Isaiah Chapters 6-7 6:1 “In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw”: Most agree that this particular year would have been 739 B.C. Some wonder why this chapter is placed here and not at the beginning of the book. First, such a question often assumes that this chapter is describing the initial “call” of Isaiah to be God’s prophet, but this may not be true. In addition, seeing that Isaiah has already described the condition of the nation, it does make sense that God first records the reason why these people need a prophet! Isaiah has already noted that he began his work as a prophet during the reign of Uzziah (1:1), and this verse reveals that Isaiah saw this particular vision during the last year of that king’s reign. Hailey notes, “Uzziah’s reign had been one of prosperity and affluence not experienced since the days of Solomon; however, with it came the sins we have described. Although Judah was to experience three more good kings, Jotham, Hezekiah, and Josiah, the history of the nation during this period was one of decline; her days of glory were gone” (p. 74). 6:1 “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne”: We are not told where Isaiah was when he saw this vision, but he found himself in God’s heavenly temple (2 Corinthians 12:1ff). The apostle John says that Isaiah saw Jesus’ glory (John 12:41), so many feel that the “Lord” that Isaiah saw was the preincarnate Christ, who is the effulgence of the Father’s glory (Hebrews 1:3). This seems reaffirmed by the statement that no man has seen God (unveiled and in His true heavenly state) at any time (John 1:18; 1 Timothy 6:16). In addition, Isaiah is also seeing God in a vision or a theophany, much as did Ezekiel (1:3-28), and Daniel (7:2; 910). 6:1 “With the train of His robe filling the temple”: “The majestic train or skirt, the glorious robe of His apparel, filled the temple, covering the total floor area about Him” (Hailey p. 75). 6:2 “Seraphim stood above Him”: They may be hovering above the Lord. The seraphim appear only here in Scripture. The word is the plural form of “seraph”, and Hailey says, “seems to indicate fiery beings, a special class of angels not to be identified or confused with the cherubim of Ezekiel” (p. 75). The word “seraph” is from sarap, which means “to burn”, which may mean these beings burn with zeal for the Lord. “With two he covered his face, and with two he 1
covered his feet, and with two he flew”: Covering the face may indicate humility before God, covering the feet may denote service, and their flying may “speak of their ongoing activity in proclaiming God’s holiness and glory” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1045). 6:3 “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts”: The repetition of God’s holiness may indicate the absolute and complete holiness of the Lord. Repeating a word three times for emphasis is common in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 22:29; Ezekiel 21:27). “The whole earth is full of His glory”: “The whole creation reveals and expresses the glory of its Creator” (Hailey p. 75). (Psalm 19:1-2; Romans 1:20). 6:4 As they spake and cried out, Isaiah saw the foundations of this temple shake and then it was filled with smoke. The “thresholds” were large foundation stones on which the doorposts stood. Such a shaking suggests the awesome presence of God (Exodus 19:18), and the smoke reminds us of the cloud of glory which Isaiah’s ancestors had seen in the wilderness (Exodus 13:21; 16:10), and when Solomon had dedicated the temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:10-13). 6:5 “Then I said, ‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts’” Such a vision of the Lord’s glory, power, and holiness made Isaiah realize that he was a sinner. Even righteous men feel the weight of their sins in the presence of a holy God (Job 42:5-6; Luke 5:8; Revelation 1:17). Isaiah had pronounced “woes” on the nation (5:8-23), now he pronounces a woe upon himself! He realized that because of his sins, he was also the object of judgment. “Unclean lips”: Even Isaiah had sinned (Romans 3:23), and said things or expressed attitudes that were not righteous. Living in the midst of such a corrupt nation, even Isaiah was not immune from taking on some of the impurities of his environment (Romans 12:1-2). “The King”: Even though Uzziah was a leper and would die this very year (2 Chronicles 26:21), the true King over Israel was holy and eternal! This is the Lord, not over a human army, but the Lord over all the heavenly hosts. 6:6 “Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven’” “God has not brought Isaiah into this experience merely to let him despair. Confession is the gateway to cleansing; for when the prophet realizes his need, God can meet that need. So many people never get to the point where they will admit that there is anything wrong with them. Consequently they never acknowledge the need of the Savior. Self-righteousness holds the blessed Lord at arm’s length. He came not ‘to call the righteous but sinners to repentance’
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(Matthew 9:13). Likewise in our lives as believers we sometimes are barren and unfruitful, and out of fellowship with our Lord because we do not confess our sins (1 John 1:9)” (Martin p. 35). The altar under consideration is the altar of incense, for it is the altar mentioned before the throne (Revelation 8:3). Before Isaiah can effectively preach, he first must been cleansed (1 Timothy 4:12). From the New Testament we learn that what forgives sin, including the sins of the Old Testament faithful, is the blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:15). “Of course this is what the entire nation needed. The Judahites needed to respond as Isaiah did, but unlike the prophet most members of the nation refused to admit they had a spiritual need” (Bible Knowledge p. 1045). Do we respond like Isaiah when we encounter God’s truth and realize that we are falling far short of His standards? 6:8 “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”: The word “us” is a reminder that more than one person has the attributes of Deity (Genesis 1:26; 11:7). That is, “Who is going to preach God’s truth to the corrupt and godless people mentioned in the previous chapters?” “The question ‘Who will go?’ does not mean God did not know or that He only hoped that someone would respond. He asked the question to give Isaiah, now cleansed, an opportunity for service. The prophet knew that the entire nation needed the same kind of awareness of God and cleansing of sin he had received” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1045). 6:8 “Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”: Here are the words of a truly committed servant, of someone who really loves the Lord and the souls of the lost. Do we have Isaiah’s eager attitude? Does God need people to spread an even more urgent message of salvation today? (Matthew 28:19) What Isaiah would face 6:9 “Go, and tell this people: Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand” Isaiah is selected, but Isaiah is also told in these verses that people would not flock to him and obey his message. Isaiah’s message would fall upon a people who were morally and spiritually blind and deaf. This is the same attitude that existed among Jesus’ generation (Matthew 13:13ff; John 12:40; Acts 28:26). Notice the listening but not perceiving, and seeing, but not understanding. They would listen, but Isaiah’s words would be going in one ear and out the other. Is this our attitude? When a person hears Scripture but does not change, this is actually the problem mentioned in this verse. 6:10 “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim”
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This does not mean that such people were born this way, but rather had allowed themselves to become this insensitive to truth and sin. When Jesus quoted this verse He noted that the people could not understand because they did not want to understand, they had been responsible for closing their own ears (Matthew 13:15 “They have closed their eyes”). “To think that God is here decreeing that His word will be rejected independent of the will of the people themselves is contrary to both the nature of God and His own statement. His invitation is, ‘Come now, and let us reason together’” (1:18). If the people hearken, their sins will be as snow; if they are willing and obedient, they will eat the good of the land (1:18-20). The issue now rests with the people themselves” (Hailey pp. 77-78). 6:10 “Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears”: Remember that Jesus would often say, “He that hath ears, let him hear”? All ears do not hear. “Understand with their hearts”: Notice how important it is to be a receptive listener and have the right attitude and a willingness to be honest. Nothing will really happen, as far as spirituality is concerned, until a heart is willing to remain open to truths that are convicting. “And return and be healed”: Spiritual healing, forgiveness, and restoration can only happen after repentance. 6:11 “Then I said, “Lord, how long?’”: Isaiah wants to know how long he should continue to preach in the face of such opposition. In addition, he also may be asking how long this stubborn attitude would prevail in Judah. “Until houses are devastated and without inhabitant”: Isaiah must preach or this stubborn attitude would continue until the nation was destroyed by the Babylonians and carried out into captivity. 6:12 “In the midst of this dismal prophecy, however, there is a ray of hope. Just as certain trees can sprout forth anew from their stumps, so a ‘holy seed’, i.e. a faithful remnant will survive the impending national ruin” (Jackson p. 20). Chapter 7 7:1-2 King Ahaz in Judah ruled from 735-715 B.C. (see 2 Kings 16:1; 2 Chronicles 28). “In the late 8th century B.C. (c. 734), Rezin, the king of Syria, and Pekah, ruler of northern Israel, formed a confederation for the purpose of resisting the Assyrian encroachment from the east. These kings sought the assistance of Ahaz, monarch of Judah, but the latter refused participation, hence, the Syrian-Israel forces marched against Jerusalem” (Jackson p. 20). 7:2 Notice that when there is an absence of trust in God, fear creeps in. When Ahaz and the nation heard that Syria had allied themselves with Israel, they shook like trees in the wind. 7:3 God had sent Isaiah to king Ahaz as Ahaz was viewing the defenses of the city and making ready for the siege that was bound to come. By this time Isaiah
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is already married and has a son named “Shearjashub” (shee ur JAY shuhb), which means “a remnant will return”. The name emphasized Isaiah’s prophecy that a remnant of the nation would return to the land after their years of captivity in a foreign land (6:11-13). 7:4 God tells Ahaz to calm down, because the king of Israel and Syria are only “two stubs of smoldering firebrands”. “Their fierceness is burned out; they are like the ends of two burnt sticks or stumps, smoking after the fire, with their power gone. They are nothing to be afraid of” (Hailey p. 81). 7:5-6 The plan had been to conquer Judah and install a new king. The purpose for which Israel and Syria would come against Judah was to establish their own king in Judah, “and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it” (7:6). God had exhorted Ahaz that such a plan would fail (7:7). 7:7-9 Pekah and Rezin had not reckoned with God and He would stop their evil plan. God further declares that Syria is all that Damascus will rule and within sixty-five years the northern kingdom of Israel will not only be destroyed, but the people will be taken into captivity and their land will be repopulated with foreigners. Neither Syria nor Israel will ever be the head of Judah. Finally, God tells Ahaz that if he refuses to listen to God, his rule will end as well, “If you will not believe, you surely shall not last” (7:9). It is against this background that the prophecy of the virgin birth is given. Therefore in verse 13, Isaiah addressed not only Ahaz, but also the whole house of David, and it involves the Messianic promise that the throne of David should be established forever (Luke 1:32-33). 7:10-11 God offered Ahaz a sign from as high as the heaven above or in the depth below, indicating both extremes from which Ahaz might select any sign that would be sufficient proof to him that God was faithful and a keeper of His promises. 7:12-13 However, Ahaz refused to ask for a sign and therefore, God, through the prophet, gave him one. The sign was that a virgin would conceive and bare a son and that son would be called Immanuel. To assure Ahaz that he had nothing to fear from the two kings besieging Jerusalem, God told Ahaz to ask for a sign and the extent of God’s offer was unlimited (7:10-11). Yet the faithless king refused, and pretended respect for God by saying, “Nor will I test the Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:16). This appears to be an excuse to cover his lack of faith, for one is not tempting God when one does what God commands or directs. Apparently, he did not want to believe in God, nor did he have any faith in God’s promises, rather, he was planning or had already appealed to the Assyrians for help. This expression of unbelief brought a rebuke from God, “Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well?” (7:13). The rejection of Ahaz not only involved himself, but the entire nation and the destiny of those who would follow him on the throne. The matter is now taken out of the hands of Ahaz, for the
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prophet now addresses not the king, but the house of David. As a result, the Lord Himself would select the sign. 7:14 “Behold”: The term behold arouses our attention. The prophet is going to announce an unusual birth of a special child who will be a sign to the house of David and of the nation of Israel. “A Sign”: This “sign” was offered by God after Ahaz had refused to ask for a sign from as high as heaven or as deep as Sheol. This indicated the miraculous, and this sign spoken of by Isaiah would be a miracle that could not be denied as such by anyone. Therefore, the term “sign” argues that the birth to be mentioned is a miraculous birth. This rules out the argument that is given by critics of the Bible who claim that Isaiah was simply describing a natural birth. “A virgin”: Controversy has long existed over the term virgin. Some critics of the virgin birth and those who reject the miraculous events in the Scriptures seek to argue that this Hebrew term simply means a “young woman”. The Hebrew term rendered “virgin” here occurs six times in addition to this passage and in each instance refers to an unmarried, chaste maiden (Genesis 24:43,16; Exodus 2:8; Psalm 68:25; Song of Solomon 1:3; 6:8; Proverbs 30:19). There are other Hebrew terms that are used of a woman who has a child, or any woman indiscriminately. In effect, Isaiah said that this woman is not an old woman, a married woman, a bride, nor a young girl. Only a “virgin”, a woman who has never been with a man, conceiving a child would fit the term “sign”. Obviously there is nothing special or significant about a woman conceiving a child who has been with a man. This happens every day, and would not be a sign, seeing that young women were having children in Israel on a daily basis. Finally, Matthew an inspired writer, applies this passage to an actual virgin having a child (Matthew 1:18-23). Hailey notes, “In each case it appears that the word is used to indicate a virgin of marriageable or premarriageable age, a young woman who was neither married nor had known man. Additional evidence that the emphasis in Isaiah is on a special unmarried chaste maiden is the use of the definite article in both the Hebrew and Septuagint texts---the virgin. Despite the attempt to prove otherwise, the word seems never to be used of a married woman or of an immoral woman” (p. 84). “Immanuel”: This expression means “God with us”. Twice more the prophet will use this name, “And the spread of its wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel” (8:9); “For God is with us” (8:10). These verses are speaking of the coming Assyrian invasion that will come, not only upon Syria and Israel, but also upon the unfaithful nation of Judah (8:8). Notice that the Promised Land is called “your land, O Immanuel”. The land was Immanuel’s land, that is, God’s land. Therefore, the child called “Immanuel” is not merely someone whom God favors,
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but is actually God Himself, in the flesh (John 1:14). This same truth is seen in other passages, that is, the promised Son to be born, would be divine: Isaiah 9:6 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace”. Micah 5:2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel, His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity”. Psalm 110:1 “The Lord says to my Lord.” Psalm 2:7 “He said to Me, ‘Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee’”. Clearly, the Messiah would be God Himself, but why would God become man? McDowell notes, “Imagine you are watching a farmer plow a field. You notice an anthill will be plowed under by the farmer on his next time around. Because you are an ant lover, you run to the anthill to warn them. What is the best way to communicate with them? Only by becoming an ant can you communicate with them so they will understand. Now, if God wanted to communicate with us, what would be the best way?” (Evidence that Demands a Verdict, p. 111) (John 1:18; 14:9). The Necessity for This Sign Henry Morris observed, “It is altogether fitting that the One who performed many miracles during His life, who offered Himself on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of men, and who then rose bodily from the dead in vindication of all His claims, should have begun such a unique life by a unique entrance into that life” (Evidence that Demands a Verdict, McDowell, p. 118). That is, if God became man, then we should not be surprised to find that He had a miraculous entrance into this life, just as He had a miraculous exit (Acts 1:9-11). 7:15 “He will eat curds and honey”: “Having rejected Jehovah, the house of David and of Israel will experience evil days, not good. The child’s food will not be royal food or the food of plenty and prosperity but of scarcity” (Hailey p. 89). In Isaiah 7:21-22 we find the coming of the Assyrians who will so devastate the land that a man will be fortunate to have even a young cow or two sheep and butter and honey will be the individual’s only food, since the fields and vineyards will have been destroyed. “At the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good”: That is, the time of his childhood, from infancy to the age when he can make a choice of the good over evil. Before this child grows up (Luke 2:52). Jackson notes, “Isaiah uses the youth period of Immanuel as a method, a sort of
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measuring device, to suggest how long Judah would suffer affliction at the hands of the Syrian/Israel alliance. Before the child would reach an age mature enough to refuse evil and choose good (accountability), the confederation of Rezin and Pekah would be destroyed (7:15-16). Within two or three years after this prophecy was given, these rulers were both dead (2 Kings 15:30; 16:9)” (p. 22). Thus, Isaiah is not announcing a contemporary birth. Ahaz had already demonstrated that he was not interested in listening to God, thus the Lord’s sign is on a broader scale than merely to Ahaz. The king will not benefit from the sign, but the house of David will. Remember, the sign is not given to Ahaz, for he had been given an opportunity to receive a sign and had rejected it. The sign is promised to the house of David (7:13). 7:16 “The land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken”: The question that commentators usually have is “How could the birth of Jesus, some 700 years after this prophecy, have any significance or meaning to Isaiah’s generation?” In view of this question, some have argued that we have a double fulfillment here. That is, there was a virgin in Isaiah’s time who also gave birth to a son named Immanuel, yet we have already clearly pointed out that the child is divine, and passages such as Isaiah 9:6-7 and 11:1-5 all refer to the same child. 7:17-25 The sign is not given to Ahaz, for he had been given an opportunity to receive a sign and had rejected that offer. The sign is promised to the house of David (7:13). Furthermore, it is evident that verses 15 and 16 apply to the Son promised in verse 14. Note the difference in person, singular, and plural. “Ask thee” (7:11). When Ahaz refused, Isaiah said, “Hear O house of David….Therefore the Lord will give you (plural) a sign” (7:13-14). “The matter is taken out of the hands of Ahaz and now is directed to the house of David (Luke 1:32-33). In verse 17 the prophet returns to the singular” (Harkrider p. 27). This sign is not given to comfort Ahaz, for he had rejected God. In verse 17 the prophet continues to address Ahaz. Since he had rejected God and would appeal to the Assyrians for help, God would given him the Assyrians. He had feared the forces of Pekah and Rezin (the Israelite and Syrian kings), but their invasion is not to be compared to that of the Assyrians. Because of their unfaithfulness, days would come upon the king and the nation “days as have never come since the day that Ephraim separated from Judah” (7:17). “The tragic separation of Ephraim (and the nine other northern tribes) from Judah and Benjamin had dealt a fatal blow to the United Kingdom. Assyria would now strike an additional blow against Judah and the house of David, which would eventually result in final destruction by the Babylonians a century later” (Hailey p. 89).
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“An era is on the horizon that will be worse than anything since the division of Israel from Judah, namely, the Assyrian invasion. This is very significant at this time because Ahaz was inclined to look toward Assyria for protection! Judah’s coming punishment is pictured under the image of a plague of flies from Egypt, and a similar attack of bees from Assyria (7:18-19). Both the Egyptians and Assyrians placed a role in the downfall of the nation. Again, the coming Assyrian desolation was as if the Lord had hired a barber (with a razor) to shave Judah of all its hair (20), a most humiliating experience. In describing the impoverished conditions of the Assyrian invasion, the prophet notes a scarcity of items— instead of great herds and flocks, one young cow and two sheep (21). There is an abundance of milk (have nursing animals lost many of their young?). Bountiful vineyards have become nothing more than brier patches in which men would hunt for wild game (23-24). The once cultivated hills have become places where livestock roam, seeking whatever vegetation is available (25)” (Jackson pp. 22-23).
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