After faithfully relaying the Lord's warning regarding falling into a spirit of fear and regarding placing their trust in Assyria (or in anyone or anything except Him), Isaiah says to the people, "Bind up this testimony of warning and seal up God's instruction among my disciples." (Isaiah 8:16) The word of God is true. Everything He has foretold will take place exactly as He said it would.
However, not everyone will heed this warning. In fact, most of the people won't heed this warning. But Isaiah purposes in his heart to believe that the Lord is true to His word. Isaiah intends to keep his trust in Him. "I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding His face from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my trust in Him." (Isaiah 8:17)
Isaiah is waiting for the Lord to prove the message true. Isaiah told the people exactly what the Lord said to tell them. They can either accept or reject the message, but the message won't change. Many people scoffed at the Lord's prophets but Isaiah will be proven as a prophet of the Lord when the things he's predicted come true.
Two of the things he's predicted are reflected in the names of his sons, to whom he makes reference next. "Here am I, 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)
The name of Isaiah's son Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz means "hurry to the plunder". This is a reference to how the nation of Assyria, in whom Judah has put her trust, will attack and plunder Judah's enemies Israel and Aram, and it is also a reference to how Assyria will attack and plunder Judah. Israel and Aram will fall to Assyria, whereas the Lord will allow Assyria to plague Judah but not take the city of Jerusalem. The Lord had said that before Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz is old enough to say "mama" or "dada", this prophecy will come true.
The name of Isaiah's firstborn son, Shear-Jashub, means "a remnant shall return". This is a promise that although Israel will fall to Assyria and most of her citizens will be deported, and that although Judah will eventually fall to an enemy (Babylon) and most of her citizens will be deported, this is not the end of the descendants of Jacob. A number of them will return and rebuild after a time. The sign that this will really happen is that, as the Lord said, before Shear-Jashub is old enough to know right from wrong, Judah's enemies Israel and Aram will no longer be a threat.
These prophecies both came true within about three years: Israel and Aram fell to Assyria; Assyria began plaguing Judah. But the fact that these prophecies came true is the proof that all of Isaiah's other prophecies are going to come true. The people will return. The people will rebuild. The Promised One will be born of the line of David.
The Apostle Paul, who is believed to have been the author of the book of Hebrews, ascribed verse 18 to the Promised One when he used the words "Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me" in reference to the Lord Jesus Christ and His church in Hebrews 2:13. So we see that Isaiah's prophecy was twofold: it regarded the prophecies symbolized by the names of his own sons and it also regarded the prophecy of God's own Son. Because the prophecies symbolized by Isaiah's sons came true, the prophecies about the advent of the Promised One were also going to come true---and indeed they have come true!
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