Isa 8:6-7 | KingComments | STEP | What is written in is good news for Ahaz. There will soon be booty and prey for him from the enemies he is so afraid of. But the LORD continues to speak with a new and also surprising message ( ). For the prophecy has another aspect, in which there is no immediate encouragement for Ahaz. He is told that the success of the king of Assyria will be the stepping stone to attack Judah. The king of Assyria will do so, because “these people have rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah” ( ). Shiloah is a stream that flows from the source Gihon of Mount Zion and supplies Jerusalem with water. The stream ends at the pool Siloam. Isaiah uses symbolic language that contains a spiritual message. The people have rejected what God has sent to them in goodness and grace of refreshment – “Shiloah” means “Sent” ( ). That refreshment is sent in the promises of God of the throne and offspring of David. Instead of counting on those promises, they have placed their hopes in earthly powers. After all, Israel relies on Syria, while Judah relies on Assyria. Above all ‘Shiloah’ refers to the Son sent by the Father. How softly goodness and grace have flowed through Him into this world. Where this stream came, he brought life and healing. Yet this ‘gently flowing’ river of life and blessing was rejected. The cross is proof of this. Now the waters of Shiloah flow in the Scriptures and can be drunk by anyone who is thirsty ( ). Sadly, these “waters of Shiloah”, the gospel of the grace of God, are also now despised and rejected. Israel, with the son of Remalia at its head, entered into an alliance with Rezin, the king of Syria ( ). They both rejoice in this. But they will not laugh for long. Judah trusts in the support of Assyria. By the way, it can also be translated that ‘there is joy about Rezin’ and so on. The meaning is then that Judah rejoices at the failure, announced by Isaiah, of the plan the allies plotted to conquer Judah. In any case it is a misplaced joy. Both Judah and Israel with Syria will be overwhelmed by the king of Assyria through the hands of “the Lord” ( Adonai ), the sovereign Ruler ( ; ). The king of Assyria is compared to “strong and abundant waters” that “will rise up over all its channels and go over all its banks”, which accentuates the contrast with the “gently flowing waters of Shiloah” mentioned in the previous verse. Now that they have despised the gently flowing waters of life and refreshment, they will come to know the devastating waters of death and destruction. Yet there will be a difference between the overflowing of Israel and that of Judah. Judah will be “overflowed” for the most part, but not in its entirety. It is “even to the neck” ( ). Isaiah sees it happening before his mind’s eye. He feels the tightness when the water comes to the neck. For him, the arrival of Assyria in the land is also like the arrival of a huge bird of prey spreading its wings over the land to make it its prey. Overwhelmed by distress, he suddenly turns to the LORD in his great distress and exclaims that it is “your land, O Immanuel”. It is first and foremost “your land”, which is the land of the LORD. Immanuel is the LORD Himself. He is the reason why Jerusalem will be spared and that the city will be redeemed in the future. The exclamation of Isaiah is the call for the Messiah, for He alone can give a solution. He is Immanuel, God with us.

‏ Isaiah 8:6-7

Assyria Invades Judah

What is written in Isa 8:1-4 is good news for Ahaz. There will soon be booty and prey for him from the enemies he is so afraid of. But the LORD continues to speak with a new and also surprising message (Isa 8:5). For the prophecy has another aspect, in which there is no immediate encouragement for Ahaz. He is told that the success of the king of Assyria will be the stepping stone to attack Judah.

The king of Assyria will do so, because “these people have rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah” (Isa 8:6). Shiloah is a stream that flows from the source Gihon of Mount Zion and supplies Jerusalem with water. The stream ends at the pool Siloam.

Isaiah uses symbolic language that contains a spiritual message. The people have rejected what God has sent to them in goodness and grace of refreshment – “Shiloah” means “Sent” (Jn 9:7). That refreshment is sent in the promises of God of the throne and offspring of David. Instead of counting on those promises, they have placed their hopes in earthly powers. After all, Israel relies on Syria, while Judah relies on Assyria.

Above all ‘Shiloah’ refers to the Son sent by the Father. How softly goodness and grace have flowed through Him into this world. Where this stream came, he brought life and healing. Yet this ‘gently flowing’ river of life and blessing was rejected. The cross is proof of this. Now the waters of Shiloah flow in the Scriptures and can be drunk by anyone who is thirsty (Jn 7:37-38). Sadly, these “waters of Shiloah”, the gospel of the grace of God, are also now despised and rejected.

Israel, with the son of Remalia at its head, entered into an alliance with Rezin, the king of Syria (Isa 7:1). They both rejoice in this. But they will not laugh for long. Judah trusts in the support of Assyria. By the way, it can also be translated that ‘there is joy about Rezin’ and so on. The meaning is then that Judah rejoices at the failure, announced by Isaiah, of the plan the allies plotted to conquer Judah. In any case it is a misplaced joy.

Both Judah and Israel with Syria will be overwhelmed by the king of Assyria through the hands of “the Lord” (Adonai), the sovereign Ruler (Isa 8:7; Isa 7:16-17). The king of Assyria is compared to “strong and abundant waters” that “will rise up over all its channels and go over all its banks”, which accentuates the contrast with the “gently flowing waters of Shiloah” mentioned in the previous verse. Now that they have despised the gently flowing waters of life and refreshment, they will come to know the devastating waters of death and destruction.

Yet there will be a difference between the overflowing of Israel and that of Judah. Judah will be “overflowed” for the most part, but not in its entirety. It is “even to the neck” (Isa 8:8). Isaiah sees it happening before his mind’s eye. He feels the tightness when the water comes to the neck. For him, the arrival of Assyria in the land is also like the arrival of a huge bird of prey spreading its wings over the land to make it its prey. Overwhelmed by distress, he suddenly turns to the LORD in his great distress and exclaims that it is “your land, O Immanuel”.

It is first and foremost “your land”, which is the land of the LORD. Immanuel is the LORD Himself. He is the reason why Jerusalem will be spared and that the city will be redeemed in the future. The exclamation of Isaiah is the call for the Messiah, for He alone can give a solution. He is Immanuel, God with us.