Isaiah 8 · The Lantern

And the Lord said to me, Take a great writing-board, and on it put down in common letters, Maher-shalal-hash-baz;

And take true witnesses to the writing, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah, the son of Jeberechiah.

And I went in to my wife, and she became with child, and gave birth to a son. Then the Lord said to me, Give him the name Maher-shalal-hash-baz,

For before the child is able to say, Father, or, Mother, the wealth of Damascus and the goods of Samaria will be taken away by the king of Assyria.

And the Lord said again to me,

Because this people will have nothing to do with the softly-flowing waters of Shiloah, and have fear of Rezin and Remaliah's son;

Obviously the only way to preserve the understanding of this passage is to explain its spiritual meaning. By the softly proceeding water of Siloam it means the gospel teaching of the word of salvation, because Siloam means "sent with a message." This would be God the Word, who was sent by the Father, of whom Moses says, "A ruler will not fail from Judah, nor a prince from his l…

Next to these mysteries are the mystery of the tree of life and the mystery of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For he who seeks nothing but knowledge tastes of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

274. But it seems that this should not be imputed to them as a fault, because it was done by the will of the Lord, as it says in 1 Kings 12:24: this thing is from me.

For this cause the Lord is sending on them the waters of the River, deep and strong, even the king of Assyria and all his glory: and it will come up through all its streams, overflowing all its edges:

[Isaiah] uses the "king of Assyria" as a symbol for the Antichrist.

Going down to philosophy implies the greatest danger. Isaias says: "Because this people has rejected the waters of Siloe that flow gently, and melts with fear before the loftiness of Rasin and Romelia's son, therefore the Lord raises against them the waters of the River, great and mighty, the king of Assyria." We should no longer return to Egypt.

275. Therefore. Here the power of the enemy is described. And first, a metaphor is set out as to four things, namely, as to divine help: behold the Lord will bring upon them; as to the impulse: the waters of the river; as to their strength: strong; as to their number, and many, below: nations shall make a noise like the noise of waters overflowing (Isa 17:13).

And it will come on into Judah; rushing on and overflowing, till the waters are up to the neck; *** and his outstretched wings will be covering the land from side to side: for God is with us.

Have knowledge, O peoples, and be in fear; give ear, all you far-off parts of the earth:

And what the same prophet said has been fulfilled. "God is with us. Know this, O nations, and be conquered." For we who are from the nations have been conquered and overcome. And we who bend our necks beneath his grace stand forth as a kind of spoils of his victory.

(Verse 9, 10.) Gather together, O people, and be conquered, and listen, all far away lands: be strengthened and be conquered. Gird yourselves, and be conquered: take counsel, and it shall be dissipated: speak a word, and it shall not be, because God is with us.

278. Gather yourselves together, O you peoples. Because he had said that the persecution of the Assyrians would run over in some manner into the two tribes, here he strengthens them, because they were not to be finally captured in that persecution, nor even be subjugated by the ten tribes and the Syrians.

Let your designs be formed, and they will come to nothing; give your orders, and they will not be effected: for God is with us.

For the Lord, controlling me with a strong hand, gave me orders not to go in the way of this people, saying,

Do not say, It is holy, about everything of which this people says, It is holy; and do not be in fear of what they go in fear of.

But let the Lord of armies be holy to you, and go in fear of him, giving honour to him.

And he will be for a holy place: but for a stone of falling and a rock of trouble to the two houses of Israel, and to the men of Jerusalem, for a net in which they may be taken.

For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep?

Christ rose again from the seed of David, as the son of David, because he had emptied himself. How did he empty himself? By taking what he was not, not by losing what he was. He emptied himself; he humbled himself. Though he was God, he made himself known as a man. He was despised as he walked the earth, though he made the sky.

287. And he shall be. Here he sets out the fruit of obedience: sanctification to you, I will make you holy: I am the Lord who sanctify you (Lev 22:9). For a stone, he sets out the punishment of impeding rebels under the metaphor of travelers; and first, he sets out the occasion, second, the reception of the punishment: and very many of them shall stumble (Isa 8:15).

And numbers of them, falling on the stone, will be broken, and will be taken in the net.

Let my teaching be kept secret: and my words be given to my disciples only.

And I will be waiting for the Lord, whose face is veiled from the house of Jacob, and I will be looking for him.

See, I and the children whom the Lord has given me, are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of armies, whose resting-place is in Mount Zion.

Not only do we become his brothers but even his children, for he says, "Behold, I and my children, whom God has given me." Not only do we become his children but also his members and his body.

(Chapter 9, verses 1 and following) In the first time, the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali were relieved, and in the last time the way of the sea beyond the Jordan of the Galilee of the Gentiles was made heavy. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shone.

Third, the presentation of what is awaited, behold I, namely, Christ, and my children, the apostles, whom the Lord has given me: thine they were: and to me you gave them (John 17:6); for a sign, that is, that they may do signs, and for a portent, a wonder, which by its magnitude portends; and this comes to be from the Lord, who dwells, by worship or by faith, in Zion, the Churc…

And when they say to you, Make request for us to those who have control of spirits, and to those wise in secret arts, who make hollow bird-like sounds; is it not right for a people to make request to their gods, to make request for the living to the dead?

Then say to them, Put your faith in the teaching and the witness.... If they do not say such things.... For him there is no dawn....

And he will go through the land in bitter trouble and in need of food; and when he is unable to get food, he will become angry, cursing his king and his God, and his eyes will be turned to heaven on high;

And he will be looking down on the earth, and there will be trouble and dark clouds, black night where there is no seeing.

Isaiah8