It is characteristic of predictive prophecy that it often mingles different times in one composite picture. The prophet must speak, of course, to his own time in a way that can be understood by his contemporaries. Yet he is not confined to this. The Holy Spirit often bears him along to distant times and realms. The Spirit especially brings to the notice of the prophet’s hearers the times of Messiah.
This section of Isaiah–chapters 7 though 12–is an excellent illustration of this principle. The prophecies were given during the reign of Ahaz (7:1), at a time when Syria and Israel were allied against Judah. The craven, paganized Ahaz momentarily expected to be destroyed by these two enemies. Furthermore, the power of the far mightier Assyria threatened on the horizon.
God through His prophet promises deliverance from these enemies, but the ultimate deliverance of His people can come only through the One whose name is Immanuel. In these chapters are some of the best-known prophecies of the coming Christ.
THE BIRTH OF IMMANUEL
It was a mark of the degeneration of Israel that one branch of them would form an alliance with a pagan nation against the other. This was not the first time for such a sordid occurrence, but we can imagine the consternation in the corrupt court of Ahaz when the word came, “Syria is confederate with Ephraim” (7:2). The term Ephraim is often used in the prophets for the Northern Kingdom because of the leading place that the tribe of Ephraim exercised in it.
In the midst of the universal terror, the prophet of God sturdily went forth at God’s command to meet the king, taking with him–also by divine appointment–his son with a symbolic name-Shear-jashub, a remnant shall return (7:3). Amid human confusion there is divine assurance and stability. “Thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass” (7:7).
Then, to reinforce the flat statement of deliverance, God invites the king to ask for a sign. Ahaz (whose character is well known from 1 Kings 16:30-33), with a pretense of piety, sanctimoniously protested that he would not tempt the Lord. The historical record tells us that Ahaz, far from depending on God, was even then seeking the help of Assyria to defeat his more immediate enemies. This was like a mouse sending for the cat to help him against two rats!
Passages such as this are the test of whether one really accepts the Bible as the Word of God or not. Liberal interpretation wallows in a quagmire of immediacy. It cannot or will not admit that God can blend together a near and a far view. It must seek the complete explanation of the passage in the prophet’s own day, and that in the face of the fact that the New Testament plainly declares otherwise.
In spite of rationalistic denials and evasions, Isaiah 7:14 is a direct prophecy of the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. The quotation of it in Matthew 1:23 settles the question. Objection is raised that this could not be a sign to Ahaz, since the fulfillment did not come until long after his day. But the statement was made not merely to the individual, Ahaz, but to the “house of David,” which Ahaz represented–no matter how poorly–in his generation. There is no need to see in this prophecy two children, one born at that time by natural processes and the other the virgin-born Son. Exhaustive studies by Robert Dick Wilson and others have shown that the Hebrew word is properly translated “virgin”; certainly the Greek word in Matthew 1:23, which is a quotation of this verse from Isaiah, can be translated in no other way.
There is, of course, contingency in the prophecy. The thought of verse 16 seems to be that if the baby Immanuel were born in the immediate future, before He would be old enough to make known His distinction between good and evil, the two enemy kings would withdraw. There is, therefore, both a message for the age and a message for the ages. Ahaz has the assurance that the Syrio-Israelitic invasion will not prevail; the house of David has the greater assurance of the great Deliverer, Immanuel.
This great prophetic name of the Lord Jesus Christ– “God with us”–sets forth both His deity and His humanity. This is what John had in mind when he said: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14). The same truth is revealed in a parallel passage to this in Isaiah 9. In connection with these prophecies one should read the passage on the person of Christ in Philippians 2:5-11.
THE ASSYRIAN INVASION
The prophet goes on to show that Assyria will come in a more devastating invasion than that of Syria and Israel (7:20). As a symbol of this coming judgment, Isaiah is instructed to name his second son, Maher-shalal-hash-baz, Haste ye, haste ye to the spoil (8:1, 3). No matter how great a confederation of enemies there will be, however, God will deliver Judah if they will look to Him. They are to stand in reverential fear before Him rather than in terror of any adversaries: “Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread” (8:13).
Against those false teachers who would turn the people to idolatrous and abominable spiritism, Isaiah exhorts them to seek unto God. He alone can bring deliverance.
THE DAVIDIC KINGDOM AND KING
Here again a tremendous leap is made across the centuries. In fact, two leaps are made. We are informed in the New Testament that the prophecy is partially fulfilled in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ in Galilee at His first advent (cf. 9:1-2 with Mt. 4:13-16).
Nevertheless it must be acknowledged that here, as elsewhere, the two comings of Christ are brought together in one prophecy. Indeed, from the Old Testament alone it could not be clearly seen that there were to be two comings. That is a New Testament amplification. Peter tells of the bewilderment of the Old Testament prophets. “Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when [He] testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow” (1 Pet. 1:10-11).
The birth of the child prophesied in Isaiah 9:6 has taken place long ago, at Christ’s first coming; His universal reign has not yet been fulfilled. That awaits His return. Here, as has been noted, are the two natures of Christ in one Person. “A child is born”–that is His perfect humanity. “A son is given”–that is His absolute deity. Lest there be any doubt of this fact, the prophecy gives Him titles which no mere man could have: “Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
In a day when men are praised too much, even among Christians, we need to praise Him who alone is worthy of praise. It is easy to exaggerate in our estimation of men; no one could ever exaggerate the worth of Christ. He is “Wonderful” in His unique Person and in His unique atoning work. No one else is the God-Man; no one else could die for our sins, or even help Him to do so: “When He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3).
In Him are “hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). No wonder His name is “Counselor.” His almighty power, manifested in creation and available to us, is seen in His title, “The mighty God.” He is “The Father of eternity,” the One who nourishes His own forever. He is the “Prince of Peace,” the One who brings peace to the individual and who will ultimately bring peace to the world. In order to show the certainty of this, the statement is made, “The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this,” a statement which occurs only in two other places (Isa. 37:32; 2 Ki. 19:31).
GOD’S STRETCHED-OUT HAND OF JUDGMENT
The stretched-out hand of God, as seen repeatedly in this section (9:12, 17, 21; 10:4; cf. also 5:25), is not in this instance a display of mercy, but instead, an indication of judgment. God’s previous judgments have not had the desired effect of turning His people to repentance (9:13); therefore He must continue to smite them.
We find, then, a paradoxical fact: God is actually using the wicked nation of Assyria to punish His own people (10:5). “Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee” (Ps. 76:10). Yet God will not allow Assyria to escape His righteous judgment. How men delude themselves into thinking that they are going their own way, declaring their independence of God! Assyria, that mighty nation, is serving a divine purpose as a tool in the Lord’s hand. This does not excuse Assyria’s actions or absolve it of its guilt: “Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed His whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of His high looks” (10:12).
God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility are always in perfect balance in the Word of God. Even though we are not able to reconcile these paradoxical facts, we can believe both because the Bible teaches both. God is sovereign in His universe; and at the same time man is fully accountable to God for all his acts.
The reference to “that day” (v. 20) seems to carry the prophecy over from the historical invasion in the prophet’s own time to another tremendous invasion of the land in the end-time. Whatever the exact connection may be, the sequel in chapter 11 would seem to indicate such a far view.
THE BRANCH FROM JESSE’S ROOT
How exquisitely the Lord Jesus Christ is portrayed in these messages of the evangelical prophet! Here (11:1) He is characterized again as the “Branch,” although the Hebrew word here is not the same as in 4:2. He is seen as the true successor of David, the Messiah-King. The description of His endowment by the Spirit of God (v. 2) recalls that “God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him” (Jn. 3:34). His kingdom has been seen in a previous passage (9:7) as bringing peace; here the emphasis is upon the righteousness which will characterize it. Men are always looking for peace, but are not ready for a peace that will be based on righteousness. No ordinary man, no matter how good his intentions may be, could possibly reign in perfect righteousness. Only the all-knowing, all-wise, all-holy Son of God can reign in righteousness (cf. 32:1).
Many are disposed to allegorize or spiritualize the Old Testament prophecies concerning the kingdom. Fulfilled prophecy, however, furnishes us a standard by which to interpret prophecy yet unfulfilled. If the prophecies concerning the sufferings of Christ were fulfilled in general in a literal manner, ought we not to expect the prophecies concerning His glory to be similarly fulfilled?
None can deny that there are many figures of speech in the prophetic passages; nor can God describe the coming glory for us in a way that we can understand completely. But if kingdom prophecy means anything, it means that there will come a day when Christ shall literally reign over this literal earth. This Messianic reign is often referred to as the Millennium, from the passage concerning the thousand years in Revelation 20.
The New Testament tells us that eventually the material creation is to be delivered from the bondage into which it came because of man’s sin (Rom. 8:19-22). This brief picture in Isaiah 11 shows us something of the glory of that day: “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (11:9).
The “highway” for the “remnant” of God’s people finds an echo in later chapters of Isaiah (35:8; 40:3), an indication of a fact which every student of Isaiah should observe–the prophet’s repeated use of themes or motifs.
THE SONG OF REDEMPTION
This lovely song, with which the section closes, expresses the praise and thanksgiving of the godly remnant of Israel in the coming day of salvation, “that day” (v. 1). It is in two parts (vv. 1-2 and vv. 3-6). The first part looks back upon the judgment of God and then rests in His comfort (cf. 40:1). It acknowledges God as “strength,” “song,” and “salvation.” The second part is a pure hymn of praise, celebrating the “Holy One of Israel” in the midst of His people in Zion. And we rejoice with those who do rejoice.