The Child of the Promise; Is 7-10

May the mumbling commence!

When we are surrounded, who do we look to for rescue?  When Ahaz, king of Judah, was being surrounded by the kings of Samaria and Aram, he refused to look to the Lord for a sign.  Read about it from Isaiah 7:10-17 –

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, "Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights." 

But Ahaz said, "I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test." 

Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also?  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.  He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right.  But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.  The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah – he will bring the king of Assyria."

Ahaz did not want to put the Lord to the test.  It sounds noble, doesn’t it?  These were the same words that Jesus would speak to the devil during Jesus’ temptations in the desert.  But these words of Ahaz were not the correct ones.  Ahaz was being tested.  The Lord wanted to see if he would come to the Lord for rescue.  Ahaz failed – epically. 

The word of the Lord that followed is familiar for the Christmas season – “The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel [God with us.].”  What was the reason for the testing of Ahaz?  Read from Isaiah 10:1-4 –

Woe to those who make unjust laws,

to those who issue oppressive decrees,

to deprive the poor of their rights

and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,

making widows their prey

and robbing the fatherless. 

What will you do on the day of reckoning,

when disaster comes from afar?

To whom will you run for help?

Where will you leave your riches? 

Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives

or fall among the slain.

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.

The Lord was testing Ahaz and the people of Judah because they were committing injustice and oppression.  They were depriving the poor of their rights and justice from the vulnerable – the widows and the fatherless.  As for the impending disaster, whom will Israel turn to, to whom will Israel run?  Unfortunately, the time of testing did no good.  The Lord’s anger was not averted nor was the strong hand of justice removed. 

The pattern continues today.  Trials from the Lord come, and we look everywhere except where we should be looking – to the Lord.  The promise of God has not changed – indeed, it has been fulfilled in Jesus.  Read the reminder from Isaiah 9:6-7 (another Christmas passage):

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Of the increase of his government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on David's throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out