Sharper Iron — The Fifth Evangelist - Isaiah 8:11-22: The Stone of Sanctuary and Stumbling

The LORD strengthens Isaiah for the task at hand. The prophet must not be filled with the false fear of the people, but Isaiah should instead fear the LORD and honor Him as the Holy One. He will be a sanctuary for Isaiah even as He is a rock of stumbling for those who do not believe. Strengthened by the LORD’s Word, Isaiah commands that His teaching be sealed up as the faithful wait for the LORD to act. Inquiring of the dead will bring no light, but only distress and darkness. Only in the LORD will the light of the promised Savior be seen.

Rev. Sean Kilgo, pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Lawrence, KS, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Isaiah 8:11-22.

“The Fifth Evangelist” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through Isaiah 1-39. The prophet proclaims to the people of his day and throughout history that the Holy One of Israel alone is exalted. Those who put their trust in the strength of man will be brought low, but those who trust in the LORD will see that He is their Immanuel. Jesus is God with us who reigns over the kingdom of God forever and ever!

Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God’s Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

Sharper Iron is underwritten by Lutheran Church Extension Fund, where your investments help support the work of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit lcef.org.

Isaiah 8:11-22

Fear God, Wait for the Lord

¹¹For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: ¹²“Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. ¹³But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. ¹⁴And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁵And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

¹⁶Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching^[a] among my disciples. ¹⁷I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. ¹⁸Behold, 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. ¹⁹And 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? ²⁰To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. ²¹They will pass through the land,^[b] greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against^[c] their king and their God, and turn their faces upward. ²²And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.

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Footnotes

Isaiah 8:16 Or law; also verse 20
Isaiah 8:21 Hebrew it
Isaiah 8:21 Or speak contemptuously by

Rev. Timothy Appel

Although a mathematics degree may not be incredibly helpful to (proudly born-and-raised Texan) Rev. Timothy Appel while hosting Sharper Iron, his love of CFW Walther and the season of Easter will come in handy. His Call is shepherding the flock at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, Illinois, and he’s also husband to wife Kristin and dad to their growing basketball team of children. When he’s not carrying out pastoral duties, you may find him reading “The Lord of the Rings,” snacking on Reese’s peanut butter cups, playing dominoes with his boys, or studying up on Texas history (including Sam Houston, of course).