Reading for April 21st

Read Isaiah 7.1-9. In 7.1-8.4: The message of the names of three children. In verses 1-3: For the poltical context, see 2 Kings 16.5-9. The threat to depose Ahaz was an attempt to force Judah into joining the anit-Assyrian coalition. The king countered by seeking assistance from Assyria (2 Kings 16.7-9) trying to secure his throne and gain an advantage over Ephraim in a territorial quarrel (see 2 Kings 14.25). Ahaz's overture to Assyria was diastrous. Isaiah coveys a message through children's names: Shear-jashub, Immanuel, and Maher-Shalal-hashbz. The first is already the prophet's infant son, whereas the third had not even been conceived when his name was given and inscribed on a tablet (8.1-2). At the child's brith, witnesses would unveil the prescribed name (8.2). The name of the second child, Immanuel (7.14), may indicate a royal figure, an heir to the throne who would assure the future of the dynasty to the troubled Ahaz. It is more probable, however, that, like the other two the child is the prophet's and the unnamed young woman of 7.14 is the prophet's wife. In verse 3: Shear-jashub, "a remnant returns," implies the defeat of the armies threatening Jerusalem and their return home in greatly reduced numbers. It could later be interpreted in other ways (see 10.20-23). In verse 6: The son of Tabeel is not otherwise identified and it is is not even clear that he was from a Judahite family. The prophet's emphatic form of address to the king (v. 13) implies that the future of the royal dynasty was threatened. In verse 8: The note on the dissolution of Ephraim (Israel) reflects an editor's awareness that the veiled threat was fulfilled. Comments or Questions..