What test did God give for determining whether a spirit was of God or of the devil?
(Isaiah 8:1-22; 2 Chron. 28:19-23; Job 28:28; Rev. 14:6-7) Blog Jan. 17-23, 2021
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: Isaiah began his prophetic ministry by pointing out the hypocrisy of God’s covenant bride but when he entered God’s presence, he saw that he too was lacking the holiness that God desires. The only hope for God’s people was in God’s forgiving mercy given to those who repent and believe God’s gracious offer. When wicked King Ahaz refused not only the message but also the offer of a sign from God, he subjected the kingdom to foreign invaders who eventually would leave only “a very small remnant” in the land.
Prophetic Prosperity (Isaiah 8:1-10; 7:1-12; 2 Chron. 20:20; 28:19)
1. What did God tell Isaiah to do as chapter 8 begins? To take a great roll or tablet & write in it the words “Speed the spoil, hasten the plunder” (while accompanied by two reliable witnesses) as a prophetic message for all to read & to understand that Syria & Israel were soon to be plundered by Assyria.
2. After writing in the great roll what did Isaiah do? He produced a son who God told him to name: “Speed the spoil, hasten the plunder” as an additional testimony to God’s message that armies invading Judah would be spoiled.
3. In what two previous attempts had God tried to give his message of mercy to wicked King Ahaz? In sending Isaiah & his son named “A remnant shall return” to the king, predicting the fall of the attacking armies & by God’s offer of proving this message with a miraculous sign.
4. What did King Ahaz not enjoy because he refused the messages of God’s prophet? He did not enjoy prosperity like his ancestor, Jehoshaphat, told Judah they would enjoy if they believed God’s prophets. But rather he sacked God’s temple & his own house to pay for the help of the Assyrian armies against his attackers.
5. In Isaiah 8:6-8 how did God describe the results that would come from not heeding God’s message of peace but rather hiring Assyria to rescue Judah from her attackers? That since God had spoken calmly like the gentle flowing river of Shiloah & been refused, Assyria would come like the mighty Euphrates River & overflow the entire territory of God’s people.
6. In Isaiah 8:9-10 what is God saying about his people to the surrounding nations? That although they join themselves together to oppose God’s people they will not prevail for God is with his people even as the promised child Immanuel means “God is with us.”
Signs and Fear (Isaiah 8:11-18; Job 28:28; Psa. 111:10; Prov. 8:13; Eccl. 8:12-13; Matt. 10:28; Rev. 14:6-7)
7. What did God emphatically tell Isaiah NOT to do? God told Isaiah not to walk in the way that his nation was going for they were seeking to find security by making confederacies with their neighbors.
8. Instead of fearing what his neighbors feared who did God want Isaiah and his people to fear? To fear God & make him the One they were careful not to offend by setting Him apart as the Holy One.
9. If God’s people gave God his proper place in their lives what would he be for them? God would be a Sanctuary (a place of refuge) & a Rock of Offence (a stumbling stone tripping up those that chose to go against his will).
10. How was Isaiah to work to get his people to give God his proper place in their lives? By teaching them God’s testimonies & sealing God’s Law in their minds.
11. What was Isaiah’s response to God’s instructions given in the first part of chapter eight? That he would do what God had asked him to do & together with his name (meaning “Save thou Jehovah”) & that of his two sons (“A remnant shall return” & “Speed the spoil, hasten the plunder”) be a continue witness before God’s rebellious people.
Law and Gospel (Isaiah 8:19-22; Lev. 19:31; 20:27; Deut. 18:9-14; 2 Chron. 28:22-23; Eccl. 12:13-14; 1 John 4: 1-3; Rev. 14:12; 16:14)
12. What did God tell Isaiah that the people would tell him to do? To consult with familiar spirits & wizards that communicate in shadowy language.
13. How was Isaiah to answer the people’s suggestion to consult with familiar spirits? He was to say: “Shouldn’t God’s people consult with their God rather than going to the dead seeking instruction for the living?”
14. What universal test did God give for determining whether a spirit was of God or of the devil? “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”
15. What is God’s attitude toward horoscopes, seances, ouija boards, spirit mediums, witches, and familiar spirits? God calls all these activities an abomination & prohibits his people from any such consultations prescribing death to those who practice these Satanic arts.
16. What does God say will be the sure result of consulting the spirit world? Despondency, fear, rebellion against God & ruler, leaving the enquirer in inescapable distress & darkness.
17. What popular doctrine in the evangelical world today opens the door to consulting with the dead? The doctrine of the natural immortality of the soul – that the dead continue to have knowledge & life immediately after they die.
18. What should all this clear instruction given in Isaiah chapter 8 move us as God’s people to do? It should move us to study God’s Law more carefully and meditate continually on the Gospel of Grace so that we can teach others to fear God & keep his Commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.