Then the LORD said to me, “Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary stylus: Maher-shalal-hash-baz. And I will appoint for Myself trustworthy witnesses—Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.” And I had relations with the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. The LORD said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz. For before the boy knows how to cry ‘Father’ or ‘Mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.” – Isaiah 8:1-4 BSB

Warrior;

If we considered the Bible a love letter. If we thought of it as a Book of love, of wisdom, of knowledge and of encouragement. Whom is this bountiful blessing from? Our Daddy, our SUITOR, our PURSUER, the ONE who wants to catch our eye, connect with our heart, and get upper echelon in our mind. When men find “THE ONE” in their life, what some would call a ‘soulmate’, a partner in life- they WOO her. God is WOOING us; He is courting us. HE WANTS US. More importantly, HE WANTS US- TO WANT HIM! To WOO is to seek the favor, support, or custom of,working to gain the love of (someone), especially with a view to marriage, to seek the affection or love of someone. As with any relationship, there is a mutual WOOING! God WOOS us, and we WOO GOD! Another definition of Woo; being charming because you think that it will make another love you. In the Courtship process both parties get to know about the other person, to know their hot buttons, their personality, their demeanor, their wants, their needs. What is sought is the MYSTERY that is that person. Hear the Word of the Lord; And He said, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. (Luke 8:10) And to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things. (Ephesians 3:9) Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past. (Romans 16:25) Men, when we courted our wives, our fiancés, our girlfriends, we sought to know more about the MYSTERY that is them. How about your God? Do you seek to know His hidden meanings, His proclivities, and His desires? Like the PASSION you had to know more about the ONE you want to spend your life with on this planet- how about getting to know THE ONE you want to spend eternity with?

Leader, God is telling us a story within a story, within our story, within HIS STORY- History! I was studying the book of Genesis, specifically regarding Hagar and Ishmael. I read that God had PRE-NAMED Ishmael. In my wanting to uncover a mystery, I ‘googled’, “how many people were NAMED BEFORE BIRTH, by God. In my research I came across 7: Jesus – (Matthew 1:21) “She shall bring forth a son; they shall call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins. (Luke 1:13) “The angel said fear, not Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and your wife Elisabeth shall bear a son and shall call his name John. (1 Chronicles 22:9) “A son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest. And I will give rest from all the enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days”. (1 King 13:2) “A child shall be born unto the house of David Josiah by name. He shall offer upon this altar the priests of the high place that burn incense upon it. Bones of men shall be burnt upon this altar. The altar shall be rent this day, and the ashes that are on it will be poured out”. And after 325 years this prophecy was fulfilled in (2 kings 22:1). (Genesis 17:19) “The God said, Sarah, your wife shall bear a son and shall call his name Isaac. And I will establish an everlasting covenant with his seed after him”. (Isaiah 44:28) “that saith of Cyrus, he is my shepherd, and perform all pleasure in liberating the Jews. The rebuilding of the temple of God at Jerusalem”. And after 175 years this prophecy was fulfilled (Isaiah 45:1). (Genesis 16:11) “An angel came to Hagar and said unto her you shalt bear a son and call his name Ishmael; because the Lord had heard your affliction.” Then I found today’s verse, Isaiah 8:3, …The LORD said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz. Samson was presciently foretold of by the angel to his parents; Manoa and his unnamed wife, the mother of Samson. However, God did not command them to name their son SAMSON, they were told about him being a Nazarite and what to do with, and for Samson.

Conduit, as I came to this astounding part of scripture at the beginning of Isaiah 8, I had some questions, what does Isaiah’s son’s name mean, and THEREFOR? What is chapter 8 THERE FOR? Which brought me back to Chapter 7. Chapter 7 is one of the most beloved prophecies in the Bible. Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. For before the boy knows enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be abandoned. (Isaiah 7:14-16) By the time Jesus was 13, or maybe 15– depending on what system being used to establish the “age of reason’, when someone can be responsible for their choices and knowing right from wrong, good from evil—this prophecy was fulfilled. This entire section is PURE PROPHESY and hidden meaning from God to those He loves. Joni Eareckson Tada says, “Faith isn’t the ability to believe long and far into the misty future. It’s simply taking God at his word and taking the next step.” God knows that we need encouragement to build our Faith and so there is MYSTERY in every name, in every location, in every machination…dot, and tittle. God is COMMITTED and FOCUSED on His WILL and HIS PLAN! “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished”. (Matthew 5:18) Let me tell you what the names God used in this story mean to tell you some of the MYSTERY in these verses.Maher-shalal-hash-baz(Swift-the-Spoils-of-War-and-Speedy-Comes-the-Attacker). Another way it could be said is, “swift is the plunder, speedy is the prey”. The reason for this name was so everyone who knew the child or met him would have a constant reminder of the prophecy given. The child was to be a living testament, a walking sermon, to God’s message to His people. They were experiencing the WRATH OF GOD, but as Isaiah’s first son’s name, Shear-jashub was to remind them- There will be a remnant, NOT all will be destroyed. Shear-jashub means a remnant shall escape or return. Now his new son’s name was reminding them that destruction is coming, and it will be full, and it will be fast! For before the child is old enough to say ABBA, it WILL BE DONE! The other 3 names mentioned: Uriah, Zechariah, and Jeberekiah and the respective meaning of their names? Uriah is a masculine Hebrew name meaning “my light is Yahweh” or “flame of God.” Zechariah means, “God remembers.” Jeberechiah means, speaking well of, or kneeling to, the Lord. The Hebrew meaning- God blesses, or specifically, ‘Yah Blesses’. Yahweh was telling the evil king Ahaz, and all that would read HIS WORD after Ahaz, “If you only return to me, I will give you GRACE. Return to me, for I am long-suffering, and I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans for HOPE and a FUTURE”! THE TIME IS NOW, for a WOO RELATIONSHIP with the God of the Universe. It starts on our knees, and then moves into His Word!