Isaiah's children

“Here I am, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.” Isaiah 8:18
There are several people in the Bible who were told what to name their children, and Isaiah is one of them. Both of his sons had prophetic names. First there was Shear-Jashub (Isa. 7:3), which means ‘a remnant will return’. This is a theme throughout the book of Isaiah (Isa. 10:21) and indeed throughout the whole Bible. Isaiah was instructed by God to take his son Shear-Jashub to meet the king while the city was under attack from Rezin king of Aram and Pekah king of Israel. Imagine the impact that Isaiah would have had upon the king by introducing his son, ‘a remnant will return’. God still had His hand upon the nation of Judah; He would preserve a remnant even through seventy years of captivity.
Isaiah’s second son was called Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (Isa. 8:1-3). This name means ‘quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil’. He was named as a sign that within a few short years, the northern kingdom would be taken away into captivity in Assyria.
Isaiah’s own name means ‘Jah (a shortened version of Jehovah) has saved’. Every time Isaiah introduced himself and his sons, the people would be reminded of the messages: God would be their Saviour, their enemies would be defeated, and although they themselves would go into captivity later, God would ensure that a remnant would return.
There’s application here for us too. Our families ought to be witnesses to those around us of the reality of God. People should notice that we are different – not in a weird kind of way, but the love, joy, peace etc. that we have in the Lord.