¡§THE POWER OF PROPHECY¡¨
Isaiah 7:14
Dr. Larry L. Thompson (2002)
¡§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.¡¨
INTRODUCTION:
Today we continue on with our series, ¡§CROSSPOINTS¡¨ We will look today at the ¡§PROPHECY IN THE PAGEANT!¡¨
BIBLICAL BACKGROUND:
Before we look at the fulfillment of this prophecy, let¡¦s look at the characters and circumstances related to this prophecy. What do we know about PROPHECY?
ƒæ What is a prophet? According to the uniform teaching of the Bible the prophet is a speaker of or for God. His words are not the production of his own spirit, but come from the Spirit of God. For he is at the same time, also, a seer, who sees things that do not lie in the domain of natural sight, or who hears things which human ears do not ordinarily receive; Example: 1 Samuel 9:9, where ¡§naw-be¡¨= speaker, and raw-ah "seer," are used as synonymous terms. Essentially, Isaiah saw what we can not see and hear what we can not hear in order to give King Ahaz a promise that could only be from God.
ľ What is prophecy intended to accomplish?
o Prophecy was intended to reveal a message from the true God.
o Prophecy was intended to encourage obedience.
o Prophecy was intended to encourage trust in God.
o Prophecy was intended to give hope.
It is very important that we remember these four criteria as we study today¡¦s message.
ƒæ How can we tell if the prophecy is of God or man? Read Deut. 18:21-22: ¡§You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?" [22] If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.¡¨ How can we tell when people are speaking for the Lord? (1) We can see whether or not their prophecies come true¡Xthe ancient test for judging prophets. (2) We can check their words against the Bible. God never contradicts himself, so if someone says something contrary to the Bible, we can know that this is not God¡¦s word.
I. THE CHARACTERS AFFECTED
Looking at the story in Isaiah 7, we find that the political situation surrounding Jerusalem was becoming volatile. The nearby countries of Syria and Israel had formed an alliance and sought to conquer Jerusalem. So God sent the prophet Isaiah to speak to Ahaz. God¡¦s message: Don¡¦t be afraid. You will not be defeated. And then in rather uncharacteristic fashion, God says to Ahaz through Isaiah (v. 10), ¡§Ahaz, ask me for a sign.¡¨
ľ KING AHAZ:
The first person we need to look at in this situation is King Ahaz. Ahaz was called, ¡§a king that did evil in the sight of God!¡¨ Ahaz was the king of Judah. His father and grandfather were righteous men, but Ahaz had turned from God. We learn that Ahaz had desecrated the temple and had even sacrificed his own children. Ahaz had a big problem, the kingdoms of Israel and Aram were getting ready to attack, and as he viewed this war from a personal perspective, without the assistance of God, he was on the short end of the stick.
ľ PROPHET ISAIAH:
The second person we need to look at in this passage is Isaiah. Isaiah was "one enlightened prophet." Isaiah¡¦s life had been forever transformed by a personal encounter with the Lord. In God¡¦s presence, Isaiah had been overwhelmed by the unworthiness of his life when held up to the glory of God. God had set Isaiah free from his sin, and had given him a new mission in life. This task was...to be a prophet, God¡¦s mouthpiece, and to confront Ahaz.
II. THE CHALLENGE REJECTED (7:4-12)
ľ THE CHALLENGE FROM GOD TO KING AHAZ
¡§[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 Aram and of the son of Remaliah. [5] Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son 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] for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. [9] The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.¡¨ [10] Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, [11] "Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights." [12] But Ahaz said, "I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.¡¨
King David was a man who was noted as being after God¡¦s own heart. God had taken care of the lineage of David, and Ahaz was apart of that family tree. God sent Isaiah to Ahaz with a message. God would give Ahaz victory, and would allow Ahaz to choose a sign, a promise if you will, of his choosing. Ahaz however refused to put God to the test. This is similar to when Gideon asked God for a sign, so he could make sure he was walking in God¡¦s will. You see, Ahaz was considering a treaty of his own with Assyria, which God did not want him to do. So the opportunity remains open for Ahaz to affirm his faith and act as a believer. Basically, God says, ¡§Ask me for a sign so you can believe I will protect you.¡¨
Ahaz says (v. 12), ¡§No, I won¡¦t put God to the test.¡¨ Pious sounding words, which really say, ¡§No, I won¡¦t believe God.¡¨ I want to go about it my own way. I¡¦ll scheme to make a back room alliance with the most vicious army of all time. I¡¦ll strive to keep up my practices as an idol worshipper. Maybe I¡¦ll even aspire to become more powerful as a king in the process, but, no, I won¡¦t trust God with the fate of the city of Jerusalem.
In the king¡¦s rebellion God Himself chose the sign and Isaiah would deliver the prophetic word.
III. THE CONDITIONS INSPECTED (7:14)
ľ THE PROPHETIC CONDITIONS OF THE SIGN FROM GOD: (ISA. 7:14)
¡§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.¡¨
We need to realize that because the sign, this prophecy, was of God¡¦s own choosing then this prophecy would be an ultimate promise. Not the kind of promise a man could make, but something beyond the ability of man. A prophecy of God or the sign of God¡¦s choosing could only happen by the power of God¡¦s hand. This sign would reveal to all of us the timeless proof of God¡¦s faithfulness to His word.
As we read the 14th verse...we find ourselves with the thought "Here is something we don¡¦t see everyday." God¡¦s prophecy, He will provide conditions to this promise that would be unmistakable:
a. A virgin would conceive this special child. And because she was a virgin...man would not be able to take any credit. This sign would be miraculous, and only made possible by the One who holds all eternity in His hands. God¡¦s prophecy, the promise of the birth of the Messiah was foretold 700 years prior to the birth of Jesus.
b. The virgin would not only conceive, but would give birth.
c. Not just to a baby, but to a son.
d. The son would be called "Immanuel - God with Us." This would not be his name but the promise of God in this prophecy. This child would restore a broken relationship. The curse of the Garden of Eden would be broken, because God would be with us. You see we couldn¡¦t come to God of our own doing. Our best just wasn¡¦t good enough, so God came to us instead. We are still in the promise stage, but a promise is only as good as the one making it. Let¡¦s jump forward a few hundred years, but I¡¦ll warn you...the plot has already been given away."
IV. THE CHRIST ACCEPTED (Luke 1:26-33)
¡§In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, [27] to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. [28] The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." [29] Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. [30] But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. [31] You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. [32] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, [33] and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.¡¨
Would you look at that... A VIRGIN, A PREGNANCY, AND A SON? God had revealed this in Isaiah¡¦s prophecy; it is God¡¦s promise for these events, should anyone expect anything less?
However, Mary was engaged to Joseph....how she would explain this is not a problem...God had a word for Joseph as well. Let¡¦s look at Matthew 1:20-23:
¡§But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." [22] All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: [23] "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us.¡¨
Just in case anyone forgot the initial promise in this prophecy, the angel reminded us of it. God is the ultimate promise keeper.
So God became Flesh, we came in flesh to be with us among us and to die for us. HE IS NOT A DISTANT GOD. He came to us.
Illustration: New York Yankees¡¦ announcer Phil Rizzuto once suggested to manager Joe Torre that managing could be done better from high above the baseball field ¡V from the level of the broadcasting booth.
Thoughtfully, Torre replied, ¡§No Thanks¡KUpstairs, you can¡¦t look into their eyes.¡¨ In Jesus Christ, God also chose to come down on the field of man and look into our eyes.
CONCLUSION:
Let¡¦s make today¡¦s study personal, ¡§Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.¡¨ We will look at a couple of truths.
ľ First and foremost God is always faithful to His word. All of those comforting promise verses you read when you need help or have lost hope...you can be assured that those promises made by God, will be kept.
ƒæ Second, Jesus was God coming to you as a man. You could not save yourself, but God loved you enough to come to you. Jesus came to set you free from the curse of sin. The gift God gave in Jesus was a gift of hope, a gift of freedom, a gift of salvation. This gift is PERSONAL. IT IS FOR YOU! Catch that? For all people. The Hebrew word ¡§you¡¨ in Isaiah 7:14 is plural and means all of you! Do you remember what the angel said to the shepherds who were watching their flocks by night? In announcing the birth of Jesus, Luke 2:10: ¡§But the angel said to them, ¡§Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.¡¨
ƒæ TODAY¡¦S CROSSPOINT:
Millions of people in our world have rejected Jesus as the Messiah because they have failed to understand the significance of biblical prophecy and how God¡¦s promise for a Messiah, a Savior was given in the Old Testament and was revealed and fulfilled in the in the New Testament in the Person of Jesus Christ.
Ask the Lord to impress upon your mind and heart the name of a friend that does not believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Write their name down and invite them to join you at this year¡¦s pageant. Commit to using the prophecy in the Old Testament to reveal the Christ, the Answer, in the New Testament. Discuss with your friend this prophecy and have them watch for it in the second act.
Do you believe that God honored the prophetic promise made through Isaiah 700 years before the birth of Jesus? If so then it is imperative that you make this promise PERSONAL. Lead in prayer of commitment.
