In Our Darkest Day

Isaiah 2:1–5 ESV

The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Isaiah 7:1–14 ESV

In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field. And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, “Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” thus says the Lord God: “ ‘It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’ ” Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Wow - winter is here, isn’t it!

While we got quite a lot of snow yesterday and the temperature was quite frigid, in a lot of ways our weather is quite mild for what winter can be like.

Thinking of snow and winter and such like…

In his book, Polar Travel, Admiral Peary makes a very striking statement on the greatest trial in Arctic exploration. He says that whereas to nine out of ten people the word “polar” is synonymous with cold,

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to one who has spent a year within the Arctic or Antarctic it is more likely to be synonymous with darkness.

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“A man of the most [positive] temperament cannot avoid entirely the effects of months of polar night, and there are those of a nervous temperament whom a night in the Arctic would drive insane.”

Jowett, J. (1925). Life in the Heights: Studies in the Epistles (p. 206). WORDsearch.

Truly, the darkness is one of the most unenjoyable parts of this time of the year, isn’t it? The days get shorter, the sky is often overcast, the weather is cold. It can be quite a miserable time.

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In our scripture today, we find a people in misery and darkness. Our text truly is one of the most beautiful and specific prophecies of the Christ child that we have in the Old Testament.

But the reality is, this beautiful promise was given in a very ugly, dark day. Consider with me how that was true.

Notice, firstly, that God’s promise was given in…

1. A Day of Opposition, vv. 1-3.

The date of the events of our text was approximately 735 B.C. Tiglath-Pileser III was king of Assyria and on the march. One commentary explains that the Assyrian empire…

… expanded in all four directions: absorbing Urartu to the north, the Medes to the east, Babylonia and Elam to the south and Syro-Palestine to the west.

At its height it included all or part of the modern countries of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Egypt. Assyria’s reputation as a militaristic regime is supported by extensive documentation and stands as its historical legacy.

Its strategy of psychological warfare included terrifying rhetoric, brutal destructions and carefully chosen examples of cruel torture.

Its expansion was fueled by the potential for economic gain, which would come through the plunder, tribute and tariffs that would result from control of trade and the trade routes.

Matthews, V. H., Chavalas, M. W., & Walton, J. H. (2000). The IVP Bible background commentary: Old Testament (electronic ed., Is 7:17). InterVarsity Press.

At the time of which our text reads, Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel had joined an alliance to withstand Assyria.

The southern kingdom of Judah would not join their alliance, so Syria and Israel were threatening to beseige Jerusalem in an attempt to force them to join their alliance.

On this particular day, King Ahaz had gone out to inspect the water source of Jerusalem in preparation for this expected siege. God told Isaiah to take his son Shear-jashub with him. They were to warn Ahaz not to worry about Syria and Israel.

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I find this detail curious and a little amusing. I was a PK - a preacher’s kid - and as a preacher I have two kids. PKs are a lot like any other kid. They want to play sports, do this and do that.

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Sometimes, PKs get dragged into ministry with their parents. Oftentimes, PKs are good sports about doing ministry with their parents, but other times, quite frankly, PKs may want to do something else.

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Sometimes, PKs can be used powerfully for ministry. We see such a case here in our scripture. Assyria was the huge gorilla of an enemy of which everyone was afraid, but now Judah was being attacked by her close neighbors, Syria, and her family, Israel!

Isaiah went out to encourage them with a message from God, taking along his boy, who himself was a message. Isaiah’s son was named Shear-jashub, which means "A remnant shall return".

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Do you see the beauty of God’s grace and mercy? Even before Isaiah spoke, prophesying of the Messiah, we find an implication of God’s grace and mercy. Surely, the king was thinking, “Will anyone survive?”

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Then, Isaiah showed up with his son, “A remnant shall return.”

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God has not forgotten you! God will provide! Yes, the days may be dark. God may allow us to experience difficulty, but a remnant will remain!

Application?

Notice, secondly, that God’s promise was given in…

2. A Day of Rebellion, vv. 10-13.

King Ahaz, the king of Judah at the time of this story in Isaiah 7, was the grandson of Uzziah. Uzziah had been a godly king, a wonderful king who reigned for 52 years.

In his later years, however, Uzziah became proud and tried to perform the priestly duty of offering incense in the temple. God struck him with leprosy and he lived the remainder of his years in seclusion.

Uzziah's son, Jotham, succeeded him. Jotham was also a godly king. However, neither Uzziah nor Jotham totally stopped the worship of idols on the high places.

Ahaz succeeded his father, Jotham and reigned for sixteen years. Ahaz was one of the worst kings of Judah, causing the entire nation to backslide.

2 Kings 16 tells us that he even burned his son as an offering, copying the evil, pagan practices of the nations surrounding Judah.

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Ahaz was not a good king. Ahaz was not a godly king. Ahaz was not a king who should expect God’s grace and mercy. But look again at God’s promise!

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Isaiah 7:4 ESV

And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah.

Isaiah 7:7 ESV

thus says the Lord God: “ ‘It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass.

God flat out told Ahaz that Syria and Israel would not be successful in their conquest of Jerusalem. In fact, within 65 years, God said, the northern kingdom of Israel would no longer be a nation.

Actually, Israel was no longer a nation long before the time specified by Isaiah.

Ephraim suffered significant territorial reduction in 733, and Samaria was destroyed and the people deported by 721.

Matthews, V. H., Chavalas, M. W., & Walton, J. H. (2000). The IVP Bible background commentary: Old Testament (electronic ed., Is 7:8). InterVarsity Press.

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Back to our scripture, God spoke again. Look again at this exchange between God speaking through Isaiah and Ahaz.

Isaiah 7:10–14 ESV

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah gave King Ahaz carte blanche to ask God whatever he might desire. Ahaz deferred, saying he did not want to tempt God.

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That sounds very spiritual, doesn’t it?

“God is so good! I don’t want to put him to the test! I will not ask Got to give me some special sign to prove that he will do what he says. No, I will just passively sit by and watch!”

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The truth, however, was that this was NOT Ahaz’s attitude or thinking at all. The truth was that Ahaz did not want to acknowledge God or to submit to his authority. Therefore, Ahaz did not WANT a sign from God.

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He did not WANT evidence that God is real or that God was working on his behalf. He wanted to solve his problems on his own. He wanted to be self-reliant and self-sufficient.

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But God would not have it. God insisted, saying, “Here’s your sign: a virgin will conceive and give birth to a son called Immanuel!”

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And Immanuel means “God with us.”

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Today, as in those ancient days, there are many who also do not truly want a sign from God. They have chosen a path of wickedness and rebellion. They don’t want to be confronted with God’s holiness and righteousness.

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They would rather rely on their own intelligence and instincts instead of looking to God for wisdom. They trust in their own strength instead of the power of God Almighty.

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But despite the pride of people and nations, despite the machinations of the wicked, over the protests of those bent on serving sin and Satan, God says, “I will accomplish my plan.”

And so we read…

Galatians 4:4–5 ESV

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

To a king who didn’t want to hear God’s message, the promise of the Christ-child was given. Into a king’s realm who would rival no competition, baby Jesus was born.

God’s plan was opposed by man, but God’s will prevailed. And so we celebrate Christmas today because God revealed his plan of redemption fully at the right time, but also because we know that Christ will return someday soon to be crowned King of kings and Lord of lords!

While the world may oppose him and rebel against his reign, Christ WILL reign supreme! You can count on it!

Thirdly, notice that God’s promise was given for…

3. A Day of Judgment

After giving the wonderful promise of Immanuel’s birth, the prophet continued…

Isaiah 7:15–17 ESV

He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”

There is some question about what the reference to “curds and honey” meant. Curds and honey - that sounds to us like “milk and honey”. In other words, it sounds like the prophet is foretelling a time of blessing.

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Some have suggested that this actually… referred to a subsistence diet - that milk and honey would be about all the people would have to eat!

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Regardless of how we interpret that reference, we see in verse sixteen that before the boy reached the age where he understood right and wrong, devastation would come upon Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel.

One commentary notes:

Within about three years (nine months for the pregnancy and two or three years until the boy would know the difference between good and evil) the alliance would be broken. It was broken in 732 b.c. when Tiglath-Pileser III destroyed Damascus.

After Tiglath-Pileser had defeated Aram and put Rezin to death Ahaz went to Damascus to meet the Assyrian monarch (2 Kings 16:7–10). Ahaz liked an altar he saw in Damascus, and had a sketch of it drawn so a similar altar could be set up in Jerusalem. No wonder Isaiah and God were angry with Ahaz.

Even after the alliance had been broken by Tiglath-Pileser Judah had no peace. Though Assyria did not defeat Judah, she had to pay Assyria a heavy tribute. Isaiah foretold the consequences of Ahaz’s attitude (Isa. 7:17–25).

Martin, J. A. (1985). Isaiah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1048). Victor Books.

In the following verses, we find the severe judgment of God upon the land. In verses 18-19, we read that the fly of Egypt and the bee of Assyria will invade the land. The idea seems to be of pestilence and occupation.

In verse 20, it is said that God would shave the beard of the people. In verses 21-22, we again read about the people eating curds and honey. Then, in verses 23-25, we find a picture of vines, briers, and thorns invading the land, making it unlivable.

One commentary explains the meaning of these verses this way:

No humiliation is greater than to have the beard forcefully shaved by a conquering enemy. Only the bittersweet food of “curds and honey,” and the fear of “briars and thorns” in once fertile fields, will remain.

Judah will be victim of the three D’s of judgment: deprivation of food, depopulation of the people, and desolation of the land. The price of Ahaz’ sin is a cost that cannot be counted.

McKenna, D., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1993). Isaiah 1–39 (Vol. 17, p. 130). Thomas Nelson Inc.

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Yes, it was truly a very dark day for the people of our text. It was a day of opposition, a day of rebellion, and a day of judgment.

But here is the good news…

Big Idea: Even in our darkest day, God's purpose will prevail.

This is the hope of God’s people then and today. Despite how dark our world may become due to sin, oppression, wickedness and judgment, God’s purpose will prevail.

God had determined that even though he would severely judge his people for their sin, a remnant would return. But even more importantly, God’s plan to come and be with his people was still in motion.

The Father would send His Son to become flesh, to live among us fully experiencing what it meant to be human, then when his hour had come, he would suffer, then die on the Cross, paying the penalty for our sin - and the sin of the world.

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Yet death could not defeat him On the third day, he would rise again.

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And so it happened, and so He did!

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Today, we wait the final culmination of God’s plan. Through our efforts guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we work to spread the Kingdom of God on earth today as people are saved from sin, entirely sanctified and empowered to serve and witness for God.

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But one day, Christ will come back. He will destroy all those who would oppose his rule. He will establish his kingdom and rule a thousand years - a reign of righteousness, justice, joy and peace!

So today may be dark. Some may oppose him. Some may rebel. Sometimes, God sends judgment sooner than later.

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But our hope as His people is this: even in our darkest day, God’s purpose will prevail!

There is a story that a number of years ago

Two missionaries were captured and imprisoned in the same cell but forbidden to speak to each other. Christmas came.

Can you imagine how discouraged and lonely they must have felt? Don’t you think they would have felt like their days were filled with darkness?

One of the missionaries, shivering and silent, sat on the floor covered with hay. As he was playing with bits of hay around him, he thought that he discovered a silent way of communicating with his friend. He spelled out the word Immanuel.

As soon as his friend saw the word, immediately he lit up with joy. They were captives, but they both believed that God was with them and that ultimate triumph would be theirs.

AMG Bible Illustrations. (2000). AMG Publishers.

Let this be our challenge today - filled with the HOPE of Christmas, that even in our darkest day God’s purpose will be fulfilled, let us look for ways to show others that God is truly Immanuel - God with us!

Let us live with hope. May everyone around us see that we are people of hope because of Christ.

Let us submit to Christ’s reign in our lives and our world. We know God’s purpose will prevail; let us ask God how we can cooperate with his plan.

Let us share with others - Jesus is God is with us - and if you accept Him, he will be with you and in you, your Lord and Savior, your God and your closest Friend.

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Thank God for the HOPE of Christmas!