Isaiah 8:1-4

Rachel Workman: 8 Then the Lord said to me, “Make a large signboard and clearly write this name on it: Maher-shalal-hash-baz.^[a]” ² I asked Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah, both known as honest men, to witness my doing this.

³ Then I slept with my wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said, “Call him Maher-shalal-hash-baz. ⁴ For before this child is old enough to say ‘Papa’ or ‘Mama,’ the king of Assyria will carry away both the abundance of Damascus and the riches of Samaria.”

Isaiah married the virgin, and the legal documents were duly witnessed and sealed. He even announced that their first child would be a son and his name would be Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which means “quick to plunder, swift to the spoil.” Since Isaiah’s sons were signs to the nation (8:18), this name was significant. It spoke of future judgment when Assyria would conquer Syria and invade both Israel and Judah, and when Babylon would take Judah into exile. A child would start speaking meaningful sentences about the age of two. In 732 BC, about two years after Isaiah’s son was born, both Pekah and Rezin were dead (7:1), and Assyria had conquered Syria and begun to invade Israel (2 Kings 15:29). The army was “quick to plunder and swift to take the spoil.” In the remainder of this chapter, Isaiah used three vivid contrasts to show the rulers of Judah the mistake they were making by trusting Assyria instead of trusting the Lord.

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John Burnett:  8 Then the Lord said to me, “Take a large tablet and write on it in common characters,^[a] ‘Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz.’^[b] 2 And I will get reliable witnesses, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah, to attest for me.”

³ And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz; ⁴ for before the boy knows how to cry ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”  These few verses are the first part of prophesy that will befall Syria and Israel due to the consequences of their sin.  The King of Assyria (modern day Iraq) is going to pillage the two territories.   Another thing to consider is that we do not know what will befall our children.  Here the prophet knew what was going to happen during his child’s future but we do not know exactly what will happen during our children’s future.  If we study the Bible and look at what is going on the world one can see that this world is only evil and it will only get worse.  Those who have born again will not have to face the hour of tribulation that is coming.  We will face persecution but we will not face God’s wrath.

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Tomorrow’s reading for Isaiah 8:5-10

5 Then the Lord spoke to me again and said, ⁶ “My care for the people of Judah is like the gently flowing waters of Shiloah, but they have rejected it. They are rejoicing over what will happen to^[b] King Rezin and King Pekah.^{[c] 7} Therefore, the Lord will overwhelm them with a mighty flood from the Euphrates River^[d]—the king of Assyria and all his glory. This flood will overflow all its channels ⁸ and sweep into Judah until it is chin deep. It will spread its wings, submerging your land from one end to the other, O Immanuel.

⁹ “Huddle together, you nations, and be terrified.
    Listen, all you distant lands.
Prepare for battle, but you will be crushed!
    Yes, prepare for battle, but you will be crushed!
¹⁰ Call your councils of war, but they will be worthless.
    Develop your strategies, but they will not succeed.
    For God is with us!^[e]”