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Isaiah 7:17-20

King James Version (KJV)

“In our prayers we talk to God, in our Bible study God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”
— D.L. Moody

Scripture focus

17. The LORD shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father’s house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; [even] the king of Assyria. 18. And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the LORD shall hiss for the fly that [is] in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that [is] in the land of Assyria. 19. And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes. 20. In the same day shall the Lord shave with a rasor that is hired, [namely], by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard.

Isaiah 7:17-20 — KJV

Commentary

Commentary on Isaiah 7:17

Theological / Devotional

The Lord shall bring. Ahaz has already made it plain that he will not turn to the Lord for help. Instead, he plans to rely on Assyria (Kings 16:5-7). But Isaiah warns him that Assyria will not prove a help to Judah, but rather a source of distress (Isa. 7:17-20 ; 8:7, 8; 10:6). Later, when Assyria invades Judah, the latter would seek help from Egypt, but that would likewise prove in vain (chs. 30:1-3; 31:1-3, 8). All these things the prophet now endeavors to make clear to the king.

King of Assyria. Days of darkness and peril were ahead for Judah, days of distress such as had not been experienced since the revolt of Jeroboam two centuries earlier. The king of Assyria would invade not only Israel but Judah as well. Had Judah turned to the Lord He would have extended His blessings, and not permitted the Assyrians to come against the land. Isaiah earnestly sought to lead the king and his people back to God, but they refused. For this reason Assyria would be allowed to invade the land.

By SdaBc