The Christ of the Prophet

Intro:

TS: Isaiah was sent to King Ahaz.

Ahaz was king In Judah from 20 years old and reigned 4 years. with his father, Jotham, and 16 years on his own. He worshipped idols and continued leading Judah in rebellion to God.

An Aram/Syria/Israel unsuccessfully invade Judah. Though defeated, they had caused much damage and were a continued presence of Assyrian forces in Israel.

This brought a constant threat to Judah’s security

God sent Isaiah to both warn and reassure the King.

Isaiah’s First Prophecy

(Isaiah 7:1–12):

Isaiah 7:1–12 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.”

God sends the prophet to re-assure young Ahaz, the terrified king of Judah.

1. The need for this reassurance (7:1–2):

The southern tribe of Judah is threatened with invasion by the northern ten tribes and Aram.

The city of Jerusalem was in line to be attacked.

As the armies approached, they were full of fear

2. The nature of this reassurance (7:3–9):

God instructs Isaiah to assure Ahaz that this simply will not happen, for the enemy armies will soon be crushed and broken.

This is exactly what they needed to hear!

God had not forsaken them and would deliver them

3. The negative response to this reassurance (7:10–12)

a. The Lord’s sign (7:10–11):

God invites Ahaz to ask for any sign he might desire to validate Isaiah’s promise.

God gave King Ahaz an amazing opportunity:

name a sign and He would perform it

God was calling Ahaz to faith and knew the manifestation would reassure and convict him.

b. The king’s scorn (7:12):

Wicked Ahaz refuses, not allowing God to show his mighty power.

Shockingly, Ahaz refuses!

He was so hard hearted, he didn’t want God to have the opportunity to show His mighty power.

Isaiah’s Second Prophecy

Isaiah takes his message to the whole faithless house of David.

(Isaiah 7:13–16):

Isaiah 7:13–16 ESV

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. 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.

Many believe these verses predict the births of two babies, one to be born supernaturally in the distant future, the other to be born naturally in the immediate future.

1. The first baby (7:13–14):

This will be the Messiah, born centuries later to the Virgin Mary.

The Lord’s sign was a prophecy of Jesus

He declares the virgin birth of the Messiah.

Matthew 1:23 ESV

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

The birth of Isaiah’s own son couldn’t have fulfilled this prophecy

Immanuel means God with us.

No earthly child could be called God with us

2. The second baby (7:15–16):

This will be Maher-shalal-hash-baz, born less than a year later to Isaiah and his wife.

Ahaz is told that even before this baby is weaned, the enemy kings of both the northern kingdom and Aram will be dead.

Isaiah’s Third Prophecy

(Isaiah 7:17–25):

Isaiah 7:17–25 ESV

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!” 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.

He warns of a terrible Assyrian attack on Judah.

Judah would be ravaged again by war from Assyria

This foretold invasion was the beginning of the end for Judah.

Even steep ravines and ledges of cliffs would not escape

Assyria was God’s razor used to disgrace Judah

Agricultural economy would change with not enough men to farm the land.

There would be great poverty

Farmland would be overgrown with briars and thorns

APPLICATION: Lessons we should learn from these visions:

1. When we are in rebellion, judgment is coming

God is still just

wrong is wrong and right is right

He still judges sin

Nations still rise and fall through His will

Never forget this!

Our text has shown us God’s judgment through evil kingdoms as well as His deliverance.

2. Though God judges, he never forsakes us and will forgive.

this comes through repentance

Getting us to the point of repentance is often the reason of God’s judgment.

Conclusion: