Isaías 7

Isaías 7

MacArthur comments that the desolations that began in the time of Ahaz will continue in Judah up to "the time when the Messiah will return to deliver Israel and establish His kingdom on earth." IN THAT DAY - This phrase occurs 86x in 83v in the OT (NAS) and 40x in Isaiah. Some uses of in that day are eschatological (e.g., Isa 2:11,17, 20, Isa 4:2, Isa 11:10, Isa 12:4) and refer to the time of extreme judgment in the Great Tribulation just before the Messiah will return to establish the millennial kingdom. Clearly one must carefully examine the CONTEXT to determine the meaning of IN THAT DAY as having a near fulfillment (as in Isaiah 7) or a distant fulfillment. Lev. 7:35; Num. 32:10; Deut. 31:17; Deut. 31:18; 1 Sam. 3:12; 1 Sam. 8:18; Isa. 2:11; Isa. 2:17; Isa. 2:20; Isa. 3:18; Isa. 4:1; Isa. 4:2; Isa. 5:30; Isa. 7:18; Isa. 7:20; Isa. 7:21; Isa. 7:23; Isa. 10:20; Isa. 10:27; Isa. 11:10; Isa. 12:4; Isa. 17:4; Isa. 17:7; Isa. 17:9; Isa. 19:16; Isa. 19:18; Isa. 19:19; Isa. 19:21; Isa. 19:23; Isa. 19:24; Isa. 20:6; Isa. 22:8; Isa. 22:12; Isa. 22:20; Isa. 22:25; Isa. 23:15; Isa. 24:21; Isa. 25:9; Isa. 26:1; Isa. 27:1; Isa. 27:2; Isa. 27:12; Isa. 27:13; Isa. 28:5; Isa. 31:7; Isa. 52:6; Jer. 4:9; Jer. 48:41; Jer. 49:22; Jer. 49:26; Jer. 50:30; Hos. 2:16; Hos. 2:18; Hos. 2:21; Joel 3:18; Amos 2:16; Amos 8:3; Amos 8:9; Amos 8:13; Amos 9:11; Mic. 4:6; Mic. 5:10; Zeph. 3:11; Zeph. 3:16; Zech. 2:11; Zech. 3:10; Zech. 9:16; Zech. 12:3; Zech. 12:4; Zech. 12:6; Zech. 12:8; Zech. 12:9; Zech. 12:11; Zech. 13:1; Zech. 13:2; Zech. 13:4; Zech. 14:4; Zech. 14:6; Zech. 14:8; Zech. 14:9; Zech. 14:13; Zech. 14:20; Zech. 14:21; Mk. 2:20; Lk. 6:23; Lk. 10:12; Jn. 14:20; Jn. 16:23; Jn. 16:26 Note the frequent use of IN THAT DAY in Isaiah = Isaiah 2:11, 17, 20; 3:18; 4:1, 4:2; 5:30; 7:18, 20, 21, 23; 10:20, 27; 11:10; 12:4; 17:4, 7, 9; 19:16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24; 20:6; 22:8, 12, 20, 25; 23:15; 24:21; 25:9; 26:1; 27:1, 2, 12, 13; 28:5; 31:7; 52:6 - Note that while some uses refer to near judgment (as in the present passages in Isaiah 7:18, 20, 21, 23), some uses have specific eschatological (study of future things) meaning and are related to the future day of judgment of Israel (judgment followed by blessing), the time of Jacob's distress (Jer 30:7), the terrible last 3.5 year period of the Great Tribulation which will terminate with the Second Coming of Christ and the establishment of His Millennial Kingdom - Observe the "future focus" of IN THAT DAY = Isa 4:2, Isa 10:2, 10:27, 11:10, 12:4, 17:7, 19:16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24; 24:21, 25:9, 26:1, 27:1, 27:2, 12, 13, 28:5, 31:7, 52:6 The LORD will whistle - This is a vivid metaphor drawn from the everyday life of the ancient Near East. Shepherds, farmers, and beekeepers used a sharp sound, a whistle or hiss, to summon animals or insects that were under their control. Isaiah adopts this familiar image to declare a sobering truth that the nations may appear powerful and independent, but they move only at the signal of the Sovereign God (cf Pr 21:1). This whistle is not a casual sound; it is a royal summons. The Lord of hosts calls distant empires as easily as a shepherd calls his flock. Egypt and Assyria, the superpowers of Isaiah’s day, believed they were acting out of their own ambition, yet Scripture reveals that they were instruments in the hand of Yahweh. What looked like geopolitics was actually providence. The nations were not masters of history—they were servants of God’s purposes. In Isaiah 5:26 Isaiah had described God as whistling for the distant nation to come and devastate his land. Now those nations are specified as Assyria from the north and Egypt from the south. The imagery also conveys speed and readiness. When the Lord whistles, the response is immediate. The armies will come swiftly, relentlessly, like a swarm of bees that cannot be restrained. Human defenses, alliances, and strategies will prove powerless against a movement initiated by God Himself. The same God who once called Israel out of Egypt can just as easily summon foreign powers to discipline His covenant people. For the fly that is in the remotest part of the rivers of Egypt - The fly represents Egypt, numerous, persistent, and irritating, an apt symbol for a nation that would swarm into Judah not as a friend but as a nuisance and a scourge. Egypt was full of flies. In the ancient world the Nile River delta was infamous for clouds of biting flies that rose from its marshes. To an Israelite audience this image would immediately suggest something invasive, unclean, and impossible to control by human means. A single fly is trivial, but a swarm overwhelms. Isaiah’s point is that Egypt, though appearing weak compared with Assyria, would still be a torment to Judah. The bee that is in the land of Assyria - The bee image completes Isaiah’s striking portrait of Judah's coming judgment. If Egypt is pictured as the swarming fly, Assyria is depicted as the bee, organized, aggressive, and armed with a painful sting. The metaphor would have been instantly understood in the ancient world, where wild bees were known for their disciplined formations and relentless attacks. And Assyria was known for bee keeping. Unlike the irritating but relatively weak fly, the bee suggests military precision and deadly efficiency. Assyria was the most formidable empire of Isaiah’s day, famed for its iron weapons, siege tactics, and cruel punishment. The prophet’s imagery communicates that the Assyrian armies would not drift into Judah by accident but would come like a focused swarm, moving with purpose and irresistible force. Yet the emphasis is not on Assyria’s power but on God’s sovereignty. The bee belongs to “the land of Assyria,” but it answers to the whistle of the LORD. The empire that boasted of its own might was, in truth, only an instrument in the hand of Israel’s God. What appeared to be the triumph of pagan strength was actually the execution of divine decree. The bee flies because God summons it. The metaphor also hints at the nature of the coming affliction. A bee does not merely annoy; it wounds. Assyria would penetrate Judah’s defenses, sting its pride, and leave lasting pain—deportations, heavy tribute, and the stripping away of national independence. The sting was meant to awaken, not merely to destroy. Divine discipline often hurts precisely because it is designed to heal a deeper disease. There is also a sobering contrast between the two images. Egypt, the fly, represents the nuisance Judah sought as an ally; Assyria, the bee, represents the power Ahaz feared yet trusted. Both would become instruments of chastisement. The lesson is clear: when God’s people refuse His protection, even their chosen protectors turn into stinging bees. And let us not forget that Yahweh's heart toward Judah was not for her destruction but for her repentance. Imagine Ahaz hearing these words. Notice there is not interrupting question by Ahaz asking Isaiah "What do these insects signify?" Ahaz knew exactly what the picture was describing for Judah. The fact that he once again failed to repent tells us how utterly depraved and hard hearted this man was! SO SAD! 🙏 THOUGHT - Don't we all have relatives (parents, children, friends, etc) who are just like Ahaz? They have been exposed to the light so many times and yet they continue to refuse to bow their knee to God and repent and cry out for His mercy and grace while they still have time! SO SAD! But let us never give up praying for "is anything too difficult for the LORD?" (Ge 18:14, Jer 32:17, 27) NO! Oswalt quips that...Assyria and Egypt are insects trained to swarm at their master's command (Ed: Jehovah). Now that command is issued and they come. (BORROW The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 1–39) Isaiah 7:19 They will all come and settle on the steep ravines, on the ledges of the cliffs, on all the thorn bushes and on all the watering places ledges: in the holes : Isa 2:19,21 2Ch 33:11 Jer 16:16 Mic 7:17 Isaiah 7 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THEY EVERYWHERE! EVERYWHERE! SWARMS OF INVADERS NO PLACE TO HIDE They will all come and settle on the steep ravines, on the ledges of the cliffs, on all the thorn bushes and on all the watering places - Isaiah's point is the enemy invaders will be everywhere! It follows that there will no place to hide from the forces of Egypt and Assyria which will "swarm" like a plaque of insects throughout the land of Judah. The invading hosts will come in overwhelming swarms, leaving no corner of the land untouched. They will descend upon every steep ravine and rocky gorge where men once felt secure, clinging to the ledges of the cliffs that had seemed inaccessible and safe. No natural barrier will restrain them. They will spread across the countryside, settling even upon the thorn bushes that mark the neglected and desolate places, and they will gather at every watering place where life once flourished. What had been familiar and peaceful landscapes will be occupied and claimed by foreign powers. The picture is one of total penetration, so that every hiding place discovered, every refuge exposed, every source of sustenance controlled, showing that when God summons the instruments of His discipline, there is nowhere the nation can flee beyond His reach. Isaiah 7:20 In that day the LORD will shave with a razor, hired from regions beyond the Euphrates (that is, with the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard.: shave : Isa 10:6 2Ki 16:7,8 2Ch 28:20,21 Jer 27:6,7 Eze 5:1-4 29:18,20 head : Isa 1:5 9:14-17 24:2 Related Passages: 2 Samuel 10:4-5+ So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away. 5 When they told it to David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. And the king said, “Stay at Jericho until your beards grow, and then return.” Stripped of Dignity THE DIVINE BARBER BRINGS HUMILIATION In that day - The day of judgment of Judah. Isaiah now begins to concentrate on Assyria as His instrument of judgment. The LORD will shave - In that solemn day of judgment the LORD Himself will act, employing a most humiliating instrument to accomplish His purpose. He will take up a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates which is a vivid picture of the king of Assyria and his ruthless armies, and with it He will "shave the land" as a barber strips a man of his dignity. The shaving of the head, the hair of the legs, and even the beard was, in the ancient world, a sign of disgrace, captivity, and utter subjection. A man's beard was a badge of honor and respect and thus this passage predicts Judah's utterhumiliation at the hands of the Assyrian "barbers"! (cf Isa. 15:2; Jer. 47:5; 48:37; Ezek. 7:18; Amos 8:10; Micah 1:16; Also a sign of deep distress = Job 1:20) What King Ahaz and Judah considered to be the nation's glory and strength would one day be scraped away, leaving the nation exposed and ashamed before its enemies. The image underscores that Assyria was a tool in the hand of the sovereign God. The razor is hired or in effect summoned by the LORD to perform His work of judgment. What seemed to King Azah to be a wise political alliance with Assyria would become the very means of Judah's shame. The nation that sought help from Assyria would discover that the helper had become the shaver, cutting away its independence, its resources, and its dignity! To reiterate, once again the text emphasizes Jehovah's active hand in the discipline He metes out to His chosen people. The hand of the LORD is pictured holding a "razor" (Assyria) which He would use to "shave" Judah! Note the irony -- the very "razor" Ahaz had trusted in, would now be turned upon this faithless, wicked King and his kingdom of Judah! Indeed, Ahaz and the nation would reap what he had sown (Gal 6:7,8+) John