Isaiah 7:1-9 — Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz
Isaiah 7:10-25 — The Sign of Immanuel
Isaiah 8 — The Coming Assyrian Invasion
Creative Space for Wanderers
Creative Space for Wanderers
Isaiah 7:1-9 — Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz
Isaiah 7:10-25 — The Sign of Immanuel
Isaiah 8 — The Coming Assyrian Invasion
The Lord tells Isaiah to meet Ahaz (see 2 Kings 16) the new king, only 20 years old, and say to him, “be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart” (Isaiah 7:4). The Lord assures him, “if you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all” (7:9). But Ahaz was not a man after God’s heart, he was easily swayed by those around him. The result: Assyria will overtake the land, “the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates–the king of Assyria with all his pomp” (8:7). Yet the Assyrians will eventually be destroyed, they will “be shattered”–three times it is repeated “and be shattered!” (8:9).
Isaiah paints a picture of total chaos and calamity. He warns them not to consult “mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter” (8:19), instead to “Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning” (8:20). We know Ahaz chooses poorly. As for me, I hope and pray that these words will wake me up to God’s word, his ways, his truth. The Babylonian and Assyrian Empires may be long gone today, but a much more subtle enemy lurks about. Father, help me to hear you instructions and turn off those who would lure me otherwise.