Isaiah 7:1

Isaiah 7:1 says, And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.  Matthew Henry points out that Isaiah prophesied during the reign of Uzziah and continued during the reign of Jotham, but didn’t have any prophesy during the reign of Jotham.  Jotham had been a good king who followed God.  These prophesies came during the reign of Jotham’s son, Ahaz.  We may never know all that happened in the nation of Israel, but we do know all that is necessary to understand their wavering relationship with God.  At this time, they were about to be defeated once again, since they had once again turned away from God.  The king of Syria and the king of Israel, the ten tribes who had separated from Judah, were coming in battle against Jerusalem and Judah, the two tribes ruled by the descendants of David, with whom God had made His covenant. They could not prevail against Jerusalem.  It is sad when those who are call themselves God’s people go to war with others who call themselves God’s people.  Of course, the people of Judah were more often true to God, but they wavered in their faith quite often.  

Verse two adds, And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.  When Ahaz was told of the coming attack from Syria and Ephraim, his heart was moved and the people’s hearts with him.  He was a corrupt king, but he was still a part of the house of David, with whom God had made a covenant.  As Christians, we have entered into a covenant relationship with Him, and He will never fail in His part of the covenant, even if we do fail at times.  Of course, simply calling ourselves a Christian without entering into this covenant relationship will do us no good.  Matthew Henry says that since Ahaz thought he was in danger, instead of looking to God, he looked to idols. People who are not saved still put more faith in alliances with the world powers than they do in God.   

Verse three continues, Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field;  Isaiah was sent by God along with Shearjashub his son to meet with Ahaz.  He was to rake his son Shearjashub with him, since Matthew Henry points out that the son’s name meant a remnant shall return.  We need to go where God sends us today and to be willing to meet with anyone who He tells us to meet and share the message He gives us.  If we don’t meet with those in power, we need to at least share the gospel with those that we do meet.   

Verse four states, And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.  Isaiah was to tell Ahaz that God said he shouldn’t be afraid of those who were coming against him, and his enemies were compared to smoking firebrands.  This wasn’t done because of Ahaz, but because of God's promise to David, in spite of Ahaz turning away from God.  It was done for the remnant of the people who believed in God.  We need to call on people to put their faith in God and not be afraid of any enemy they have, no matter how powerful they may be in the world.   

Verse five adds, Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying,  Isaiah was to warn Ahaz that Syria and Ephraim had joined together to destroy him.  We have God’s warning that Satan and his forces will always be trying to defeat us.   

Verse six continues,  Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal:  Ahaz was also warned that these two groups were planning to come in war against Judah and set up their own king once they had defeated Judah.  This had to be disturbing news for Ahaz and should have caused him to turn away from idols and to God.  If we hear that the forces of the world are coming against us as followers of Christ, we can never decide to give up on our faith in God and stop following His word simply so we can be safe.  We cannot serve God and man at the same time.   

Verse seven says, Thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.  Though the rulers of Syria and Ephraim had proposed going to war with Judah, Ahaz wasn't to fear them. We don’t need to fear any power in the world today, because God had already defeated all our enemies spiritually, and that is all that matters.  We simply need to put our faith in Him.   

Verse eight adds, For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people.  God told Isaiah that they would never be successful and that Ephraim, or Israel, would soon be defeated themselves.  Matthew Henry says it is hard to know what the sixty-five years referred to, since Israel fell within eleven years.  He said some think it should have read six and five years, though this was unlikely, and some think it referred to the time since the prophet Amos first told of the coming destruction of Israel.  All we really need to know as followers of Christ is that the destruction of all our enemies is going to come to pass, no matter how far in the future it happens, and that is really what the people then had to put their faith in.   

Verse nine continues, And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.  The people of Judah were then told if they didn’t believe this, they would not be established.  If we let fear of anything keep us from accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we will never be established as God’s people.   

Isaiah 6:5

Isaiah 6:5 says, Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.  Isaiah then spoke of his own unworthiness to speak for God.  He said he was a man of unclean lips and that he lived in the middle of a group of people with unclean lips.  He then said he felt this way because he had seen the King, the Lord of hosts.  I don’t know if he had physically seen God or not, but I would say most likely not, but he had seen Him spiritually.  We as Christians, even if we are called to preach, will never be worthy to do so, because we are also people of unclean lips by our own merit, but we can do so because we have spiritually seen the King, the God of hosts, when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  We can also see that we live in the midst of people of unclean lips, some forgiven by putting their faith in Jesus Christ and many more who are not.   

Verse six adds, Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:  One of the seraphim flew to Isaiah with a live coal taken from the fire in tongs in his hand.  I am not sure how we would react if we saw something like this, but we have something greater, the Holy Spirit, coming to us to cleanse us when we are born again.   

Verse seven continues, And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.  The seraphim laid the hot coal on Isaiah’s mouth and told him that that had cleansed him and taken away his iniquity.  We don’t have to have such a drastic thing done to cleanse us and take away our iniquity.  We only have to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.   

Verse eight states,  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.  Isaiah said he then heard God asking whom He would send, with the to spread His word implied, and Isaiah said, “Here am I; send me.”  I believe that God already knew who He wanted to send, which was Isaiah, but Isaiah had to be willing to go.  When God asks a person today who He will send, I believe He already knows who He wants to send, but that person still has to say send me.  God never forces people to serve Him, but He does call a particular person to a particular calling, but not all are willing to say send me.   

Verse nine adds, And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.  The message that Isaiah was to take to the people was that they would hear and not understand and see but not perceive.  We are to proclaim the gospel to people, but they may hear and not understand and if they see a miracle, they may not perceive what it means.   

Verse ten continues, Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.  This may make it seem that God was causing the people not to hear, see, and understand His word, but was instead saying that He knew that they wouldn’t.  God never keeps anyone from being saved.  He sent Jesus to redeem all people, but many will not hear, see, believe and be converted.   

Verse eleven says, Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,  Isaiah then asked God how long this punishment would last.  If we know that God has pronounced punishment on us, we also need to know how long it will last.  God said until the cities were wasted, and the houses were empty, and the land was utterly desolate.  Though this may seem like a terrible punishment, the punishment that those who reject Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord will be even worse.  It will be everlasting punishment in Hell, separated from God.  Anything they owned will be left desolate.   

Verse twelve adds, And the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.  God said when those called to be His people moved far away from Him that this destruction would come, and it would be a complete destruction.  Matthew Henry said for the Jewish nation this happened physically when the Romans defeated them.  I believe the spiritual implication is that those who refuse to obey God are going to be forever in desolation separated from God, and this will include all who have heard the gospel but rejected it.   

Verse thirteen continues, But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.  God also said that there would be a remnant that would not turn away from Him and would one day have the land restored to them.  God has always had a remnant that remained faithful to Him.  At this time, it was specified as ten percent.  He also said that even though they had been as a tree that has lost its leaves in the winter but buds out again in the summer so would the people of Israel who had appeared to be defeated be renewed by this remnant.  I believe that Christians are becoming more and more of a minority, but as long as there is a remnant reaching lost people with the gospel and they are being saved, that the church here will continue to exist, but if there comes a time when no one accepts the gift of salvation, then Jesus Christ will return to claim His people and call them home to heaven. 

Isaiah 6:1

Isaiah 6:1 says, In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.  Isaiah said when Uzziah the king died, he saw the Lord high and lifted up with His train filling the temple.  No matter who is the ruler of a nation today, they will one day die, but we most always see God as the true Ruler of not only the world, but the universe.   We must lift our praises to Him as He sits on high. 

Verse two adds, Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.  Isaiah said he also saw above the throne the seraphim, who had six wings.  Two wings covered his face, two covered his feet, and two were used for flying.   Matthew Henry says this shows their great humility and reverence to God.  They weren’t there to be worshipped themselves, but they were there to protect the throne of God.  We as followers of Christ are to humbly serve Him for His honor and glory and not for our own, no matter how powerful the world may view us to be.  

Verse three adds, And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.  One of the seraphim was crying the praise of God to the other.  As the seraphim declared then, God is holy and the Lord of all and the earth itself testifies to His glory.  We may not see seraphim crying out to the glory of God, but we can see the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as an accomplished fact and put our faith in Him as our Savior and Lord.  This is all we need to see to understand the power and glory of God. 

Verse four concludes, And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.  Isaiah said that even the posts of the temple moved when the seraphim cried out and was filled with smoke.  Fire and smoke represented God to the people of Israel during their wilderness wandering, and they would also indicate the presence of God at this time.  We will never see God face-to-face in this lifetime, but the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us after we accept salvation through putting our faith in Jesus Christ, and He, the Holy Spirit, will always testify to the presence of God in our life.