To understand today’s passage, we need to understand a bit of the historical context. The historical setting of the divided kingdom and the threat to Judah is important because it explains why Isaiah was stressing the need for faith -- the theme of the whole book.
But more than just mere history, today’s passage is also relevant for us! It will also teach us how to face trials, and to learn to trust God.
(A) Context: Syria and Israel vs Judah (Isa 7:1-2)
At this point in Israel’s history, they were split into 2 kingdoms — Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Isa 7:1 also mentions 3 kings — “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”. What do we recall about their reigns?
Uzziah/Azariah (796/767BC to 740BC)
Jotham (750BC to 735BC)
Ahaz (735BC to 715BC)
From Israel’s history, we are meant to see the relationship between kings and the people. Kings led the people and were intended to lead the people to worship God. Thus a bad king would lead the people astray.
Our passage today takes place about 5 years after the year King Uzziah died in Isa 6:1a. In Isa 6 in the past 3 weeks, we spoke about the holiness of God, Isaiah’s sin and atonement before touching on Isaiah’s commission from God to speak to his people. Now we find ourselves in the days of Ahaz. Isa 7 comes about 200 years after the split of God’s people into Israel and Judah (1 Kings 12).
What happened during the days of Ahaz? Rezin and Pekah came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it (Isa 7:1). Ahaz lost territory to them for Rezin recovered Elath for Syria, and the Edomites came to Elath (cf. 2 Kings 16:5-6). Ahaz also lost men to them as King of Syria took a great number of people captive to Damascus (2 Chron 28:5). Pekah killed 120 000 men of valor from Judah (2 Chron 28:6). Ahaz and Judah are getting attacked by Syria and Israel, and they are going to come again in our passage today
What could be behind all this? We read of the context in 2 Kings 15:27-29, and these were days of war. Pekah started reigning during the 52nd year of Uzziah/Azariah and they reigned 20 years. But Pekah did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.
Most importantly, we read about Assyria capturing much of Israel’s northern and eastern territory (2 Kings 15:29). And this is the defining crisis of Isaiah’s time, the Assyrian empire is coming from the east and conquering everything. Commentators say that a likely reason for Syria’s and Israel’s attack on Jerusalem was to force or compel them to join into their anti-Assyrian alliance which Judah refused, but the point is Judah is faced with a credible threat of war for they are getting attack on many fronts.
In Isa 7:2a, Isaiah address Ahaz and Judah as the “house of David”. This address points us back to God’s covenant with David in 2 Sam 7:8-19. God makes massive promises to David here. David tries to build God a house in 2 Sam 7, but God in turns says he will “make you a house”. God declares that “violent men shall afflict them no more” and He will establish the kingdom of his offspring, and establish the throne of his kingdom forever (“Your throne shall be established forever”, 2 Sam 7:16).
Ahaz, being a descendant of David, should have extreme confidence in God’s covenant. He is sitting on the throne that God promises will be established forever. What greater assurance should he need? What greater assurance do we need today besides God’s promises?
We would expect Ahaz to be pretty confident with these promises from God. But how does he respond in Isa 7:2b? Syria has rested upon Ephraim: almost an image of leaning on/counting on, arms around the shoulders. They are buddies. Ahaz and his people had their hearts shaking as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. The trees of the forest are so mighty yet even they shake before the wind, a wind that in this case can tear them up by their roots. The line about fear on Ahaz and the people's part is more than just a poetic phrase -- it describes a Judean society in which people were really anxious and afraid. Everywhere they went, people were talking about this coming threat.
They were extremely fearful because, having failed to put their trust in God, they did not have a firm foundation for their security. Ahaz and Judah had their hearts shaking as they were worried, anxious, fearful and felt unstable of the coming threat of Syria and Israel. Ahaz and Judah are struck with sudden fear.
Have you ever experienced your heart shaking as the trees of the forest shake before the wind? When was the last time you had worried deeply about something? There are many reasons for our moments of deep worry and anxiety, and perhaps these days, there are more causes for concern. We can hear or imagine something bad and you feel your heart go jittery and anxious. What made you feel that way? What did you do thereafter?
(B) God’s Word to the Anxious (Isa 7:3-6)
God sends Isaiah and Shear-jashub (“A remnant shall return) his son (Isa 7:3). Isaiah says that “I and the children whom the LORD has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the LORD of hosts” (Isa 8:18). Hence the name of Shear-jashub is meant to be a sign to Ahaz.
This promise of a returning remnant is a twofold sign. It is a sign of judgement where the return of a remnant means much of the whole has been wiped out. We recall last week where Nehemiah taught us about Isaiah’s ministry: many will hear but not understand, see but not perceive, with their hearts dulled. Though a tenth remain, it will be burned again until a stump remains. God will judge his people for their sins
Yet at the same time, a remnant suggests not all is lost, and a remnant will return. This is God’s grace to allow a faithful remnant to return and worship him as God.
But Isaiah had to find Ahaz to deliver him this message. Ahaz was at the “end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field” (Isa 7:3). Ahaz was inspecting his water channel and crucial water supply, stockpiling and preparing for war. He is the man who inspects how much toilet paper and instant noodles he has when COVID restrictions hit. Ahaz was trying to secure his water supply against the coming siege.
What do we do when we face crisis? Maybe we too, check out all our security — bank accounts, insurance policies — and look for a solution other than God. His actions were purely practical, and sometimes we find ourselves the same when our hearts are shaking. We reach out to take practical actions/solutions. If it works, we find ourselves forgetting God altogether as if he never figured in our solutions. There is nothing wrong with being practical when our hearts shake, but does God feature in our lives when a crisis hits? Is God only the God of your life for the big crises? Does he not matter when there are only small or no problems?
God has a specific message for Ahaz — “Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint” (Isa 7:4).
God brings words of warning: be careful, do not let your heart be faint. When faced with a trial or a fear, we must be careful to not let our hearts be faint. Our hearts are prone to wander and be anxious and fearful. We are prone to cling to our solutions and “crucial water supply” and God calls us to be careful of that. We are to take care of our heart in these moments of crisis. During times of crises, we have a decision to make: are we going to cling to God or are we going to cling to sth else? At the same time, God also brings words of comfort: be quiet, do not fear. Do nothing.
What can we learn about God here (Isa 7:4b-6)? The kings of Syria and Israel are seen by God as “two smouldering stumps of firebrands. They have fierce and fiery anger, but they are smouldering stumps: burning but with no flame. These kings have their own plans to “conquer Judah for ourselves” (“to split it open”) and to set up the son of Tabeel as a puppet ruler under their charge.
God knows it all and he sees the plans and pride of these earthly kings and reigns over it. God sees their fiery anger as nothing but smouldering stumps — burnt out already. God really doesn’t see them as as threat. (c.f. Ps 2:1-4). God is “the King, the LORD of hosts”. The evil plans of these earthly kings have nothing on the God who sits upon his throne. God is in full control, and can even laugh at their plans. This is why he can tell Ahaz to be quiet and do not fear
God is also inviting his people back to Himself through this crisis as he is telling them to not fear. God sees even the fiercest anger and power of this world as nothing but smouldering stumps. He alone is almighty and powerful. This passage reminds me of Ps 2:1-4, where God laughs as the kings of the earth plot in vain. Our hearts must be guarded from fear of anything other than God himself. How does God’s sovereignty and reign address your fears today? How can you guard your heart from being faint? How can we stop our hearts from reaching to sth apart from God?
What does God think is more concerning -- the twin smoldering firebrands of external threat, or the inward threat of a wandering, noisy, fearful heart?
(C) God’s Promise and Call to Faith (Isa 7:7-9)
God speaks clearly to Ahaz and promises Ahaz that the plans of Rezin and Pekah will not stand, and will not come to pass (Isa 7:7-9a). He basically tells Ahaz (and Judah) that their biggest fear or worry will not come to pass. God doesn’t just comfort him by telling him “it’s ok” but really has the power to back it up. God dismisses the plan of Syria and Israel to take Judah for themselves, and to set up a puppet king under their control. God can promise this because he is able to do it. These are not empty words from God. It is not the same as us comforting one another by saying “it is all going to be okay”. We say it without the power to change anything, and as part of “positive thinking” or optimism, but God is the “King, the LORD of hosts”. God is mighty and powerful and he is sitting upon his throne ruling all of creation. This is why we can trust him, because he is God almighty. His promises are backed up by ability
How does He do it? God starts with the most important, he tells Ahaz that his biggest fear is nothing. He is a God who meets Ahaz exactly where he is. To the anxious, fearful and weary, this is the most reassuring. God doesn’t just stop there! He doesn’t just give words but also goes a step to reason with Ahaz.
In Isa 7:8, God breaks down the threat systematically, beginning with Syria, then Damascus, Rezin and Ephraim, Samaria followed by Pekah. In doing so, God is showing Ahaz and Judah that they are but human beings, mere creatures. God is saying: “look it is nothing too great for me” to be against Rezin and Pekah
God even gives a timeline for Ahaz — Ephraim will be shattered from being a people within 65 years (Isa 7:8b). God is so kind and even gives details about His plan. This is a double assurance, and God keeps his word. Israel fell to Assyria in 722BC, and by 670BC, there were foreign settlers to the cities to Israel (2 Kings 17:24).
What does God call Ahaz and Judah to? Notice first that the “you” in Isaiah 7:9b is plural, meaning that God is speaking to both Ahaz and Judah. Both Ahaz and Judah had their hearts shaking previously. God calls them to faith and trust in him and this is not just an empty faith and trust. This is not just a “trust that things will be better”, or a “have faith”. God is calling Ahaz and Judah to trust in him and his good promises which he has just given to them. God calls Ahaz to be firm in faith. And the flipside of being firm in faith is not being firm at all. This is not merely a platitude, mere words just asking people to trust in him so that everything gets better, but to be firm. God is teaching him (and us) that “nbelief in God destablises everything for Ahaz, not just his religious life” (c.f. ESV Study Bible).
God draws a connection between faith and all of life. Our faith in God is not only something we practise on Sundays or Wednesday evenings or even every day during your prayer and time of Bible reading. Our faith in God informs every part of our lives, and the way we choose to live. Our faith affects how we work, how we study, how we conduct our relationships in our families, at work, at school, with friends, and even with strangers. Bible teacher Ray Ortlund reminds us that “You’ll live by faith, or you won’t live at all”.
The only way we can have a firm faith is to place it in someone who is firm and not shaky. What other firmness and stability is there? If we place our trust in anything or anyone other than God, that thing or person will let us down at some point. Who is eternal? Who is all powerful? Who is holy? The LORD alone is God, and there is none like him, and none who can take his place in our lives. If we choose to worship anything else, we won’t be firm at all, and we will be a like a “wave of the sea being tossed by the wind” (Jas 1:6). How firm or fragile is your trust in God today? We can find that life’s challenges easily makes our heart shake.
God’s people have God’s promises and should be the most confident of all, yet their hearts were shaking in the face of difficulty. God is using this crisis to call Ahaz to trust in him, and he does the same to us today as we face our crises. Who or what are you going to trust in the great uncertainties and challenges in life?
But at the same time, trusting in God doesn’t mean that we have a smooth-sailing and easy life. God can answer your prayer to trust Him more by sending the Assyrian army. How can we continue to trust him even in the face of real threats? How is God worthy of our trust today? This is because he sent his Son Jesus Christ to die for us. This is Paul’s argument in Rom 8:32. He doesn’t call us to trust Him “just because”. We only have to look at Christ, to know that God is for his people, and we can trust him whole-heartedly.
What might make your heart shake today? What are you trusting in? How can you be “firm in faith” today?