SUMMARY
This text uses the names of Isaiah’s children as prophetic signs to King AhazJudean king in the time of Isaiah who engaged in pagan worship and placated the Assyrians. More of Assyria’s coming judgment.
ANALYSIS
Chapters 7-8 are related to an event called the “Syro-Ephraimite crisis,” which occurred in 735 BCE. King Ahaz, ruler of JudahJudah was the name of Jacob's fourth son and one of the 12 tribes. More, refused to join a multi-state alliance against the king of Assyria. In response, Damascus and Israel (the Northern KingdomThe Northern Kingdom consisted of ten of the twelve tribes of Israel and lasted for 200 years until it was destroyed by Assyria in 721 B.C.E. In the northern kingdom the kings were evil. Prophets like Elijah and Amos railed against them and their evildoing. More) attacked Judah with the intention of replacing Ahaz with a more agreeable monarch. The prophet urges King Ahaz to trust that YHWH would deliver him. Ahaz chooses instead to appeal to none other than the king of Assyria himself, Tiglath-Pileser III. Ahaz’s apparent distrust of YHWH stands in stark contrast to HezekiahJudean king noted for his reforms in time of Isaiah. More, who when faced with a similar situation under a different Assyrian king, chooses instead to trust in YHWH’s saving power (see IsaiahIsaiah, son of Amoz, who prophesied in Jerusalem, is included among the prophets of the eighth century BCE (along with Amos, Hosea, and Micah)--preachers who boldly proclaimed God's word of judgment against the economic, social, and religious disorders of their time. More 36-37).
This passage is written in first person, autobiographical form, focusing on the prophet’s own viewpoint. The verses read in a somewhat disjointed way, often making them difficult to interpret. The text, however, seems to reflect a time after Ahaz’s decision not to trust in God’s deliverance. This explains their emphasis on judgment. The decision to distrust has been made, and the prophet’s role at this point is to clarify the consequences.
