THE BOOK OF ISAIAH // CHAPTER 8: God's Word

Chapter 8

-       Verse 1-5: We see the first mention of God’s using of Isaiah’s children as prophecies, with the name of his son that foretold the fall of Israel and Aram to the Assyrian army.

-       Verses 11-17: Amidst the plundering of the nation from foreign invaders however, Isaiah gives this call that God gave him to trust in the Lord.

o   Verse 11: Not to think like everyone else, to be different.

o   Verse 13: Make God holy in your life, he is the one you should fear because He will keep you safe.

o   Verse 14: He will make those that turn away from Him stumble.

o   Verse 16: Preserve God’s word, and teach it to others.

-       Verse 19-22: Isaiah talks about people’s tendency to look to psychics and other forms for comfort and knowledge. Then he says so clearly to instead look to God’s instructions and teachings.

o   “Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict His word are completely in the dark.”

Isaiah is so to the point in this chapter. He begins by foretelling the coming invasion of Israel by Assyria, something that becomes a major topic of discussion in the early stages of Isaiah. Then he gives the call in verses 12-17 to trust in God through this invasion. That He would deliver the nation of Israel from this tragic war that was about to happen, that He had a purpose in it for them. And then immediately after that call to trust in the Lord, Isaiah answers the most logical question those affected by this invasion would have, that being, "Where do I turn to find God's instruction?" "How do I know what He wants me to do?" Isaiah said it in verse 16, and then he says it again in verse 20. "Look to God's word." Open the Bible dude! It's right there in front of you, its been written in every language you could imagine, its been recorded on audiotape for people who don't read. It's God's word. It's His instruction. It's what He has given us here on earth so that we can see what He says. It is the most important thing you will ever read. Isaiah says that people who contradict God's word are "completely in the dark." Read the word. Dissect it. Chew it over before you swallow it. Pick it apart. Search for what it means. Search for how it relates to your life. Challenge it. Question it. Build your Life around it.  And then (verse 16) preserve it, and teach it to others.