God will shave the hair of their feet (Isaiah 6-12)

Episode 181: God will shave the hair of their feet

Isaiah 6-12

Isaiah sees God

6 ¹ In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw God sitting on a throne. ² The seraphim stood above him. Each had six wings; two wings covered their face, two covered their feet, and they flew with the other two.

³ They cried to each other, saying, "God is holy, holy, holy." ⁴ There was a loud voice that moved the doorposts, and the house filled with smoke. ⁵ Then I said,

Woe is me! Because I have unclean lips and I live with people who have unclean lips. And my eyes have seen God.

⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew over to me, with a live coal in his hand. ⁷ And he laid it on my mouth, and said,

Lo, this has touched your lips. Your sins are taken away.

⁸ I also heard God say, "Who should I send?" And I said, "Here I am, send me."

⁹ God said,

Go tell the people.

You'll hear but won't understand. See, but won't perceive.

¹⁰ Make their hearts fat, their ears heavy, and their eyes shut.

So that they won't understand, or be converted, or be healed.

¹¹ Then I said, “How long?”

And God said, “Until everyone in the cities is dead.”

God's promise to Ahaz

7 ¹ When Ahaz was king of Judah, Syria and Israel went to war against him. ³ God said to Isaiah,

Go meet Ahaz and say to him,

⁴ Don't be afraid of them. ⁵ They are making evil plans against you, saying, ⁶ "Let's go fight against Judah."

⁷ It won't happen.

God's sign to Ahaz: A son named Immanuel

¹⁰ God said to Ahaz, ¹¹ "Ask me for a sign."

¹² Ahaz said to God, "I won't ask. That would be tempting God."

¹⁴ God said to Ahaz,

I'll give you a sign anyway.

A young woman is pregnant and she will bear a son, and will call his name Immanuel.

¹⁵ He'll eat butter and honey.

¹⁶ Before he knows the difference between good and evil, Syria and Israel will be destroyed.

God will shave the hair of their feet

¹⁸ In that day, God will hiss for the fly that is in Egypt, and for the bee in Assyria.

²⁰ And he will shave with a razor the hair of their feet.

Call him Mahershalalhashbaz

8 ¹ God said to me,

Get a large scroll and write on it the word "Mahershalalhashbaz".

³ I had sex with a prophetess, and she had a son.

God said to me, "Call him Mahershalalhashbaz."

⁹ Gird yourselves, and you'll be broken in pieces.

¹³ I am the one you should fear and dread.

A son with many names

9 ⁶ A son has been born who will control the government. His name is Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

⁷ He will rule on the throne of David forever.

They shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm

¹³ The people didn't turn back to God after he smote them. ¹⁷ So God won't have mercy on the young men, fatherless, or widows. Because everyone is an evil hypocrite who says foolish things. ¹⁹ God will burn the people in a fire. ²⁰ And the people will eat their right hands, but still be hungry. So they'll eat their left hands, but still not be satisfied. Everyone will eat the flesh of their own arm.

10 ^1-2 Woe to those who won't help the poor.

The mouth of the rod of Jesse

11 ¹ A rod will come out of the stem of Jesse, and branch will grow out its roots. ⁴ He’ll smite the earth with his mouth and breath and kill all the wicked people. ⁵ His loins will be girdled with righteousness, and his kidneys (reins) with faithfulness.

Cockatrice dens

⁶ Wolves, leopards, and bears will live peacefully with their prey. ⁷ And lions will eat straw. ⁸ Children will safely play with poisonous snakes and put their hands in cockatrice dens.

¹⁵ And God will destroy the Red Sea and dry up the Euphrates River.

12 ⁴ Praise the Lord

A few more words about this episode

In the year that king Uzziah died (6:1): Note from HarperCollins Study Bible: Probably 738 BCE.
To cover their feet (6:2): "Seraphim have six wings. Two cover their faces, two cover their feet (probably a euphemism for genitals), and they fly with the remaining two." Bible Odyssey: Seraphim
Hear but won't understand. See, but won't perceive. So that they won't understand, or be converted.: Jesus said the same thing in the gospels. (Mt 13:10-17, Mk 4:10-12, Lk 8:9-10, Jn 12:40)
A young woman is pregnant and she will bear a son. (7:14): In the King James Version, this verse reads, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." This verse is used in the gospel of Matthew (1:23) to claim that Jesus's birth is a fulfilment of this prophecy. But it wasn't a prophecy, it was a sign. A young woman (not necessarily a virgin) has already conceived at will bear a son. The following verses make it clear that soon (before the boy is old enough to tell good from evil), God will destroy the Ephraimite-Syrian coalition. Christians have misused this supposed prophecy ever since.
The hair of their feet (7:20): "Feet, a euphemism for genitals. (Exodus 4:25)" - Harper Collins Study Bible note for Isaiah 7:20.
Mahershalalhashbaz.: This is often said to the the longest name in the Bible. In Hebrew it means something like, "quickly to the plunder," which is probably a reference to the coming destruction of Israel and Syria by the Assyrians in 722 BCE.
A son has been born. (9:6): The King James Version puts this verse in the future tense, instead of the past, as it is in the original Hebrew. This was done to make it appear to be a prophecy of Jesus. Although there is some disagreement among Jewish commentators, Rashi believed this verse referred to Hezekiah.
A rod will come out of the stem of Jesse. (11:1): Christians also claim that this verse is a prophecy about Jesus - since he is often referred to as the son of David, and David was the son of Jesse.
Cockatrice dens (11:8): A cockatrice is a serpent, hatched from a cock's egg, that can kill with a glance. They are rare nowadays.