Isaiah’s Prophecy to God’s People
Assigned Reading
He was married to a wife gifted as a prophetess, (Isaiah 8:3) her name is not explicitly named in the Bible. But it is said that they had two sons whose names contained a symbolic message to the nation. The son’s names were Shear-Jashub and Maher-Shalal-hash-Baz.
A Family Footnote—or Something More?
We began with what looked like a little family footnote. Isaiah was married, and he had two sons with names most of us would need a little practice pronouncing.
If I stumble over Maher-Shalal-hash-Baz tonight, you are all permitted to look sternly at Isaiah. He started it.
Then I found Isaiah 8:18. This verse is not included in our lesson, but it tells us why the children are important.
Isaiah’s children were signs placed before Israel, and their unusual names were part of God’s message.
What the Names Revealed
Shear-Jashub means “a remnant shall return.” In Isaiah 7:3, God told Isaiah to take this son with him when he went to meet King Ahaz.
The boy did not have to speak; his name delivered the message. Judgment would come, but God would not allow His people to disappear. A remnant would survive and return.
Maher-Shalal-hash-Baz announced that plunder and judgment would come quickly. Together, the two sons presented the central tension in Isaiah: rebellion has consequences, but God remains faithful to His promise.
An Eight-Hundred-Year Trail
About eight hundred years later, the writer of Hebrews quoted Isaiah 8:18.
Isaiah was speaking about himself and his children as signs in Israel. Hebrews takes those preserved words and applies them to Christ and the children God has given Him.
What looked like a small family detail turned out to be part of a scriptural trail leading from Isaiah’s household to Christ.
