Sanctuary

This morning’s chapter in Isaiah is closely related to the chapter that we looked at last week. King Ahaz is not mentioned here, but his two enemies, the kings of Israel and Syria, are. Isaiah is dealing with the same situation. And he still does this as Jesus’ prophet. We know that is it Jesus speaking to Isaiah here not only because of what we saw in chapter 6 but also because of what we read in the New Testament. Portions of this chapter are quoted by New Testament authors, and they make it quite clear that the LORD of hosts referred to here is Jesus Himself.

The chapter breaks down into five sections. The first section is about another child who is given as a sign. This time it’s Maher-shalal-hash-baz. The second section describes the coming of the superpower, Assyria. Isaiah pictures this as a flood of water that engulfs Ahaz’ two enemies. But the flood doesn’t stop there. It continues to overflow its banks until it reaches even to Judah. Assyria, Ahaz’ great hope, will attack Judah also. The third section is a striking statement that begins, ‘Be broken you peoples.’ It is Isaiah’s bold response to these threatening nations. The fourth section describes Jesus’ coming to His people. And He comes to them in one of two ways. He is for them either a sanctuary that protects or a rock that destroys. The last section looks at some of the results of Jesus’ coming, beneficial results for Isaiah and the faithful few with him and ruinous results for the rest of Israel who have rebelled.

And now, please listen as I read Isaiah 8.

I want to begin by talking about this Immanuel principle that shows up in our text. It is Hebrew for ‘God is with us’. It shows up twice in the chapter. Once it is left untranslated. ‘…its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.’ The other time it shows up our translators rendered it in English. ‘Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us.’ This ‘Immanuel’ is a key theme in all of Scripture. Step back, and consider the big picture. The problem that the Bible deals with is our sins. They have separated us from the God who created us. The closeness of the Garden of Eden has been destroyed. Redemption is all about healing that terrible rift so that, once again, humanity might say, ‘God is with us’, that, once again, we might walk in the cool of the day with Him. This Immanuel principle is critical to understanding who this Jesus is as He comes for us. He is ‘Immanuel’, God with us. But, and this is some of what Isaiah is getting at here, Jesus’ presence with His people does not automatically mean that the blessings of redemption are being granted. For some, Jesus becomes ‘a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling’. Think back to Jesus’ earthly ministry. He quoted this verse to the scribes and chief priests, and He did that as a warning. If they had heeded the warning and had entrusted their lives to Jesus, then He would have blessed them. But, as you know, they did not listen. And so, what was threatened was applied to these and others like them, just as Isaiah has written. ‘And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.’ Now, this is something that is still true. Because they refuse to believe, Jesus comes to some only to condemn and that is so sad. There will be many who will be celebrating Christmas in a few weeks, but Jesus is, for them, ‘a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling’. Jesus has not blessed them because of their refusal to submit to Him, and, if you look closely enough their lives will show it. Sometimes because of the response that He receives, Jesus’ arrival is not for blessing but for cursing.

But that is not Isaiah’s situation. Remember, he has been forgiven, and his sin has been atoned for. So, in his case, Jesus has become a sanctuary. The Hebrew word here describes a place that is holy, that is separated and different from the rest. It is the place where the holy God resides. So, here, think of Moses’ tabernacle in the wilderness. Inside this tent is the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of God’s special presence. ‘God is with us.’ It was a place of holiness which needed to be regarded as such, something that some had to learn the hard way. But exactly because it was the holy place of God among His people, it was a pledge of safety to them. This God had made promises to His people, promises to be their God, promises He intended to keep. And that’s what is highlighted in our text. Isaiah is safe. The world around him crumbling into small pieces, but he is safe. Jesus has become for him a sanctuary. But safe from what? Let’s deal with the obvious first. He is safe from God’s justice. We’re back to chapter 6. Jesus has atoned for Isaiah’s sins. The hot coal has touched his lips. The justice that Isaiah should have faced is satisfied because Jesus has faced it for him. So, Isaiah is safe from divine justice. But then there’s this. Isaiah is also safe from man’s injustice. He is protected by Jesus from the evil that men inflict on each other. Sanctuary. This doesn’t mean that Isaiah will never suffer at the hands of men. Remember, according to tradition he was martyred. But something one of the early Church Fathers wrote to the Caesar of Rome fits here. ‘You can kill us, but you cannot hurt us.’ And the name that we know him by also fits that bold claim: Justin Martyr. Because of Jesus, his sanctuary, Isaiah was safe.

Now, as I mentioned earlier, Jesus becoming a sanctuary for someone is not automatic. Last week we saw that Isaiah wrote about the key place of faith and how faith replaces fear. In this chapter Isaiah tweaks that a bit. Faith does not mean that there is no fear at all, but rather that you wisely choose whom you fear. In our text Jesus tells Isaiah ‘not to walk in the way of this people’. But He doesn’t leave it at that. Jesus gets more specific. ‘Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.’ The difference between Isaiah and people like Ahaz and those with him is all about fear. It was all about whom they feared. A person’s fear reveals his heart. It reveals what he really believes. Jesus told His apostles, ‘And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.’ So, they stood before kings and rulers fearlessly proclaiming the Gospel. ‘Because you are a ruler you have some power over me. You can kill me for preaching that Jesus is Lord. But that is nothing compared to the power of God. He can send me to hell. But because I trust Him, He has promised to keep me safe. So, you can’t hurt me.’ Their actions in those situations revealed what they believed better than mere words. Fearing God is an expression of faith. So, Jesus tells Isaiah, ‘Don’t be like them. They fear the wrong things. They fear kings and armies. You need to fear Me instead.’ And Isaiah did. As a result, this Jesus became for him a sanctuary and not a stone that crushes. He was safe.

The fears that most give themselves to lead to death and destruction, things like anxiety, demanding of yourself more than what you can give, never letting up, or just giving up. But the proper fear of Jesus leads to life, things like quietness of spirit, a calm, wisely-paced working through each day, a sense of safety. A person’s fears reveal his heart, what he really believes.

This sense of safety, of sanctuary, bore good fruit in Isaiah’s life. And in our text that shows in two ways. The first is that bold statement that I pointed out earlier. ‘Be broken, you peoples, and be shattered; give ear, all you far countries; strap on your armor and be shattered; strap on your armor and be shattered. Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us.’ This is Isaiah shouting his faith to the surrounding nations, at Israel and Syria, and even at Assyria, the superpower. You can even include Ahaz on that list. ‘You might make your plans to destroy me and those with me. You might put on your armor and get ready to attack, but it won’t work. It will all come to nothing. And you know why? God is with us.’ Understand what’s going on here. Isaiah is surrounded by powerful nations and powerful people. But he is not intimidated. He is not afraid of them. Do you remember how Ahaz was described in last week’s chapter? ‘…the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.’ This is not Isaiah. He knows whom to fear. He knows that Jesus is Lord and that He is the one who has the real power. Fearing Jesus leads to fearlessness before men. So, Isaiah’s sense of safety results in boldness, the ability to stand firm when others are running scared. Isaiah stands and he does that for a specific purpose. He stands so that he can proclaim the truth. As the Christian consensus of our own society continues to crumble and disappear we will also need to stand for the truth and to do that before people who have a measure of power over us. This is something that you kids will need to ponder quite seriously. It is going to affect you more than it will me. Unless Jesus sends revival to His Church in America, you’ll still be facing an increasingly anti-Christian society when I’m long dead. And that’s when this question will become critical. Whom do you fear more, the powerful person confronting you or Jesus? Are you ready for that? Whom will you fear when that happens? Maybe it’s already happening in smaller, more subtle ways? Being bold in a situation like that is not a matter of personality. It is a matter of enjoying a sense of safety. Sanctuary. And behind that is wisely choosing whom to fear. Fearing Jesus as the Holy Lord of all frees you from the fear of man. Isaiah is an example of that.

There is another benefit that comes to Isaiah because Jesus is his sanctuary. ‘I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.’ Let’s start with this language of God hiding His face. Most of you will remember the benediction God gave to Aaron. ‘The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.’ God’s shining face is the image of His desire to bless His people. Just imagine the face of a parent as he gives his child a special gift. But in Isaiah’s days Jesus hides His face from both Israel and Judah. It is a time of punishment and of discipline. Assyria is coming. And where is Isaiah as this is going on? He doesn’t write about the dark fate of Judah from the safety of some place far removed. Isaiah lives in Judah. And Assyria is coming. And while he is not being punished by Jesus or even disciplined, he will be affected by what will soon happen. Pagan armies do not make exceptions for faithful prophets of Jesus as they attack. Isaiah’s world will be turned upside down when the armies of Assyria arrive. But what does he say in anticipation of all of this? ‘I will hope in him.’ This is just another way that sanctuary bears fruit. ‘I am safe because of Jesus. Life will get hard, very hard, but I am safe. He will keep me safe.’ The resolution of all of this might take some time. That’s why Isaiah also talks about waiting on the LORD. But he knows that at the right time all of this will end well.

I’ve touched on several topics this morning. Immanuel, sanctuary, stone of offense, fearing wisely, safety, boldness, hope, waiting. Which of these do you need to spend some time thinking about and praying about?