Isaiah 8:9-22 Word to Judah, The Remnant
I love chiastic structures in biblical passages. Often, the writers will use this devise, where the repeat concepts or have parallel concepts, in reverse order, in a passage. A,B,C,C,B,A. It is all over the place when you look for it. And, what often happens, is it serves to highlight the important truth or thought in a passage. Here in Isaiah 8:9-22, J. Alec Motyer sees a chiasmus.
The beginning and the end of the passage speak of the collapse of nations. Isaiah begins by announcing the collapse of nations, and ends by decribing the condition of the collapsed promised land. Just inside of that, in verses 10 and 19,20, he talks about the consultation and inquiries people do to try to figure out what they are living through. They should look to God, but they look to anywhere else, fruitlessly.
The next layer in—C—sees Isaiah, and Isaiah’s disciples being called to separate from the godless people around them. Layer D, in verses 12 and 14b, 15, describe the fear and the fate of those ungodly.
You see, there are two types of remnants here. Some people will remain in the land, but they do not trust in God. They are the ungodly people who do not look to God for guidance, salvation, or lordship. Their fears are those of the conspiracists. They see danger, schemes, and terror all around. They are driven to the promising arms of their false idols. Their fate is to fall into those traps and be taken captive by the very idols they look to for safety.
The innermost layer of this structure in verses 13 and 14a, are the godly remnant. Those who continue to trust in God even in the hard times. They are the focus of this passage. They are who we want to emulate and be. Their fear is of the Lord. They have a holy reverence, honor and trust in Him alone. Their fate is to find sanctuary in Him.
The beginning and the end of the passage speak of the collapse of nations. Isaiah begins by announcing the collapse of nations, and ends by decribing the condition of the collapsed promised land. Just inside of that, in verses 10 and 19,20, he talks about the consultation and inquiries people do to try to figure out what they are living through. They should look to God, but they look to anywhere else, fruitlessly.
The next layer in—C—sees Isaiah, and Isaiah’s disciples being called to separate from the godless people around them. Layer D, in verses 12 and 14b, 15, describe the fear and the fate of those ungodly.
You see, there are two types of remnants here. Some people will remain in the land, but they do not trust in God. They are the ungodly people who do not look to God for guidance, salvation, or lordship. Their fears are those of the conspiracists. They see danger, schemes, and terror all around. They are driven to the promising arms of their false idols. Their fate is to fall into those traps and be taken captive by the very idols they look to for safety.
The innermost layer of this structure in verses 13 and 14a, are the godly remnant. Those who continue to trust in God even in the hard times. They are the focus of this passage. They are who we want to emulate and be. Their fear is of the Lord. They have a holy reverence, honor and trust in Him alone. Their fate is to find sanctuary in Him.
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