Isaiah 8:9, commentary and pictures

To bind together in companies and to arm and strengthen for opposition, whether near or from far countries, is certain to end in being shattered and broken in pieces. Every people who bands together against God will be broken, and their plotting, counsels, decrees and word will come to nothing and not stand, because God is with His faithful people and messengers. Satan's confederacy of evil may assault God's people and saints but it can advance only in the course marked out for it and cannot finally prevail, but will ultimately be destroyed. The verse calls everyone to stand in his own lot and do God's work with an eye single to His glory, refusing to walk in the way of that people, not calling it a confederacy when they call it a confederacy, neither fearing their fear nor being afraid, but sanctifying the Lord of hosts as fear and dread and sanctuary, and keeping distinct from intimate cooperation with unbelievers and idolaters. Workers, councils and leaders who leave Christ out and combine in rings to sustain one another in wrong principles, reject heaven-sent messages, set up false waymarks, and confederate in selfish and dishonest dealing will find their association broken no matter how they gird themselves, for their gain is not accepted by God and their transactions are recorded in heaven to their loss.

Opposing Alliances Surely Broken

To associate and gird is to bind up in companies, to unite together and to arm and strengthen for opposition, whether near at hand or among all of far countries, and the threefold repetition of gird yourselves and ye shall be broken in pieces stresses the certainty of the outcome. Gathering and preparing to oppose will not make plans prevail, for confederacies and rings formed to sustain one another in wrong principles and to uphold false waymarks and false paths will fail. Such rings voice and echo one another's words, take counsel together apart from God, leave Christ out of their councils, give a wrong mold to the work, and lead minds not firmly established into strange paths, yet they shall be broken in pieces.

All peoples who band together and arm themselves against God will be shattered and broken in pieces. Their plotting comes to nothing, their counsels and decrees do not stand, and their word shall not stand, because God is with His faithful people and messengers. This covers the united schemes of hostile peoples and powers and nations, including peoples of far countries who join together, and it covers the confederacy of evil in opposition to God's truth, which can assault God's people and saints but cannot finally prevail and will ultimately be destroyed. Its counsel shall come to nought, its efforts to stand will fail and be brought to ruin, and confederacies formed by workers to support false principles cannot provide security.

To associate and gird apart from God in supposed independence of His Spirit, His will, His providences and plans is not freedom but slavery to a power in rebellion against God. Turning from truth to exalt self in opposition to His purposes brings divine judgment and abandonment. Those who so take counsel together shall be broken, their counsel together shall come to nought and their word shall not stand, for God is with His people.

Satanic Confederacy Defeated Finally

Isaiah 8:9 exposes the confederacy of evil under Satan, the united schemes of hostile peoples and powers banded against God and His saints. That array can assault God's people, arming itself and joining together from far countries, but it cannot finally prevail. Its counsel shall come to nothing and its word shall not stand, for God is with His people, and the confederacy itself shall be broken in pieces and ultimately destroyed.

The evil array can advance only in the course marked out for it by Jesus, and therefore God's people can look calmly upon the whole array. Every step of its advance brings the saints nearer the end of their conflict and nearer the successful termination of their warfare. Every such step brings them nearer the great white throne. They meet its assaults in the same spirit in which Jesus met the prince of darkness, knowing that because Christ lives they shall live also. This holds even when Satan employs his agencies to carry out diabolical devices to overpower the saints, as he once used the Roman power to stay the course of Protestantism.

In its last-days application the verse covers strange fallacies and human-made theories arising to oppose God. It covers human alliances and deceitful schemes set against His purpose, and all efforts to make them stand will fail and be brought to nothing. God will expose their deceit and wrongdoing and bring them to ruin. He will expose the robbery and corruption behind them, with judgment already falling on some cities.

Faithful Separation and Duty

Everyone is to stand in his own lot and place and do God's work with an eye single to His glory. That standing requires steel-like firmness in facing and reproving wrong. It requires refusing to walk in the way of that people who band together against God. It requires not calling it a confederacy when they call it a confederacy, neither fearing their fear nor being afraid. It requires sanctifying the Lord of hosts Himself, letting Him be fear and dread, and He shall be for a sanctuary.

This separation means keeping distinct from intimate cooperation with unbelievers and idolaters that requires harmony in spirit and action. It forbids intermarriage, confederacy, and connection with Free Masons and other secret societies. It requires being Christians everywhere by the standard of God's Word.

The same word warns workers, councils, and publishing leaders who leave Christ out of their counsels. Such men combine in rings to echo one another's words and sustain one another in wrong principles, upholding false waymarks and false paths. They reject heaven-sent messages and ridicule God's message and messengers because the truth does not coincide with their ideas. They set up false waymarks and signboards pointing in the wrong direction and in strange paths. Thereby they lead minds not firmly established away from safe paths, mold the work to the loss of souls, and bring perils. Though they come from far countries, take counsel together and speak the word, their confederacies cannot provide security but will fail and bring ruin. That promise holds when leaders block God's work and when workers live in disharmony and contrary to God's Spirit.

It also declares that when men in positions of responsibility confederate in selfish and dishonest dealing, their association will be broken no matter how they gird themselves for their purpose. Their confederating includes concealing facts, making misstatements, practicing fraud, taking advantage of those who do not understand their secret plottings, and refusing to unite in the most holy faith. Their gain is not accepted by God, and every such transaction is recorded in heaven to their loss. Confederating to support such wrongdoing threatens the integrity of those who take part, so the safe course is to seek God's earnest counsel and remain faithful to gospel principles.