What do people mean when they say, “The cure is worse than the disease”?
Have you ever attempted to fix a problem only to make it worse?
When have you opted for your own solution over God’s and come to regret it?
Ahaz had a problem. As the king of Judah, he had been at war with Syria and Israel. God spoke through Isaiah to reassure Ahaz that He would protect Judah despite the efforts of Rezin and Pekah, the kings of Syria and Israel. But King Ahaz didn’t trust God at his word. He took matters into his own hands and asked Assyria to help him in his fight… a solution that was worse than the problem.
Then the Lord said to me, “Make a large signboard and clearly write this name on it: Maher-shalal-hash-baz.” 2 I asked Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah, both known as honest men, to witness my doing this.
Isaiah 8:1-10 NLT
3 Then I slept with my wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said, “Call him Maher-shalal-hash-baz. 4 For before this child is old enough to say ‘Papa’ or ‘Mama,’ the king of Assyria will carry away both the abundance of Damascus and the riches of Samaria.”
5 Then the Lord spoke to me again and said, 6 “My care for the people of Judah is like the gently flowing waters of Shiloah, but they have rejected it. They are rejoicing over what will happen to King Rezin and King Pekah.
7 Therefore, the Lord will overwhelm them with a mighty flood from the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria and all his glory. This flood will overflow all its channels 8 and sweep into Judah until it is chin deep. It will spread its wings, submerging your land from one end to the other, O Immanuel.
9 “Huddle together, you nations, and be terrified.
Listen, all you distant lands.
Prepare for battle, but you will be crushed!
Yes, prepare for battle, but you will be crushed!
10 Call your councils of war, but they will be worthless.
Develop your strategies, but they will not succeed.
For God is with us!”
“Maher-shalal-hash-baz,” the message written on the parchment (v. 1) and the name given to Isaiah’s son means “speeding to the plunder, hurrying to the spoil.”
What do you see in these verses that the people of Judah, the Southern Kingdom, would have found encouraging? What do you see in these verses that the people of Judah would have found discouraging or bothersome? Why?
“The wealth of Damascus” (Syria/Aram, King Rezin) and “the spoils of Samaria” (Israel/Northern Kingdom, King Pekah) would be removed and transported to Assyria before Isaiah’s son was old enough to speak his first words. This defeat of Judah’s two closest rivals surely would have heartened the people. However, because they had adopted the motto, “In Assyria We Trust,” like “the mighty rushing water of the Euphrates River” (v. 7), Assyria would overwhelm Judah as well (v. 8). They would be “up to the neck” in the flood of Assyria—not completely drowned only able to keep their heads above water.
What hope did Isaiah hold out to Judah even in the disaster to come? How can this hope be an encouragement to us, even when we have foolishly put our trust in our own solutions rather than wait on God’s?
In verse 8 and again in verse 10 Isaiah assured the people of God’s presence. Most English Bibles translate the assurance as “Immanuel” the first time Isaiah wrote it (v. 8) and interpret it as “God with us” the second time (v. 10). In addition, he devoted verses 9-10 to warning all “far countries” or enemies of Judah that their efforts against God’s people “will not happen.”
The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said,
Isaiah 8:11-15 NLT
12 “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do,
and don’t live in dread of what frightens them.
13 Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life.
He is the one you should fear.
He is the one who should make you tremble.
14 He will keep you safe.
But to Israel and Judah
he will be a stone that makes people stumble,
a rock that makes them fall.
And for the people of Jerusalem
he will be a trap and a snare.
15 Many will stumble and fall,
never to rise again.
They will be snared and captured.”
What do you think is the significance of verse 11?
Apparently Isaiah had ceased addressing Ahaz and the nation of Judah. God gave instruction to Isaiah for Isaiah for Isaiah and his followers, not for the nation as a whole.
What do you make of the warnings in verses 12-13—how would you summarize them in your own words?
In verses 14-15, God described Himself as both a “sanctuary” (v. 14) and something to “stumble over” (vv. 14, 15) or ensnare others (vv. 14, 15). How can God be both of these? Why would He be both?
Our money all says “In God We Trust,” but is that true anymore? What would you say we trust in these days? How has our trust shift affected us as a nation? How will it affect our future?
how do you live out your trust? What do you trust in? How can you know?