A Commentary on Isaiah, Part 8: A Stone of Stumbling

A Commentary on Isaiah, Part 8: A Stone of Stumbling

In Isaiah chapter 7 it is described that Ahaz, King of Judah, had been vexed by the kings of Israel and Aram, or Syria. With that, we had examined the historical accounts of Scripture in the books of Kings and Chronicles, wherein it is described that both kings working together in an alliance had invaded Judah, killed many tens of thousands of men in battle, and had taken many of the people into captivity. The scale of the war which they made with Judah was not fully reflected in the words of Isaiah, which were directed personally towards Ahaz himself. But in the historical books it also becomes evident that Yahweh had humbled Judah on account of the sins of Ahaz, who had led the kingdom much deeper into idolatry than it had been in the days of his fathers. But in spite of those sins, and in spite of the great harm which had come upon Judah, here in Isaiah Ahaz had been granted mercy, and Yahweh had promised him deliverance from those hostile kings, who had even sought to kill and replace him. As a sign of this forthcoming deliverance we read in verse 14 that “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

But this Immanuel was a sign, and the child should not be confused with the method by which Ahaz would be delivered. In the text of the passage in chapter 7, it is said that “16 … before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.” Therefore the child would only be an infant when the kings of Israel and Aram would be removed. So we should not confuse this child with the king of Assyria through whom the removal had come, or with any historical figure of the period, since the child is otherwise unknown and unidentified in Scripture – except for what we are about to see here in Isaiah chapter 8. We have also stated that this child cannot be the good king Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, as some commentators have imagined, since Hezekiah must have been born before Ahaz his father had become king, and now Ahaz has already been king for at least a couple of years and the child is still not born. That is made evident where Hezekiah became king at age twenty-five after his father had ruled for only sixteen years, as we have already elucidated from Scripture.

Now thus far in Isaiah we have seen three visions in the first six chapters, and a fourth in chapter 7, and there is an apparent break here at the beginning of chapter 8, where there is a record of events in the life of Isaiah himself. However it shall also become manifest that these events which we are about to encounter in the opening verses of chapter 8 are closely related to the vision of chapter 7, they actually fulfill the virgin and child prophecy in its immediate sense, and from there it shall continue for many additional chapters without another clear break in the context. So perhaps these events are a living part of the vision of chapter 7, which continues here, as the Word of God manifests itself to the people of Judah in the life of Isaiah. But over the verses and the chapters which follow, there are far-reaching prophecies concerning Judah, Israel, Assyria and others of the surrounding nations, and therefore it is also fit to consider these prophecies in chapters 7 and 8 as have far-reaching implications as well as an immediate fulfillment.

So now, as we proceed with chapter 8, it shall become fully evident that Isaiah himself is acting to fulfill the words that “a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son”, which is the sign of deliverance that Ahaz would have from Yahweh.

1 Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.

We have already taken occasions to explain that the name Mahershalalhashbaz is a Hebrew phrase, מהר שׁלל חשׁ בז or maher shalal chash baz (# 4122), which means “hasting to the booty, swift to the prey”. Therefore it is a rather foreboding name considering the geopolitical circumstances of the time, the war which was waged against Judah by Israel and Aram, and also the encroaching Assyrians, who had been expanding their empire as they had sought to rule the entire world.

So as we have also discussed, among the people who had heard of the birth of this child, must have been some who had marveled at his name, and then upon the destruction of Rezin and Pekah, the people must have realized that the words of Isaiah the prophet were true, by which they certainly should have realized that “God is with us”, as Matthew had interpreted the meaning of the name Immanuel. While there certainly was a maiden who bore this child, perhaps she herself is symbolic of Israel, as the children of Israel would say the same thing in reference to Christ, that “God is with us.”

However at this point, Yahweh is telling Isaiah to write in reference to Mahershalalhashbaz, and as we shall see, there is no Mahershalalhashbaz. So while we are not informed here as to what Isaiah was told to write, his subsequent actions must have reflected what he had been told, so we read:

2 And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.

Now the fact that Isaiah had brought along witnesses to record what he was about to do indicates the significance of his actions. The additional fact that Isaiah could even command such notable men and bring them along as witnesses also indicates that Isaiah himself had been a man of some authority, and if that authority was not vested in any official capacity, it is apparent that he may have been granted such authority on account of the respect which he had already earned in his service as a prophet of Yahweh. Isaiah had also already had audiences with the kings of Judah, which would be difficult for an ordinary man to attain. In any circumstance, it is evident that his deed needed to be recorded, as if it were some sort of official act which would have binding implications, and Isaiah had a priest and a scribe at his disposal who would fulfill the task. So now, the reason for which he needed witnesses and a record is revealed:

3 And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz.

Here, the translators of the Septuagint interpreted the name Mahershalalhashbaz as a clause, and in verse 1 they had translated the end of the verse to read, as Brenton has it: “and write in it with a man's pen concerning the making a rapid plunder of spoils; for it is near at hand.” However here in verse 3, Brenton has “And the Lord said to me, Call his name, Spoil quickly, plunder speedily.” The differences between the two variations of the clause are rooted in the Greek of the Septuagint, which in verse 1 is not very eloquent.

Isaiah had already had a son, Shearjashub, who was mentioned in chapter 7. But it is quite unlikely that this prophetess was his wife. First, she was already described as a maiden, or virgin, in chapter 7 where Isaiah had prophesied that “A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son”. Secondly, if this were Isaiah’s wife, perhaps he would not have needed a record and witnesses to his having lain with her. But this event is significant and Isaiah did require witnesses, and thereby, there would be a record of this sign which Ahaz had been promised.

If the woman were a prophetess, as there were women who had served as prophets elsewhere in Scripture, it is very likely that she had been dedicated to the temple in her youth, as the daughter of Jephthah had been dedicated, and that for that reason she was also a virgin, and the daughter of Jephthah had lamented her own virginity when she had heard that she was going to be dedicated. Among the women prophets mentioned in Scripture are Miriam the sister of Moses, Deborah in the early days of the Judges, and Huldah in the days of Josiah, who had “ dwelt in Jerusalem in the college” as it is recorded in 2 Chronicles chapter 34, but who was also married, where she is further described as having been “the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe”. (The Hebrew word translated as college in that paragraph does not mean college but its meaning in that context is not entirely clear.)

Now where our account of the birth of this child continues, there is another parallel with the promise of a child born to a virgin in chapter 7, whereby we may be certain that this child here is indeed the fulfillment of that earlier promise:

4 For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.

Of the promised child of chapter 7 we read in part: “16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.” So here we have a Hebrew parallelism, as both statements indicate that this child would be very young when the kings of Israel and Aram are cut off, and the spoil of Samaria and Damascus is taken. In turn, the child’s name is prophetic of the taking of the spoil. So there should be no doubt that this is the same child, fulfilling the vision in chapter 7 in an immediate sense. In Part 7 of this commentary, A Virgin Shall Conceive, we have already cited the Assyrian inscriptions of Tiglath Pileser III which recorded the spoils that he had taken from Israel when he had replaced Pekah as king, and from Aram when he had destroyed Damascus and its suburbs.

Here at this point in his ministry Isaiah had been prophesying for as many as twenty years, which we know from the chronology of the kings that he himself had named, and therefore perhaps it is safe to assume that he is about fifty years old, if a prophet began his career no younger than the age of thirty. But it is not credible, that under normal circumstances that such an older man could simply wander into the quarters of a maiden and get her to sleep with him, even if he brought along witnesses and a recorder. In fact, if he brought witnesses and a recorder, that would greater diminish the prospect that he would have any success with the maiden. So it seems plausible that the maiden had also recognized Isaiah as a man of some sort of authority, or it is difficult to imagine a reason for her agreement to lie with him.

With that, it may also be safe to assume that Isaiah himself must have explained to the maiden, the prophetess, the reasons why he had sought to do these things, since she herself had evidently agreed to lie with him and to have this child. The record would also protect her honor, since it must have been a significant transgression and a cause of reproach that a temple virgin was found with child, while she was dedicated to Yahweh and to the service of the temple. Considering this, it may well be that Isaiah had brought the priest not only as a witness, but as someone with the authority to approve the marriage of the temple virgin, because she belonged to the temple, as Huldah the prophetess was also married in the days of Josiah.

There is no assurance that a virgin may conceive a child on her wedding night. Once having conceived the child upon her having lain with Isaiah, it could be said that a virgin had conceived, even if she would not be a virgin any longer, and having had that experience, in the course of seeing the prophecy fulfilled she certainly would have known that “God is with us”, the meaning of the name Immanuel which she would call the child, according to the prophecy in chapter 7. She must have also conveyed these things to the people, since she was a prophetess, and at least a number of them would surely have repeated the sentiment. These things could not have been done in secret. Isaiah presented the prophecy of the virgin with child to king Ahaz, and therefore its fulfillment must have been published in Judah.

Now the vision which begins in chapter 7 continues, and the attention turns to the king of Assyria, where the frame of time in which these things would happen is narrowed in the prophecy to some time between that of the birth of the child, and that of the time when he can call out to his parents, and eat foods other than those of an infant, such as the butter and honey of chapter 7:

5 The LORD spake also unto me again, saying, 6 Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son;

In Nehemiah chapter 3, when Nehemiah had rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, we learn that there was a pool of Siloah, or Shiloah, which was walled and situated “by the king's garden, and unto the stairs that go down from the city of David.” The city of David was not Jerusalem, but rather, it was upon one acropolis within Jerusalem, and located where David had first built his own house on mount Zion.

This we read in 2 Samuel chapter 5, where under David the children of Israel had first taken Jerusalem from the Jebusites and we read that: “7 Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David…. 9 So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward. 10 And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him. 11 And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built David an house.”

Therefore the reference to the people is to those of Damascus and Samaria, who had rejected the house of David as their rulers, symbolized here by the “waters of Shiloah”, and who had instead rejoiced in their own kings, Rezin and Pekah. Now this is also given as a cause of their coming punishment:

7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks:

However the Assyrians would not stop at Damascus and Samaria, so the Word of Yahweh continues and we see that the prophecy also encompasses Judah:

8 And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.

Here Yahweh seems to have poetically addressed the child which Isaiah had sired as Immanuel, or God is with us. Perhaps the address is a plea instead, O God be with us, as Judah would need Him for their survival.

There is no doubt that the portion of this prophecy concerning the kings of Israel and Aram had an immediate fulfillment. At the beginning of Isaiah chapter 7 we see that Ahaz is king, and according to 2 Kings chapter 16 Ahaz became king in the seventeenth year of Pekah, and since Pekah only ruled Israel for twenty years, it is not likely that Ahaz had been king for more than two years when Isaiah first addressed him, since there would have to have been enough time for the promised child to be born before the end of the rule of Pekah. Tiglath Pileser III was the king of Assyria who had defeated both Rezin and Pekah, and cut them both from their thrones, which is a significant element of this prophecy that must have been fulfilled not much more than a year or so after the time when Isaiah had gone into this prophetess and sired this child.

But what is not entirely clear is the time when Ahaz had beckoned Tiglath Pileser III to come to his defense against Israel and Aram. That is the only record of Tiglath Pileser III’s having come into Judah, where we read in 2 Chronicles chapter 28 that after Israel and Aram had invaded Judah, that “16 At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him…. 20 And Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not. 21 For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the LORD, and out of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but he helped him not.” This act certainly would be a “reach even to the neck” of the king of Judah on the part of the king of Assyria. Otherwise, Judah had not been invaded again by the Assyrians for the purpose of conquest until long after, by the Assyrian king Sennacherib in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, according to Scripture in 2 Kings chapter 18 .

Therefore, either on account of his failed appeal to Assyria, or because Ahaz was about to make such an appeal, Isaiah had also been given a warning which seems to have a two-fold meaning. First, it is an announcement against the enemy nations that if they conspire together against Judah that they would be destroyed, but with that, it should also serve as a warning to Judah not to enter into agreements with other nations:

9 Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. 10 Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.

This word associate in verse 9 is controversial. In the Hebrew Lexicon found in Strong’s Concordance at the entry for the word רעע or ra’a (# 7489) we read in part “properly to spoil (literally by breaking to pieces); figuratively to make (or be) good for nothing i.e. bad” and then in the portion following the definition, where the translations of the word as they appear in the King James Version are listed, it has “associate selves [by mistake for 7462]”, a word with a similar spelling and pronunciation, רעה or ra’ah, which is defined in part as “to tend a flock, i.e. pasture it… generally to rule; by extension to associate with…” On account of this, the New American Standard Bible has the opening clause of verse 9 to read “Be broken, O peoples, and be shattered”, and many other modern translations follow suit.

However in older translations, the Septuagint rendered the first word of this verse with a form of the Greek word γινώσκω, which is to know, understand, or recognize, with a wider assortment of related meanings in different contexts. That however, is an interpretation closer to the meaning of ra’ah, or to associate, than it is to ra’a, or to shatter. But the Latin Vulgate translated by Jerome in the early 5th century AD is much closer to the King James Version, where it has the Latin verb congrego, which can mean to gather, assemble, or associate. While I do not have access to the Hebrew manuscripts from which The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible was produced, in the translation of Isaiah 8:9 by Abegg, Flint and Ulrich the first clause of the verse reads: “Band together, nations, but be shattered.” As a digression, the word for people in the clause is plural, and in that case it refers to peoples of diverse groups, or nations, but it is nevertheless Judah which is the primary recipient of this message.

The context in which this clause appears here informs us that the readings of this verse, especially of the opening words of the verse, are correct as they stand in the King James Version, the Latin Vulgate and The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible, because verse 10 is a parallelism with verse 9, and where we read associate in verse 9, the intended meaning of the underlying Hebrew word is found where we read “take counsel together” in verse 10. This reading is upheld again in verse 12, where there is mention of a confederacy. So the evidence for the meaning of Isaiah 8:9 is strongly in favor of the King James Version here, although we cannot blame Strong’s for some anomaly in the modern Hebrew texts.

While the context of the law in Exodus chapter 23 is in relation to the conquest of Canaan, the children of Israel should have held it as an example which is applicable to all of the godless and idolatrous nations, where we read: “32 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.”

It is evident in 2 Chronicles chapter 28 that Ahaz had sought assistance from the Assyrians, rather than having turned to Yahweh his God, after the attack on him by Rezin and Pekah, which cost him many of his troops and even men who were close to him. So Ahaz had bribed Tiglath-Pileser, who had taken his money, but who did not help him. But we do not know with certainty whether this warning was issued before that event, or some time not long after. We read in that chapter, in part, that “16 At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him…. 20 And Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not.”

Therefore, while the primary nature of the words in verses 9 and 10 are a declaration that the nations who conspire against Judah shall be destroyed, the words “God is with us” here can be both an encouragement and a warning. They are an encouragement to the pious who would obey the Word of Yahweh, but a warning foreboding punishment to those who would not, which also forebode punishment upon Ahaz if he had sought or if he would continue to seek to join in league with the Assyrians.

The Assyrians were not immediately destroyed in the near vision sense of this prophecy, and in chapter 7 they were specifically named as the razor which Yahweh God would use to shave off the kings who had conspired against Judah. However later in this vision, in Isaiah chapter 10, it becomes evident that Assyria would also be destroyed, and with that it should be apparent that this vision has elements which transcend an immediate fulfillment.

Now as Isaiah continues, there is certain more definite evidence that the warning not to associate was also meant for Judah, and not only for the nations which had conspired against Judah:

11 For the LORD spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,

Where Isaiah has “saying”, what follows is what Yahweh had told to him in relation to this:

12 Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. 13 Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

The word translated here as confederacy, קשׁר or qesher (# 7195) is defined by Strong’s as “an (unlawful) alliance”, and Brown, Driver and Briggs lexicon defines it likewise, as a conspiracy. However as Strong’s observed, it is related to an identically spelled verb which means to tie (# 7194) and therefore to gird, confine, or compact, among other things. So in the Septuagint, it was read in this manner and translated as σκληρός, which is hard, as Brenton has it. In The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible and in the New American Standard Bible it is also translated appropriately in this context, as conspiracy. 

So there must have been significant elements of “this people”, the people of Judah, who were looking to form alliances with the other nations as a means of security. While this is described as a warning to Isaiah, whatever Isaiah was told, or whatever he shared, was meant to serve as a warning, or as an admonishment, or as an encouragement to all of the people of Judah. Where the people are encouraged to sanctify Yahweh, it is apparent that this message is specifically for Judah, and that it does indeed serve them in any one of several ways, as a warning, an admonishment, and an encouragement.

The apostle Peter had paraphrased the later portion of verse 12 and the beginning of verse 13 here in his first epistle, in chapter 3, and in a somewhat different context where he wrote: “ 12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? 14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; [Isaiah 8:12] 15 But sanctify the Lord God [Isaiah 8:13] in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.”

While in Peter’s world both the Judaeans and the Romans had been divided against those who had accepted Christ, and he was writing in reference to that situation to encourage Christians, the situation in Judah may have been quite similar, and the people may indeed have been divided among themselves, something which seems to be elucidated in the continuation of the words which Isaiah had received:

14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Once again, it becomes evident that this message applies not only to the nations which opposed Judah, but also to Judah, where it says that Yahweh would be a stumbling stone and a rock of offense “to both the houses of Israel”, and a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Perhaps Jerusalem had been distinguished in this manner because by this time it must have become the mixed-race city which Yahweh would later condemn for that sin, in Jeremiah chapter 2 and in Ezekiel chapter 16. For example, in Jeremiah chapter 2 He is portrayed as having said of the people of Jerusalem “21 Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? 22 For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.” Their sin could not be washed because they were race-mixed, having “turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine” rather than having maintained the noble vine that He had planted. This had nothing to do with mere behavior, as it is evident in Scripture that the people were just as sinful in the time of the Exodus, and in the early days of the Kingdom, than they had been in the time of Isaiah or Jeremiah.

Once again Peter had cited this chapter of Isaiah in chapter 2 of his first epistle where he wrote: “7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.”

Likewise, the apostle Paul had also cited this passage, in Romans chapter 9. There the apostle had begun the chapter with a prayer in which he had also professed that not all of the people in Israel were actually of Israel, and the nature of his statement is revealed where he explained that the law, mercy, covenants and promises were for Israel alone, and then he went on to compare Jacob and Esau. Ostensibly, he was describing something which had also been mentioned in both Judaean and Greek histories before him, that a large population of Judaea was Edomites, and that the Edomites had all been converted to what had become known as Judaism, something which is recorded to have happened in the period from the rule of John Hyrcanus which began about 134 BC to that of Alexander Jannaeus which ended about 76 BC.

So after Paul had compared Jacob and Esau, and had termed the descendants of Jacob “vessels of mercy” but the descendants of Esau “vessels of destruction”, he made a statement in relation to the children of Jacob alone and wrote: “31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” Note that Paul did not speak of the gin and the snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, although certainly a portion of them were also of Israel, in both the time of Paul and that of Isaiah. But he spoke only of the stone of stumbling, which was for “both the houses of Israel”, as we have read here in Isaiah.

Moreover, it can be established from language employed in the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as in the Septuagint, something we have already done in our commentary on Galatians, that where he used the phrase “works of the law” Paul was referring to the rituals of the law, and not the commandments of the law.

Where Paul wrote that “whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed” he was still speaking regarding Israel, and that statement is why Peter had written that “unto you therefore which believe he is precious”, paraphrasing the concept rather than citing the passage explicitly. Here in Isaiah, the concept is manifest in the words “and He shall be for a sanctuary”, meaning that Yahweh would be a sanctuary for all those who sanctify Him and who fear Him.

But as Peter had also spoken of those who would “stumble at the word” and said “whereunto also they were appointed”, now we see in Isaiah where it is that they had been appointed:

15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.

That there were men of Israel and of Judah who had indeed been destined to suffer such a fate was made evident earlier in Isaiah, in chapter 6 where the prophet had been told “9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.” When the prophet heard these words, he must have hoped that the blindness of the people would not persist, so he responded with a question, and he received an immediate answer: “11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, 12 And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.”

Late in his life, when Peter had written his epistles, he must have understood this, that there were men who were appointed to continue in disobedience on account of their sins, and therefore they were destined to stumble on the stone of stumbling, because they were blinded by Yahweh God Himself. Christ had cited that passage in relation to His Own time, and the apostles had cited this passage here in relation to His time, because once men stumbled, their only remedy is in Christ, and that is further evident where Isaiah was told that the blindness would persist until the land was utterly desolate.

So as we continue, we must also bear in mind that Isaiah is still repeating to his listeners the things that Yahweh had told him, as it has been since verse 11. So now he repeats what he himself must have been commanded to do:

16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

The Septuagint has this verse to read, as Brenton has it, as “16 Then shall those who seal themselves that they may not learn the law be made manifest.” But the reading of the King James Version is supported in The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible.

To “bind up the testimony” seems to be an admonition for Isaiah to ensure that these prophecies are recorded and dispersed among the people, and to “seal the law among my disciples” is evidently what Isaiah had been doing here as he shares this testimony: making certain that the pious in Judah, who were not blinded, would understand both this prophecy and the law.

So now it is apparent that Isaiah himself makes an appeal to those who would heed these words:

17 And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. 18 Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

Rather than “and I will look for him”, in the Septuagint we read “and I will trust in him”, as Brenton had translated the clause, and that is also how Paul of Tarsus had cited it in Hebrews chapter 2. We shall discuss the citation below.

In Isaiah’s time, these words were uttered in relation to Isaiah himself. But there must be a greater and overarching fulfillment, which we call the far vision, and a greater purpose to these prophecies. Even the purpose of the blindness prophesied in Isaiah chapter 6 was accompanied by a promise of the return of a remnant, which would become a monument to the holy seed.

In another place in Isaiah, there is a promise of yet another stone, where we read in chapter 28 the Word of Yahweh which had said: “16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” This promise is very similar to the one here, as Paul had interpreted it, where he had also likened it to Christ, that “whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” Yet Christ Himself is recorded as having cited that prophecy of the stone of Isaiah chapter 28 in relation to Himself, in three of the four Gospel accounts. It was also cited in relation to Christ in words attributed to Peter in Acts chapter 4, and by Paul of Tarsus in his epistle to the Ephesians.

So in Matthew chapter 21 Christ is recorded as having cited Isaiah and saying: “42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. [There is a prophecy in Micah that the kingdom would be transferred to the “daughter of Jerusalem”, a daughter being a colony.] 44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” In Isaiah chapter 28, there is no mention of anyone stumbling on a stone set down by Yahweh, that is only mentioned here in chapter 8 of this stone set down by Yahweh. Therefore the two stones are one and the same, and they are both prophecies of Christ, as He had related them to himself.

That does not mean that this stone is not symbolic of Isaiah’s own time. Rather, the stone here is an allegory representing the Word of God which Isaiah was commanded to pass on to those who would hear him. But here, Judah has no hope, since they had already all been destined to be either destroyed or to be taken off into captivity, in the closing words of Isaiah chapter 6. The prophecies in these chapters are not independent of one another. They are all interrelated, and they all must either stand or fall together. Neither can any one of these prophecies ever be justly interpreted in a manner which would interrupt, interfere with or nullify another. They all must be understood as having complimented one another, rather than as having conflicted with one another. If there is a conflict, it is in the interpretation, but not in the prophecy itself.

So as for “the children whom Yahweh has given me”, here it refers to those in Judah who would listen to Isaiah, but later, in the time of Christ, it would refer to all of Israel, who are those whom He had come to deliver, and according to other promises here later in Isaiah, such as the prophecy of Isaiah chapter 45, ultimately they shall all listen to Him. Here, the Word of God was preserved among the remnant of Judah who had not suffered the blindness of Isaiah chapter 6, so that the Word could be preserved. In the time of Christ, His apostles and disciples and all those who had accepted Him had not been blinded, for He had opened their eyes so that His Gospel may be preserved. Preserving His Word, in the prophets and in the Gospel, helps to ensure that in the preservation of His people, something which He can do on His Own, that same remnant of His people may know that there is a God in Israel, and that He is True, and they stand as a monument in the earth, as a testimony to Him, as He had promised.

This passage was cited by Paul of Tarsus in chapter 2 of his epistle to the Hebrews, where he wrote in relation to Christ and said: “9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels [Psalm 8:5] for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man [John 10:27-30; Revelation 13:8]. 10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one [Ezekiel 37:28]: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren [Psalm 82:6], 12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee [Psalm 22:22]. 13 And again, I will put my trust in him [Isaiah 8:17, LXX]. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me [Isaiah 8:18].”

Now there is a further admonition:

19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? 20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

The translation of the latter portion of verse 19 is obscure, and while other versions portray the sense of the meaning correctly, they add several other words in order to do so. We may prefer the translation found in The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible, which also continues the words of those who would seek after necromancers and wizards into verse 20, although half of that should have been marked in answer to those words. There it reads: “19 When they say to you ‘Consult the ghosts and familiar spirits which chirp and mutter. Should not a people consult their god, or the dead for the sake of the living , 20 for instruction and testimony?’ Surely there will be no dawn for one who speaks like this.”

Of course, the children of Israel were forbidden by the law from doing this, which we read in Leviticus chapter 19: “31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.” Then again, in chapter 20: “6 And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.”

Here it seems that when the Word of Yahweh is not comfortable in the ears of the people, that they would consort to necromancers and sorcerers for their comfort. Then they may even blame God Himself when their ways do not prosper, which is evident in the conclusion:

21 And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward. 22 And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.

However these people were blinded, and even having the words of Isaiah, it is evident in the prophecy of chapter 6 that many of them would not have been able to hear or understand. Once the people were off in captivity, and the land was desolate and without inhabitant, we may expect the blindness to have been lifted, but once again the people were confronted with the stone of stumbling, in the person of Yahshua Christ, and once again many of them were blinded so that He would fulfill His Will, or on account of their having to suffer punishment for some sin.

So throughout Isaiah, the theme of the blindness of Israel is maintained. In Isaiah chapter 35, there is a promise that the eyes of the blind would be opened in the wilderness, but that promise was delivered immediately before Isaiah had recorded the taking of the fenced cities of Judah by the Assyrians in the days of Hezekiah. So once again, Judah could not avoid captivity in spite of the promises. Then in Isaiah chapter 42 there is a promise that the eyes of the blind would be opened, but that promise was fulfilled in Christ so that the only people whose eyes were opened were His disciples and those who had accepted Him. Christ had also cited that passage in reference to Himself. So He is the stone of stumbling, and He is the cure for blindness, but if one stumbles on the stone, it is apparent that he shall remain blind. For that, Christ referred to the pharisees who had rejected Him as “blind leaders of the blind”.

Here in Isaiah chapter 8, we shall read four verses again: “13 Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. 16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.”

Here it seems that if Yahweh is sanctified in one’s heart, as Peter had urged Christians to do in chapter 3 of his first epistle, then one shall be in fear of Yahweh and shall respect the testimony and the law, as Christ had told His disciples, in John chapter 15, “10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.” So keeping the commandments is the only way not to stumble upon Christ, the Stone of Stumbling, and doing that one shall not fall and be broken and snared and taken.

This message is as valid today as it was in the time of Isaiah, or in the time of the ministry of Christ. If we stumble at the Stone, we may rest assured that we shall not escape the coming wrath, a sample of which we have recently witnessed here in the American South.

This concludes our commentary for Isaiah chapter 8.

But because this recent event surrounding Hurricane Helene was so significant, I would like to speak on that for just a few minutes.

The apostles had asked Christ of one of the seeming atrocities which had been committed by the Romans in Judaea, so we shall read a passage from Luke chapter 13: “1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

These words reflect how Christ Himself had responded to atrocities and disasters, since in reality, not one man has a fate which is apart from the Will of God. Whether a disaster is caused by the government, as the Romans had committed the atrocity in Galilee, or whether it seems to have happened by random chance, as in the case of the tower in Siloam, is immaterial, because Yahweh God is the author of the fate of every man.

We were heartbroken concerning all of the recent destruction in the Carolina and Tennessee mountains, very close to the home of my wife and most of her kin, and also of very many of our friends here at Christogenea. But looking at the videos and pictures coming out of the disaster, they are replete with Sodomites, especially in Asheville, and also with mixed race so-called “families” even in the deep woods of western North Carolina. These things are sin, they were sin in the time of Isaiah, they were sin in the time of Christ, and they are sin today because Yahweh God does not change. Unless we repent, we shall all perish likewise.

If people want to survive, they should turn to God and not government, and they should repent of their sins, all of them, and they should also repent of the sins of their neighbors, or separate themselves from those neighbors, because approving of another man’s sin, one is just as guilty as the sinner, as Paul had explained in Romans chapter 1. There is no other way outside of Yahweh. One can keep the law, or one can stumble upon the Stone. As Christ had said in Matthew chapter 21, speaking of Himself as the Stone of stumbling: “44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

This is the message which we should take to the people of Appalachia, because they should have been the first to have it in the first place. It is the heart of the Bible Belt, but they seem to have given up on the Bible. Their pastors must be chastised, for having taught them to accept sin, and also to love Jews instead of Jesus. We must help our brethren in any way we can, but I have no kind words for any of their pastors, as they are also blind leaders of the blind. We cannot support their churches. Neither can I have kind words for Sodomites or fornicators, which are race-mixers, and all those who accomodate them. They will have to suffer their punishments. 

The video is from Hendersonville, North Carolina:

Two dykes could not hold back the waters to save their taco goblin: