Isaiah 8:9-18 – Characteristics of God’s people

In Isaiah 7:3, the Lord instructed Isaiah, saying “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub….” The name of his son means “a remnant shall return.” God was making known to Ahaz, the panicking king, that He would prepare a remnant among His people. From Isaiah 8:1-8, we were told how the Assyrians would defeat Syria and Israel and would even trouble Judah till she could hardly survive. But despite Assyria’s dominance, God would deal with the situation. Assyria would be destroyed while troubled Judah would remain Immanuel’s land. He would preserve a people for Himself. Here in Isaiah 8:9-18, the prophet begins to speak about the remnant of God’s people.

The first characteristic of the remnant of God was that they were set aside by God’s presence. Verses 9-10 indicate that God’s presence would set the remnant apart. King Ahaz and his people were petrified by the threat of the coalition of Pekah and Rezin and shook like trees blown by the wind. But this remnant remained defiantly confident in God. They dared the enemy to do what they could, for they refused to be cowed for they knew whose they were. They were certain of God’s presence with them. This should describe people who dare to trust the Lord. When we are assured that Jesus is with us in the storm of life, the threatening waves do not intimidate us. We remain confident in Him. We are marked out by His presence.  

Verses 11-15 tell us that the fear of God would be the second characteristic that marked out the remnant whom God has set aside. They viewed the situation from a different perspective. Unlike Ahaz and the rest who saw the allied forces and trembled, the remnant like Isaiah would instead look through the menacing forces to the fear of God. They would rather fear the Lord than fear the circumstances. It is true that when our fear is in the Lord, He becomes our sanctuary, our place of refuge. The key in such an experience is this: do not focus on the events that terrify us but let our focus be on the God who will stabilize us.   

The third characteristic of the remnant was that they would be set aside by the truth of God. Here in verses 16-18 is the call for the truth of God to be preserved and sealed up for a generation that would take heed to God’s word. It underscores the importance of treasuring God’s Word and finding hope in them. Ahaz did not value God’s Word, but the remnant God had preserved would. When we take the Word of God seriously, we become the fulfillment of this prophecy for our generation.

The presence of the Lord, the fear of the Lord and the truth of the Lord must mark our lives. The people whom God has set aside for Himself are people who recognize and honor His presence. They are those who fear Him, and also acknowledge His truth and live by them. Through Christ, God has called us to be such people. This is affirmed in  Hebrews 2:13 where Christ was purported to have said, “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me.” For His glory, let us seek to be God’s set-aside people!