“When Ahaz, son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, set out to attack Jerusalem. However, they were unable to carry out their plan. The news had come to the royal court of Judah: “Syria is allied with Israel against us!” So the hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear, like trees shaking in a storm. Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Take your son Shear-jashub and go out to meet King Ahaz. You will find him at the end of the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed. Tell him to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah. Yes, the kings of Syria and Israel are plotting against him, saying, ‘We will attack Judah and capture it for ourselves. Then we will install the son of Tabeel as Judah’s king.’ But this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “This invasion will never happen; it will never take place; for Syria is no stronger than its capital, Damascus, and Damascus is no stronger than its king, Rezin. As for Israel, within sixty-five years it will be crushed and completely destroyed. Israel is no stronger than its capital, Samaria, and Samaria is no stronger than its king, Pekah son of Remaliah. Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.” Later, the Lord sent this message to King Ahaz: “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.” But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the Lord like that.” Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yogurt and honey. For before the child is that old, the lands of the two kings you fear so much will both be deserted. “Then the Lord will bring things on you, your nation, and your family unlike anything since Israel broke away from Judah. He will bring the king of Assyria upon you!” In that day the Lord will whistle for the army of southern Egypt and for the army of Assyria. They will swarm around you like flies and bees. They will come in vast hordes and settle in the fertile areas and also in the desolate valleys, caves, and thorny places. In that day the Lord will hire a “razor” from beyond the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria—and use it to shave off everything: your land, your crops, and your people. In that day a farmer will be fortunate to have a cow and two sheep or goats left. Nevertheless, there will be enough milk for everyone because so few people will be left in the land. They will eat their fill of yogurt and honey. In that day the lush vineyards, now worth 1,000 pieces of silver, will become patches of briers and thorns. The entire land will become a vast expanse of briers and thorns, a hunting ground overrun by wildlife. No one will go to the fertile hillsides where the gardens once grew, for briers and thorns will cover them. Cattle, sheep, and goats will graze there.”
Isaiah 7:1-25 NLT
In life, many difficulties will come our way. This is not only an accurate description of how things work, but it is a promise. But alongside this promise of difficulty is the promise of unending love and companionship by our God. This companionship is the fabric upon which the Jewish nation was built. They were a covenanted people. But they also, as we do, frequently forgot this promise of covenant despite difficulty. Here we see that God’s answer is to uphold the covenant with a sign. In fact, he not only affirms, but encourages the testing of that affirmation. He doesn’t want there to be any doubt in the minds of his people. And yet, in Ahaz’s false piety, he wasn’t interested in God’s covenant affirmation. What follows is a christological promise. A virgin will give birth to a child who will be called Immanuel. Though this has been directly interpreted as about Mary and Jesus, it is a reaffirmation of the seed of the woman and Eve. It is also, by plain interpretation about another Jewish virgin who immaculately conceived during Ahaz’s reign. In every case, man’s ability to give life does not need man’s permission. This is evidence that God is with us. But when we will not even beg for a sign, he will not force us to be strong. And because of who he is, that sign will always come, but it will not strengthen the resolve of those who do not love God. It will heal the head of the humble but crush the head of the cynical. This is the salvation of the seed of Eve. He does not merely bring life. He brings destruction to those who do not think they need him. Let us not forget that when you want to be your own God, it is terrifying to stand before the coming King who says God is among you.
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