Download Isaiah 7 March 19, 2006 Chapter 7 is one of the most difficult

Isaiah 7
March 19, 2006
Chapter 7 is one of the most difficult chapters in the Old Testament. The setting is during the reign
of King Ahaz and the “story” continues on into chapter 9. Thus chapter 7 to 9 are one complete
“discourse” of ideas, historical data, prophecy, and lessons to learn. It is a voluminous story with many
details that scholars have studied for years and still they call it a “conundrum” –that is A paradoxical,
insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma. We will work on the first section of the problem in this lesson.
You are encouraged to read the rest of this story on your own and see if you can put the puzzle pieces
together for yourself.
PRINCIPLES: Trusting in God provides security. Not trusting in God equals destruction and desolation.
KEY VERSE: Is. 7:4 “Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted”.
AIM: That we may know God’s word is trustworthy and true, that we may know the truth of Jer. 29:11.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to
give you an expected end.”
DAY ONE: A Rumor Reaches Judah’s Inhabitants Is. 7:1-2
1. Review the kings Uzziah, Jotham and Ahaz from II Kings 15. What event occurred during Uzziah’s
reign? II Kings 15:37. God sent two ungodly nations against Judah. Rezin was king of Aram/Syria and
Pekah was the king of Israel. Pekah was the son of Remaliah. He was a usurper. He killed Pekahiah who
followed Menahem. 2Ki 15:25 But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired against him,
and smote him in Samaria,.
2. Who is Rezin and who is Remaliah? (a) Describe their spiritual condition (b. ) Is Pekah the rightful
heir to the throne? (c) Give some reasons as to their evil alliance. Is. 7:1, II Kings 15:27 Rezin is the king
of Aram/Syria. Remaliah is Pekah’s father. Pekah was the usurper king of Israel/Ephraim.
(a) Both were ungodly kings.
(b) Pekah was not the right heir to the throne. He conspired and killed the rightful heir.
(c) Some reasons for their evil alliance is found in II Kings 15. Ahaz chose to ally himself with Assyria.
Rezin and Pekah wanted Ahaz to ally with them as a joined force against Assyria. Thus Pekah and
Rezin decided to “punish” Ahaz for his indifference to them and as a tool to force Ahaz to join them
in fighting Assyria, which was growing stronger by the day. . To do that, they conspired to take
Jerusalem and put a puppet king in the place of Ahaz. In II Kings 15-18 the story is told of the back
and forth negotiations, the warring tribes being sent into Judah as well as Assyria coming into
Israel/Ephraim and taking several captive and removing them to Assyria. When (II Kings 16:6.) Ahaz
went to the king of Assyria to make an alliance for protection, both Rezin and Pekah were angry and
decided to teach Ahaz a lesson for not making an alliance with them.
3. What caused Ahaz to be so fearful and why did God allow this invasion? II Chron. 28 1-6. Verse 6
tells us that Pekah slew 120,000 in Judah in just one day. They were all valiant men. In addition, Ahaz
heard the ‘rumor’ that Rezin had moved its army into Israel/Ephraim and had joined forces with Pekah.
He was fearful of what may transpire with that allegiance. However, this was part of the plan of God
allowing Pekah to be used as an instrument to Ahaz to bring him back to the One true God. Ahaz instead
of using the prophets God had placed in his midst and the Word, which had proven faithful, went to
Tiglathpileser king of Assyria. Ahaz not only sought his help but learned the ways of idolatry in his land
and send word back to the high priest to remove the altar and build a new one. Because of this form of
idolatry , God allowed Pekah and Rezin to be used to bring difficulties and tribulation to him. In addition,
in II Chron. 28:17 we also learn that the Edomites were invading and smiting Judah at the same time.
They too carried away captives. Then the Philistines invaded. 2Ch 28:19 For the LORD brought Judah
low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD.
Ahaz was losing popularity in the kingdom for his leadership. He was losing people who were kidnapped
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and taken captive to other lands, thus losing both his workers and his farmers, he also lost his valiant men
who were soldiers in his army. There was great unrest in the land and Ahaz seemed not to notice what
was going on among the people’s heart. With all of this going on, Ahaz sought out help from Assyria
rather than God due to his fear of losing his kingship, his kingdom, his favor and position. He was fearful
of being taken captive himself.
DAY TWO: God Reveals the Truth of the Rumor and the Alliance’s Destiny Is. 7:3-9
4. God told Isaiah to take his son with him to meet Ahaz. What does the name “Shear-jashub” mean? His
name means “the remnant will return”. This was a message to Ahaz that if he trusted in God that those
that were taken captive would be returned safe and sound. But, Ahaz seemed not to notice this meaning.
The meaning of his name is sobering as we think that only a remnant will return to the land in later years.
The boy’s name is indicative of the “holy seed” (the righteous believers) given in chapter 1. In chapter 8
vs. 18, Isaiah’s sons are said to be ‘signs’ to the nation of God’s plan and its execution.
Dr. Constable writes: This was the very spot on which Sennacherib's field commander later stood to hurl
insults at Hezekiah (36:2), the fulfillment of Isaiah's prediction of an Assyrian attack.
Dr. Ross writes: Shear-jashub (se’ar-yasub [pronounced sheh-ar yah-shoov]) means “a remnant will
return.” This is a loaded name to deliver to the king, for it confirms that war is inevitable, destruction will
follow, but a remnant will return. The question was who would be a part of this remnant.
5. Give the four part directive from God to Ahaz in vs. 4. Analyze each part:
a. What does it mean to “take heed”? Be cautious, be careful. In the Hebrew it means “keep thyself”, that
is from fear.
b. Why was he to ‘be quiet’? Ps. 46:10 When we are quiet we are able to hear the voice of the Lord. Isaiah
was telling Ahaz that he needed to step aside from this situation and listen to the voice of the Lord
who was in charge of this .
Psa 46:10 He says, "Stop your striving and recognize that I am God! I will be exalted over the nations! I
will be exalted over the earth!"Net Bible
Psa 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the
earth. KJV
c. Why was he not to fear? Is. 41:10, Ps. 125:1, Is. 30:15 What is fear? The dictionary defines fear as:
FEAR is the most general term and implies anxiety and usually loss of courage <fear of the unknown>. In
addition, the dictionary defines fear as "a distressing emotion aroused by an impending pain, danger, evil,
etc. or by the illusion of such." However, when we have God on our side we should have no fear. Fear is
the most deadly of “diseases” for it is the sin that so easily besets us and weakens us. Isaiah was telling
Ahaz that God is sovereign and ultimately in charge therefore fear is not a necessary component of this
situation. He was to be quiet so he could hear, have no fear because God knows what is going on and in
fact He is orchestrating all of it unbeknownst to these two heathen kings.
Ps. 125:1 They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth
forever.
Isa 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee;
yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isa 30:15 For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in
quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
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d. What does it mean to be fainthearted? To be fainthearted means to not be in control of your life and
your thoughts and emotions. Isaiah was warning Ahaz that he should remain tender to God’s voice and to
hear what He has to say.
Barnes writes: Neither be fainthearted - Hebrew, ‘Let not thy heart be tender;’ that is, let it not be
easily moved; be strong, fearless.
Gill writes: neither be fainthearted; or "let thy heart soft" (b), and melt like wax, through dread and
diffidence:
APPLICATION QUESTION: In what situation can you/do you need to apply these four steps? Personal
responses.
6. What is a consequence of unbelief when we fail to respond to these four steps? The consequence is that
we now are calling God a liar, we are saying our way is preferable to His ways, we are as Jesus told Peter
in Matt 16:23 for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
The word savor means - set the affection on, we use it as savoring the meat dish for dinner. We enjoy its
taste and its texture in our mouths. We have set our affections upon it for the moment. Jesus was saying to
Peter, you are savoring the ways of men’s thinking and not of God’s way of thinking.
When we savor the things of men, we have usurped God’s place in our lives and in our hearts. Note what
Jesus said to Peter: Get thee behind me Satan. That is because these are thoughts that arise from the pit of
hell, they are satanic. It shows our unbelief and our unwillingness to be obedient to God and lastly it
grieves the Holy Spirit who resides within us. Eph 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by
whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
7. How does God describe unbelief? Deut. 32:20, Heb. 3:12, Mark 16:14.
In Deut. We read: a perverse generation,children who show no loyalty.
Hebrew says: an evil, unbelieving heart that forsakes the living God.
Mark writes: unbelief and hardness of heart,
From all of these we note one main factor: it is a heart problem which is manifested in a life issue and
behavior. We have not given our lives completely over to the ways of God and His thinking.
8. Isaiah told Ahaz that if he did not believe this prophecy, he would not last. Equate that to the parable
Jesus told in Mt. 7:26-27. The NT example of the house on the sand/rock gives us a vivid picture of what
it means to remain steadfast and immovable, to believe no matter the circumstances. The house on the
sand faltered and fell in times of trial due to its weak foundation, a weak belief or an unbelief. The house
on the rocks is symbolic of a sure foundation and a strong belief system. Note that Isaiah gave his
instruction in the negative meaning “ if you don’t believe, you will not remain/continue on and in fact you
will lose your position as king of this nation.” It can also be understood in the affirmative: If you believe,
God has marvelous plans for your life! This brings us to Jer. 29:11 “For I know what I have planned for
you,’ says the LORD. 'I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled
with hope” Net Bible.
In the NT Jesus reminds His believers of this truth over and over. He tells Peter to remain faithful even in
times of tribulation and testing, Paul says for us to be steadfast and immovable. Hebrews tells us that
Jesus will not forsake us nor leave us.
THINKING/PONDERING QUESTION: What do you fear most? Will you this day claim Jer. 29:11
instead of fearing? Personal responses here.
DAY THREE: God Sends Ahaz a Test. Is. 7:10-16
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9. Why do you think God tell Ahaz to ask for a sign? This was a test of Ahaz’s commitment to the Lord.
Background: We know from the book of II Kings and II Chron. 28 that Ahaz was a wicked king who
offered his own children to the god of fire, He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel; he also
made images of the Baals. He offered sacrifices in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom and passed his sons through
the fire, a horrible sin practiced by the nations whom the LORD drove out before the Israelites. Ahaz thus
was an unbeliever. Had he been a believer he would not have gone to Assyria (we are warned not to keep
company in the presence of evil companions) nor would he have gathered plans for a “new” altar. His
wickedness had infected even the priesthood. When King Ahaz went to meet with King Tiglath-pileser of
Assyria in Damascus, he saw the altar there. King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a drawing of the altar and
a blueprint for its design and Uriah built it as instructed.
To seek a sign was forbidden as it demonstrated a weak belief in Yahweh. However, in this case, Isaiah as
God’s prophet, was given permission to tell Ahaz to seek for a sign and thus to confirm what God was
saying. Ahaz’s pious statement was really a hypocritical statement as he had already made his decision
and his disobedience confirmed it. Perhaps Ahaz thought, if I ask for a sign, and it comes true, then what
do I do with the Assyrian contract that I have already started. The sign then would prove that his own plan
was contrary to God’s plan, it would prove he was believing in the prophet sent by God and Ahaz was
proving to his leadership that what he had been following was not true and God was, if he chose not to
seek a sign it would prove he was an unbeliever by his own mouth. Ahaz, therefore chose to remain
neutral. LESSON: We cannot straddle the fence! We are either for God or against Him. In addition, by
not asking for the sign as Isaiah had told him to do he was testing God’s patience. Note Isaiah’s use of the
pronoun “my God” instead of “your God” signifying that Ahaz had been searched and found wanting in
his desire to please God and to obey God. So now God would Himself give the sign for the nation and
Ahaz.
10. Has God ever given a sign to someone? Judges 6:17, I Kings 3:5, Zech. 10:1, Mat. 7:7-8.
Dr. Constable’s footnote: God prohibited testing Him (demanding proof) when His people doubted or
rebelled against Him (cf. Ps.95:9; Matt. 16:4; Mark 8:12; Luke 11:29), but not when they wanted a sign
to strengthen their faith (cf. Judg. 6:36-40; 2 Kings 20:8-11; Ps. 34:6; Mal. 3:10).
11. Why does God use “signs”? See I Cor. 14: 22 – use that verse to determine the principle—it is not the
subject we are discussing here but the principle. In the book of Corinthians Paul speaks of this:
So then, tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers.. By this Paul means they are a sign to
strengthen one’s faith, a proof that God is the God He says He is. The principle here is that signs are for
those of weak faith or no faith.
Dr Constable writes: Signs were immediate, physical confirmations that what a prophet had predicted
farther in the future would indeed happen. They either confirmed that God had caused something to
happen (cf. Exod. 3:12) or they confirmed that He would cause something to happen, as here (cf. 37:30;
Jer. 44:29-30).95 Ahaz had the freedom to request any type of sign, and God promised to use it to bolster
his faith (cf.Gideon).
12. Why did Ahaz really “not” want to ask for a sign? II Kings 16:7-9. Ahaz had already decided in his
heart not to trust Adonai Yahweh, but to trust in the Assyrian king with whom he had already begun
negotiating.
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13. What was Ahaz trusting in? Was it a trustworthy thing in which to trust? What happened from his
decision? See II Kings 16 and II Chron. 28 for the complete story of what happened. Ahaz was trusting in
man rather than God. His faith proved to be weak or non-existent. Not only was it a poor choice on
Ahaz’s part but for the nation as well. It was a precursor to the Babylonian captivity. It revealed the depth
of the depravity of man’s heart at that time.. The seemingly pious statement further indicated his lack of
obedience to God and his trust in man instead.
14. What was the sign that God gave Ahaz? (There is much controversy over vs. 14 – due to the language
used, the fact that the description given seems to point to a near term incident.) How you would you prove
that this is Messianic prophecy and not just an incident that occurred at that time? Use the book of
Matthew to help you. The controversy surrounds the Hebrew word of
“almah” Feminine of H5958; a lass (as veiled or private): - damsel, maid, virgin.
Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries
used in this passage which literally means one who is young, a young maiden, a virgin. There is another
word “betula” which means virgin. Scholars have wrestled as to why Isaiah did not use the latter but
the former which is also the word that is used in Gen. 24:43. In addition the continuation in this
section seems to provide for us a near term fulfillment of this prophecy but Isaiah leaves us hanging as
to its completion and to its fulfillment as well as the person or persons involved. However, Matthew
does not leave us hanging and he quotes this verse
Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin (almah a young
maiden/woman—usually meaning a woman of marriageable age and has been secluded within her
home). shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Mat 1:23 Behold, a virgin (parthenos- a virgin) shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they
shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us---which is the verse out of Isaiah.
In addition, we read it in Luke:
Luk 1:27 To4314 a virgin3933 espoused3423 to a man435 the word used here is “parthenos” and means
unmarried maiden, a virgin.
Thus this verse has both a near term fulfillment and a far term fulfillment. Isaiah seems to be saying that
there will be a virgin/unmarried maiden who will conceive as a sign to Ahaz that God is about His work
and will bring it to complete and he (Ahaz) will not be a part of that fulfillment. Israel/Ephraim will be
destroyed in 65 yrs. and this nation (Judah) will suffer several deep distresses because of his unbelief. . It
also has a long term fulfillment in that Matthew quoted it as a prophecy regarding our Savior.—see above.
In addition, Isaiah in chapters 8-9 complete this prophecy by adding to it His names and His description.
Dr. Ross writes: http://tinyurl.com/frab9 But of course what really matters is that ultimately the
fulfillment is Jesus Christ. It was also during a time of warfare and political crisis that the virgin Mary
gave birth to Jesus the Messiah, as a sign that the line of David would continue, that God’s promises
would be fulfilled. And there was a corrupt king on the throne at that time as well, Herod. The New
Testament affirms clearly that Jesus’ supernatural birth literally fulfills the meanings of these words,
meaning, they find their fullest meaning in Him. But note carefully, the Christian doctrine of the virgin
birth does not depend on the etymology of Hebrew ‘almah as some have contended, but on the plain,
propositional statement of the New Testament that Mary was a virgin and the child was conceived by the
Holy Spirit. That it fulfilled Isaiah 7:14 indicates that this was God’s revealed plan, and that Jesus is the
Immanuel of Isaiah. His supernatural birth is one major sign that signifies that Jesus is Immanuel—in the
real and true sense and not just that God is in some way with His people. The doctrine of the Incarnation
is that God came into this world and became flesh; Jesus is not a mere mortal; His words are the words of
God and to be believed.
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15. In vs. 4 God tells Ahaz that both Rezin and Pekah are “two stubs of smoldering firebrands” and in vs.
16 we learn of their final end, which was? II Kings 15:29 and II Kings 16:9. In the days of Pekah,
Tiglathpileser (of Assyria) came and overran Israel (Ephraim) and took them captive to Assyria. In the
16th chapter we read that Tiglathpileser went into Damascus, Syria and took captive the people and slew
Rezin.
EVALUATION QUESTION: Give Ahaz a passing or failing grade. What do you learn from him that
you can practically apply to your life today? Personal responses here.
DAY FOUR: Judah faces Trials as a Consequence for Ahaz’s Unbelief. Isaiah. 7:17-25
16. Ahaz was stubborn, prideful, and disobedient. What did Isaiah prophesy would happen to Judah
because of his unbelief? Isaiah told Ahaz that because of his unbelief the entire nation would suffer – and
the suffering would be of a greater intensity than when the nation was torn asunder and it became two. It
will also be worse than when the king of Assyria came in and took the people captive. God said he will
“hiss/ whistle” for the fly (that is Egypt) and the bee (that is Assyria) to come and do his bidding to punish
the nation for its unbelief.
EVALUATION QUESTION: How does your disobedience affect others? Our nation? Our church?
Disobedience is not just a personal matter, but it is a consequence that affects each part of our nation,
church and family. The picture of Ahaz due to his insecurity and unbelief is a picture for all Christians to
hearken to.
17. Explain vs. 20. Read Judges 16 and II Sam. 10:4-5 to help. The best way to understand this verse is to
re-read the story of Samson and Delilah as well as the story of David’s men having been humiliated by
the men of Hanun. Samson’s locks were shorn, his strength was taken from him and he was humiliated
before his captors. Hanun’s men captured David’s men, shaved off ½ of their beards and ½ of their
clothing to reveal their nakedness. Both stories reveal the epitome of disgrace and shame that middle
eastern men feel when their beards are removed from their faces. It is a symbol of dishonor.
18. Is it just that the people themselves suffered consequences? See vs. 23-25. The people and the land
suffered under the warring conditions. The Egyptians and the Assyrians warring against each other in the
lands of Israel and Judah and surrounding lands caused much harm and destruction to the land. The land
was no longer able to be fertile for the livestock and chariots etc. destroyed the land until it only could
produce briars and thorns.
APPLICATION QUESTION: This week we have looked at one who failed to trust in Adonai Yahweh
(Lord God Almighty). Not only did he suffer loss of earthly rewards (II Chron 28:19, 27) but he also lost
the heavenly rewards that God had planned for him because he would not trust Him and seek a sign when
given explicit instructions to do so. Look into your own life. Where have you failed to trust God
completely and thus have lost, are losing or will soon lose rewards and blessings from God because of
your unbelief?
This lesson points out to the Christian his weakness towards fear and the choices we make in regard to
that . How often do we, like Ahaz choose the world’s way of solutions? This lesson points out to us that
we must make decisions that are in line with the Word of God. Satan knows our weaknesses just as he did
Ahaz. Fear is the weakness that we all face and we all choose incorrectly most of the time due to the lack
of several factors. One is that we are not in the Word daily so that He can teach us, secondly we fear
because we are ‘not in control’ and we cannot see the future. Fear of the unknown is one of the biggest
fears of mankind. Another factor is that we fear man. Proverbs 29:25 says The fear of man bringeth a
snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. Even believers face the fears of men. How
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then can we conquer that? Benjamin Franklin once said: “They that give up essential liberty to
obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” That thought fits here in
this scenario with Ahaz and it fits in our own lives. There was one flaw in his thinking: his security in
Tiglathpileser was only an illusion and with God it was a certainty. He chose the illusion and the rest is
history. Ahaz did not have the printed Word as we do, but he had the divinely orchestrated and called
Isaiah. We do not have an Isaiah in our lives but we do have the printed Word of God. Thus, we need to
read it, meditate upon it and put it into action. Ps. 91 is the conquering fear Psalm. Read it, underline it
and then live it! Trust Jer. 29:11 and go forth knowing that God is sovereign and in control.