Isaiah 8:5-7

The Voice

Prophets like Isaiah not only speak their messages, but they sometimes act them out. Isaiah is a master of both prophetic speech and prophetic acts. It is common for God to ask prophets to expose important aspects of their families’ lives to demonstrate a message He wants to convey. Perhaps it is because the prophet speaks for God and Israel is God’s family. In this case, God tells Isaiah to embed His message into the name of his child. And what is that message? “Ahaz, the two countries currently threatening you will soon be conquered by a greater power—Assyria. It will attack quickly, defeat soundly, and carry off the spoils of war from Damascus and Samaria. So there is no need to fear them; instead, trust in your God.”

⁵The Eternal One explained to me,

⁶Eternal One: This disaster will happen because this people have rejected the stream of Shiloah
        that flows gently to Zion.
    Instead they rejoice over Rezin and Remaliah’s son.
⁷    Just watch—the Lord will overwhelm them
        with great waves of the Euphrates River.
    Like a river, Assyrian might and glory will bear down on them;
        it will rise over its banks as unstoppable as a raging flood.