Isaiah’s life changed drastically after “seeing the Lord, high and lifted up.” I daresay he was never again quite the same. Yet, there were many years that passed between chapter 6 and chapter 7 of Isaiah, for it was 8 years after Uzziah’s death that Jotham reigned before his son Ahaz became King. 8 years would have been long enough for Isaiah’s zeal to have waxed cold; but it did not. For some, that amazing moment of seeing God’s Glory, albeit with one’s spiritual eyes remains fresh with a blazing, passionate fire. Yet, all too often we do not flame or fuel that fire, allowing them to become mere embers. But for Isaiah, we find that he is listening close to God’s command. Therefore, he is sent with God’s Decree of Hope to King Ahaz.
The northern tribes of Israel referred here as Ephraim had joined forces with the King of Assyria. This posed a real threat to the Judah (made up of the tribe of Judah and half of the tribe of Benjamin). Note how family conflicts can be so devastating for many generations. Anyway, the alliance with Assyria which placed Assyrian troops at their borders, caused great fear among the people of Judah and their King Ahaz. This is when Isaiah is sent to speak to King Ahaz, God’s Decree of Hope. Along with him on this journey, Isaiah is instructed to take with him his son Shear-Jashub whose name meant “a remnant shall return”. God does have a sense of humor and proclaims His plans even in the naming of Isaiah’s sons.
God’s Decree of Hope
“Take heed, and [e]be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted…..
“It (referring to the northern tribes of Israel) 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 [g]broken,
So that it will not be a people.” Isaiah 7: 4,8
So, it was God’s Decree of Hope to Judah’s King was that He was going to destroy the Northern Tribes once and for all for their evil idolatrous and ungodly alliances and their attempt to destroy the line from which God was going to send His son. Note: God said I will wipe them out “5 Because Syria, Ephraim (the northern tribes of Israel), and the son of Remaliah (their king) have plotted evil against (Judah)”
Important Lesson: Be careful who you make alliances with.
Historical note: About 10 years later (722 A.D.) the Northern tribes of Israel were taken captive by the Assyrians. Then in 670 A.D. their land was taken over by foreign settlers and the 10 tribes of Israel have been considered “lost” ever since. They do not appear again until God restores them in Revelations.
God always does what He says He will do.
Isaiah 10:
20 And it shall come to pass in that day
That the remnant of Israel,
And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob,
Will never again depend on him who [e]defeated them,
But will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21 The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob,
To the Mighty God.
22 For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea,
A remnant of them will return;
The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
23 For the Lord God of hosts
Will make a determined end
In the midst of all the land.
A Pious King
At God’s command, Isaiah tells King Ahaz to ask for a sign. His pious, “self-righteous response was: “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!” (Isaiah 7: 12)
Now, if God tells you He wants to give you a sign, who are you to question Him? Gideon before going into battle, long before this King, had asked God for a sign to ascertain he was hearing him correctly and generously God obliged him. (Judges 6:33-40).
Hence why Isaiah in his response addressed all the people including the King, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? (Isaiah 7: 13).
They continued to pretend and cling to their own self-righteousness. Not trusting in God, they wanted to hold fast to their worries to figure out their own way out. Really? After all God had done? Ah, but can we really judge? Are we not the same?
God’s Decree of Hope Eternal
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.[i] 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.”
As is not unusual here there is a sign which not only points forward to Christ Himself in addition to an occurrence that will happen. I believe there is no mistake that the word Isaiah used here was not “Parthenos” which translates virgin; rather, it was “almah” which means young woman. The references in verses 15 through 17 are too specific to the time. Indeed, immediately following in Chapter 8, Isaiah has a son by his wife whom it is said “before the child [b]shall have knowledge to cry ‘My father’ and ‘My mother,’ the riches of Damascus and the [c]spoil of Samaria will be taken away before the king of Assyria.” (Isaiah 8:4).
There are several who see this differently, but after much pondering, I believe as is the case, scripture interprets scripture.
Immanuel—God with us.
Clearly there is one baby whose name truly would be Immanuel, God with us: Jesus. He was born of a virgin, being fully God and at the same time fully human. In this, Isaiah was truly proclaiming that one day Immanuel was born of a virgin, would live, take our place on the cross, die and be raised to life again. Just as Matthew recorded to pull this together, ““Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).
And one day He will return and inhabit all of Judah during His millennial reign. “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.” (Isaiah 8:8).
Isaiah’s writings and prophecy then begin to weave in and out of a poetic form. Most of the God-spoken soliloquys are in poetic format. So beautifully do they also weave their way through time, seeing the now, the coming events and the distant future in one view. In a sense we are walked into the world of omniscience that is a part of God’s glory. Immanuel is referring to Christ; yet, God is giving a different son that proves God is with the people of Judah and that son was Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. Perhaps a play on words but God is foretelling of His son while at the same time proving His presence in both the future and the present. Somewhat genius and yet we stumble over the words.
God’s Decree of Hope Proclaimed
God then breaks into a beautiful poetic, omnipotent soliloquy, speaking to their present case, their imminent future, and to that of the future yet to come. In it He repeatedly speaks of their failures to respond to His calling them to faith. He tells them that judgement must come; but, one day all will be right, just, and good again despite their failures. One day, we will see.
6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this (Isaiah 9).
His zeal, His desire will accomplish this, for this is His pleasure.
But for now, trial will come. Judgements must fall. Kingsdom will rise and Kingdoms with fall. “ His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is [d]stretched out still” (Isaiah 9:12, 17, 21, 10:4).
Concluding Thoughts:
His anger is not turned away. He has not looked away with a blinded eye. The pain, sorrow, suffering, plagues, fears, earthquakes, famines, hurricanes, pandemics, and trials of this world are ever before His watchful eye. I can imagine the tears of Christ, for all our rebellious pride. However, “His hand is stretched out still.” He is offering it to you today. That is God’s Decree of Hope proclaimed to a world in need of a Savior.
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD?
If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you to go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
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©Effie Darlene Barba, 2020
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Credits
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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