The Isaiah Oracles - 1 of 4
The Sign of the Savior
Isaiah 7:10-17
Have you ever read the children’s book called Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. It’s about a little boy whose day starts out bad and goes downhill from there. He gets gum in his hair, gets his sweater wet in the sink, trips over his skateboard and doesn’t win a prize in his box of cereal, and that’s all before breakfast! He knew it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
Then he goes to school and his teacher doesn’t like his drawing of an invisible castle, he doesn’t get a dessert in his lunch and his best friend doesn’t want to be his best friend anymore. After school his mom buys him plain white sneakers instead of the ones with red and blue racing stripes, his dentist finds a cavity, there are lima beans for dinner, and he gets soap in his eyes when taking his bath. In frustration, he finally says, "I think I’ll move to Australia."
We can all relate to this book because we’ve all had days like Alexander. Days when nothing works out the way we want it to, or people just dump their issues on us, and by the time we finally collapse into bed at night. . . we’re just plain mad.
Well, the situation in Israel and Judah was at that point. Especially for King Ahaz, the king of Judah. He was in a situation where there was no way out. There were TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAYS staring him in the face.
As we move towards Christmas, we will be looking at the writings of Isaiah, as he lived and wrote during the time of Israel’s exile and the beginning of the end for Judah. During his ministry, which lasted about 40 years, Isaiah wrote many prophecies which we lift up as very important in the Christian world because Isaiah wrote at length about the coming Messiah, Jesus.
Just after Isaiah answered the call of God, he was thrust into the volatile political nightmare that existed for the kingdom of Judah. Remember, Judah was the southern kingdom, split off from what once was a united nation, Israel.
In the first verses of Isaiah 7, we learn that King Ahaz and the people of Judah are in trouble. You see, the king of Israel, Pekah, and the king of Syria, Rezin were marching to destroy Judah.
Verse 2 tells us hoSLIDEw they felt, the hearts of Ahaz and the hearts of his people trembled like trees of a forest shaking in a wind. Talk about feeling pretty discouraged at the situation.
At some point in our lives, all of us will face desperate times. All kinds of circumstances can combine to bring us to the brink, where our options are few and time is running out. And we begin to tremble like the branches of a tree being blown by the wind. In other words, we have no control of our fear. We’re over come by it.
What caused this fear in Ahaz?
1. He was not godly.
Ahaz was likely in his early 20’s when he faced this national crisis. He had a godly father and grandfather, but he didn’t follow their path.
We don’t know why Ahaz went down a different path. Maybe he thought his dad and granddad’s ways were old school and he would bring in a new era. Or maybe Ahaz simply never bought into the God of his fathers. But this much is clear – when Ahaz became king at age 20 (2 Kings 16:2), he was religious; but there was no relationship with God. God seemed to be one option on the buffet table of political expedience.
So when trouble came knocking, Ahaz had no spiritual resources upon which to stand. He hadn’t spent time cultivating a trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He hadn’t developed his faith for the test, so he failed and his failure impacted his entire nation. 2 Kings 16 says it all about the reign of Ahaz: he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God (2 Kings 16:2).
2. He was afraid of attack.
In 734 B.C., Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel joined forces to invade Judah. This alliance was formed because the mighty Assyrian army was destroying all the nations around them. The Assyrians were ruthless and gobbled up city after city as they expanded their kingdom.
Israel, against the counsel of God’s prophets, formed an alliance with Syria in an effort to defend against what they knew was coming. But they weren’t strong enough, so they attacked Judah with the goal of deposing Ahaz and placing their own king on the throne. They had already taken over a quarter million prisoners back to Israel with them. Ahaz is panic-stricken by what looks like the imminent invasion of Syria and Israel.
3. A wanted to get involved in a foolish solution.
In 2 Kings 16 Ahaz began to formulate his own alliance . . . it won’t be with Israel and Syria, his alliance would be with Assyria!
Ahaz’s reasoning almost makes sense: ‘If Syria and Israel take us, I will be removed, imprisoned, and probably killed. But maybe if I can buy Assyria’s good favor by sending them money and submit to them before they take us by force, I will survive, as will Judah.’
It sounds good on paper; but as he will soon find out, this is like a mouse trying to gain help from a cat to help him fight against two rats. In the end, he still gets eaten.
At this point, Isaiah enters with a word from God. Verse 3 tells us that the prophet finds the king doing a careful inspection of Jerusalem’s water supply as he evaluates whether Judah can hold out until Assyria comes to the rescue.
Isaiah gave Ahaz some much needed insight,
3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool.
4 Say to him, ’Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood — because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Pekah.
5 Syria and Israel have plotted your ruin, saying, 6 "Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it."
7 Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: " ’It will not take place, it will not happen, 8 within 65 years Israel will be too shattered to be a people.
9 If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’ "
What great words from Isaiah to this scared king. Words which will ultimately lead him to prophesy about the coming Messiah, Jesus.
God used Isaiah to help Ahaz and us understand some where God is:
God always has a message for us in when we’re in trouble. How many times has God used seemingly incidental things to remind us He is present with us? He’s intimately involved in our lives, handling more than we can see, involved, intervening, healing, directing — if only we have the spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear?
Here is the king and his attendants, busily and earnestly inspecting the security of the water supply when up walks Isaiah hand-in-hand with his young son. Hebrew names were often common words that conveyed a certain meaning or purpose to the hearer. Isaiah’s name means “Yahweh is salvation,” and Shear-jashub’s name means “a remnant shall remain.” Standing before Ahaz, this father and son were a living reminder of God’s ability to save and preserve His people.
Do you think Ahaz got the message? How about you? What has God been trying to get across to you lately? How many times have we wondered where God is in the midst of our storm, when someone is right there giving us an answer, giving us a hand, but we’re too busy checking out the water supply to be aware. This is why Isaiah said these great words in verse 4,
4 BE CAREFUL, KEEP CALM and DON’T BE AFRAID. DO NOT LOSE HEART because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood — because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Pekah. .
In other words, there’s no need to investigate your defenses or make heroic decisions or form questionable alliances.
It’s as if Isaiah was saying, ‘Ahaz don’t you realize who you’re dealing with? Rezin has jurisdiction over Syria; Pekah has jurisdiction over Israel. But I rule the world. Syria and Israel are just smoldering stubs of firebrands. There’s smoke, but no fire! In 65 short years, they will be rubble! Ahaz, you have heard their pledge to conquer Judah. Now I will tell you what will happen: Nothing! They are no threat to you! They will never attack! Stop living by sight and start believing that if I am for you, no one can be against you. Trust me!”
Don’t we need to do the same when we’re in those tight situations? We need to stop, calm down, don’t fear, don’t lose heart. Because our God is with us, He’s not about to abandon us.
But, do you believe this about God — that what you fear most is not too difficult for Him? Will you trust Him when the chips are down and your resources are spent and your tired and its tense at home? Isaiah adds an incentive that is so important:
If you don’t fight the fight of faith, everything in your life will come unglued.
Verse 9 states this spiritual principle: If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all.
If you don’t nail down your confidence in God … if you don’t hold fast to the One who made you and promises to be with you, the One who promised never to fail you, then you will be winging it without Him. If you will not trust God, you will not make it.
But if you will lean on God, if you move, even a step toward God, He promises to meet you, and you’ll get all the help you need. If you will depend on Him, He will meet you right where you are, and help you take the next step and the next and the next. But you must stand firm, standing firm with faith in Him.
God was calling Ahaz to align himself to the spiritual reality: “I am with you, today, tomorrow and always.” God was asking him to be a follower of God first, and then a politician; to be a man of faith rather than a man of sight; to believe in God rather than trusting in his resources.
And it’s at this moment that something so amazing, so outright incredible is uttered that if it wasn’t printed in God’s Word we wouldn’t believe it. For right here, in the surrounded city of Jerusalem, with all kinds of pressures and fears crowding in on Ahaz, Isaiah describes God’s Christmas intentions in ways that puts hope in our hearts.
First comes the set up. Look at v. 10-11: 10 Then the LORD spoke again to Ahaz: 11 "Ask for a sign from the LORD your God — from the depths of Sheol to the heights of heaven."
Do you see what’s being offered to Ahaz? God said, ‘Trust Me! And to show you that I’m more than able to handle your dilemma, ask Me for a sign. And Ahaz, make it a real zinger. Reach for the stars. Let your imagination run wild on this one. You name it, and I’ll show you what I’m capable of.’
Now, with that offer from God, Ahaz plays it really coy. He sounds really religious and says, ‘I won’t test the Lord.’ That sounds pious, but I think God was calling his bluff, and he knew it. Besides, Ahaz had already made his mind up . . . call the Assyrians and ask for help.
Now it was Isaiah’s time to speak for God. He turns from talking to the king only, and addresses all of the Hebrews who were wondering what Ahaz was doing inspecting the water supply. Isaiah said: 13Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you also try the patience of my God?
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
God Himself will perform this sign. The Lord Himself will give you a sign. Isaiah strongly emphasizes God will personally see to the details. This won’t have any other plausible explanation other than the miraculous hand of God. The miracle is supposed to get our attention.
This sign has the purpose of proving that God can do whatever He wills, regardless of what we’re up against. The word sign in Hebrew is defined as a signal or a beacon — it’s something which is obvious so that we’re pointed in the right direction. In this statement from Isaiah, the purpose is to point us to a deeper truth, namely that God is intervening, that He’s at work, that He’s on duty, accomplishing what He intends to happen is going to happen.
This sign involves the birth of a son after an impossible pregnancy. The word for virgin in v. 14 refers to an unmarried woman who hadn’t had sexual relations with a man. Isaiah is telling Ahaz and us to be looking for a miracle of creation that transcends natural laws. ‘Ahaz, look around you, see if you can find a pregnant woman, but one who has never been married and has been chaste in all her dealings with men. You see, Ahaz, this is My work. I am the Cause. See it as evidence, as a sign that I will do all that I purpose and no one can stop Me.’
The name Immanuel literally means, “The mighty God with us.” In other words, it is God Himself who is coming. He will dwell among us. He will set right what is wrong. He is changing everything.
“Don’t doubt Ahaz; believe! If My Spirit can overshadow a virgin, and My power rest upon her so that what is conceived in her is from Me, then I can protect you from any danger you face, provide for any need you have, and guide you to the exact center of My will. Trust me, Ahaz. Don’t rely on what men or armies or coalition forces can do. Lean on Me!”
Seven hundred years after Isaiah spoke these words, a teenage girl who was betrothed to marry a man named Joseph had a visit from an angel, who told her that she was to be the human vehicle through whom the Messiah of God would come. And somewhere in the confusion of this surprising and miraculous pregnancy, we read the quote from an old prophet, who stood toe-to-toe with a king and announced to anyone who had ears to hear, “There is nothing too difficult for God. He is coming to this very city. It will be for all people. Trust Him with your problems, believe His promises, hang on when it feels too hard to hang on—and you will see what God can do.”
