Lesson #08

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ISAIAH 8
Lesson #08
THE ABOMINATION OF THE OCCULT

• MEMORY VERSE: PSALM 77:13

• CHAPTERS 7-12 MAKE UP A SERIES OF PROPHECIES GIVEN DURING THE REIGN OF THE EVIL KING, AHAZ. THIS KING WAS SO EVIL, BUT GOD CONTINUED TO PURSUE HIM BY GIVING ISAIAH MESSAGES MEANT FOR THE KING AND THE PEOPLE.
• IN CHAPTER 7 WE STUDIED THE SIGN GIVEN TO THE PEOPLE BECAUSE THE KING WOULD NOT ASK FOR A SIGN. THIS IS SIGN OF THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST.
• HOWEVER, WE MUST REMEMBER THAT PROPHECY HAS A DOUBLE FULFILLMENT. UNLESS YOU KNOW THAT FACT, YOU WILL FALL INTO THE TRAP OF MANY THEOLOGIANS THROUGH TIME.
• FOR EXAMPLE: THE PROPHETIC SIGN OF A CHILD’S BIRTH OCCURS IN CHAPTER 7. IN CHAPTER 8 A CHILD IS BORN TO ISAIAH. MANY THEOLOGIANS SAY THAT THE SIGN IN CHAPTER 7 DOES NOT REFER TO JESUS BUT TO ISAIAH’S SON AND THEREFORE, HAS BEEN FULFILLED.
• THE REVISED STANDARD BIBLE

USED THE WORD “YOUNG WOMAN” FOR THE HEBREW WORD “almah”. IT IS TRUE THAT ISAIAH’S SECOND CHILD WAS BORN OF A YOUNG WOMAN, ISAIAH’S WIFE. THIS CHILD WAS NOT OF AN IMMACULATE CONCEPTION BORN OF A VIRGIN, THOUGH SHE WAS A VIRGIN WHEN ISAIAH MARRIED HER. HOWEVER, AT THE TIME THIS CHILD WAS BORN, ISAIAH’S WIFE HAD ALREADY GIVEN BIRTH TO ISAIAH’S FIRSTBORN SON.

• HOWEVER, JESUS WAS BORN OF A VIRGIN BY IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.
• IN ORDER TO COVER BOTH BIRTHS IN ONE PROPHECY, GOD HAD ISAIAH USE THE WORD, “almah” WHICH CAN BE TRANSLATED EITHER “YOUNG WOMAN” OR “VIRGIN”. THIS WORD “almah”, THEREFORE, APPLIES BOTH TO MARY AND TO ISAIAH’S WIFE. THEREFORE, WE HAVE A DOUBLE FULFILLMENT. IN CHAPTER 7 WE LOOKED AT THE NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGE IN MATTHEW THAT REFERS ISAIAH’S PROPHECY TO THE BIRTH OF JESUS. (MAT 1:18-23)

• READ ISA 7:14-16
• READ ISA 8:1-4 THE FIRST FULFILLMENT OF ISAIAH’S SIGN
• THE BIRTH OF ISAIAH’S SECOND SON, MAHER-SHALAL-HASBAZ.
• VERSE 18 TELLS US WHY ISAIAH GAVE HIS SONS SUCH UNUSUAL NAMES. IT WAS COMMANDED BY GOD AS A MESSAGE. REMEMBER IN OUR INTRODUCTION, I SAID THAT EVERYTHING ABOUT THE PROPHET’S LIFE WAS TO BE PART AND PARCEL OF HIS MESSAGE.
• BOTH SONS WERE SIGNS OF GOD’S LOVE.
• BOTH SONS WERE A MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE TO TRUST GOD.
• THE MEANING OF MAHER-SHALAL-HASHBAZ = “HASTE THE BOOTY, HASTE THE SPOIL”
• WHAT DOES THE CHILD’S NAME HAVE TO DO WITH THE POLITICAL SITUATION OF ISAIAH’S DAY THAT WAS DESCRIBED IN CHAPTER 7?
• NATIONS LOOKING FOR SPOIL MANUEVERED POLITICALLY AND MILITARILY TO GAIN POWER AND TERRITORY. ISRAEL WAS NO EXCEPTTION. SHE WAS LIKE ALL OTHER NATIONS WITHOUT TRUSTING IN GOD.

• THE RECORDING OF THE EVENT OF HIS SON’S BIRTH (2)
• ISAIAH TOOK WITNESSES TO RECORD THE EVENT. IT IS SIGNIFICANT TO KNOW THE MEANING OF THE NAMES OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE. AGAIN, EVERYTHING ADDS DETAIL TO ISAIAH’S MESSAGE.
• URIAH = JEHOVAH IS MY LIGHT
• ZECHARIAH = JEHOVAH REMEMBERS
• SON OF JEBERECHIAH = JEHOVAH WILL BLESS
• BEFORE THIS CHILD WOULD BE OLD ENOUGH TO SAY “MOMMY” AND “DADDY”, THE ASSYRIANS WOULD INVADE THE NORTHERN KINGDOM OF ISRAEL AND THEIR ALLY SYRIA.

• READ ISA 8:5-8 THE DESTRUCTION OF SYRIA (ARAM) AND ITS CAPITAL OF DAMASCUS AND THE FALL OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM OF ISRAEL AND ITS CAPITAL OF SAMARIA.
• GOD MAKES IT CLEAR THAT THE DESTRUCTION OF JUDAH’S ENEMIES WAS DUE TO THE SOVEREIGN GRACE OF GOD, NOT TO AHAZ’S ALLIANCE WITH ASSYRIA.
• THE PICTOGRAPHIC CHOICE OF THE 2 RIVERS (5-8):
• #1 THE RIVER SHILOAH
• SHILOAH MEANS = SENT
• IT IS A SMALL SPRING OF SOFTLY FLOWING WATER THAT EXEMPLIFIES PEACEFULNESS.
• IT FLOWS BETWEEN MT. MORIAH AND MT. ZION THROUGH JERUSALEM..
• MT. MORIAH IS WHERE ABRAHAM OFFERED HIS SON ISAAC WHICH PREFIGURES JESUS’ DEATH ON THE CROSS THAT OCCURRED IN THE SAME AREA.
• #2 THE EUPHRATES RIVER
• THE ASSYRIANS CAME FROM THE LAND AROUND THE EUPHRATES RIVER. THIS IS A GREAT RUSHING RIVER. THE PICTURE IS THAT THE ASSYRIAN ARMY WOULD COVER THE PROMISE LAND LIKE A FLOOD BECAUSE AHAZ HAD CHOSEN TO MAKE A TREATY WITH ASSYRIA INSTEAD OF TRUSTING THE OFFER OF PEACE THROUGH GOD’S GRACE.
• TO WHAT DOES VERSE 8 REFER?
• THE FLOOD WOULD REACH TO THE NECK. IN OTHER WORDS, THERE WOULD BE A REMNANT SAVED FROM THE FLOOD OF THE BATTLE. THE WHOLE NATION WOULD NOT BE DESTROYED.
• THE STRETCHING OUT OF HIS WINGS IS GOD’S PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION OF THE LAND THAT BELONGS TO IMMANUEL, JESUS CHRIST.

• READ ISA 8:9-18 A NATION’S CHOICE OF TRUSTING ALLIANCES OR GOD
• THE WARNING AGAINST NATIONS WHO FORM AN ALLIANCE AGAINST THE PROMISE LAND (9-12)
• THIS WARNING IS STILL VALID TODAY AS NATIONS STRIVE FOR POWER IN THE MIDDLE EAST BY FORMING ALLIANCES AGAINST ISRAEL.
• IT IS ALSO A WARNING TO ISRAEL THAT THEY SHOULD DEPEND ON GOD AND NOT ON THE UNITED STATES, OR THE VATICAN, OR THE EUROPEAN UNION. ALL THESE ALLIANCES WILL COME TO NOTHING. (12)
• THE NORTHERN KINGDOM IS THE EXAMPLE OF SUCH ALLIANCES MADE OUT OF FEAR. THE ALLIANCE WITH SYRIA PROVED WORTHLESS WHEN ASSYRIA CAME AND DEVASTATED THEM BOTH. JUDAH IS WARNED NOT TO FEAR THE FEAR OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM AND MAKE AN ALLIANCE WITH EGYPT.
• FEAR IS THE OPPOSITE OF FAITH. IT REMINDS US OF PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AT THE BEGINNING OF WWII WHEN HE SAID, “WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FEAR ITSELF.” OUT OF FEAR MEN MAKE RASH DECISIONS.
• IT IS BETTER TO FEAR GOD (HAVE AN AWESOME RESPECT FOR). HE IS THE ONE IN CONTROL.
• MAN’S CHOICE (13-17), A SNARE OR A SANCTUARY
• DISCUSSION:

WHAT SPECIFIC THINGS DO YOU LEARN ABOUT JESUS IN VERSES 13-17?

• READ 1COR 1:23-25 AND MAT 21:44

• READ ISA 8:19-22 THE CHOICE OF SPIRITUALISM OR GOD
• ON WHAT WERE THE PEOPLE RELYING FOR STRENGTH AND GUIDANCE? (19)
• THEY TRUSTED IN THEIR OWN HUMAN WISDOM, FALSE GODS, AND EVIL SPIRITS.
• WHAT IS SPIRITUALISM?
• READ LEV 20:27 AND DEU 18:9-14
• SPIRITUALISM IS THE OCCULT PRACTICES PROHIBITED BY GOD THAT INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:
• A PERSON WHO DEALS WITH “FAMILIAR SPIRITS”
• FAMILIAR SPIRITS ARE DEMON SPIRITS THAT MASQUERADE AS A DEAD LOVED ONE AND SEEK TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO SEEK COMMUNICATION WITH THE DEAD.
• A PERSON WHO PARTICIPATES IN HUMAN SACRIFICE (PASSING THROUGH THE FIRE)
• A PERSON WHO PARTICIPATES IN DIVINATION (FORTUNE TELLING, DOWSING, ETC.)
• A PERSON WHO PARTICIPATES IN ASTROLOGY (A OBSERVER OF TIMES)
• A PERSON WHO CASTS SPELLS, EITHER GOOD OR BAD (AN ENCHANTER)
• A WITCH, EITHER GOOD OR BAD.
• A PERSON WHO DEALS WITH CHARMS FOR GOOD LUCK.
• A PERSON WHO CONSULTS MEDIUMS (TODAY CALLED CHANNELING)
• A PERSON WHO DEALS WITH ALL SORTS OF OCCULT PRACTICES (A WIZARD)
• A PERSON WHO PARTICIPATES IN SEANCES THAT CALL UP THE DEAD (NECROMANCY)
• THE RESULTS OF TRUSTING SPIRITUALISM IS DIMNESS, DARKNESS AND DESPAIR FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT TRUST GOD.

HOMEWORK
ISAIAH 9
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• APPLICATION FOR ISA 8
• IF YOU HAVE EVER BEEN INVOLVED IN ANY OF THE OCCULT PRACTICES MENTIONED IN LESSON #8, BE SURE TO REPENT OF THEM, HOWEVER INNOCENT THEY MAY HAVE SEEMED AT THE TIME.
• THANK GOD FOR HIS FORGIVENESS.

• EVALUATE YOUR LIFE AND DETERMINE ON WHAT OR WHOM YOU ARE TRUSTING FOR THE FUTURE. (A FAMILY MEMBER, THE GOVERNMENT, A BANK ACCOUNT, ETC. OR GOD)

• PREPARATION FOR ISA 9
• READ ISA 9:1-7
• WHAT HAPPENS TO A NATION THAT TRUSTS GOD?

• WHAT DO YOU LEARN ABOUT JESUS CHRIST?

• LIST THE NAMES YOU DISCOVER FOR CHRIST:

• READ ISA 9:8-21
• WHAT HAPPENS TO A NATION THAT LEAVES GOD OUT?
• MEMORY VERSE: ISA 9:6