#7 - Symbols of People
Part I: Symbolism of People and Places
Isaiah Unplugged Series
A journey into the study of Isaiah and understanding his prophesy, particularly as they relate to you and to me.
Using Symbols
Pulling from his own geography and history, he foreshadows events, types, and patterns for a future time. Take for example, in Isaiah 1:1, Isaiah introduces some of the major cast members of the screenplay of his vision. In particularly, his writings utilize Ahaz and Hezekiah as major symbolic themes and foreshadows of end-time people who characterize these ancient kings. Isaiah himself becomes a symbolic pattern in his production. Furthermore, he uses Judah and Jerusalem not only to reference end-time places, but end-time nations or characteristics of nations, and even symbolize end-time characteristics of people. As we delve into Isaiah’s writings, we will discover even deeper symbolic patterns.
Examples of specific symbolism in Isaiah 1:1 include an introduction to the characters foreshadow end-time roles or people as well as places foreshadow end-time nations or people. Let’s look at these in a broad sense:
- Isaiah – A messenger from God. Throughout his story, he evolves from prophet to savior, from a proxy to seraph or servant.
- Ahaz – A wicked spiritual leader. He is given opportunity to hear and follow God’s direction and yet rejects God’s word and his servant.
- Hezekiah – A righteous spiritual leader. He is called by God and listens to God’s voice and his servant. He serves as a proxy savior for his people.
- Judah – A covenant nation of God. The evolution of Judah goes from rebellion to redemption.
- Jerusalem – A covenant people of God. Jerusalem has a similar evolution to Judah going from rebellion to chastisement and refinement to eventual redemption.
People As Symbols
Different characters throughout Isaiah’s writings provide symbolic foreshadowing or characterization of people who exist today or will come to the scene in the future end-time events. Isaiah uses a variety of individuals that preceded his time as well as those who were his contemporaries. He occasionally even calls out future individuals who will typify future end-time actors. Here are some examples of people he uses throughout his text that overlap and overlay meaning.
Ancestral Fathers
Abraham and Sarah represent the father and mother of the covenant. The Lord declared to Israel, “Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you; for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him,” (Isaiah 51:2). Using these ancestral parents as symbols of end-time servants helps to describe people who carry the covenant. The promises within the Abrahamic covenant are core to the story within Isaiah. And just as the Lord promised that he would save Abraham, he also promised that he would save his people. “Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale” (Isaiah 29:22).
Those nursing fathers and nursing mothers who will bring the scattered children of Israel back to Zion are kings like Abraham and queens like Sarah. In Heber, the name Sarah (שָׂרָה|sä-rä’) means queen and is used in this scripture reference. “Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers” (Isaiah 49:23). In a very real sense, Sarah symbolizes those righteous covenant queens who will help redeem Israel in the last days.
Another covenant father that Isaiah uses as a symbol which predates his own time is Moses. Moses played a significant role in the history of Israel and was seen as a savior of Israel. Throughout Isaiah’s writings are parts and pieces of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. Though Isaiah rarely uses Moses’ name, the imagery he uses often depicts the actions Moses performed in delivering Israel from bondage. Using Moses as a symbol depicts some of the characteristics of an end-time servant.
One of the key characteristics in Isaiah’s screenplay is David, the father of Israel in that he united Israel under one kingdom. He was seen as the deliverer of Israel, and all references to David connect objects or people to this deliverer, in part foreshadowing the Lord. There is reference to the house of David, which often refers to the ruling leaders. Similarly, there is reference to the throne of David, symbolizing the right to rule. All of the kings of Judah after David were called by David’s name in such a manner.
There are additional symbolic reference to David throughout Isaiah’s writings. The tabernacle of David symbolizes the temple, the city of David is Jerusalem, and the God of David refers to Jehovah. Yet one of the most important symbolic aspects of Isaiah’s writings is not his reference to David, per se, but his reference to his character, which foreshadows the coming of a similar Davidic type servant who will unite and redeem Israel like David of old.
Isaiah's Contemporaries
All the people Isaiah uses in his story have deep significance to the people of Israel. They would have instantly understood both the literal and symbolic meanings of his writing. Abraham and Sarah, Moses, and David were all national and religious heroes.
In addition to those ancient fathers and mothers, Isaiah used contemporaries within the kingdom of Judah (particularly among the ruling leadership of the nation) to predict future end-time characters, including himself. Isaiah was a prophet of God for at least 40 years and would have been fairly well-known among the people, though perhaps not always believed. He was a cousin to the kings of Judah and therefore would have had access to the royal courts. Isaiah uses himself as a symbol of an end-time prophet and intermediary to Israel, on which we will elaborate further.
He also used the kings of Judah, particularly Ahaz, the rebellious covenant king, and his son Hezekiah, the obedient covenant king. He uses the actions and characteristics of these two kings as examples of the consequences of covenant curses and covenant promises. He also uses these kings as predictive end-time rulers as antitheses of wicked and righteous end-time leaders, either civil or religious.
Contemporary leaders within the house of Judah aside from the kings are servants of the king. These servants are high-ranking officials within the king’s house. One story in particular is used to describe the fall of one self-serving servant, Shebna, and his replacement with an obedient and righteous servant, Eliakim. The story highlights a symbolic foreshadowing of end-time servants of God. “Thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say, What hast thou here, and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulcher here, as he that heweth him out a sepulcher on high, and that graveth a habitation for himself in a rock” (Isaiah 22:15-16). There will be one or more end-time servants who will have stewardship over the covenant people of God who will be more interested in preserving a name and security for self than the needs of the people.
God will change the affairs of the leadership of the covenant people in modern days just as he did to Jerusalem in ancient days. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah; and I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open” (Isaiah 22:20-22). See how much symbolism is in this section alone?
There are also antagonists to the work of God who are symbolized by people contemporary to Isaiah. Isaiah uses the king of Assyria, Sennacherib, and his servant or general, Rabshekeh, as symbols of the antichrist and his servants who seek to destroy God’s covenant people and city. These two show up most prominently in Isaiah 36-37. As you read those chapters, note the contrasts of this tyrannous king and his blasphemous servant with the righteous king Hezekiah and his prophet Isaiah.
Future Actors to Isaiah
Though Isaiah mostly uses people in his time or prior as symbols of end-time people and characters, there is one man in particular that he predicted by name that would have lived more than six hundred years after Isaiah’s time. This shows the true prophetic insight that Isaiah had. He predicted the coming of Cyrus the Great and his future deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Babylon. Isaiah reference Cyrus in Isaiah 44:28 and 45:1, and accurately predicted his encouragement of the Jewish people to go home and build their temple, “saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid” (Isaiah 44:28).
Yet in the next verse (Isaiah 45:1), Isaiah says that Cyrus is the Lord’s “anointed” and that “he is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure.” This was not the character of Cyrus as he was not the shepherd of the Lord, nor did he even believe in Jehovah. Instead, Isaiah takes opportunity to use Cyrus as a symbol of an end-time servant who will rebuild Jerusalem.
Another future character not mentioned by name in Isaiah’s writings—other than as Jehovah—is Jesus Christ. However, we know that Isaiah saw the life of Jesus Christ and predicted actions he would do. Yet in doing so this serves two purposes. He is predicting the coming of the Lord and his divine intervention for the house of Israel. But he is also predicting and end-time servant who will typify the Savior in preparing the end-day people for the Lord’s second coming.
People and Their Journeys
We’ll take a little deeper look into the three of the main characters in Isaiah’s writings to demonstrate how Isaiah uses these individuals to show a spiritual journey quite unique to each. We’ll follow these paths through quotes of Isaiah’s writings.
Isaiah (God Has Saved): From Prophet to Seraph
Isaiah symbolizes a messenger from God. His spiritual path symbolizes the path of the Davidic servant’s spiritual growth. We see Isaiah’s spiritual path begin as a prophet called from God, “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem” (Isaiah 1:1).
Isaiah as Prophet: His vision was a divine revelation from God and part of his prophetic mission. That prophetic mission is detailed by Isaiah as follows:
I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but they understood not; and see ye indeed, but they perceived not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and convert, and be healed.
Then said I, Lord, how long? And he said, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate. And the Lord have removed men far away, for there shall be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.
Isaiah 6:8-12
As a prophet of God for the people of Israel, Isaiah is used as a type and shadow of things to come. In Isaiah 20 he is used as a type of what will happen to Egypt. “Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia” (Isaiah 20:3). Other prophets have done similar things, such as Ezekiel and Jeremiah.
He is also used as he who forewarns, both in the writing of his book in general and delivering prophetic warnings to the people and their kings. One example of this is Isaiah’s assignment to prophesy to the rebellious king Ahaz.
Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shear-jashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, in the highway of the fuller’s field; and say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, yea, even the son of Tabeal;
Thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.
Isaiah 7:3-9
In this example of Isaiah acting as prophet to Ahaz, we see how Ahaz further rebels against God and receives a covenant curse. Later we will see how his son, Hezekiah, will hearken to Isaiah’s words and receive a covenant promise from God.
Isaiah as Intermediary: During that interaction between Isaiah and Hezekiah mentioned above is where we also see Isaiah elevated from his previous role of a prophet to a role acting as an intermediary between God’s people and the Lord. Though none should stand between us and God, the role of the Davidic servant is to become more like Christ and advocate and intermediate for the people.
When Hezekiah and his people were besieged in Jerusalem by the Assyrian army, the Assyrian officer Rabshekeh stood before the city and threatened their overthrow. When king Hezekiah heard the words of Reshekeh, “he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord” (Isaiah 37:1). Then he immediately sent his emissaries to Isaiah. Isaiah responded that he will “send a blast upon him…, and return to his own land” (Isaiah 37:6-7).
And when the Assyrians start to feel the pressures militarily in other areas of their campaign, they start to put additional pressures on Hezekiah, writing him an ominous missive. Hezekiah took the letter to the temple and laid it out for the Lord to see, pleading for his intercession. In response, Isaiah provided a message to Hezekiah (see Isaiah 37:22-35). Note how in both cases Hezekiah went to God in the temple to seek advice, and in both cases the Lord sent his message through Isaiah. Though it is the role of a prophet to provide messages for the Lord, in this case Isaiah is acting as a communication medium for Hezekiah with the Lord in a similar way that the Savior is the intermediary between us and God. Could the Lord speak directly to Hezekiah? Absolutely, yet Isaiah is showing a pattern of spiritual progression ascending to God in the role he plays as an intermediary for Hezekiah.
He does this in a similar way when Hezekiah had become ill during the besieging of Jeruslaem. In his illness, Hezekiah came near to death, and while laying on his deathbed cried, “Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight” (Isaiah 38:3), and then he wept bitterly. Isaiah again acts as an intercessor to Hezekiah in behalf of the Lord, this time healing Hezekiah of his illness in a similar way that the Lord heals.
Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears; behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city. And this shall be a sign unto thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken; behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.
Isaiah 38:4-8
Isaiah Elevated: As Isaiah progresses along the continuum of spiritual ascent toward Christ, he goes from a prophet to an intermediary or intercessor. We saw these instances in story form in Isaiah interacts with the kings of Judah, first as a prophet to Ahaz and Hezekiah, and then as an intercessor to Hezekiah because of his willingness to hear the voice of a prophet. Notice how he only prophecies in his book directly to the kings, and it is the kings who are responsible for the people.
Then we see Isaiah ascend to an even higher spiritual level, much like a seraph (one of the angels worshiping God on his throne (see Isaiah 6). We get this idea through a change in perspective as Isaiah continues to prophesy. You can see a slight change in Isaiah’s perspective in his prophesying after the interaction with Hezekiah. In Isaiah 40 we begin to see Isaiah prophesying as if he is looking form far above, similar to how a seraph at God’s throne would look down—figuratively—upon the earth.
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field; The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever.
Isaiah 40:1-8
Does it not seem that he is looking from far above? He views the world in such height that the people seem like little blades of grass and their actions like flowers of the field. Later in verse 22 he says that “the inhabitants [of the earth] are as grasshoppers.” So as Isaiah continues his service of God, he ascends higher along the continuum of spiritual progression toward God, moving form one position to another. We’ll discuss this spiritual continuum a little more as we discuss the symbolism of places.
Ahaz (Possessor): Foreshadow of Rebellious Covenant Leaders
Ahaz is a symbol of one or more wicked end-time leaders of Judah. This symbolizes those who have covenanted to rule God’s people but fail to do so righteously, whether in the political or the spiritual arena. Ahaz’ journey through the book demonstrates rebellion from God as a person, but also as a nation, and then the spiritual consequences of such.
Isaiah condemns the children of Israel stating, “Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood. Inflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clefts of the rocks” (Isaiah 574-5). We may begin to wonder what Isaiah saw in his day to make him throw out such accusations, not only in his day but for our day as well. As we begin to understand who Ahaz was, we begin to understand Isaiah’s viewpoint.
Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord his God, like David his father. But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel. And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
2 Kings 16:2-4
Note the similarity of Isaiah’s writings with that in 2 Kings. Ahaz followed the example of his peers, the kings of Israel. They not only worshiped idols, but they sacrificed their children by fire to their false Gods. This was the state of Ahaz when the kings of Israel and Syria sought to overthrow Ahaz. Isaiah was sent with his son to prophesy to Ahaz (see Isaiah 7:3) and was asked to give Ahaz a sign. Ahaz stated, “I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.” Given that context, is it any wonder that Isaiah was impatient with his response. He replied, “Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign” (Isaiah 7:12-14).
Ahaz’ rebellion was not his alone, but the rebellion of an entire nation. His journey is a foreshadowing of the rebellion of modern Israel—the modern covenant people of Christ—to Jehovah. “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me” (Isaiah 1:2). Perhaps it is not coincidental that Isaiah declared an oracle against Babylon (which included a forewarning to all aspects of spiritual Babylon, including Jerusalem) in the year that king Ahaz died (see Isaiah 14:28). We will see how the descendants of Ahaz and those Israelites would suffer the covenant curses of their fathers.
Hezekiah (Strengthened of God): Foreshadow of a Davidic King
Interestingly, Hezekiah’s birth was predicted immediately after Ahaz refused to receive a sign from Isaiah. The sign happened to be a prediction of Hezekiah. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign,” Isaiah said. “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and to choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings” (Isaiah 7:14-16).
You may be surprised that this prophesy refers to Hezekiah, because it specifically refers to the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ. And that is true, yet Isaiah’s prophecies often have multiple fulfillment. What kind of sign would it be to receive a prophecy of 600 years later? To Ahaz, that would make little sense, nor would he care. Though עַלְמָה|äl-mä’ can be translated as “virgin” it means damsel or a young woman of marriageable age, or a young woman that was recently married. It most likely is a sign that a woman whom Ahaz recently married or would soon marry would bear a son. That son was Hezekiah.
Hezekiah represents a righteous end-time leader of the covenant people of God. He serves as one of the types of the end-time Davidic servant. He was in many ways opposite to his father.
Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did.
2 Kings 18:1-3
Where Ahaz worshipped idol gods and sacrificed children in the fire, Hezekiah rebuilt the altars of the Lord and tore down those high places in which Ahaz and the people worship. “He clave to the Lord, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments” (2 Kings 18:6). Hezekiah’s journey as a righteous servant of God and ruler of the house of Israel was not an easy journey. While king of Israel, Jerusalem was besieged by the Assyrians. Up to that point, Assyria has swept through the northern and southern kingdom of Israel without so much as breaking a sweat until they encamped around Jerusalem. Isaiah prophesied the Assyrian would say in his heart, “My hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people; and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped” (Isaiah 10:14).
One of the roles we see Hezekiah perform is as an intercessor for his people. Just as Isaiah served as an intercessor for king Hezekiah, in turn Hezekiah interceded in behalf of his people. Remember how he took the threatening epistle of the Assyrian general before the Lord in the temple. Hezekiah plead to God for his people.
O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubim, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline thine ear, O Lord, and hear; open thine eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he hath sent to reproach the living God. Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone; therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord, even thou only.
Isaiah 37:16-20
As Hezekiah intervened in behalf of his people, the Lord answered his prayer. “Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord. For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake” (Isaiah 37:33-35).
That prayer of Hezekiah is only part of the intercession that he performed for his people. Hezekiah’s story is one that shows symbolism of how an end-time Davidic servant would intercede for the modern house of Israel. Isaiah shows how Hezekiah goes through a very challenging descent both physically and spiritually before he ascends again and intercedes for his people. “In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live” (2 Kings 20:1). Isaiah recorded Hezekiah’s lament:
I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave; I am deprived of the residue of my years. I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord, in the land of the living; I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world. Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd’s tent; I have cut off like a weaver my life; he will cut me off with pining sickness; from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones; from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. Like a crane or swallow, so did I chatter; I did mourn as a dove; mine eyes fail with looking upward; O Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me.
Isaiah 38:10-14
You can see how disappointed he is that he sought the Lord to see his face in this life, but now comes the realization that his life is over. And not only does he suffer spiritually with the loss of this opportunity, he suffers physically near to death. But then there is a change in the way he speaks. It is clear that at that point he not only sees a change in his health and prospects of recovery, but he has a spiritual experience that changes his perspective. I believe that he received his wish to see the face of God.
What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath healed me. I shall go softly all my years, that I may not walk in the bitterness of my soul. Oh Lord, thou who art the life of my spirit, in whom I live; so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live; and in all these things I will praise thee. Behold, I had great bitterness instead of peace, but thou hast in love to my soul, saved me from the pit of corruption, for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee; they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day; the father to the children shall make known thy truth. The Lord was ready to save me; therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.
Isaiah 38:15-20
The process of descent before ascent demonstrates how one moves along the continuum of spiritual progression toward the Lord from lower to higher levels. The same can go in reverse as we saw with Ahaz. All of the people Isaiah uses as symbolic references to end-time individuals or types demonstrate some type of descent which leads to an ascent toward God, or the opposite, an ascent which turns into a descent as they rebel against God.