Isaiah 7
God is With Us
Stay Strong vs. 1-9
God is With Us vs. 10-17
A Coming Day vs. 18-25
Read Isaiah 7:1-4
Transition: King Ahaz
As we get into Isaiah 7 lets not forget what has happened in Isaiah 6
Isaiah had a vision of God on the throne
Now God wants to show us how He is in the midst of what's going on as well
Ahaz was a wicked king of Judah, worshipping other gods and even sacrificing his son to Molech
The only good thing Ahaz seemed to do was father Hezekiah, who became a good king of Judah.
He was a cowardly, superstitious and hypocritical ruler, one of the worst kings Judah ever had.
As we open Isaiah 7 Ahaz is in a pickle
Syria, not to be confused with Assyria, and Israel want to depose Ahaz and put in another king
The reason for this is that they want Judah to join them in combating Assyria
Well Ahaz has two options, join the rebel forces or partner with Assyria
Neither one are optimum or what God wants
But because Ahaz is wicked he doesn’t consider seeking God
So God sends Isaiah to give Ahaz a third option… Trust in Him
Through this we see that God is in the middle of what we are doing
One of the words for God is Jehovah
Jehovah is a latin pronunciation of the Hebrew Yahweh
You will often hear names for God using Jehovah
For instance:
Jehovah Jireh means God is my provider
Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner)
Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shepherd)
Jehovah Rapha (The Lord That Heals)
Jehovah Shammah (The Lord Is There)
The Lord is in our midst… that is what we see this morning
Not only is God high and lifted up on the throne but he is in the middle of our lives as well
This morning I want you to understand that God is with you
Stay Strong vs. 1-9
Because God is with us he wants to tell us to stay strong
Israel and Syria are attacking Judah but can’t prevail
But because of this threat the people of Judah are trembling with fear
Isaiah describes them as tree shaking in the wind
So God sends Isaiah with a simple message… Stay Strong, do not fear
vs. 1-2 The Fear of Attack
King Ahaz and his people reacted with fear instead of with trust in God.
They are shaken and unstable in their hearts
In this, the people of Judah really are the people of Ahaz, not the people of the LORD.
God was not shaken or unsettled by this threat.
If the king of Judah and the people of Judah had put their trust in the LORD, they would have had the peace of God in this conflict.
Ps 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
So many times we are gripped with fear when God has peace waiting for us
How do we grab hold of the peace and let go of the fear?
vs. 3-6 Don’t Give Up Hope
It’s a matter of what we put our hope in
God shows us how he is in the middle of what we are doing
Notice that God is very specific on where he is sending Isaiah
Ahaz is at the pool on the highway to the Fuller’s field
God knows where we are at at all times… he doesn’t lose us
God also does something interesting, he sends Isaiah’s son with him
You and Shear-Jashub your son:
He brought his son as a walking object lesson, because the name Shear-Jashub means, “A Remnant Shall Return.”
So God sends Isaiah directly to Ahaz with a reminder that a remnant will survive His judgment
Finally he tells Ahaz Be quiet, do not fear
Basically God is telling an ungodly man to stop complaining and focus on him
This is so important
We can be so focused on our problems that we won’t look to God for our solution
Ex 14:13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today
Ahaz saw Israel and Syria as a huge problem
But God saw them as smoldering stubs… all smoke and no fire
Like a chihuahua, all bark and no bite
God looks at our problems differently
He is above our problems and involved in them at the same time
Ahaz needed to trust God, and take courage in the LORD (do not fear or be fainthearted).
Why was it so hard for Ahaz to trust the Lord?
Because he didn’t see the situation the way the LORD did.
Ahaz looked at Israel and Syria and saw a terrible threat.
God looked at Israel and Syria and saw two stubs of smoking firebrands.
To the LORD, they were all smoke and no fire!
If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established:
vs. 7-9 God Deals w/ Enemies
Here is the challenge to Ahaz. God has promised, now the king of Judah must believe.
If he will not believe, it will not affect the outcome of the attack against Jerusalem.
God has already decreed that their attack would not succeed.
But it would affect the course of Ahaz’s life and reign as king (surely you shall not be established).
As it happened, Ahaz did not believe.
He did not put his trust in the LORD.
He put his trust in carnal methods and the king of Assyria.
Jerusalem was spared, and Ahaz no doubt believed he was successful, and his plan worked.
But if he would have just trusted in the LORD, Jerusalem would have been spared, and Ahaz would have been blessed.
Job 32:7-8 I said, ‘Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.’ But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.
Sent Us His Son vs. 10-17
The next way that we know that God is in our midst is that he has sent us a sign
That sign was his son Jesus Christ
vs.10-13 Ask for a sign
Through the prophet Isaiah, God invites Ahaz to ask for a sign.
God has just challenged Ahaz to believe and be blessed, and now God offers to give Ahaz a basis for belief - a sign for yourself
But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!”
This sounds very spiritual from Ahaz.
He seems to say what Jesus said in Matthew 4:7: “You shall not tempt the LORD your God.”
Though the words are similar, the hearts are far apart.
Ahaz refused to ask for a sign, because when God fulfilled the sign, he would be “obligated” to believe.
vs. 14-17 Call His Name Immanuel
Ahaz wouldn’t ask for a sign but God sent one anyways
Isaiah 7:14 is a Messianic prophecy about the coming birth of Jesus
We recognize this verse from Christmas songs
Too Early for Xmas
Kmart Commercial
On Aug 23 Kmart ran its first Xmas commercial
It started with “This is not a Xmas commercial
But if you happen to have a large group of people celebrating a birthday in late december and need to get them gifts Kmart layaway is available.”
Pictures of Costco
Monday we were shopping in Costco and all the Xmas decorations are out
My wife even bought one of our children a gift
It’s too early to think about Xmas
Never too early for a savior
We know this passage speaks of Jesus because the Holy Spirit says so through
Matt 1:23 Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
We know this passage speaks of Jesus because the prophecy is addressed not only to Ahaz, but also to David’s entire house (O house of David!).
We know this passage speaks of Jesus because it says He will be known as Immanuel, meaning “God with Us.”
This was true of Jesus in fact, not only as a title.
Immanuel speaks both of the deity of Jesus (God with us) and His identification and nearness to man (God with us).
Jesus is truly Immanuel, God with us.
“Christ, indeed, was not called by this name Immanuel that we anywhere read of … but the import of this name is most truly affirmed and acknowledged to be fully made good in him.”
Is 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
“In what sense then, is Christ GOD WITH US?
Jesus is called Immanuel, or God with us, in his incarnation; God with us, by the influences of his Holy Spirit, in the holy sacrament, in the preaching of his word, in private prayer.
And God with us, through every action of our life, that we begin, continue, and end in his name.
He is God with us, to comfort, enlighten, protect, and defend us, in every time of temptation and trial, in the hour of death, in the day of judgment; and God with us and in us, and we with and in him, to all eternity.”
A Coming Day vs. 18-25
There is a coming day of judgment
God tells Ahaz that he will whistle for the fly at the end of the streams of Egypt and for the bee in the land
Jer 16:16 Behold, I am sending for many fishers, declares the Lord, and they shall catch them. And afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks.
If we reject trusting in God then we will face judgment as well
Closing: Communion
