Isaiah 7
God Has A Plan
He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Matthew 5:45 NASB
In Chapter 7 of the book of Isaiah we read that the king of Israel and the king of Syria had joined forces and attacked Jerusalem. Ahaz, who was the king of Judah at that time, was able to resist and Jerusalem was spared but some of the cities in Judah were taken. Now word has come that Israel and Syria are planning a second attempt to take Jerusalem and Ahaz is fearful.
As so many other kings before him, it is said of Ahaz that, …he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his father David had done 2 Kings 16: 2b NASB.
Ahaz would be considered unrighteous yet as Ahaz heard of this planned invasion, God sent Isaiah to Ahaz to reassure him that Jerusalem would not be taken. God instructed Isaiah to take his son Shear-jashub with him. The name Shear-jashub means, the remnant will return.
We need to understand that communication was limited in those days. By this I mean there were no videos, no “one picture is worth a thousand words.” God sent “the remnant will return” as an illustration to help Ahaz understand the prophesy Isaiah was about to give him.
In our Bible study it is important to visualize what is going on and to dig into the meaning of the names as these often serve as illustrations of the message being given. Isaiah 8:18, Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. NASB
Unfortunately, Ahaz didn’t get the message even though Isaiah told him to ask for a sign from God to prove to him the prophesy from God would come true. Ahaz refused to ask for a sign, so instead, God gave a prophesy that is important to every Christian. Vs 14&15
Instead of trusting God Ahaz turned to Assyria for help. Assyria did help and Jerusalem was spared but it came at a great price. Judah had to pay a heavy tribute to Assyria all the years Ahaz was king and beyond, putting a great strain on the economy and effectively becoming enslaved to the commitment the king had made. Worse yet, he corrupted the temple worship with an altar he saw in Syria and closed the doors of the temple.
God has a plan and that plan will be fulfilled regardless of how it is received by kings or by the masses. God “rained” a blessing on Ahaz but Ahaz didn’t acknowledge God and he went his own way missing the blessing and settling for something much worse for him and the people.
May God grant us eyes to see and ears to hear so that we might recognize the voice of our Lord and heed His instruction.
Pastor Dave