August 07, 2024 | Be God's Light
The Virgin will Give Birth to a Son
Scripture: Isaiah 7:1-17(NIV)
1 When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.
2 Now the house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself with Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.
3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field. 4 Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. 5 Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have plotted your ruin, saying, 6 “Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” 7 Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘It will not take place,
it will not happen,
8 for the head of Aram is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is only Rezin.
Within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.
9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.
If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.’”
10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”
13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 15 He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. 17 The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.”
Devotional
Things were heating up in the old middle east. The northern kingdom of Israel (called Ephraim in today’s reading) had made an alliance with Aram. They thought this could protect them from Assyria and give them dominance over the southern kingdom of Judah.
Ahaz was now the Judah’s king, one of the worst they ever had. 2 Chronicles 28:2-4 reveals his character: “He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and also made idols for worshiping the Baals. He burned sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his children in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.”
After some stinging defeats at the hands of Israel and Aram, King Ahaz sent messengers to the king of Assyria, “I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me” (2 Kings 16:7). To pay for his ungodly alliance, he emptied the temple of silver and gold. Then as an act of spiritual defiance, he set up pagan worship stations all over Jerusalem and nailed shut the doors of the temple (2 Chronicles 28:24-25).
In Isaiah 7:9 from today’s reading, it says, “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” Ahaz completely ignored this warning. He also declined on a generous offer from the Lord: “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights” (v. 11).
So the Lord gave a sign, familiar to those who are Christians. Isaiah 7:14 is repeated in Matthew 1:23: “‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).” Jesus is the true fulfillment of God’s sovereign promise to rescue His people!
Have you accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord? How is He the fulfillment of God’s sovereign promises to you?
Poem
In The Secret Place
In the secret place
Of prayer
A message
A calling
A promise
“Let it be to me…”
In the secret place
Of womb
A conception
A life
A hope
“Let it be to me…”
In the secret place
Of stall
A birthing
A crying
A future
“Let it be to me…”
In the secret place
Of heart
A trusting
A calling
A promise
“Let it be to me…”
