Isaiah 8:1

Isaiah 8:1 says, Moreover the Lord said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.  God told Isaiah not to just proclaim His word but to take a great scroll and write what He had to say concerning Mahershalalhashbaz, which Matthew Henry says means make speed to the spoil.  This scroll would contain this chapter and the next four of the Book of Isaiah, which is why it needed to be a large scroll.  It would also make it possible for the prophesy, which concerned the great destruction coming on the people of Israel and also the great trouble that was coming to the people of Judah by the rise in power of Assyria to read beforehand.  It would also provide a record for the people to see when the prophesy came true.  All of the Book of Isaiah and the Bible in its entirety is the inspired word of God, and we can read it to see the prophesies that have been fulfilled and also to know the coming events toward the time of the return of Jesus Christ.   

Verse two adds, And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.  Isaiah said he took two faithful witnesses, Uriah and Zechariah, to actually record the words.  Matthew Henry says that they were there to attest to the truth of the vision, since we are told in the bible that where two witnesses attest to the truth of something that it is established.  To me, it seems more like they were to write down what Isaiah said.  He also points out that Uriah was known for trying to please Ahaz with an idolatrous altar, but that now he was to be a faithful witness.  I believe that this tells us that just because a person may have failed in the past doesn’t mean that they can never be used by God in the future.   

Verse three continues, And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the Lord to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz.  The prophesy started with Isaiah having gone to the prophetess, his wife, who conceived and bore another son, whose name was also to be a sermon to the people, but though the name of his first son proclaimed the mercy of God and the name of this son was to proclaim the judgment of God.  We can either accept the mercy of God as given to us by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross which paid the penalty for the sins of everyone for all time, or we can one day face His judgment.  These are the only two choices.   

Verse four concludes, For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.  Isaiah said before the child was old enough to talk that the riches of Damascus, or Syria, and the spoil of Samariah, or Israel, the ten northern tribes, would be taken away by the king of Assyria.  This prophesy was to be fulfilled soon.  They had entered into a pact to war against Judah, but they were soon to be defeated themselves.  No matter how many people may join together to war against Christians today, their everlasting defeat has already been accomplished.