Isaiah 8:11-18 (NIV)
Read by: Javelin Lewis
Between Isaiah’s vision and today’s passage, we see Isaiah providing Ahaz, king of Judah, with a final warning to turn back to God and stop putting his trust in a foreign kingdom. We also hear that Isaiah has two sons,
whose names mean “a remnant will return” and “quick to the plunder,” embodied echoes of God’s message of both judgement and hope. And there’s a prophecy of another son… who would be born of a virgin, and would be called Immanuel, “God with us…”
After all these warnings Isaiah receives a word for himself from the LORD in today’s passage. “Trust in me. Don’t be swept up in the people’s fear. Don’t be alarmed at the things you will see. Remember who I am, and trust in me.”
Being a faithful witness for the LORD can be a terrifying and unnerving thing. In the last episode we invited you to consider how the LORD might be inviting you to say, “Here I am, send me” within your community and context. If you have a sense of what that looks like, hold that before the LORD as you listen to His words to Isaiah. If you don’t have a clear sense of what that might look like, hold that question before the LORD as you listen to His words to his faithful witness.
----------REFLECT----------
1. What words, phrases or images caught your attention?
2. In this passage we hear the LORD calling Isaiah to rise above the noise and to listen to his voice above all others, and we all have room to hear this invitation these days. Everyone claims to know what’s true, and everyone says that someone else is to blame, and it’s easy to become afraid, anxious, and unsure of what’s real. What issues in our society cause you the most anxiety, and make it hard for you to rise above the noise?
3. Isaiah had to learn to wait for the LORD and trust him, even when he could not see his face. It’s hard for us to hear God’s voice above all the noise, to see God’s face amidst all the images that scroll past our eyes. And it is hard to wait for him. Ask the LORD to help you put your trust in him.
----------GO DEEPER----------
Bible Project: Isaiah 1-39 >>
BP Exploring My Strange Bible Podcast: The Meaning of Hope >>
InterVarsity Press Selections: Isaiah >>
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