How does the Lord shave the hair of the legs in Isaiah 7:20
A skeptic says that there is a verse in Isaiah 7 stating that the Lord shaves the hair of the legs—so how can the Lord do this? Isn’t this considered disrespectful? The verse says
In that day the Lord will shave with a hired razor, with those from beyond the River—by the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the legs, and it will also remove the beard
Let us read the preceding verses
7:17 The Lord will bring upon you and your people and your father’s house days that have not come since the day Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria.
7:18 And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will whistle for the fly that is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
7:19 They will come, and all of them will rest in the desolate valleys, in the clefts of the rocks, on all thorns, and in all pastures.
He likened the armies of Egypt to flies, known to be found along the banks of the Nile, numerous but weak at that time. He also likened the army of Assyria to bees, as it was a strong, organized army with strict military policy. Yet both, in the sight of the Lord, are as weak as insects—if the people had relied on the Lord. He says they will come and settle in the valleys of Judah, destroying the pastures, and then continues with the verse in question:
7:20 In that day the Lord will shave with a hired razor, with those from beyond the River—by the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the legs, and it will also remove the beard.
Using the same figurative style, it says that Ahaz hired the king of Assyria, as if he had hired a razor. The idea of hiring is explained in 2 Kings 16:
16:7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.”
16:8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria
So the “hired razor” refers to Ahaz hiring the king of Assyria. Here we see that the Lord used that instrument—that is, the king of Assyria—to humble Ahaz. We also note that shaving the beard is a sign of humiliation, as captives were forced to do so against their will
Shaving the hair, as mentioned in Psalm 133
133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity
133:2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments
133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing—life forevermore
And glory be to God, Lord of lords and King of kings
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