Isaiah 8 · The Lantern

And the Lord said to me: “Take up for yourself a large book, and with a man’s pen write in it: ‘Take away the spoils quickly; plunder swiftly.’”

And I summoned to myself faithful witnesses: Uriah, the priest, and Zechariah, the son of Berechiah.

And I joined with the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said to me: “Call his name: ‘Rush to take away the spoils; Hurry to be plundered.’

For before the boy knows how to call to his father and his mother, the strength of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria will be taken away, in the sight of the king of the Assyrians.”

And the Lord spoke to me further, saying:

“Because this people has cast aside the waters of Shiloah, which go forth silently, and has instead chosen Rezin and the son of Remaliah,

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 reason, behold, the Lord will lead over them the waters of a river, strong and plentiful: the king of the Assyrians with all his glory. And he will rise up throughout all his streams, and he will overflow all his banks.

[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 he will pass through Judah, inundating it, and he will cross over and arrive, even at its neck. And he will extend his wings, filling the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.”

O people, gather together, and be conquered! All distant lands, listen! Be strengthened, and be conquered! Gird yourselves, and be conquered!

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.

Undertake a plan, and it will be dissipated! Speak a word, and it will not be done! For God is with us.

For the Lord said this to me, and he has instructed this to me with a strong hand, lest I go forth in the way of this people, saying:

“You should not say ‘It is conspiracy!’ For all that this people speaks is a conspiracy. And you should not be frightened or alarmed with their fear.

Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself. Let him be your dread, and let him be your fear.

And so shall he be a sanctification to you. But he will be a stone of offense and a rock of scandal to the two houses of Israel, and a snare and a ruin to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

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 very many of them will stumble and fall, and they will be broken and entangled and seized.

Bind the testimony, seal the law, among my disciples.”

And I will wait for the Lord, who has concealed his face from the house of Jacob, and I will stand before him.

Behold: I and my children, whom the Lord has given to me as a sign and a portent, in Israel, from the Lord of hosts, who lives on 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 though they say to you, “Seek from seers and diviners,” they who hiss in their incantations, should not the people seek from their God, for the sake of the living, and not from the dead?

And this is, moreover, for the sake of the law and the testimony. But if they do not speak according to this Word, then he will not have the morning light.

And he will pass by it; he will fall and become hungry. And when he is hungry, he will become angry, and he will speak evil against his king and his God, and he will lift himself upward.

And he will gaze downward to the earth, and behold: tribulation and darkness, dissolution and distress, and a pursuing gloom. For he will not be able to fly away from its distress.

Isaiah8