Isaiah 7.1-25 will be presented with two views. First, we will look at the historical view and what happened at the time of Isaiah, and then we will look at the eschatological view, which will relate to the second year of the birth-pains because we are dealing with events during the reign of King Ahaz, the second of the last ten kings of Judah. Remember, the book of Isaiah will have many double-reference prophecies and will be seen from the six reference points we have gone over several times already.
v 1…Now it came about in the days of Ahaz, the son of Yotham, the son of Uzziah, King of Judah (2 Kings.15.37; 16.5-6; 2 Chr 28.1-27) that Rezin (satisfaction) the king of Aram (Syria), and Pekah (opening) the son of Remaliah (Yehovah adorned) king of Israel (these two formed an alliance between the northern kingdom or Ephraim, and Syria and Damascus) went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not conquer it (this took place around 743-739 BC).
v 2…When it was reported to the house of David (the king) saying, “Aram (Syria) has camped in Ephraim (where David fought Absalom in 2 Sam 18.6), his (Ahaz) heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind (the enemy armies being a blustering wind).
v 3…Then Yehovah said to Isaiah (in the midst of all this fear), “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-Yashuv (a remnant shall return; a promise -Isa 10.21) at the end of the conduit of the upper pool (pool of Shiloach or Siloam-“sent”- there was an upper and a lower pool) on the highway to the fuller’s field (where Hezekiah stood in Isa 36.2. The message to Ahaz is he is standing on the opportunity to receive the redemption of God through the mayim chaim, or living water, symbolized by the pool of Shiloach, and have his filthy rags and clothes cleansed, symbolized by the fuller’s field. He rejects this in Isa 8.6, unlike Hezekiah).
v 4…And say to him. “Take care, and be calm (don’t worry, be unconcerned), and have no fear and do not be fainthearted because of these two stubs (tails) of smoldering fire-brands (burned out and quenched torches), on account of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the son of Remaliah (Pekah),
v 5…Because Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah (Yehovah is being contemptuous here) has planned evil against you, saying,
v 6…Let us go up against Judah (to end the Davidic line of kings) and terrorize it (harass), and make for ourselves a breach in its walls (of Jerusalem), and set up the son of Jabeel (a type of the False Messiah) as king (a vassal king) in the midst of it (he is an unknown character).
v 7…Thus says the Lord (Adonai) God (Yehovah), “It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass” (Yehovah will not allow it).
v 8…For the head of Aram (capital) is Damascus and the head (king) of Damascus is Rezin and within another 65 years Ephraim (the northern kingdom that relied on Syria) will be shattered, so that it is no longer a people (cease to exist).
v 9…And the head of Ephraim (capital) is Samaria and the head (king) of Samaria is the son of Remaliah (again Yehovah doesn’t even mention his name in contempt). If you will not believe (in my word), you surely shall not last (be established and protected).
v 10…And Yehovah spoke again to Ahaz (through Isaiah), saying,
v 11…Ask a sign (Ahaz has not answered the previous message of Isaiah since he already solicited the help of Assyria and thought he didn’t need to trust in Yehovah) for yourself (to confirm this promise) from Yehovah your God (Eloheycha); make it deep as Sheol (in the earth) or high as heaven.”
v 12…But Ahaz said, “I will not ask nor will I test Yehovah (the Hebrew letters aleph and tav is before Yehovah here and this alludes to the Messiah-Rev 22.12-13. It means “head of the covenant” and Ahaz has already called on Assyria for help, so he rejects this offer with a show of false piety).”
v 13…Then he (Isaiah) said, “Listen now, O house of David (the king and followers), is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well (the aleph and tav is before “my God” also)?”
v 14…”Therefore Yehovah himself will give you a sign (in Hebrew the word for “sign” is “owt” made up of the aleph, vav and tav. The aleph and tav we have already established as symbolic of Yehovah and Messiah, and the vav in the middle is the number “six” and the number of man. This alludes to Yeshua being God and man). Behold, a virgin (an “almah” meaning a virgin or a young maiden) will be with child and bear a son, and she will call his name Immanuel (meaning “God with us” and this will have numerous fulfillments. In the peshat or literal level, this is referring to the young wife of Isaiah bearing a son in Isa 8.4. In the sowd or hidden level, this refers to Mary and Yeshua. That is why “almah” was used).
v 15… He (the boy) will eat curds and honey (a Hebrew idiom for a land that is uncultivated or devastated by war-Gen 46.31-34; Exo 3.8; Isa 7.25) until he knows enough to refuse evil and choose good (before he is an adolescent).
v 16…For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken (the judgment of God will come upon them).”
v 17…Yehovah will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house such days as have never come since the day that Ephraim (Samaria) separated from Judah, the king of Assyria (Tiglat-Pilaser III, also known as Pul. He will be of no help to Hezekiah in 2 Chr 28.20-21, but then later he will help in 2 Kings 16.5-8).
v 18…And it will come about in that day (this alludes to the Messianic Kingdom when Europe will fight with Russia) that Yehovah will whistle (or call-Isa 5.26) for the fly (because of their vast numbers) that is in the remotest part of the rivers (canals) of Egypt (Egypt is a type of Europe and the False Messiah in prophecy), and for the bee (because of their aggressive nature) that is in the land of Assyria.
v 19…And they will come and settle in the steep ravines, on the ledges of the cliffs, on the thorn bushes and on all the watering places (suitable shelter and food for flies and bees).
v 20…In that day (when God calls for Assyria but it will happen again in the birth-pains with Gog/Magog/Russia) Yehovah will shave with a razor (humiliate-Isa 15.2, 20.1-6 Jer 48.46-47; 1 Chr 19.1-5; 2 Kings 15.29; 2 Sam 10.4-5), hired from regions (paid-2 Kings 16.7; 2 Chr 28.16-21) beyond the river (Euphrates) with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the legs, and will remove the beard (this is ironical because the hired “razor” to help Judah was hired by Yehovah to shave Judah. Assyria’s plan will be to invade Israel and Judah themselves and take over the known world-Isa 10.7).
v 21…Now it will come about in that day (this will happen again in the birth-pains) that a man may keep alive a heifer and a pair of sheep (no large herds anymore and they can no longer cultivate because the land was devastated by war).
v 22…And it will happen that because of the abundance of the milk produced he will eat curds, for everyone that is left within the land will eat curds and honey (this means a “land of milk and honey” or an uncultivated land, or devastated by war. This is all they have left).
v 23…And it will come about that in that day (this will happen again in the birth-pains) that every place where there used to be a thousand vines, valued at a thousand shekels of silver, will become briars and thorns (the land is uncultivated and overgrown; a curse-Gen 3.17-19).
v 24…People will come there with bows and arrows (to hunt) because all the land will be briars and thorns.
v 25…And as for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the hoe you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns (can’t deal with them all); but they will become a place for pasturing oxen and for sheep to trample (husbandry but no agriculture. The eschatological view is this. There may be a split within Israel by the time of the birth-pains and this will result in a second Jewish state, which is being talked about right now. You will have a secular and a religious state of sorts, with other parties involved. In the day of the Lord, the northern split in Israel will attack fellow Jews (like Pekah the son of Remaliah tried), but the Palestinians will be aligned with Syria-Isa 9.12. They will attack in the second year of the birth-pains and Israel will ask Russia (like Assyria) for help. Russia will help, but they have an evil plan (Isa 8.12). Russia will be occupied with Europe (Egypt) and the land will become devastated by this war. Russia will be using this to move troops into Israel, and their purpose is to take over and destroy Israel, as seen in Isa 10.7. Israel will not be turning to Yehovah and Yeshua just yet).
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