Isaiah 7:10-25

FrielWatcher · #1 (**permalink**) 09-03-2008, 10:33 AM

All right. I am in Isaiah right now and this caught my attention. Now Isaiah is a book that compiles more or less ALL of the prophecies given by Isaiah to Judah and Ephraim (and other nations surrounding). So in the NKJV

the chapter title is "The Immanuel Prophecy." I am thinking that the entire book should not be taken in sequence chronologically (he preached this, and because of that now this in the next chapter) because it really isn't working out that way. Especially here.

Quote:

The Immanuel Prophecy

10 Moreover the LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 “Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!”
13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.[b] 15 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings. 17 The LORD will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah.”
18 And it shall come to pass in that day
That the LORD will whistle for the fly
That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt,
And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
19 They will come, and all of them will rest
In the desolate valleys and in the clefts of the rocks,
And on all thorns and in all pastures.
20 In the same day the Lord will shave with a hired razor,
With those from beyond the River,[c] with the king of Assyria,
The head and the hair of the legs,
And will also remove the beard.
21 It shall be in that day
That a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep;
22 So it shall be, from the abundance of milk they give,
That he will eat curds;
For curds and honey everyone will eat who is left in the land.
23 It shall happen in that day,
That wherever there could be a thousand vines
Worth a thousand shekels of silver,
It will be for briers and thorns.
24 With arrows and bows men will come there,
Because all the land will become briers and thorns.
25 And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe,
You will not go there for fear of briers and thorns;
But it will become a range for oxen
And a place for sheep to roam.

So, I see that the Christ is prophesied then the prophesy continues apart from that. Especially when we go to Ch. 8 and it is warned that Assyria is going to get walloped later. But the Christ is brought up here and there in other chapters as well.

Can Isaiah be taken in sequence? How important is this book to the church today?

Jerusalem Blade · #2 (**permalink**) 09-03-2008, 03:00 PM

It's immensely important, Peter. Have you considered getting a commentary on Isaiah? E.J. Young's is a classic, and I'm sure others can recommend more.

Often there are "nuggets" or even larger passages of Messianic prophecy embedded in his general prophetic statements. Isaiah is rich with foretellings of Christ, and which are sometimes not part of the immediate setting, such as 7:14, or telescope far beyond it.

louis_jp · #3 (**permalink**) 09-03-2008, 05:19 PM

There is a sequence, or at least a progressive coherence, to the thought, even if the individual prophecies are taken out of time.

For example, this section of prophecy concerns the threat from Assyria, and God is urging them to trust in his deliverance from the threat. Ahaz refuses, so God foretells destruction. However, a consistent theme is that of the remnant, so ultimately there will be deliverance. This is where the Immanuel prophecy comes in.

The prophecies bounce back and forth between the immediate context, the mid-range future, and the long-range future, often without clear markers between them -- as in the Immanuel prophecy itself, which relates both to the immediate context, as a sign for Ahaz, and as a foretelling of Christ.

But though the "time factor" is out of sequence, it all comes together to tell an evolving story, which is immensely important, because it all relates to God's covenant with David, and ultimately with us through Christ.

FrielWatcher · #4 (**permalink**) 09-04-2008, 05:16 PM

I will look into E.J. Young's commentary on Isaiah. Thanks.

YXU · #5 (**permalink**) 10-26-2008, 08:33 PM

I think two different events were mentioned. The prophecy of the Messiah as well as the prophecy regarding the judgment, the sign of that judgment is the child of Isaiah but rather than the Messiah.

I used to be frustrated, too. I believe Calvin's commentary helped me out.