Day By Day - Isaiah 7
By Darryl Flaherty
Introduction:
In Chapter 7, verses 1-2 describe the situation: "This took place during the reign of Ahaz, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah king of Judah: Rezin king of Aram, along with Pekah, son of Remaliah, king of Israel, waged war against Jerusalem, but he could not succeed. When it became known to the house of David that Aram had occupied Ephraim (Israel), the heart of Ahaz and the hearts of his people trembled like trees of a forest shaking in a wind."
All of us will face desperate times. All kinds of circumstances can combine to bring us to the brink, where our options are few and time is running out. For Ahaz, when trouble came knocking, he had no spiritual resources to stand on. Ahaz had not spent time during easier days cultivating trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Due to this, Isaiah is used by God to bring three missing realities to Ahaz. Three realities that we need to know:
1. God always has a word for you in the day of your trouble.
How many times has God used seemingly incidental things to remind us that He is there; handling more than we can see, involved, intervening, healing and directing? If only we have eyes to see it and ears to hear it.
2. God is always bigger than what you fear.
Isaiah says it every way it can be said in v. 4: "Calm down and be quiet. Don't be afraid.”
Do you believe this about God - that what you fear most is not too difficult for Him? Will you trust Him when times are tough, and your resources are spent and you’re tired and it’s tense at home? Isaiah adds an incentive right here that is so important:
3. If you do not fight the fight of faith, everything in your life will come unglued.
Verse 9 states this spiritual principle - If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all. God was calling Ahaz to align himself to the spiritual reality - "I am with you, always." He was asking him to be a follower of God first, and then a politician; to be a man of faith rather than a man of sight; to believe in God rather than trusting in the flesh.
And it's at this moment that something so amazing, so outright incredible is stated that if it wasn't printed in God's Word, I would not believe it:
v. 13-14: "Listen, house of David! Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men? Will you also try the patience of my God? Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.”
God, Himself will perform this sign. The Lord Himself will give you a sign.
The birth of a son, from a virgin, and he will be named Immanuel.
Immanuel literally means, "The strong God with us." In other words, it is God Himself who is coming. He will dwell among us. He will set right what is wrong. He will change everything!
700 years later this would become true, but right here we read a quote from an old prophet telling a king, ‘There is nothing too difficult for God. He is coming to this very city. It will be for all people.’
Final Thought:
Trust Him with your problems, believe His promises, hang on when it feels too hard to hang on - and you will see what God can do!
Introduction:
In Chapter 7, verses 1-2 describe the situation: "This took place during the reign of Ahaz, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah king of Judah: Rezin king of Aram, along with Pekah, son of Remaliah, king of Israel, waged war against Jerusalem, but he could not succeed. When it became known to the house of David that Aram had occupied Ephraim (Israel), the heart of Ahaz and the hearts of his people trembled like trees of a forest shaking in a wind."
All of us will face desperate times. All kinds of circumstances can combine to bring us to the brink, where our options are few and time is running out. For Ahaz, when trouble came knocking, he had no spiritual resources to stand on. Ahaz had not spent time during easier days cultivating trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Due to this, Isaiah is used by God to bring three missing realities to Ahaz. Three realities that we need to know:
1. God always has a word for you in the day of your trouble.
How many times has God used seemingly incidental things to remind us that He is there; handling more than we can see, involved, intervening, healing and directing? If only we have eyes to see it and ears to hear it.
2. God is always bigger than what you fear.
Isaiah says it every way it can be said in v. 4: "Calm down and be quiet. Don't be afraid.”
Do you believe this about God - that what you fear most is not too difficult for Him? Will you trust Him when times are tough, and your resources are spent and you’re tired and it’s tense at home? Isaiah adds an incentive right here that is so important:
3. If you do not fight the fight of faith, everything in your life will come unglued.
Verse 9 states this spiritual principle - If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all. God was calling Ahaz to align himself to the spiritual reality - "I am with you, always." He was asking him to be a follower of God first, and then a politician; to be a man of faith rather than a man of sight; to believe in God rather than trusting in the flesh.
And it's at this moment that something so amazing, so outright incredible is stated that if it wasn't printed in God's Word, I would not believe it:
v. 13-14: "Listen, house of David! Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men? Will you also try the patience of my God? Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.”
God, Himself will perform this sign. The Lord Himself will give you a sign.
The birth of a son, from a virgin, and he will be named Immanuel.
Immanuel literally means, "The strong God with us." In other words, it is God Himself who is coming. He will dwell among us. He will set right what is wrong. He will change everything!
700 years later this would become true, but right here we read a quote from an old prophet telling a king, ‘There is nothing too difficult for God. He is coming to this very city. It will be for all people.’
Final Thought:
Trust Him with your problems, believe His promises, hang on when it feels too hard to hang on - and you will see what God can do!
Posted in Isaiah