Isaiah 8:11–18

He shows all the plans and alliances of the nations brought to nothing because of Immanuel — God is with us. It is the complete deliverance of Israel in the last days (Isa. 8:5-10). And as to the remnant, what course are they to follow? (Isa. 8:11, and following.) They are not to be troubled by the fear of the people, and they are not to join them in their alliances. Instead they are to sanctify the LORD of hosts Himself, and give Him all His true importance in their hearts. He will be their sanctuary in the day of their trouble.

How busy is human prudence, and how vain! God teaches us not to begin such a thing. The nations will do all this, but their plans come to nothing, "for God is with us." The one counsel for the faithful is Immanuel... What use is an alliance against Him? The Lord spoke in strength of hand... Give God all the holy heed that is due to Him. Nothing can shake us then, because nothing can shake God.

God warned Isaiah, however, against the idea of an alliance for himself and his people. It would be doubly wrong in their case, since God had given them the knowledge of Himself, and He was to be their trust. Ahaz in his day was keen on an alliance. In the last days there will be a strong alliance too — between the man who will become the wilful king and false prophet in Jerusalem, and the predicted head of the revived Roman empire. All this comes instead of the fear of the Lord.

The Lord instructed the prophet not to "walk in the way of this people"... But this at once brings in separation, marking off a remnant from the mass of the people. So we read, "And He will become a sanctuary" — that is, for all those who sanctify and fear Him. But He will also be "a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel."

There is always a remnant that believes; and by this they gather present cheer in the middle of sorrow. In truth, to feel your weakness and admit it, and so to be thrown on "the LORD of hosts Himself," is to be master of the situation. That is true whatever it looks like to the eyes and reasoning of men... Those who feared the LORD did not need an alliance, and they did not need to be alarmed at those who trusted in one. They needed to sanctify the LORD, and make Him their sanctuary.

Some seem to think there is safety in numbers. God's ancient people were warned when the Assyrian was about to overflow their land. They were not to say, "An alliance." They were to sanctify the LORD of hosts Himself, and He would become a sanctuary for them (Isa. 8). So may those now who keep His word and do not deny His name (Rev. 3:8) be sure of that sanctuary of His presence with them — few though they are — who "call on the Lord from a pure heart" (2 Tim. 2:22). They find His "I will come to you," alone or together in the twos and threes, far better than any attempted association where His name, His person and His work, as Scripture clearly reveals them, do not have the first and highest place.

Say not, Confederacy (or conspiracy), of everything of which this people shall say, Confederacy; neither fear their fear, nor be in dread. The LORD of hosts, Him shall you sanctify; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. And He will be for a sanctuary.

How busy is human prudence, and how vain! We are taught of God not to start this. The nations will do all this, but their plans come to nothing, "for God is with us." The one counsel for the faithful is Immanuel. "Do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread." Their word will not stand… What use is a confederacy against Him?

The Lord instructed the prophet not to "walk in the way of this people"… But this at once brings in separation. It marks off a remnant from the mass of the people. So we read, "And He will become a sanctuary" (for all those who sanctify and fear Him); "and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel."

This fear is not cowardice. It does not debase the mind but lifts it. It drowns all lower fears, and produces true courage to face all dangers for a good conscience and for obeying God… From this fear have sprung all the generous resolutions and patient sufferings of the saints and martyrs of God, because they dared not sin against Him. Therefore they dared prison, poverty, torture, and death for Him. So the prophet sets fleshly and godly fear as opposites, the one driving out the other… Fear not, but fear; and therefore fear so that you may not fear.

We have to sanctify the Lord God in our hearts. Failing this, we take refuge in "a confederacy," some scheme of our own, for we are then unable to see things on God's side… Abraham was on the edge of the place of blessing, and not in the heart of it; and instead of the Lord being his fear and his dread, he is afraid of the king of Gerar. This leads to a confederacy, an unholy compact between Abraham and Sarah to deny Sarah her true and rightful place.

In truth, to be in felt and confessed weakness, and so to lean on "the LORD of hosts Himself," is to be master of the situation. That is true despite all appearance to the eyes and reasoning of men… Those who feared the LORD needed neither a confederacy nor alarm at those who trusted in it. What they needed was to sanctify the LORD, and make Him their sanctuary.

Isaiah, however, was warned against the idea of a confederacy for himself and his people. It would be doubly wrong in their case, since God had given them the knowledge of Himself, and He was to be their trust… Ahaz in his day was keen on a confederacy. In the last days there will be a strong confederacy between the man who will become the wilful king and false prophet in Jerusalem, and the predicted head of the revived Roman empire. And this instead of the fear of the Lord.

The LORD warned of the power of the king of Assyria, whose help Ahaz was seeking. He compared his oppressive invasions of the land of Israel to a flood of waters that would overflow, reaching even to the neck. This overwhelming disaster would come on the nation as a whole. But there would still be a faithful and godly remnant, and God would deliver them. And the pledge of this deliverance was that the virgin's Son, Immanuel, is with them. The land is Immanuel's, and He will be among His people.

Notice in passing how verse 15 shows the true force of the word "sanctify." It is not primarily "to make holy," for the Lord cannot be more holy than He is. He can, however, in our hearts be set apart in His own proper place of glory and supremacy and authority. To sanctify is to set apart.

Set a special place apart in your heart, the best place, the chief place, the first place, and give that to the Lord. Don't give it to anybody else: not to yourself, not to your spouse, not to your children, not to your work, not to your leisure. There is a place that is reserved for Him which is paramount to you in your existence.

This fear is not cowardice. It does not lower the mind, but lifts it. It drowns all lesser fears and produces true courage to face all dangers for a good conscience and for obeying God. "The righteous are bold as a lion." He dares do anything but offend God... All the brave resolutions and patient sufferings of the saints and martyrs of God have sprung from this fear. They dared not sin against Him, so they dared to be imprisoned, made poor and tortured, and to die for Him. So the prophet sets natural and godly fear as opposites, the one driving out the other... Fear not, but fear; and therefore fear so that you may not fear.

The "fear of God," then, is not a cowering fear, but rather setting the Lord always before us, not doing or undertaking anything without reference to Him. How many things we do, and perhaps never consult Him at all! As long as it is not something absolutely wrong, we seem to think we can do pretty much as we like... It is not talking much about it, but "in your hearts." It is having the heart continually in the presence of God.

We are to sanctify the Lord Himself in our hearts at such times, and have no fear as they have. Peter shows this when, referring again to this chapter, he also tells us that "the LORD of hosts" (v. 13) is "the Christ."

When the heart was in real danger of being frightened by a crowd of enemies, the way out of the difficulty was to keep the eyes firmly fixed on God... The difficulties that surround us melt, they disappear, when we have before our souls not a small Christ but a great One.

To be in weakness you feel and admit, and so to be thrown on "the LORD of hosts Himself," is to be master of the situation. That is true despite everything the eyes and reasonings of men say... Those who feared the LORD did not need a confederacy, nor alarm at those who trusted in one. They needed to sanctify the LORD, and make Him their sanctuary. Yet He would be a stone of stumbling, even to both the houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to Jerusalem itself.

Those who feared Jehovah did not need a confederacy. They did not need to be alarmed at those who trusted in one. What they needed was to sanctify Jehovah, and make Him their sanctuary. In truth, to be in weakness you feel and admit, and so to be cast on "Jehovah of hosts Himself," is to be master of the situation — whatever it looks like to the eyes and reasoning of men. Yet He would be a stone of stumbling, even to both the houses of Israel — yes, a trap and a snare to Jerusalem itself.

The Lord of hosts was to be in the sanctuary. Where is He found? Here is where Christ comes in. He separates the remnant, being a stone of stumbling to the nation itself: for He is the Lord of hosts. He is a sanctuary for those who look to Him as such; for there is no question of atonement here. However much it is needed, it is not the subject. The Person of Christ is before us.

In Isaiah 8:14 the word for stumbling is negeph, 'the act of stumbling'. When the Lord was on earth He became this stone of stumbling to the Jews. He remains the same to them and to the house of Israel, where He is still rejected through disobedient unbelief. Romans 9:32-33; 1 Peter 2:8. … the word skandalon is used: this is literally 'the catch of a trap,' which ensnares when touched.

Immanuel is truly the sanctuary of His people. But He would become "a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence" by the fact of His rejection. This is made quite plain in 1 Peter 2:8. This He is to "both the houses of Israel," though it was mainly the house of Judah that rejected Him.

This is like our Lord's first coming. There were those who sanctified Jehovah, and to whom He became a sanctuary: Simeon, Anna, Mary, Zacharias, and Elizabeth. To the unbelieving mass of the nation He was "a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence" (1 Peter 2:8). For the time, the testimony was to be bound up and sealed among His disciples.

It does not say that they were appointed to sin, or to condemnation. These unbelieving and disobedient sinners were the Jewish race, long rebellious, and always exalting themselves against God. They were destined to find a rock of offence in the Lord of grace Himself, and to stumble and fall over what faith saw as the precious stone of salvation.

This is taken from Isaiah 8:13, when there was a confederacy, and a real danger that a crowd of enemies would frighten the heart. In this situation the way out of the difficulty was to keep the eyes firmly fixed upon God. I venture to say the position is the same today. The difficulties around us melt away and disappear when we have before our souls, not a small Christ, but a great One.

This is like our Lord's first coming. There were people such as Simeon, Anna, Mary, Zechariah, and Elizabeth, who honoured Jehovah as holy, and to them He became a sanctuary. But to the unbelieving mass of the nation He was "a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence" (1 Peter 2:8). And for that time the testimony was to be bound up and sealed among His disciples.

Immanuel really is the sanctuary of His people. Yet He would become a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence because men rejected Him. Peter makes this quite plain in 1 Peter 2:8. This He is to "both the houses of Israel," though He was rejected mainly at the hands of the house of Judah.

It does not say that they were appointed to sin, or to condemnation. These unbelieving and disobedient sinners, the Jewish people, had long been rebellious and kept exalting themselves against God. They were destined to find a rock of offence in the Lord of grace Himself, and to stumble and fall on what was, to faith, the precious stone of salvation.

In Isaiah 8:14 the word is negeph, 'the act of stumbling.'... The word skandalon is used of the same thing: it means 'the catch of a trap,' which ensnares when it is touched.

Then, in verse 44, the Lord marks the difference between the effect of the judgment that was to come on them and what would happen in the last days. They would fall on the stone of stumbling and be broken. But the stone would fall on others in judgment, and they would be crushed and ground to powder... This is a solemn testimony from the Lord's own mouth. It shows the crisis the human race was passing through then — and the crisis the soul still passes through when Jesus is announced.

Through all this, in the middle you can see a feeble few clinging to His testimony, and He owns them as His disciples, while Jehovah hid His face from the people as a whole. They become a separate remnant, when the mass stumble, fall, and are broken, snared and taken. So, in Hebrews 2:12-13, the Holy Spirit freely quotes verse 18 of this chapter with other Scriptures (Psalm 16; Psalm 22), to prove that the sanctified and the Sanctifier are "all of one."

It had come on the people of Nazareth already, as it was soon coming on both the houses of Israel, for the national stumbling had been foretold... The Stone of Israel was in lowly form then, and the proud Pharisees stumbled at Him and His sayings (Matt. 15:12), but He was soon to be exalted and to become the cornerstone (Ps. 118:22). In the day of His glory Messiah will be "marvellous" in the eyes of His people, though in His humiliation they saw no beauty in Him that they should desire Him. They will be a humble people then, and the stumbling block will be removed.

The remnant is separated, the testimony bound up and sealed (v. 16). The Eternal came Himself in the person of Jesus. He is the confidence, the sanctuary of those who believe; He is a rock that the unbelieving trip over. So a closer relationship follows: "Seal the law among my disciples."

Immanuel came. He is the sanctuary of those who had waited for Him. He is the true centre, and His people gather around Him. Here, for the first time, He Himself speaks, and calls them "my disciples." He names them so in connection with "the testimony." He states that the truth of that day — the law as well as the testimony — is handed to the remnant, now His disciples, and kept there. It was so also in the day of David's rejection. In the cave of Adullam everyone in distress, everyone in debt and everyone discontented gathered to him, and he became their captain. The prophet Gad was there too, and soon after Abiathar the priest was driven to the same company. That company now had every form of God's testimony in it: the king, the prophet, and the priest.

Isaiah 8 gives us part of the trial of Israel; and there we read of the word being sealed up among His (Immanuel's) disciples. The term "disciples" is a new name, and it marks a relationship new to the Jewish mind as a line of blessing. The old line of blessing for them was family descent from Abraham. The new one was, "You have His word."

All who were separated in heart from the widespread hypocrisy and wickedness of the times, and who longed for Jehovah to keep His promises, were in spirit the remnant of that day… The Saviour in His grace identified Himself with them. The unbelief of the nation forced Him to disown all His natural ties to them. He then stretched out His hands towards His disciples and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (Matt. 12:49-50.) Right after that, He fulfils to His disciples a quotation from Isaiah 8:16-17.

A feeble few cling to His testimony, and He owns them as His disciples, while Jehovah hid His face from the people as a whole. They become a separate remnant when the mass stumble, fall, and are broken, snared and taken. So in Heb. 2:12-13 the Holy Spirit does not hesitate to cite v. 18 with other scriptures (Ps. 16; Ps. 22), to prove the sanctified and the Sanctifier "all of one." For indeed He is not ashamed to call them brothers.

God's testimony is what sets out His mind and will for His people, what the saints of God can turn to at all times for light and guidance for their path. There was a remnant of Israel who valued God's word when the mass turned away from Jehovah into idolatry and rebellion, and among them the testimony of God was bound up, and kept for His pleasure.

How can anyone miss so plain a key? The light of God is with Christ's disciples, while the Jews have stumbled at the stumbling-stone and Jehovah hides His face from the house of Jacob. Yet the Jews will still understand these signs and wonders when they bow their stiff neck to their rejected Messiah.

The verses that follow unfold the state of things at the time Isaiah speaks. Remember again that Christ Himself is the speaker. The Letter to the Hebrews quotes parts of these two verses to show the Lord's complete identification as Man with His people, with the true remnant gathered out of the Jewish nation (Hebrews 2:13). Here is the wonderful fact. The One who was in perfect dependence as Man toward God, and so waiting on the LORD, and despised and rejected by men, was at the same time no less a person than the Immanuel of Isaiah's prophecy. And in this path of rejection He was experiencing some of the sufferings that must come before His glories.

"Many would stumble and fall and be broken." The builders would reject that chief corner stone, but "whoever believes in him will not be put to shame"... And the Lord would hide His face from the house of Jacob. "Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples"; they would learn to wait for Him while He hid His face, and to look for Him. He really has hidden His face from that once-loved house, the house of Jacob — still loved for their fathers' sakes, for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

In Isaiah 8:17, the Greek version (the Septuagint) reads, "I will put My trust in Him." Taking His place as Man, the Lord identified Himself with His own in the only proper life for a man to live — the life of dependence on God.

In the eighth chapter of Isaiah the prophet is a picture of Christ, standing in the middle of ruin... The land of Israel had turned away from God, and the enemy was about to sweep over the whole of Immanuel's land like a flood. Faith can look the ruin calmly in the face. As the enemy comes in like an "overwhelming flood," faith says, "I will trust in the Lord," and expects the Spirit of the Lord to raise a banner against him. So with our Lord Jesus, who was always the perfect Man of faith on earth.

Meanwhile only a remnant of them is in relationship with Him, and they are more favoured than ever in spiritual things. The testimony is bound up and the law, or teaching, sealed among His disciples, to whom He is a sanctuary, while He hides His face from the house of Jacob in general... Meanwhile this is exactly the place of the One who became man: to trust in the LORD. It is also the place of those the LORD gave Him from among the Jews — and in principle the same is true of all Christians. He was as truly man as He was the LORD. The dependent Man was the LORD God of Israel, the sanctuary of the remnant when the nation stumbled at the Stumbling-stone.

It must always be so. Those who keep separate from evil, and who share God's mind about His Christ and about the state of things around them, will be the keepers of the testimony for the times they live in. The reason is that Christ Himself is with them.

Then it is said, "For to us a child is born," and He sits on the throne of David to give peace on the earth. All this comes after the time He had been waiting. His waiting was a result of His rejection, while God was hiding His face from the house of Jacob, as He is doing now. But that is not for ever. I point to it so that our souls may grasp the ways of God — the framework of His plan: Christ comes, is rejected, and is caught up to God... Meanwhile the times of the Gentiles are running on.

Isaiah ("the salvation of the Lord") is in the Sanctuary mount with his children, Shear-jashub ("the remnant shall return") and Maher-shalal-hash-baz ("swift for spoil, hasty for prey"). It is as if he stands before God, holding each boy by the hand, and speaks words of deep meaning: "Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me!" Now notice what he says next about himself and his children—they are for "signs and wonders!"

The Saviour identifies Himself with the remnant in this strange state of things. He trusts Jehovah perfectly, even when He seems forsaken, and He enters fully into the sorrowful position where the true remnant are found. This creates confidence in their hearts, and produces a seed of trusting ones — "the children whom the Lord has given Me" — who are a sign from Jehovah that Israel will be blessed in the end.

The next citations (from Isaiah 8:17-18) connect the godly in Israel with Christ, the great prophet, as He walks His path of reliance on God, away from all the unbelieving alliances of men. They are not called His brethren, because they were not yet marked out that way. They are not called His children exactly either, but the children whom God gave Him. This is the righteous remnant joined to the Messiah and set apart in heart from the mass of the people.

And in the middle of it all you see a feeble few holding fast to His testimony, owned as His disciples, while Jehovah hid His face from the people as a whole. They become a separate remnant, when the mass stumble, fall, and are broken, snared and taken. So, in Heb. 2:12-13, the Holy Spirit does not hesitate to quote verse 18 along with other Scriptures (Ps. 16; Ps. 22), to prove that the sanctified and the Sanctifier are "all of one."

There is always a remnant that believes, and from this they gather present cheer in the middle of sorrow. In truth, to feel and confess your weakness, and so to be thrown on "Jehovah of hosts Himself," is to be master of the situation — whatever it looks like to the eyes and reasoning of men.

Hebrews 2:13 applies Isaiah 8:18 to the saints God is calling now. They are the children God has given to Christ… The "we" in this letter is not in doubt. It does not mean Hebrews only. It means those who bore Christ's name, sanctified by His blood, and given free entry to the holiest place of all — the children given to Him. Does anyone imagine that this relationship belongs only to Christian Jews?… It is the shared but high privilege of every Christian.

Believers are children. They belong to Him, and they are signs and witnesses both to unbelieving Israel and to the world… And one day, the day of His glory, He will declare in triumph: "Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me." Then He will be glorified and admired in all who believed (2 Thess. 1:10), and the redeemed will be signs and wonders in an even more blessed way.