Ye shall not say, Conspiracy, of everything of which this people saith, Conspiracy; and fear ye not their fear, and be not in dread.
Older translations render the key word "confederacy," and one commentator's own translation keeps both senses side by side, showing how tightly the warning is tied to the whole nation's mood:
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.
Older translations call what Judah wanted "a confederacy" — an alliance. Alliance-making was the political common sense of the day. God tells Isaiah to have none of it, and what replaces it is not a better plan but a name.
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."
"Do not fear what they fear" is not a call to feel nothing. Kelly quotes another writer who sets two kinds of fear against each other:
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.
A heart that does not give God that place does not stay empty. One writer traces the pattern back to Abraham, who in Gerar feared a king instead of God.
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.
The remnant here has no alliance and no strength of its own. Kelly calls that their advantage, not their handicap.
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.
One writer sees the same choice returning on a far larger scale in the last days.
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.
- Cause. The crowd's talk of plots is fear looking for a partner. The Lord tells Isaiah not to walk in the way of this people.
- Exchange. One fear expels the other — "fear not, but fear; and therefore fear so that you may not fear."
- Gift. Sanctify the Lord in your heart and He Himself becomes your sanctuary. Fail here, and you take refuge in a scheme of your own, as Abraham did in Gerar.
- Strength. Own your weakness and lean on the LORD of hosts, and you are master of the situation, whatever it looks like.
- Result. Human plans come to nothing. The one counsel that stands for faith is Immanuel — God with us.
Jehovah of hosts, him shall ye sanctify; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
Judah was in a panic over foreign armies, and the popular cure was an alliance. God speaks to a small group of the faithful and tells them their problem is not the wrong alliance but the wrong fear.
One writer traces the setting from earlier in the chapter:
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.
Where the ESV says "honor as holy," older translations say "sanctify." Peter uses the same word, and one writer explains it:
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 apart from what, though? The competition is not only idols but ordinary loves:
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.
Making God your dread does not leave you nervous. It works the opposite way:
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.
Stripped of drama, this fear is a habit of reference:
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.
When alarm spreads, Peter quotes this verse and names the One Isaiah meant:
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."
That changes the size of the threat:
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.
The verse hands the weak side the strongest position. But the LORD who shelters some is a danger to others:
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.
- Fear misplaced. The crisis was not the Assyrian army. It was a nation frightened into alliances. God deals with the fear, not the politics.
- Fear relocated. To "sanctify" is to set apart — giving God the chief place in the heart, ahead of self, family, work and leisure.
- Fear that frees. Godly fear drowns lesser fears. Those who dared not sin against God dared to face prison, poverty and death.
- Fear practised. Take nothing on without reference to Him. Keep the heart in His presence.
- Fear rewarded. The One to be feared is the Christ. Our dread becomes our sanctuary, and those who admit their weakness end up in command of the situation.