Visions of Isaiah (8)
Notes
Transcript
Last week we stopped at Isaiah 7:9. We discussed unbelief and the need for faith in this trying time. We discussed fear of the enemy which comes against us. Understand this doesn’t have to do with just a political fear, but this applies to any fear we have. Fear has it’s roots in Evil. If Satan can get you to fear or doubt than he has an open door to operate in your life.
But we serve an amazing God who makes allowances for our Fears and our doubts. Just when it seems like you don’t have enough in you to get past your fear, your failure, or your unbelief God says this:
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz:
“Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”
I remember when I was at a crucial point in my life. I was about 11 years old. My step father just hit me again and I was done. I was spent. It’s one thing to know why your getting disciplined. I can take a punishment I know I deserve, but I was spent on punishments I didn’t earn. I remember crying out to God, I knew there was a God, but I wasn’t sure if he cared or even listened so at 11 years old I said my first prayer. Lord, If you’re out there and if you care you need to provide me a way out of this mess or I am going to live on the streets. I was going to join a gang.
At 11 that’s all I had. It wasn’t profound; it just was. You see so many times we get caught up in the profound. We get caught up in the words. God doesn’t need a lengthy prayer. He just needs honest truth, but for some reason people find it hard to be truthful.
Ahaz is at the end of his rope. God knows there is still disbelief in his heart that’s why he offers to give him a sign. God is telling Ahaz: Listen I know your struggling in your faith right now. I know, with all that is coming against you, it’s hard to believe that I, God can make a way.
God understands your struggle we just need to stop lying to God and be honest about it. God isn’t judging Ahaz right now. God knows he will fail if he doesn’t receive the sign. God is waiting to provide help....It just needs to be accepted.
Someone needs to hear this this morning: In the moment when your failing in your faith God is waiting to condemn you he is waiting to answer you.
In that moment at 11 God gave me the sign I needed. Minutes just after my prayer, my Dad who I hadn’t talked to in a while, calls up and says he is coming to get me for the weekend. Little did I know that would be the last time I would see the place I called hell again.
In that moment God didn’t need me to unwaveringly believe in Him. He just needed me to accept his help.
Ahaz needed to Accept God’s help. But he didn’t. Ahaz tried to act tough.
But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.”
Fail! Ahaz quoted the book of Deuteronomy, he attempted to use scripture to hide his failure. This is the reality of a nominal Christian or someone who Acts like they believe. I am going to use the word of God to avoid the reality of God. I will pick certain scriptures to show you why I don’t have to grow in that area. Why I don’t have to trust God in that moment. Or why I don’t need God to heal that sin.
Ahaz wasn’t putting God to test-God was putting Ahaz to the test. Ahaz had unbelief, but did he really want to believe or did he want to do things on His own.
You have a serious question to ask yourself in a time of crisis; in a time where faith seems to be at an all time low.
Will I be honest with God and Honest with myself or will I continue in the lie?
Go cares if you fail and fall, but it isn’t the end of the world if you’re willing to be honest. God knows you don’t have unlimited faith that’s why he gives you chances in life to strengthen your faith.
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.
Ahaz chose lies and so God goes over Ahaz’s head to the people. Notice the O’ House of David-He stopped talking to Ahaz. Why? Because it was getting him no where. Don’t be in a place where God gives up and moves on.
God is going to give you a sign. What is a sign? A sign points to a greater destination. I find it funny when people stop and take pictures next to a state sign. Like Welcome to California. Why do people seek and evens top to take pictures of those signs. Because those signs point to a greater destination. It isn’t the sign we stop for, it’s because it is a marker that we are going the right way. We don’t camp out at the sign, but rather we follow it to a greater destination.
Signs in the bible signify something greater beyond itself.
This sign of Immaneul is first a clear pointer to the coming of Jesus Christ. Matthew even quotes this verse and states that was a clear sign to the birth of the Lord Jesus.
This sign also has a reference to that day.
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.
For ebfore the boy knows how to—this is symbolizing the boys Barmitzfa- !2 years old. Before the boy reaches 12. Isaiah there is going to be a child born and before he reaches 12 the two kingdoms you fear will not exist. The amazing part is that the word Virgin is open ended enough to all both references to be true. Because it means virgin—but it also means very young women who also happens to be a virgin. So this young women is yet to be married, but she will be married have a son and before he is 12 the people you fear will be gone.
Understand this: The trail you are going through. The testing of your faith you are walking right now is temporary. It will come to and end. There are struggle in my past life that I never thought would be able to get over that no some years later aren’t a struggle anymore. This too shall pass. This too shall come to an end. The repeated failings and struggles will end.
Exactly 13 years after this prophesy Israel and Syria were both wiped out.
But here’s the kicker: Ahaz still doesn’t believe God. We know if you read 2 kings and Chronicles that Ahaz called out to Assyria for help.
It is like a mouse being picked on by two rats who calls a cat in for help. When the cat arrives he just sees dinner and desert. The Assyrians came, but took out all three Cities. So God brings judgement.
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!”
To fail is human. God gave us grace for times when we fail, but to continually fail-to step outside of the will of God and seek help in the world is to bring Judgement.
God used Ahaz’s own people to firm up Ahaz’s faith and he refused to see it. So them remaining chapter is the fruit of the seed of disbelief Ahaz planted.
In that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is at the end of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes, and on all the pastures.
In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired beyond the River—with the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the beard also.
In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep,
and because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will eat curds, for everyone who is left in the land will eat curds and honey.
In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels of silver, will become briers and thorns.
With bow and arrows a man will come there, for all the land will be briers and thorns.
And as for all the hills that used to be hoed with a hoe, you will not come there for fear of briers and thorns, but they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread.
Then the Lord said to me, “Take a large tablet and write on it in common characters, ‘Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz.’
And I will get reliable witnesses, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah, to attest for me.”
And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz;
for before the boy knows how to cry ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”
The Lord spoke to me again:
“Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over Rezin and the son of Remaliah,
therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks,
and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.”
Be broken, you peoples, and be shattered; give ear, all you far countries; strap on your armor and be shattered; strap on your armor and be shattered.
Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us.
When we slap the forgiving hand of God we will reap judgement. God didn’t condemn Ahaz for his crisis of faith. He condemned Ahaz because he refused to leave that crisis for the open door God was providing.
Understand: We all fail. We all have a crisis of faith. Even I have reached points in my life where I cried out Lord I believe just help my unbelief. And it’s in those moments where God sent people in my life to speak life into me. God will send people in your life to speak like to you, but you have to accept the help.
You are not an island. One of the biggest lies of the enemy is when he can convince you that you are on an Island by yourself. That no one understand. That everyone is going to judge. Isaiah wasn’t there to judge. He was there to provide a way out of judgement that if Headed would left Judah and Ahaz standing, but Ahaz wanted to find his own way.
When we want to find our own way we tend to get lost.
The water was never meant for Judah. Judgement was never meant for Judah, but it’s a sad day when one of God’s choses judgement over faith. Assyria took over all three cities because it’s king lacked faith. When everything is coming against you and lack the faith to stand you need to find people who will stand with you and for you so that you receive grace instead of Judgement.