Isaiah 7: 1 – 25
Immanuel – God With Us
1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but could not prevail against it. 2 And it was told to the house of David, saying, “Syria’s forces are deployed in Ephraim.” So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, 4 and say to him: ‘Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, 6 “Let us go up against Judah and trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel”— 7 thus says the Lord GOD: “ It shall not stand, nor shall it come to pass. 8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken, so that it will not be a people. 9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.” 10 Moreover the LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 “Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!” 13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. 15 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings. 17 The LORD will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah.” 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. 19 They will come, and all of them will rest in the desolate valleys and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all thorns and in all pastures. 20 In the same day the Lord will shave with a hired razor, with those from beyond the River, with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the legs, and will also remove the beard. 21 It shall be in that day that a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep; 22 So it shall be, from the abundance of milk they give, that he will eat curds; For curds and honey everyone will eat who is left in the land. 23 It shall happen in that day, that wherever there could be a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, it will be for briers and thorns. 24 With arrows and bows men will come there, because all the land will become briers and thorns. 25 And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briers and thorns; But it will become a range for oxen and a place for sheep to roam.
Today, we are going to take a look at the Wisdom of God. Later on in the book of Isaiah chapter 55 our Great and All – Knowing God informs us that we do not even scratch the surface in understanding His Great Thoughts and Ways, “ 8 “ For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. 9 “ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
As you know, The Holy Adoni Yahweh loved David and gave him this amazing promise as recorded in the book of 2 Samuel 7, “1 Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies all around, 2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.” 3 Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.” 4 But it happened that night that the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, 5 “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? 6 For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle. 7 Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’ 8 Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. 10 Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, 11 since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the LORD tells you that He will make you a house. 12 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.”17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.”
Please note that our Lord tells David that even when his descendents are bad, God will still honor His Covenant with David. He informed David that He would chasten the disobedient grandsons yet still honor His Promise to David. So, we now come to one of those disobedient kings that the Lord had spoken of. How would God remain the Just, Righteous, and Holy God and still be able to honor His vow to David especially dealing with a totally rebellious person.
1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but could not prevail against it. 2 And it was told to the house of David, saying, “Syria’s forces are deployed in Ephraim.” So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.
The nation of Judah was about to be attacked by their relatives [Israel] and the nation of Syria principally because the king of Judah, Ahaz, refused to join them to go fight against the nation of Assyria. You can understand how scared he is which affected the whole nation – ‘So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.’ He was shaking like a leaf.
You do not mess with God and get away with it. The decision that Israel and Syria made was a big mistake. In the book of Zachariah chapter 12 nations are warned that if you mess with Jerusalem it will be to them ‘a cup of trembling’. The Mighty King will destroy all nations that come against His city, “1 The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: 2 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. 4 In that day,” says the LORD, “I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the LORD of hosts, their God.’ 6 In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem.7 “The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. 8 In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them. 9 It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”
Behind the scenes our Precious Jehovah Elyon – The Lord Most High – was please with Ahaz’s refusal in joining the alliance He sent His prophet to encourage the king to trust The Blessed El Shadai – Almighty God – for protection. All kings were required to write down for themselves God’s Word. If Ahaz did so he would have come upon numerous Scriptures that talked about God’s Faithfulness to honor His Promises. An example would be in Psalm 89 which reads, “1 I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations. 2 For I have said, “Mercy shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens.” 3 “I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David: 4 ‘Your seed I will establish forever, and build up your throne to all generations.’” Selah 5 And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints. 6 For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD? 7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those around Him. 8 O LORD God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. 9 You rule the raging of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them. 10 You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one who is slain; You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm. 11 The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all its fullness, You have founded them. 12 The north and the south, You have created them; Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your Name. 13 You have a mighty arm; Strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand. 14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face. 15 Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance. 16 In Your name they rejoice all day long, and in Your righteousness they are exalted. 17 For You are the glory of their strength, and in Your favor our horn is exalted. 18 For our shield belongs to the LORD, and our king to the Holy One of Israel. 19 Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one, and said: “I have given help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people. 20 I have found My servant David; With My holy oil I have anointed him, 21 With whom My hand shall be established; Also My arm shall strengthen him. 22 The enemy shall not outwit him, nor the son of wickedness afflict him. 23 I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague those who hate him. 24 “But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him, and in My name his horn shall be exalted. 25 Also I will set his hand over the sea, and his right hand over the rivers. 26 He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.’ 27 Also I will make him My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. 28 My mercy I will keep for him forever, and My covenant shall stand firm with him. 29 His seed also I will make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven. 30 “If his sons forsake My law and do not walk in My judgments, 31 If they break My statutes and do not keep My commandments, 32 Then I will punish their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. 33 Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, nor allow My faithfulness to fail. 34 My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. 35 Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David: 36 His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before Me; 37 It shall be established forever like the moon, even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah 38 But You have cast off and abhorred, you have been furious with Your anointed. 39 You have renounced the covenant of Your servant; You have profaned his crown by casting it to the ground. 40 You have broken down all his hedges; You have brought his strongholds to ruin. 41 All who pass by the way plunder him; He is a reproach to his neighbors. 42 You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries; You have made all his enemies rejoice. 43 You have also turned back the edge of his sword, and have not sustained him in the battle. 44 You have made his glory cease, and cast his throne down to the ground. 45 The days of his youth You have shortened; You have covered him with shame. Selah 46 How long, LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath burn like fire? 47 Remember how short my time is; For what futility have You created all the children of men? 48 What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave? Selah 49 Lord, where are Your former lovingkindnesses, Which You swore to David in Your truth? 50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of Your servants— How I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many peoples, 51 With which Your enemies have reproached, O LORD, with which they have reproached the footsteps of Your anointed. 52 Blessed be the LORD forevermore! Amen and Amen.”
He wanted Ahaz to know that the only true and living God Is Faithful to fulfill His Promises ‘God Is with Him’ [Immanuel].
3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, 4 and say to him: ‘Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, 6 “Let us go up against Judah and trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel”— 7 thus says the Lord GOD: “ It shall not stand, nor shall it come to pass. 8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken, so that it will not be a people. 9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.”
It is easy to say something but to back it up is another matter. Mere words are cheap. However, our Great God has proven over and over that He means what He says, and says what He means to do. You can trust Him. I love our Holy Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when confronted with a paraplegic in front of all the religious phonies. Look at His Greatness in proving that what He says is solid truth as revealed in chapter 9 of the Gospel of Matthew, “ 1 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. 2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”3 And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 7 And he arose and departed to his house. 8 Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.”
One thing I have learned in life is that there are no ‘coincidences’. When our Lord does something, make sure you take a hard thoughtful look at everything and everyone involved in our Lord’s actions. First of all, who did the Lord send with Isaiah to meet king Ahaz? The person accompanying Isaiah was his son ‘a remnant shall return’.[ Shear-Jashub ].
What ‘s the point? You see our Lord know All Things. He knows that Ahaz is going to turn away and not trust Him so He Is telling the king his future. You see Ahaz did not trust the Lord so he decided to contact the king of Assyria and tried to make a deal with him to prevent the attack of Israel and Syria. Look at what happened as revealed in the book of 2 Chronicles 28, “16 At the same time King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria to help him. 17 For again the Edomites had come, attacked Judah, and carried away captives. 18 The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Sochoh with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages; and they dwelt there. 19 For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the LORD. 20 Also Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came to him and distressed him, and did not assist him. 21 For Ahaz took part of the treasures from the house of the LORD, from the house of the king, and from the leaders, and he gave it to the king of Assyria; but he did not help him.”
Our Holy Ruler was telling his unfaithful servant that He would honor His part of the bargain or contract while Ahaz wasn’t. Our Lord was doing everything to encourage Ahaz to trust Him. Does the statement ‘the son of Tabel’, seem confusing? Our Lord was pointing out to Ahaz how the Israelites and Syrians were mocking him. Tabel means ‘good for nothing’. They want to install a ‘good for nothing’ person to replace Ahaz. Kind of tells you Ahaz’s value, doesn’t it?
Our Lord was telling Ahaz that He Is aware of the evil scheme. If you notice the end of verse 9 which indicated our Lord’s pre-knowledge and warning of not obeying him – ‘If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.”
So, for the benefit of the leaders and people standing around the king they would see that the Lord Is prophesying the imminent attack yet with it a promise that there will be a group that survives.
Also, please notice the place where our Lord instructed Isaiah to meet Ahaz. - “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, Do you know of its significance? How about I take you back in history to the book of 1 Kings chapter 1 and see its importance, “28 Then King David answered and said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 And the king took an oath and said, “As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from every distress, 30 just as I swore to you by the LORD God of Israel, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ so I certainly will do this day.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and paid homage to the king, and said, “Let my lord King David live forever!” 32 And King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king. 33 The king also said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. 34 There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel; and blow the horn, and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, and he shall be king in my place. For I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.” 36 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen! May the LORD God of my lord the king say so too. 37 As the LORD has been with my lord the king, even so may He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.” 38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and took him to Gihon. 39 Then Zadok the priest took a horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the horn, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” 40 And all the people went up after him; and the people played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth seemed to split with their sound.”
Okay, you still do not see. Remember, our Holy Lord promised David that his throne would last forever. Who was the person selected by God to succeed David? The answer is Solomon. Where did they anoint the new kings? Aha! Now you hopefully see the answer. Our Holy Master sent His prophet and Isaiah’s son to the pool which means peaceful waters and where new kings descended from David are anointed as the new leaders. Here again our Lord was demonstrating to Ahaz His Faithfulness in protecting and delivering the Jews from all enemies as reflected in the continual succession of kings from David’s lineage.
10 Moreover the LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 “Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!”
Please notice that Ahaz was invited by God Almighty to ask Him for a sign that God would do as He promised. Now at first reading you might think that Ahaz was being polite or humble in his response. But in truth, he insulted God all his life. I want to read to you just this from the book of 2 Kings chapter 28, “22 Now in the time of his distress King Ahaz became increasingly unfaithful to the LORD. This is that King Ahaz. 23 For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him, saying, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. 24 So Ahaz gathered the articles of the house of God, cut in pieces the articles of the house of God, shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 And in every single city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers. 26 Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27 So Ahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem; but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. Then Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.”
Because Ahaz was a descendent of David the Lord Graciously keep imploring him to seek His help. Azah’s response was not pious but was dismissing Jehovah Elyon – The Lord Most High. For if he took up the offer Ahaz would have to recognize El Shaddai as his and his nation’s God. He didn’t want to do that. What is amazing that God offered an amazing proposition? Look what He said to the king. ‘ask it either in the depth or in the height above ‘ God offered him basically a blank check. Ahaz could fill it in with any amount. Yet he wanted nothing to do with Adoni Yahweh.
13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
We are now going to look at one of the most familiar passages of Scripture. So, let’s take a good look at these verses.
As we have already discussed, Ahaz has rejected the offer of God in lieu of trusting in his own devious conniving. He will appeal to the king of Assyria to come to his rescue instead of trusting the King of kings and Lord of lords. Our Holy Maker therefore gives him a sign that he does not seek or desire. This sign is a sign of the rejection by God of king Ahaz. It is though our Lord has thrown up His hands.
Ahaz, who is evil, can say to God, ‘So, what are you going to do now, huh? You promised my grandfather David that his heirs will sit on the throne forever, so, what are you gonna do, you can’t replace me.’ God will fulfill His promise to David but not through the seed of Ahaz. How so? The son will be supernaturally born which will be a son of David royal line but not the corrupted seed of Ahaz. The only way this can happen is by a virgin giving birth which fulfills the prophecy our Lord gave way back to Adam and Eve as we read in chapter 3 of the book of Genesis, “15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
We read in Genesis the Lord’s promise of a deliver from the woman. Now in case you aren’t aware, please notice the verse says ‘her seed’. Women do not bear seed, men do. In talking to Satan who is behind the serpents evil deeds our Lord prophecies that through only just a virgin woman God will provide a Savior Who will make things right again.
Now, you have those God haters who try to splice the word of God to mean different things. The word ‘virgin’ is the Hebrew word ‘Alma’ which means a woman of child bearing age and also means a young married woman. Skeptics then say, ‘See, it is not talking about a virgin or a woman who has not had any sexual relations with a man. For that type of woman [virgin] is the word ‘Bethula’ and also can be the word ‘Alma’
In Genesis we read this in chapter 24 when Abraham’s servant was sent on a mission to find a wife for Isaac, “16 Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. 17 And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.” 18 So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. 19 And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” 20 Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. 21 And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. 22 So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold, 23 and said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge?” 24 So she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah’s son, whom she bore to Nahor.” 25 Moreover she said to him, “We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge.” 26 Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the LORD. 27 And he said, “Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” 28 So the young woman ran and told her mother’s household these things. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man by the well. 30 So it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, “Thus the man spoke to me,” that he went to the man. And there he stood by the camels at the well. 31 And he said, “Come in, O blessed of the LORD! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.” 32 Then the man came to the house. And he unloaded the camels, and provided straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 33 Food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told about my errand.” And he said, “Speak on.” 34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 The LORD has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 36 And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and to him he has given all that he has. 37 Now my master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell; 38 but you shall go to my father’s house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.’ 39 And I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’ 40 But he said to me, ‘The LORD, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house. 41 You will be clear from this oath when you arrive among my family; for if they will not give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’ 42 “And this day I came to the well and said, ‘O LORD God of my master Abraham, if You will now prosper the way in which I go, 43 behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw water, and I say to her, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,” 44 and she says to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,”—let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master’s son.’
As we have read we are pretty clear of a virgin. So, how does this fit in? Remember in prophecy there are usually two applications. One will happen in the near future and another will occur later on. Our Lord Is Perfect again. The first virgin is a young married woman [Alma] which is referring to Isaiah’s wife. Her son will be a sign. The future virgin [Bethula] will be the woman referred to in Genesis chapter 3.
You might be saying, ‘Now I am really confused’ How can a child of Isaiah or a future child be a sign to Ahaz?
God has offered to be with Ahaz. The name Immanuel means ‘God with us’ The name of Isaiah’s son is Maher-shalal-hash-baz which means ‘haste the spoil, speed the prey’ So, what do they both have to do. They do not match. So, how can both boys be an answer to Ahaz and a sign for us.
Again, May God be Glorified. He Is Amazing how He Is able to accomplish the impossible. You see Isaiah’s son was also called ‘Immanuel’ or ‘God Is with us’ Let us jump to the next chapter in Isaiah, chapter 8 and it says this, “ 1 Moreover the LORD said to me, “Take a large scroll, and write on it with a man’s pen concerning Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 2 And I will take for Myself faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.”3 Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the LORD said to me, “Call his name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz; 4 for before the child shall have knowledge to cry ‘My father’ and ‘My mother,’ the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be taken away before the king of Assyria.” 5 The LORD also spoke to me again, saying: 6 “ Inasmuch as these people refused the waters of Shiloah that flow softly, and rejoice in Rezin and in Remaliah’s son; 7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up over them the waters of the River, strong and mighty— The king of Assyria and all his glory; he will go up over all his channels and go over all his banks. 8 He will pass through Judah, he will overflow and pass over, he will reach up to the neck; And the stretching out of his wings will fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel. 9 “ Be shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Give ear, all you from far countries. Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces; Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces. 10 Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing. Speak the word, but it will not stand, for God is with us.”
The future Immanuel will not be born for hundred of years. The Immanuel or ‘God with Us’ we read hear is a child who is going through the war with Assyria. We read here that our Majestic Holy One is speaking both about the son of Isaiah and the future Messiah our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The answer is that because Ahaz refused God, Our Holy Ruler rejected him. The scheme he thought would be relied upon in making a deal with Assyria will not work. The city of Jerusalem will be attacked as described. The boy as an infant will be a sign to Ahaz that God Is with them, the remnant of faithful believers in Jerusalem, not Ahaz and his cronies, for Isaiah’s son will go through all the bitter end results of a war, that is why we read in the next verses of eating war rations ‘churds’ and ‘honey’. Our Lord Is also able to show or point out that Isaiah’s son will be a sign of Judgment because if he would not accept Immanuel – God with us, then he will get Maher-shalal-hash-baz or a call to the nations to haste to take the spoil, and take speed to prey on the nation of Judah.
15 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings. 17 The LORD will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah.” 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. 19 They will come, and all of them will rest in the desolate valleys and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all thorns and in all pastures. 20 In the same day the Lord will shave with a hired razor, with those from beyond the River, with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the legs, and will also remove the beard. 21 It shall be in that day that a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep; 22 So it shall be, from the abundance of milk they give, that he will eat curds; For curds and honey everyone will eat who is left in the land. 23 It shall happen in that day, that wherever there could be a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, it will be for briers and thorns. 24 With arrows and bows men will come there, because all the land will become briers and thorns. 25 And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briers and thorns; But it will become a range for oxen and a place for sheep to roam.
These days were more severe than Judah ever experienced - ‘days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah.’ Look at the desecration of the people due to Ahaz’s obstinacy - 20 In the same day the Lord will shave with a hired razor, with those from beyond the River, with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the legs, and will also remove the beard.’ To shave off the men and women’s hair was a total act of humiliation inflicted by the Assyrians. Before little ‘God is with us’, Isaiah’s son can say ‘Daddy’ he will have experienced eating scraps of food.- 23 It shall happen in that day, that wherever there could be a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, it will be for briers and thorns. 24 With arrows and bows men will come there, because all the land will become briers and thorns.”
