Some acquaintance with the historical background is important to an understanding of the stories of the four children. The prophecies about the first three children take place at the time of what is known as the Syro-Ephraimitic [or Syro-Ephraimite] War (ca. 734-732 B.C.). Four kingdoms or empires are part of the historical background of this section of the book of Isaiah. These four are the Assyrian Empire, Syria (also known as Aram), the northern kingdom of Israel, and the southern kingdom of Judah. The northern kingdom of Israel is also referred to as Ephraim, after its largest and most influential tribe. The most powerful of these four was the Assyrian Empire. It was the dominant world power of the eighth century B.C.

The Assyrian emperor and the Assyrian capital are not mentioned in these chapters, although they are mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament. The emperor was Tiglath-pileser III (also known as Pul or Pulu), and the capital at this point in time was Nimrud (also known as Calah or Kalhu). Nimrud was one of four historically prominent Assyrian capitals during its history. Earlier in Assyrian history, Assur (Ashur) was the capital. Following Nimrud were Khorsabad and, the most famous Assyrian capital, Nineveh.

Lesser in power was Syria (not Assyria), also known as Aram. Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel made an alliance with each other. It is suggested by some that the purpose of the coalition between King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel was to protect themselves from Assyria. It is further argued that they urged the southern kingdom of Judah and its king, Ahaz to join them, but that Ahaz refused.

To round out the other background details that are part of the story, Syria's capital is Damascus, Israel's capital is the city of Samaria, and Judah's capital is Jerusalem.

Syria and Israel launched attacks on Judah and hoped to depose King Ahaz and replace him with the "son of Tabeel" (Isaiah 7:6), who was likely of anti-Assyrian sentiment and may have favored rebelling against Assyria, also. Syria and Israel had much initial success. Although Syria was not able to capture Jerusalem (II Kings 16:5), they did defeat the Judean armies of King Ahaz and take many of the people of Judah captive to the Syrian capital city, Damascus (II Chronicles 28:5). Syria's ally, the northern kingdom of Israel, killed 120,000 people of Judah and took 200,000 into captivity to Israel's capital city, Samaria (II Chronicles 28:6-8).

The attacks by Syria and Israel on Judah were instigated by God as punishment of Judah because of her sinful ways (II Kings 15:37; II Chronicles 28:5-6,9,19).

The LORD had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had promoted wickedness in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the LORD.
(II Chronicles 28:19 [NIV])

These wicked ways included, among other things, idolatry and human sacrifice.

Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD, like his father David, but walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made molten images for the Baals; and he burned incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burned his sons as an offering, according to the abominable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
(II Chronicles 28:1-4 [RSV])

The wickedness of Judah had increased under King Ahaz. The prophet Isaiah urged King Ahaz to trust in God (Isaiah 7:3-16). However, Ahaz was more disposed to trust in the emperor Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, which he did (II Kings 16:7ff.), although Isaiah had warned that this would lead to Judah's subjugation under Assyria (Isaiah 7:17ff).

So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath Pileser king of Assyria, saying, "I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me." Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the LORD's house, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.
(II Kings 16:7-8 [WEB])

The result of Ahaz's trust in Assyria seemed to have accomplished some good at first, with Assyria defending Judah against Syria and Israel, destroying the Syrian capital, killing the Syrian king, and taking the Syrian people and many of the people of the northern kingdom of Israel into captivity.

The king of Assyria listened to him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and took it, and carried its people captive to Kir, and killed Rezin.
(II Kings 16:9 [WEB])

Ten years later Assyria would also destroy Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel. "Samaria" would no longer be the name of the capital of an independent Israelite kingdom but the name of a new Assyrian province. Within a few decades, very many of its inhabitants would be dispersed to the various winds of the Empire and replaced with people from non-Israelite regions and cultures. The northern kingdom of Israel would cease to exist as a nation.

So Judah was freed from the oppression of Syria and Israel, but this came with a price. In an effort to curry favor with Assyria, Ahaz took the treasures, not only from his palace, but also from the Temple itself, and gave them to Assyria (II Kings 16:8; II Chronicles 28:21). Judah became a vassal state of Assyria, subject to its whims and desires. Assyria began to oppress Judah, just as Syria and Israel had done previously.

Then Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came to Ahaz but afflicted him rather than strengthening him. Although Ahaz had taken a portion from the house of the LORD, from the royal palace, and from the princes and had presented it to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.
(II Chronicles 28:20-21 [BSB])

Perhaps in an attempt to appease the Assyrian Empire, or perhaps to express his trust in sources other than God, Ahaz closed the Temple (II Chronicles 28:24), mutilated or destroyed the Temple's sacred contents (II Kings 16:17; II Chronicles 28:24), and instituted the worship of foreign gods in the Temple courts and throughout the nation (II Kings 16:10ff.; II Chronicles 28:23,25).

In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the LORD--this same King Ahaz. For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, "Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me." But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and he shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. In every city of Judah he made high places to make offerings to other gods, provoking to anger the LORD, the God of his fathers.
(II Chronicles 28:22-25)

This is the immediate historical background of the first three of the four children mentioned in chapters seven through nine. The events surrounding the oracle about the fourth child would occur a few years later.

The first story of the four children is found in the seventh chapter of the book of Isaiah, verses one through nine. Chapter seven picks up at the earliest stages of the Syro-Ephraimitic War.

We're introduced in this passage to the first of the children that we will meet. His name is Shearjashub. The name means "a remnant shall return". Even in its Hebrew setting in which names were important and had special meanings, it would be an unusual name and one that would draw attention. Can you imagine the ancient equivalent of a teacher calling roll in class?

"Benjamin?" "Here."
"Miriam?" "Here."
"Absalom?" "Here."
"A remnant shall return?" "Here."

The presence of Isaiah's son was a pledge by God that the nation would not be utterly destroyed. The stories of each of the four children are messages from God either based on the names of the children or on promises associated with the children.

"Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion."
(Isaiah 8:18)

Isaiah refers to the kings of Syria and Israel as "these two smoldering stumps of firebrands". They were at one time ablaze, but their fire has died, and they are almost burned out. Don't be afraid of them. Their power is almost gone.

Isaiah, instead of referring to King Pekah of Israel by his name, calls him "the son of Remaliah". In ancient Hebrew society, people were often referred to as "the son of" whoever their father was. However, their own name was also typically used first. But to simply call someone "the son of" without mentioning their own name could, in certain circumstances, be seen as a way of minimizing their importance, especially if their father was not of any renown or was deemed to be insignificant.

For example, in the conversation between King Saul and his son Jonathan in I Samuel 20, Jonathan refers to David by David's own name, but Saul calls neither David nor Jonathan by their own name:

So, when Isaiah refers to King Pekah as "the son of Remaliah", it is a way of lessening his significance.

In light of this, it is amazing to note the humility of Jesus in appropriating for himself the title he uses more than any other--"the Son of Man".

Contrast Ahaz's fear with Isaiah's faith: The heart of Ahaz "shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind." But Isaiah says, "...be quiet, do not fear..." and refers to the two kings as "...these two smoldering stumps of firebrands..." and disdainfully refers to Pekah simply as "the son of Remaliah".

In verse seven, God through Isaiah says "It shall not stand." The lineage of David will continue, as God has promised. A remnant will continue. Ironically, it is only God who will cause this to be so, yet it is God that Ahaz will not trust in. He will trust in Assyria instead. Ahaz believes that Assyria, the mightiest nation that the world had ever seen, is the dominant power of the day. But God is the dominant power. As seen in an earlier chapter, Assyria is merely God's puppy dog, who comes whenever God whistles.

He will raise a signal for a nation afar off,
and whistle for it from the ends of the earth;
and lo, swiftly, speedily it comes!
(Isaiah 5:26 [RSV])

Even the mightiest nation that the world had ever seen is merely God's puppy dog. Don't trust in the nations. Trust in God.

Through the name Shearjashub, God promises that "a remnant shall return." God has always been determined to preserve a remnant.

During the days of Noah, when the world was enveloped in wickedness, and God determined to destroy the world, he made special arrangements to save Noah and his family.

In the days of the Wilderness Wanderings, when the people of Israel thought that the giants of Canaan were more powerful than the God of All the Earth, God determined that none from that generation would enter the land of Canaan, except for Joshua and Caleb, who found favor in his sight.

In the days of Gideon, when the Midianites were oppressing the people of Israel, Gideon assembles an army of 32,000 men to go to war. God said that this was too many. He eventually whittles down the army to 300 men, who routed the Midianite army.

In the days of Elijah when Baal worship dominated the land, Elijah was despondent. He cries out to God and says,

"I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and slain your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."
(I Kings 19:10 [NHEB])

God responds by saying,

"I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal."
(Romans 11:4b [WEB]; cf. I Kings 19:18)

When wicked Queen Athaliah attempted to destroy the royal line, and in essence the Messianic line as well, she thought that she was successful. But there was an infant child, Joash, who was hidden in the Temple for seven years, and who eventually became king, and who continued the line of the Messiah.

Even when the Babylonian army conquers Jerusalem and takes the final tribe into captivity, making the nation seem to be hopelessly dead, Ezekiel sees a vision of dry bones with God asking him, "Can these bones live?" Ezekiel then sees the hopelessly dry bones connect one to another and live again, as a promise that the nation would live again. In Ezekiel chapter nine, with the nation seemingly hopelessly in captivity, Ezekiel has a vision in which God gives orders to an angelic figure,

And the LORD said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.”
(Ezekiel 9:4)

A remnant of the nation would miraculously come back from captivity and live again.

After returning from Babylonian Captivity, we see the idea of the remnant in part of Ezra's prayer:

And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? O LORD, the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today.
(Ezra 9:13-15a)

The idea of the remnant is found in numerous places in the Old Testament. For example, in the book of Amos:

Hate evil, and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
(Amos 5:15)

The idea of the remnant is found frequently in the books of Jeremiah, and Amos, and Micah...and also frequently in the book of Isaiah.

For example, when the Assyrian Kingdom destroys and takes into captivity the ten tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel, and the Assyrian army stands outside the gates of Jerusalem, God listens to the prayer of Hezekiah and preserves the nation. Isaiah prophesies to Hezekiah, saying this:

And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward; for out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
(Isaiah 37:31-32 [RSV])

Again he says,

In that day the LORD of hosts will be a crown of glory,
and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people...
(Isaiah 28:5)

In the New Testament we see King Herod trying unsuccessfully to destroy the remnant by killing all the male children under two years old in the area in and around Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16). The flight of Jesus' family to Egypt enabled them to evade Herod's scheme (Matthew 2:13-15a).

When the Messiah began his earthly ministry, he was mostly rejected by the Jewish people, as it had been prophesied. The Old Covenant, which had been meant to lead people to Christ, was nailed to the cross. A New Covenant was inaugurated as had also been prophesied. Eventually the Romans would come and conquer Jerusalem and disperse the Jewish people to the four winds. God would still have a remnant people, but it would be a remnant based on faith, not on flesh. John the Baptist would say,

"And do not presume to say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham."
(Matthew 3:9)

Paul would write,

For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his descendants; but "Through Isaac shall your descendants be named." This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are reckoned as descendants.
(Romans 9:6b-8 [RSV])

He would also write,

For he is not a real Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal.
(Romans 2:28-29b [RSV])

And again,

So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
(Romans 11:5)

The church today represents that remnant. In Galatians chapter six, Paul refers to the church by a new name:

Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God.
(Galatians 6:16 [RSV])

As God's remnant people today, we need to remember that God cares about his people. We also need to understand that being a remnant might mean that we aren't always in the majority. Jesus said,

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
(Matthew 7:13-14)

We, as God's people, need to be the faithful remnant of his people.

The lineage of David did not end, but was continued in Christ, the son of David. If we are children of God, who came to Earth and was born incarnate in the form of the man, Jesus, a descendant of David, then we are proof of sorts that the lineage of David continues even today--that a remnant of God's people remains.

We often dwell on the many who are unfaithful or going down the wrong path; it is better sometimes to be encouraged by the remnant--those who maintain their faithfulness and walk the right path. It is sometimes better to realize that God is watching over his people and is still concerned about those who sigh and groan over the sins of the land.

The second children's story that we will look at is found in Isaiah chapter eight. This child has the longest single name in all the Bible (unless one counts the various names for the child in chapter nine as one name). His name is Mahershalalhashbaz. It has been translated in various ways. Probably one that is as good as any is "The spoil speeds; the prey hastens."

In Isaiah chapter eight, verse one through four we read:

By "the prophetess", it is probably meant simply the prophet's wife. It doesn't necessarily mean that she prophesied. It's more in line with the idea of the wife of a prince is a princess; and the wife of a prophet is a prophetess.

So Isaiah has two children. Instead of Jim and Jane, he has A Remnant Shall Return and The Spoil Speeds; The Prey Hastens.

What is the purpose of the second child's name?

Imagine a bobcat chasing a rabbit or a cheetah chasing an antelope. The cheetah spots the antelope in the distance.


(Photo credit: zgmorris; "Free for use")

The antelope is calmly grazing. The cheetah begins to slowly creep in that direction, trying to hide amid the tall grass.


(Photo credit: Chris Murphy; BY-ND 2.0 Creative Commons License)

As the cheetah draws closer, the antelope sees it and begins to walk slowly in the opposite direction.


(Photo credit: Ikiwaner; GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2)

Having been seen, the cheetah now walks more deliberately, angling so as to cut off the antelope's best escape path. The antelope, now increasingly nervous, begins to walk somewhat more quickly away. The cheetah begins to walk faster. The antelope now breaks into a slow trot. The cheetah begins to run.


(Photo credit: Malene Thyssen; BY-SA 3.0 Creative Commons License)

The antelope also begins to run. The cheetah picks up its speed. The antelope does likewise. The cheetah closes the gap.


(Photo credit: Profberger; BY 2.5 Creative Commons License)

The antelope now runs as fast as it possibly can.


(Photo credit: Profberger; BY 2.5 Creative Commons License)

The cheetah now launches into full speed.


(Photo credit: flickrfavorites; BY 2.0 Creative Commons License)

The antelope darts left. The cheetah darts behind it.


(Photo credit: Demetrius John Kessy; BY 2.0 Creative Commons License)

The antelope goes right...the cheetah close behind it.


(Photo credit: Demetrius John Kessy; BY 2.0 Creative Commons License)

Left, left; right, right; left, left; right, right....The cheetah reaches out its claws and grabs the back leg of the antelope. The antelope stumbles but temporarily escapes the cheetah's grasp. Terrified the antelope runs with all the energy it has, but in vain. The cheetah catches it and kills it.


(Photo credit: kayugee; CC BY-ND 2.0 Deed | Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic)

The spoil speeds; the prey hastens.

The time is rapidly drawing near. Before the child even knows how to say "Mommy" or "Daddy", deliverance from Syria and Israel will come. But it will come with a horrible price; Assyria will also come.

Rather than choosing the waters of Shiloah that flow gently--a stream that was a water source for the city of Jerusalem--Ahaz chose the Euphrates.

Look at where Isaiah had met Ahaz in chapter seven, verse three:

And the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go forth to meet Ahaz, you and Shearjashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller's Field..."
(Isaiah 7:3 [RSV])

Where did they meet and what might Ahaz have been doing? They met at "the end of the conduit of the upper pool." The upper pool was fed by the Gihon Spring, which arose in a cave and which was a primary source of water for the city of Jerusalem.

After Ahaz, but probably still during Isaiah's lifetime, King Hezekiah would build the Siloam Tunnel . This would culminate in the Pool of Siloam, which Hezekiah may have also been responsible for building or at least renovating. The Gihon Spring was intermittent, so it was important to have pools to store the water that it supplied, especially during dry seasons or when the city was under siege. "Shiloah" and "Siloam" are probably both forms of the same word. So the "water of Shiloah" would be the waters that flowed from the Gihon Spring to the Upper Pool and later to the Pool of Siloam.

In a time of war in that day, checking the city's water supply was an important thing. Ahaz was probably checking on the city's water supply. Symbolically, which water would Ahaz choose? Would he choose the water provided by God, or would he choose the water of Assyria? Rather than trusting in God--represented by the gently flowing Shiloah--he decided to trust in Assyria. But the waters of Assyria will soon rage out of control and cover the land.

It is God who will allow the Assyrian army to come, but it is God who will ultimately preserve a remnant and accomplish his purposes.

Isaiah continues,

The role that God plays in people's lives depends upon how they respond to him. To those who trust in him, he is a sanctuary. To those who reject him, he is "a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling". A similar thought is seen in I Peter:

Trust in God. Don't trust in the power of man or in the wisdom of man. They may seem seductive at first, but they will not endure. Trust in God.

And when they say to you, "Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter," should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.
(Isaiah 8:19-20)

The dead are powerless. They're dead. Trust in God. The opinions of men, whether living or dead, should never supersede the words of God. Lean on him.

In this time of turmoil and trouble, when things seem hopeless, Isaiah says in faith,

Don't trust Assyria. Don't trust the power of man. Don't trust the leadings or wisdom of men. Trust God.

"...wait for the LORD..."

But what exactly does that mean? It sounds so comforting...so easy...so simple. For the people of Isaiah's day, it meant a choice. Do you choose to trust in Assyria? By doing so, do you close the Temple, destroy its contents, and establish the worship of Assyrian gods throughout the land? Or do you trust in God, taking a chance that Assyria will take people captive, kill you and your children, and destroy your nation? Do you make an alliance with Assyria in exchange for a different religion, a changed nation, a different culture? Or do you wait for the LORD and pray that things will end well?

What about today? Things aren't exactly parallel. The church is a spiritual kingdom, not a physical kingdom. America isn't the church. But the church is often under assault from a culture that wants it to change its ways and values and beliefs and practices. If numbers drop, do you compromise your values to be more attractive to culture? We certainly need to do as the Apostle Paul did and become all things to all men that we might win some (I Corinthians 8:22). But do we change our faith in order to do that? A little rock band in worship here, a little homosexual marriage there, accept the beliefs of the preacher on the radio, or of the popular new group down the street? When the culture insists that you are being intolerant and self-righteous and insulting to Buddhists and Muslims and agnostics and atheists when you insist that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, do you concede defeat and change your values in order to be accepted or to survive as a church, or do you wait for the LORD?

We need to have faith that God is faithful, that he is watching over his people, and that his word is true and the best path to follow. It is easy to wait for the Lord when things are going well. It is perhaps more testing to wait for the Lord when it seems that the spoil speeds and the prey hastens: when the culture around us, or even those in the church, want to seek a different path than that which God has laid down for us. It is perhaps even more testing when the Assyrians are standing outside the gates of Jerusalem. Regardless of the circumstances, we need to put our trust in God. We need to echo the faith of Isaiah, who said,

I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.
(Isaiah 8:17)