Sermon Tone Analysis

Last time we saw a real high point in Isaiah’s ministry in Chapter 6 which was a vision of the throne of God.

Remember when this vision came, it was after the Great Leader King Uzziah died.

It is interesting to me that often it is the times when those things we put our trust in are moved out of the way that God shows up in power.

As believers in Christ we sometimes don’t see ourselves as susceptible to placing our trust outside of God, but we do.

What are you and me leaning on today.

Let us pray that it is no one else but Him.

People will always fail us, some more than others, but Jesus will never fail us.

Now let’s open to Isaiah Chapter 7.

Verses 1, 2: Now it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but could not prevail against it.

And it was told to the house of David, saying, "Syria's forces are deployed in Ephraim."

So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.

Here we notice that the prophecy now is in the time of Ahaz, Uzziah’s grandson.

Ahaz was among the worst Kings of Judah.

Ahaz was a wicked king of Judah, worshipping other gods and even sacrificing his son to Molech ().

The only good thing Ahaz seemed to do was father Hezekiah, who became a good king of Judah.

The message includes two other Kings, Rezin King of Syria and Pekah (Son of Remaliah) king Israel.

Its important to differentiate between Syria ans Assyria, who will be mentioned later.

Also, to remember that Israel and Judah at this time are two separate nations.

The Northern Kingdom was known as Ephraim, the largest of the 10 northern tribes, and Judah and Benjamin made up the Southern Kingdom.

Rezin king of Syria and Pekah … king of Israel: The alliance between these two nations and their unsuccessful attack on Jerusalem is described in .

The attack on Jerusalem was ultimately unsuccessful, but the war against Judah took a great toll against the southern kingdom.

documents the damage: For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed one hundred and twenty thousand in Judah in one day, all valiant men, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.

says that the Syrian army carried away a great multitude of them as captives.

The king of Israel also captured 200,000 men, women and children as captives, but sent them back to Judah at the command of the prophet Oded ().

The reason that Ahaz was not destroyed is that he made an Alliance with Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and even gave Tiglath-Pileser silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD as a present to win his favor and protection.

The attack on Jerusalem was ultimately unsuccessful, but the war against Judah took a great toll against the southern kingdom.

documents the damage: For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed one hundred and twenty thousand in Judah in one day, all valiant men, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.

says that the Syrian army carried away a great multitude of them as captives.

The king of Israel also captured 200,000 men, women and children as captives, but sent them back to Judah at the command of the prophet Oded ().

See So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.

8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.

9 And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people ofit captive to Kir, and slew Rezin.

Assyria was famous for their cruelty.

Skinning people alive and putting hooks in their noses.

Hand Out

So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind: meaning that they are shaken to the core, with no faith in God at all.

This is what happens when we put out trust in Governments, Leaders, even Pastors.

Verses 3 - 9 God has a word for Ahaz.

Then the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller's Field, and say to him: 'Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah.

Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, "Let us go up against Judah and trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel"; thus says the Lord GOD: "It shall not stand, nor shall it come to pass.

For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin.

Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken, so that it will not be a people.

The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son.

If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established."

So here God tells Isaiah to go meet Ahaz but to bring his son, named Shear-Jashub, and bring a word from the LORD to Ahaz.

He brought his son as a walking object lesson, because the name Shear-Jashub means, "A Remnant Shall Return."

A prophetic name as ultimately judgement would come upon Judah 150 years later through Babylon but after that a remnant would return.

God directs the meeting to a specific place: At the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller's Field: Here we have a picture of Christ’s ministry if you want to go that deep.

As in Living water from heaven to the “fullers field”.

Anyone know what a fuller does?

Ancient dry cleaner or laundry.

Taking out stains.. “though your sin be as scarlet they shall be white as snow..”

Isaiah tells him - Take heed, and be quiet: he was so wrapped up in his problem that he kept talking about it, giving it life so to speak.

We often, when confronted with a problem, can choose to speak of God’s promises, words of faith, or speak about how great our problem is.

Its our choice.

What are some words of faith we can speak.

“with men it is impossible but with God all things are possible.”

“come unto Me all who labour and are heavy laden..

I will give you rest.”,

“All things work together for good..”

You see our flesh wants to take us down but the weapons of our warfare are not carnal..”

Ahaz saw these two Kings as an insurmountable obstacle but God looked at Israel and Syria and saw two stubs of smoking firebrands.

Two punks really.

It shall not stand, nor shall it come to pass: Certainly, the king of Israel and the king of Syria had their plans - they have taken evil counsel against you.

They wanted to attack Jerusalem, defeat the capital of Judah (make a gap in its wall), then depose Ahaz and set up their own king.

But God was not worried about their plans.

They looked like a big, flaming threat to Ahaz, but God looked and saw two stubs of smoking firebrands, and simply said, "It shall not stand, nor shall it come to pass."

Then Isaiah says, If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established: this is the main message, we must believe.

James said a double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Hebrews says without faith it is impossible to please God.

Jonathan’s loan story..

Verse 7 -12

Moreover the LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying, "Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above."

But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!"

God here tells Ahaz to ask for a sign, anything!

But he refuses with a false religious answer.

He almost seems to say what Jesus said in : "You shall not tempt the LORD your God."

Though the words are similar, the hearts are far apart.

Ahaz refused to ask for a sign, because when God fulfilled the sign, he would be "obligated" to believe.

Verses 13 - 16 this should be very familiar..

Then he said, "Hear now, O house of David!

Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will 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.

Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.

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."

When he says “Hear now, O house of David!

Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? he is saying you easily insult men, but now you would insult God by your unbelief.

God says “I will show you a sign anyway.”

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you as sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

This is one of the most famous prophecies regarding the birth of Jesus the Messiah in the Bible.

It also illustrates a principle of prophecy, that prophecy may have both a near fulfillment and a far fulfillment.

The near fulfillment of this prophecy centered around Ahaz, Jerusalem, and the attack from Israel and Syria.

For Ahaz, the sign centered around a time span (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).

Simply put, God would give Ahaz a sign that within a few years, both Israel and Syria would be crushed.

This was a sign of deliverance to Ahaz.

Many commentators think that this was immediately fulfilled when a young woman in the royal household shortly married, conceived a son, and unknowingly naming him "Immanuel."

Before this boy came to eat solid food, Israel and Syria were be defeated.

The far or ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy goes far beyond Ahaz, to announce the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus Christ.

We know this passage speaks of Jesus because the Holy Spirit says so through Matthew: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." ()

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