Digging Deeper Into Isaiah 8
It was a Saturday afternoon, the kids were off playing, and I was sitting in the living room on my purple couch. On the other couch, at times folding laundry, at other times making notes, was my sister. I was catching up on my Bible reading notes in the comfortable silence between sisters and friends. Every now and again I’d pause and we’d have a conversation before I carried on.
This year I have been reading the Bible on an app on my phone, highlighting passages that stand out to me, and then taking notes in Trillia Newbell’s book “52 Weeks in the Word.” This allows me to read while I’m nursing, or waiting in the car as a baby sleeps.
On this particular weekend I was catching up with my notes from the book of Isaiah. I had made some notes on Isaiah 8 when I paused to share them with Miriam. After I shared my thoughts on the passage, I remarked offhandedly that I wish I could write more in-depth study of scripture for the blog. I don’t remember verbatim what she said, but she essentially challenged me with a “why not?” It brought to mind something that Jackie Hill Perry said on her Instagram about how one of the downsides of social media and all the amazing teachers and preachers putting out content is that we can loose the ability to study scripture for ourselves. (Side note: she’s one of my favourite follows on Instagram, and her podcast with her husband Preston is also really good). We begin to believe that because we can’t deliver such eloquent exegesis that we need someone else to help us. It was a stretch initially for me this year when switched from using a bible study written by someone else to just using a simple guide. But I’ve found myself enjoying books like Leviticus and Ezra. Just because I don’t have a theological degree, I have my Bible, the living and active Word of God. And I have the Holy Spirit that guides and convicts and teaches. (Another side note: I am thankful for the skilled theologians, teachers, and preachers. They have helped to shape my biblical worldview.)
So, because why not, the following is my train of thought and study on Isaiah 8 that I shared with Miriam on that Saturday afternoon. (Though perhaps a bit more expanded and at times slightly more rambling… cause that’s how my brain works.)
On any given day when I open my phone, I am greeted with a barrage of news and stories that could easily lead me deep into fear and uncertainty, dread and despair, conspiracy and confusion. The articles are there when I open Google. The story clips are there when I open Instagram. The deep dives and rabbit holes are there when I go on Youtube. I try to limit my exposure by being picky about what I spend time reading and watching. Yet it is a constant fight against the algorithms.
I am continually trying to find the balance: on one hand remaining informed by seeking original sources, making up my own mind and questioning my biases, and on the other hand not being consumed by what is happening ‘out there’ and instead staying present with what is happening in my sphere around me. Sometimes this can feel like a full time job.
As an important part of choosing my input, this year I have been using Trillia Newbell’s book “52 Weeks in the Word” as a guide to read through the Bible in 2023. I have just finished reading my way through Isaiah. One of the books of prophecy, it is filled with both judgement and hope of restoration. (So many good nuggets found in it, it’s currently my favourite book… but that’s probably because it’s the one I just finished.) One passage in particular I can’t get out of my head.
Isaiah 8:11-17 says this:
“For this is what the Lord said to me with great power, to keep me from going the way of this people:
Do not call everything a conspiracy
These people say is a conspiracy.
Do not fear what they fear;
Do not be terrified.
You are to regard only the Lord of Armies as holy.
Only he should be feared;
Only he should be held in awe.
He will be a sanctuary;
But for the two houses of Israel,
He will be a stone to stumble over
And a rock to trip over, and a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Many will stumble over these;
They will fall and be broken;
They will be snared and captured.
Bind up the testimony.
Seal up the instruction among my disciples.
I will wait for the Lord,
Who is hiding his face form the house of Jacob.
I will wait for him.”
At the top of each page in Newbell’s guide there are three question prompts to consider: what do you learn about God and his character, where do you see Jesus and the gospel, and how might you apply these verses to your life. Let’s follow that format as I unpack this passage.
What do you learn about God and His character? (Verses 11-13)
Short version: God is holy. He alone is worthy to be worshipped. Whenever we put other ideas, people, or things in the ultimate spot, the result is fear.
Long, rambling thoughts: If I’m honest, what caught my eye first were the words conspiracy and fear. It feels as if there is a new one trying to vie for prominence and validity every week. My first thought was “right, okay. Don’t get caught up in the fears of this world, but fix your eyes on God. Got it.” But that’s not what it says. When I actually stopped to read and re-read and re-read I realized Isaiah is actually talking about worship and idolatry. This passage begins by saying that this is the instruction that God gave him to keep him from turning out like Israel and Judah. In other words, here is how to keep from rebelling against God. And the first instruction is to watch what consumes the mind, and consequently dictates the emotional response. And the opposite to getting caught up in the fears of this world is not no fear, but rather worship God as holy.
I stopped myself and asked “what do I fear?” I fear something bad happening to my family. I fear tragedy and illness. I fear a loss of security. I fear being misunderstood. I fear rejection and loneliness. I fear. And what this passage reminded me was that when I put my family, health, acceptance, security and (you get the point… fill in the blank) in the ultimate spot, in the place of highest affection, it becomes something I worship which inevitably leads to living in fear and dread. And anything other than God on the throne of my heart is active rebellion.
So what do we learn about God and His character? We see that He is holy and that His original design to be at the centre of our affections is actually for our good and the protection of our hearts and minds. When I take the time to reorient my heart, it doesn’t matter how much fear-mongering or doomsday dribble comes across my eyes or ears. My hope and future is secure. I am not in control. That’s a responsibility that God can and willingly carries. He is the refuge I can run to when I feel fear creep in. Which brings us to the next section.
2. Where do you see Jesus and the gospel? (Verses 14 + 15)
Jesus is a sanctuary. When I talk about my hope being secure, it’s here. Hope is found in Jesus. Hope is found in this sanctuary. Hope is being WITH Jesus. A sanctuary is a place of safe-keeping, of protection. In the Bible, a sanctuary is also a sacred place set apart where people met with God. So when it says “He will be a sanctuary” my mind goes both to the Psalms that talk about God as a refuge, and the imagery of Jesus as the temple of God. This hope that I return to again and again; it’s found in that passage a little further along in Isaiah 9 that we read every Christmas. “…on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” (Isaiah 9:2b) He will be a sanctuary, a dwelling place, a light in the darkness. This hope that I return to again and again; it’s found in Jesus’s claim that the temple will be torn down and rebuilt in three days. This is the gospel. That the holy Son of God would become the ultimate sacrifice, dead and buried for three days before being raised to new life, that would enable us to dwell with him forever. This hope. He is hope. A Living Hope. And this hope, this Jesus is a refuge. Because even when I let go of those idols and the fear that accompany’s, it does not mean I am immune to the pains of this world. Tragedy does still happen. There is illness and sorrow. Misunderstandings happen. And praise God that He made a way for us to be with Him, in Spirit this side of heaven, and then face-to-face for eternity.
Jesus is also a stumbling block. “He will be a stone to stumble over and a rock to trip over…” Faith in Jesus is a stumbling block for those who try to achieve salvation through works, through the merit of their own good behaviour. The gospel is offensive as it requires us to admit that we can’t earn our salvation, that we are in need of a Saviour. The gospel is offensive as it forces us to be honest about what we worship, to take ourselves off the throne of our own lives and surrender to the rightful King. And for many, both non-believers and even many that call themselves Christians, this is a rock that trips them up. As a Christian in North America, it is easy to worship comfort, success, even power and control. As this passage in Isaiah says, we are to regard only the Lord as holy. Not a human. Not an agenda. Not a worldview. Not a political party.
3. How can I apply this to my life? (Versus 16+17)
When I begun to ask myself how I could apply this, I realized that Isaiah gave us the answer. The goal is to put God first in my affection and attention, worshiping Him and Him alone. Why do I want to do this? Well, ultimately because He alone is worthy. But also because rather than stumbling over the gospel, my desire is to find sanctuary in Jesus, both now and dwelling with him forever. So how? How practically do I every day put God first? Isaiah sums it up in this: “I will wait for the Lord.”
Wait.
I’m not sure about you, but waiting doesn’t come naturally. I want to know what is coming ahead. Which is another way of saying, I want to be in control. Reality check time. I am not. Deep sigh. I have never felt this more acutely than this past year. As I’ve mentioned before, we are in an in-between season. Bob is working for a company that will mean a move to the United States. Except that we don’t know when that move will come. Or where that move will be to. There have been a few times this year where we got close to figuring that out, only to experience set backs. Every night at dinner we pray that God would lead us. We are waiting. We are daily wrestling to surrender control. But one thing I am learning is the difference between inactive and active waiting. Inactive waiting is apathetic, passively waiting for something to happen TO you. Active waiting is engaging with the process, choosing to be present in the unknown and clinging to the known. When I read this passage, this active waiting is what I see Isaiah doing.
Isaiah says it twice. There is active resolve. “I will wait.” Why is he willing to wait? Because he believes God’s promises. He trusts God’s character. He remembers how God has moved in the past. He has encountered the holiness of God. Just a few chapters earlier, Isaiah recounts a vision in which he sees the Lord seated on the throne and the angels surrounding Him singing “Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Armies; His glory fills the whole earth.” (Is 6:3) He is worth waiting for.
I have a note in my Bible from a previous bible study next to this passage in Isaiah 8. “Even when it feels like He is hiding His face, wait for God. Follow His instruction and testimony.” This is how we actively wait for Him. We cling to what is known: what He has promised us, who He is, what He has done, and how He calls us to live. And then we surrender the rest. And if we wait well, I have experienced how it strengthens our faith, our dependence and desire on and for God.
Let’s put it all together.
So we began with the question of how do we keep from rebellion?
By putting God on the throne of our heart, worshiping him only.
This has the result of not getting caught up in the fears and dreads and conspiracies of the world.
Why would we want to do this?
So that we can dwell with Jesus, our sanctuary, both in this life and for eternity.
But how then, practically, do we put God first on a daily basis?
We wait. We remember God’s promises. We trust His character. We follow His instruction.
The result: lives lived out in worship to a worthy, holy God.
And the best byproduct of this is peace. When it all feels like chaos around us: peace.
Do I get this perfect? Not at all. Every day I need to confess ways I rebel, repent of idol worship and surrender back control to God. But with the Spirits help and a willing heart I am being transformed. Is it hard? Absolutely. It would be far easier to get swept away in the fears and conspiracies at the tips of my fingers and end of my eyes. But to be with God is worth every hard moment.
Thanks for joining me as I dig deeper and linger longer on the Word of God. I hope you were encouraged by this as much as I was, both by the scripture, and with this reminder: all you need is the Bible, the Holy Spirit to guide you, and an open heart and you can meet God in those pages.