Hasten to the Spoil

It is sad when we read God’s Word and He uses the heathen, godless nations to bring judgment on His sinning, disobedient people.  I am certain that it saddens His heart especially so. 

Because He is who He is, and because He is Righteous, Holy and Just He will not tolerate sin in the hearts of His people.  He will judge it by ridding us of it through trials, tribulations, sickness, disease, and even persecution.  In chapter eight of Isaiah we begin to see that God is even sending the message to the enemy of Israel/Judah that the time is drawing near for their invasion of the land.

“The the LORD said to me, ‘Take a large tablet and write on it in common characters,  ’Belonging to Maher-shalal-hashbaz.’ And I wll get reliable witnesses, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah, to attest for Me.’”  Isaiah 8:1-2  (ESV).

We begin to see the fulfillment of a near prophecy.  That is the birth of Isaiah’s son “Speed to the spoil”, and to leave absolutely no doubt that they [the Assyrians] would be the victors the name “Hasten the booty”, ie., enjoy the bounty of the conquered land.  The birth of Maher-shalal-hashbaz is the near fulfillment of Isaiah 7:15-17.  Of course, the Immanuel who was to be born was Jesus Christ 700 years or so later.

The names of Isaiah’s sons was meaningful and useful for  the message of prophecy and the fulfillment of God’s Word.  One thing that we can be certain, and that is that God will fulfill His Word.  Not one cross of a T or the dot of an i will fail (Matthew 5:18).  Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” Matthew 24:35 (NKJV).

There are two witnesses named who support this prophecy of the prophet.  They are most likely priests of the temple of God.  They themselves would have been faithful  and trusted priests of the Lord and trusted by the believing remnant of people.  Their testimony was an accreditation of the Word of God spoken and written by Isaiah.

In the message to Isaiah the LORD says, “Take a large tablet and write on it in common characters…”  It was to be large enough and clear enough that all could read it and understand.  God speaks clearly through His Word concerning His direction, His will, His Word, and His correction upon His people.

Is terrorism to be the promise of God’s judgment upon a wicked nation as the United States turned away from God?  Will the terrorists be the one’s who ‘Hasten to the spoil” of the United States? If we continue to turn a blind eye to the truth of God’s Word.  Let us pray for a return to Jesus Christ.

The LORD’s Razor

Ahaz is the king of Judah as we look at this passage of Scripture.  According to Second Kings chapter sixteen Ahaz was  a young man of twenty years of age when he began to reign.  He also did not follow the path of David, and “Did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God”.  He followed the path of the kings of the Northern kingdom.

Ahaz had even “Made his son pass through the fire, according tot he abominations of the nations whom the LORD cast our from before the children of Israel” 2 Kings 16:3 (NKJV).  That means that Ahaz sacrificed his son in the fires of worship to Molech, the god of the Moabites.  Is it any wonder that YHWH became angry with the sins of Judah.

Here is the judgment that was to follow:

“In that day the LORD will whistle for the fly that is at the end of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.  And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes, and on all the pastures.

In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired beyond the River–with the king of Assyria–the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the beard also.

In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep, and because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will eat curds, for everyone who is left in the land will eat curds and honey.

In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels of silver, will become briers and thorns.  With bow and arrows a man will come thre for all the land will be briers and thorns.  And as for the hills that used to be hoed with a hoe, you will not come there for fear of briers and thorns, but they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread.  Isaiah 7:18-25 (ESV).

The “In that day” statements are of a future day for Israel of that day.  They do however continue until Jesus Christ the Messiah comes and makes all things new.  “The LORD will whistle for the fly” is picturesque of a  man calling a dog.  It is as though the Lord calls the fly to Judah to become a nuisance to them.  A fly is also an insect that comes around uncleanliness, death, and stinch.  Of course the fly here is representative of Egypt coming to carry the people away into captivity.

Assyria is noted for being beekeepers, thus they would be the ones coming to carry away people into captivity as well.

No part of the land of Judah was going to be inaccessible to the foreign invaders.  The steep ravines, rock clefts, pastures, thorns would all be places the enemy would find for rest. 

When God judges the sins of His people He judges completely.  When His people sin they should know it.  If they are ignorant of their sin He will inform them, then it is up to them to repent and turn back to the Lord.  It is so sad that we live in an era of time when many preachers are not even preaching for the revelation of sins curse and damage to the body of Christ.  We hear much more about the goodness and love of God, and how good we are.  God will not hold us guiltless for not proclaiming the whole counsel of God and His Word.  There will be a judgment day.

The day came to Judah when the land became desolate.  It was no longer and agrcultural land, ie., growing fruits, vegetables, crops of the field.  It became almost desolate, and deserted.  Overrun with briers and thorns.  Three times in verses 23 – 25 we read about the “Briers and thorns”.  “That wherever there could be a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, it will be briars and thorns” (v. 23).  “With arrows and bows men will come there, because all the land will become briars and thorns” (v. 24).  “You will not go there for fear of briars and thorns” (v. 25).

There will be an abundance of milk, because there will be no need to till the land, be no way of doing so.  The people who remain in the land will eat curds and honey.  It was a time of great poverty.  The places where there should be a vineyard are places for hunting – the men with “arrows and bows”.  It will be a place for cattle and sheep to graze on what there is to graze.

The land of Judah had been a wealthy land.  It was during the time of Ahaz, but poverty was on its way.  Those of us who live in the good old USA let us not be so haughty to think that poverty may not be right around the corner for us.  You can laugh if you will, but this country is in the hands of the Almighty God, and with a snap of His fingers the Stockmarket could crash overnight.  No matter what the financial experts say.  They have no control of our economy, but God does.  God has give us ample warnings and we only attribute the warnings to weather, or disease, or being born that way.  We are the United States of America.  We love our freedom too much to let anything serious happen.  A bridge in Minneapolis, MN. collapsed last night (08/01/07 p.m.).

Be alert God is in control.  He is good.  He also is holy, righteous and just.  He will not allow sin to dominate and control His people.  He will judge sin completely.