ISAIAH

Isaiah 8:11-15

quote:

"For thus the LORD spoke to me with mighty power and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, 12 "You are not to say, 'It is a conspiracy!' In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. 13 It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread. 14 Then He shall become a sanctuary; But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, And a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 Many will stumble over them, Then they will fall and be broken; They will even be snared and caught."

God's power had come upon Isaiah warning him not to follow in the way of Judah. Judah was so far from the Lord that when the prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah pleaded with them to act like a theocracy with the Lord as their King, trusting and depending upon the Lord as their protector, they were accused of conspiracy!

In the first part of verse 14 we see the results of godly fear and in the latter part, the results of ungodly fear. Stumbling over the stone, they will fall and be completely destroyed. Judah was familiar with the thought that their God was their Rock, the Rock who gave them birth, a Rock that gave them refuge, a Rock like no other rock and the Rock of their salvation (Deuteronomy 32).

The prophecy leaps beyond the temporary application of Judah's day. Peter thinks of this verse when he says, in I Peter 2:6-8 --
"For this is contained in Scripture: "Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed." 7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, "the stone which the builders rejected, this became the very corner stone," 8 and, "a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense"; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word ..."

Quoting from Psalms 118:22 and Isaiah, Peter applies these scriptures to those who persist in their unbelief of Jesus. The very stone, Immanuel, which would have been a sanctuary, becomes a fatal stumbling-block through unbelief.

The Israelites were to treat the Lord with awe and honor Him as their only hope of safety. We, too, are to exalt the Lord and recognize Him as the only One who is able to deliver those who trust in Him. If we exalt and sanctify Him, He in turn will be our sanctuary. He will be a wall of protection about us and a place of refuge.

The covenant relationship we have with Him is that He will be our God! If we respond in faith and walk in that covenant relationship reflecting His glory and character within us – that stone will be for us one of precious value! Let Jesus be the Rock of our Salvation!

I want to encourage those studying Isaiah to study the whole Bible. In my studies over the past years, I have been excited to see how the Hebrew Scriptures have helped my understanding of the whole Scripture. For example, the setting of Acts 2 has never been more clear. It has given me greater understanding of the Luke 20:9-19 parable, Jesus' dialogue with the rich young ruler and with Nathanael in John Chapter 1.

This particular study in Isaiah regarding the "rock of stumbling" has helped me understand more completely phrases like "the rock from which you were hewn", Jesus being a "stone of stumbling", "a rock of offense" and the "chief cornerstone", which had been difficult for me to grasp. My Hebrew studies have brought so much more light and enrichment to the rest of Scripture.

Meditating upon the Scripture, Nathanael developed a character that made him an excellent choice as one of Jesus' disciples. Like Nathanael, it is more than knowledge that we seek, but a Holy God, whose Word can development our character and make us a greater witness. I love to learn and have a passion for more! Please join me in a passion of seeking His face!

God bless you!
Elianna