What does “fear not their fear” mean in this passage?

When God tells Isaiah, “neither fear ye their fear,” He is warning him not to be driven by the same panic that fills the rest of the people. They were afraid of invading armies and were trying to fix things by human plans and alliances. Their fear left God out. Isaiah and those who trust God are told to be different. They should not let the same threats control them, but instead remember who God is and rest in Him, even when others are terrified.

What does it mean to “sanctify the LORD of hosts” here?

To “sanctify the LORD of hosts” means to set God apart in your heart as the one you honor, trust, and fear above anyone else. Instead of being ruled by fear of enemies, political powers, or what people might do, God’s people are called to treat Him as holy. That looks like trusting His promises, calling on Him in trouble, waiting for His help, and being more afraid of disobeying Him than of anything people can do.

How is the Lord both a sanctuary and a stone of stumbling?

This passage says the Lord will be a sanctuary for some, but a stone of stumbling and rock of offence for others. For those who trust Him, He is like a safe place, a holy shelter where they can rest and be protected. But for those who refuse Him and choose their own way, the same Lord becomes something they trip over. His truth and His chosen Savior offend their pride, so they stumble, fall, and are broken. The same God who saves believers also judges unbelief.

Why does Isaiah say God is hiding His face from the house of Jacob?

When Isaiah says the Lord is hiding His face from the house of Jacob, he is describing a time when God’s favor and nearness seem withdrawn because of the people’s unbelief and disobedience. Trouble is coming on the nation, and it looks like God has turned away. Yet Isaiah chooses a different response. Instead of giving up, he says, “I will wait upon the LORD…I will look for him.” Even when God’s presence feels hidden, faith keeps waiting and looking to Him.

Who are the “children whom the LORD hath given me” and why are they signs?

Isaiah speaks of himself and “the children whom the LORD hath given me” as signs and wonders in Israel. Their very names and lives pointed to God’s message for the nation: warning of coming judgment and holding out hope of God’s presence and salvation. In a time when many refused to listen, God used the prophet’s family as living reminders of His word. They showed that God Himself was speaking and that nothing came on Israel apart from His hand.

What was happening when God warned about saying “A confederacy”?

The people were facing strong enemies and were tempted to look for safety in political alliances and pacts with other nations. They were talking about “confederacy,” trying to fix their fear by human plans. God tells Isaiah not to join in that kind of talk or trust. The real issue was not just foreign armies but a heart that would rather lean on people than on God. God calls His prophet, and the faithful with him, to stand apart from that fearful way of thinking.

What does this passage teach about how believers should face fear today?

This passage shows that believers should face fear by turning their eyes from human schemes to the Lord Himself. Instead of copying the world’s anxious talk and scrambling for security in people or systems, we are called to honor God in our hearts, remember His power, and trust that He is a safe place. That does not mean danger is unreal, but it means we let reverence for God outweigh dread of circumstances and keep holding to His word while we wait on Him.

Why does this verse about a stone of stumbling feel difficult to understand?

It can feel difficult because it speaks about God, and especially His chosen Savior, in a way that is both comforting and hard. People expect God only to shelter, not to be someone they might stumble over. Here we learn that the same Lord who is a refuge for those who believe becomes a cause of offense to those who reject Him. This tension can be uncomfortable, but it shows how serious it is to either receive or refuse God’s revealed way of salvation.

Isa.8.11

Isaiah 8:11

Q: What does “bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples” mean?

“Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples” is God’s way of telling Isaiah to guard and preserve His message. Even if most people ignore or reject it, Isaiah must keep God’s word safe and clear among those who truly listen. The “testimony” and “law” point to God’s revealed truth about Himself and His plans. To bind and seal it means to keep it secure, treasured, and unchanged in the hearts of faithful followers.

KJV

¶ For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,

A Call to Fear God

¶ For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,

Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.

Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.

Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.

Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.