“and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.”
~ Isaiah 8:14
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you like to be a bearer of bad news? Do you like to be told bad news? Your grandpaa is sure that no guy, gal or kid really likes to be the bearer of bad news. Your grandpaa is sure that no guy, gal or kid really likes to receive bad news. What would be bad news to you? Bad news is to hear that a guy, gal or kid who you know has been in a very serious accident or has a catastrophic disease or has died. Your grandpaa has not had to be very often the bearer of bad news. When your grandmaa’s ma died, your grandmaa’s bro – your dad’s Uncle Del, called your grandpaa to have your grandpaa tell your grandmaa that her ma had just died. Just weeks before your grandmaa’s ma died, your grandmaa, grandpaa and dad drove from Sioux Falls, South Dakota – where your grandmaa, grandpaa and dad were living, to Wilmington, Delaware to visit your grandmaa’s ma. Your grandmaa’s ma had cancer. Your grandmaa’s ma was lying in a bed in a hospital the last time that your grandmaa saw her ma alive. It was not a big surprise or shock to your grandmaa when her ma died – which was thirty years ago. Your grandpaa still remembers that he did not want to tell your grandmaa the bad news that her ma had died. Your grandpaa is the Field Director for the Equipo SEPAL missionaries who are in Guatemala as missionaries through OC International. Your grandpaa knows that it comes with the territory of being the Field Director for the Equipo SEPAL field team missionaries that if anything bad happens here in Guatemala to any guy, gal or kid who is on the field missionary team or to any guy, gal or kid who comes to Guatemala on a short term ministry or missionary team – like if a guy, gal or kid gets really sick or is in a serious accident or dies, that your grandpaa is to be the guy who is to call the OC International mission office in Colorado Springs, Colorado to advise the office leadership about what happened or is happening. Your grandpaa also know that he needs to be always ready to answer any questions about what happened or is happening here in Guatemala about whatever. As the OC International assigned field missionary team leader in Guatemala, your grandpaa is who is responsible for making sure that every guy and gals knows what to do if a crisis unfolded or is unfolding – such as if anarchy becomes rampant countrywide or an earthquake inflicts massive destruction or a hurricane passes over the country dumping days and days of rain resulting landslides and flooding or . . .
Old Testament prophet spokesmen were bearers of bad news. Isaiah was one of God’s prophets who God sent to His specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the land of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem. What do you think that a prophet did 2700 years ago? God used prophets – like Isaiah, as messengers to tell His specially chosen guys and gals what He wanted them to hear. Even though Isaiah was a prophet to God’s specially chosen guys and gals who lived in the land of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem, Isaiah knew what was going to happen to God’s specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the land of Israel. God’s call to Isaiah for Isaiah was to be a prophet spokesman for Him in the land of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem happened about 18 years before the northern kingdom – or the land of Israel, was overrun by the Assyrian people group’s army. Two years before the land of Israel was invaded by the Assyrian people group’s army – which was 722 years before Jesus was born, God told Isaiah to write with an ordinary pen on a large scroll the name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 8 what took place next. Isaiah had two guys – Uriah and Zechariah, witness what he wrote on the large scroll. Uriah was a priest who lived when Ahaz was Judah’s king. After writing down Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz on the large scroll, Isaiah married a young gal. Isaiah and the young gal had a kid. Isaiah named his kid Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. The name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz has a meaning that said that one day the enemies of Ahaz would be plundered. The name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz also has a meaning that said that the land of Judah would go through suffering. God also told Isaiah that before his kid could say dad or ma that the Assyrian people group’s army would invade the land of Damascus – which was Aram’s land area, and the land of Israel – which was Samaria’s land area.
Your grandpaa finds understanding what Old Testament prophets wrote in their missives is sometimes hard to do. What Old Testament prophets scribed in their books were messages that were told to them by God which God instructed them to pass on to His specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the land areas of Israel and Judah and in the city of Jerusalem. The prophets who were the bearers of bad news for over 400 years – from about 840 years before Jesus was born to about 430 years before Jesus was born, were also bearers of other kinds of news. Isaiah wrote in verse 14, “and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.” Isaiah is the bearer of news about a guy coming. The guy would be Jesus. Jesus is the cornerstone today in the life of a guy, gal or kid who makes a decision of faith when he or she accepts Jesus by faith through what He did for him or her when He was cruelly nailed to a crude cross to die for the sins of His specially elected guys, gals and kids. Jesus will also be like a rock that is lying in life’s path which will cause the guys and gals who are living polluted, sinful lives to trip over – resulting in them ending up in perdition. Even though God has already made the decision for you, you will need to make the decision on whether or not to build your spiritual houses using as your cornerstones Jesus or struggle through life tripping over sin stones and going to hell. What are you hearing good news bearers telling you?
Isaiah 8 (327)