 11:15). He will not be succeeded by another ruler (Daniel 2:44). The promise that He will sit on the throne of His father David (2 Samuel 7:16) will be fulfilled. It is a throne that is “forever and ever” (Hebrews 1:8). His endless reign will culminate in “the day of God” with its “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).

This marvelous result will not be achieved by human effort. No human will be involved. The “zeal of the LORD of hosts”, that is the Lord Jesus, is the driving force behind everything. His zeal was kindled when the honor of His Father was affected (John 2:13-17). With the same zeal with which He cleansed the temple, He will also cleanse the earth, which belongs to Him as well as the temple (Psalms 24:1). His zeal is the fire of His indignation toward all those who have wickedly treated His earthly, chosen people, who have tried to destroy it. His zeal is also the fire of His love with which He will do good to His people. Therefore, this fire must consume all unfaithfulness from among them.

Phinehas shows such a zeal for which he is praised and rewarded (Numbers 25:6-14). This zeal of the LORD for His people is also seen in Paul for the church (2 Corinthians 11:2). It is a zeal by which all elements are judged that stand in the way of the full dedication to the Lord Jesus. What is true for a local church like Corinth, is true for every local church today. It also applies to the life of each individual believer.

Isaiah 44:12

The Appearance of the Messiah

Isaiah 44:13

The Appearance of the Messiah

Isaiah 44:14

The Appearance of the Messiah

Isaiah 44:15

The Appearance of the Messiah

Isaiah 44:16

The Appearance of the Messiah

Isaiah 44:17

Pride of Ephraim Judged

The promises of Isa 9:6-7 are in the following section, Isaiah 9:8 to Isaiah 10:4, followed by further public condemnations of evil and warnings for the impending judgment. The previous section, Isaiah 6:1 to Isaiah 9:7, can be seen as an intermediate section, an important one, because it says so much about Christ. That it is about Christ only confirms that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10b).

From Isaiah 9:8 we are back in the atmosphere of Isaiah 5 after a long interjection. In Isaiah 5 the expression is written that comes back in the next section, Isaiah 9:8 to Isaiah 10:4, as a refrain: “In [spite of] all this, His anger does not turn away and His hand is still stretched out” (Isaiah 5:25; Isaiah 9:12; 17; 21; Isaiah 10:4). This expression has to do with God’s judgment of an unfaithful and apostate people. The people need to be reminded of this again and again.

The refrain divides the next section into four parts. The first mention of the refrain is preceded by the fact that the Lord (Adonai) sends a message against Jacob, a message that falls in Israel (Isaiah 9:8; cf. Amos 3:1; Amos 4:1; Amos 5:1). Their sinful practices make this necessary. The message that is sent to them and falls on them in accordance with the covenant made with them expresses God’s constant wish that they will repent.

Their sinful conduct repeatedly results in the discipline of the LORD in accordance with the covenant (Deuteronomy 28-30; 1 Kings 8; Amos 4). Therefore the expression ‘message’ here is translated by the Septuagint as ‘plague’. Those plagues will reach a climax and bring about conversion before the promised blessing and light can be given.

Although it is a message for “Jacob” and “Israel”, i.e. for “all the people”, it mainly refers to “Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria”, i.e. the ten tribes (Isaiah 9:9). The inhabitants of Ephraim are guilty of pride and arrogance. They show a continuous hardening of their hearts. Prophetically, the north of Israel in particular will have to endure a tough time because of the invasion of the king of the North.

Despite the failure of the alliance with Syria – because that alliance did not help to stop Assyria – there is no conversion. The LORD has called them to listen to His rod, Assyria (Micah 6:9). Instead, they are making even greater plans in their pride. They will do even better than last time, the results will surpass the previous situation (Isaiah 9:10). How hard learning, yes, how incorrigible is man.

Assyria seems supreme, but Israel must learn the lesson that Assyria is only an instrument in the hand of the LORD. This is a lesson that all believers of all times should take to heart. It means putting the call into practice: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God” (1 Peter 5:6).

Today, people react in exactly the same way to disasters, which come across the world as a call from God to repent. What has been destroyed, they will rebuild with better materials and even bigger and more luxurious. It also benefits the economy. With this same indestructible enthusiasm, the politicians are injecting themselves with courage to do even better in the next term of government.

Because of the stubborn pride of the ten tribes, the LORD Himself will “raise” and “spur on” new enemies against them, so that they will come to them (Isaiah 9:11). This shows that their mighty enemies are only instruments in God’s hand. This is true for Israel at the time of King Pekaiah, and will also be true at the time of the invasion of the king of the North.

Their alliance with Syria (the Arameans) did not bring any advantage, but on the contrary new enemies. Enemies of Rezin the king of Syria (Isaiah 7:1) – meaning the Syrian enemies of Rezin who are at the side of Assyria – are now also hostile to Israel. Here we will have to think of Assyria in particular. Also Syria itself will attack them, from the east (Isaiah 9:12). From the west come the Philistines. Thus Israel will be greedily devoured by them. Because of the persistent evil of His people, God does not turn away His anger from them and cannot withdraw His striking hand.

Isaiah 44:18

Pride of Ephraim Judged

Isaiah 44:19

Pride of Ephraim Judged

Isaiah 44:20

Pride of Ephraim Judged