Isaiah 8

The Explanation

God gave the prophet Isaiah a strange job. "Take a large tablet," God said, "and write on it a name." Not a nice name like you might choose for a baby. A long, strange name: Maher Shalal Hash Baz. It means "quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil." Isaiah wrote it down, and two honest men watched him do it, so everyone would know he really wrote it, before anything happened.

Then Isaiah's wife had a baby boy, and God said, "Call him Maher Shalal Hash Baz too." Why such a strange name for a little baby? Because God was giving a warning wrapped up in a name. Before that baby could even say "papa" or "mama," two powerful enemy kingdoms, Damascus and Samaria, would be crushed and robbed by the king of Assyria. The baby's own name was a countdown clock.

Then God spoke again. The people of Judah had a choice. They could trust God, who was like "the waters of Shiloah that go softly," a calm, gentle stream flowing right past Jerusalem. Instead they got excited about scary enemy kings and wanted Assyria's help. So God warned them: if you reject the gentle stream, you will get a flood instead. The mighty Assyrian army would rise like a river overflowing its banks, sweeping through the land "even to the neck." It sounds like water rising higher and higher, until you can barely breathe.

But right in the middle of all that danger, God says something the people needed to hear for you today too, "God is with us." Whatever army makes plans against God's people, those plans will not stand.

What Does This Mean?

Isaiah was told not to be afraid of what everybody else feared. Other people whispered, "A conspiracy! Danger! Disaster!" and ran to fortune tellers who "chirp and mutter" for answers. But God said, do not fear what they fear. Fear me instead, the only One truly worth trusting. He can be a safe place to hide, like a strong tower. But for people who refuse Him, He becomes something they trip over, a stone in the road that makes them fall.

The Common Thread

Do you notice the word hidden in verse 8? "Immanuel." It means "God with us." That is not just a name for hard times in Isaiah's day. Many years later, an angel gave that same name to a baby born in Bethlehem: Jesus. He is Immanuel, God who came to be with us for real, in flesh and bone. When the world floods with scary news, God has not left us alone on the riverbank. He came to stand in the flood with us.

For You

When something scares you, a nightmare, a loud noise at night, bad news on the television, you have a choice too. You can let fear grow bigger and bigger in your chest. Or you can remember: God is with us. Try saying that out loud when you're scared, like Isaiah did. It does not make the danger disappear right away, but it means you are not standing there alone.

Talk About It

Why do you think God let Isaiah's own baby carry such a strange warning name?

Can you think of a time you were scared, and what it means that God says "I am with you" right then?

Praying Together

Dear God, thank You that You are Immanuel, God with us. When we are afraid, help us remember that You are near. Give us courage like Isaiah, to trust You more than our fears. Amen.