Isaiah 7, The Sign of the Son

Trust During Trial: What Do You Depend On?

After isaiah chapter 7 starting in verse 1 hear the word of the lord In the days of ahaz son of jotham son of usiah king of judah Reson the king of syria and pecca the son of ramalia 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 I should read this correctly. Excuse me. Uh 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 sheer joshua 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 quiet.

Or excuse me, 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 resin in syria and the son of ramalia. Because syria with ephraim and the son of ramalia 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 tabial 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's damascus and the head of damascus is resin and within 65 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 ramalia. 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. And he said here then oh 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 she'll be and shall call his name emmanuel. He shall eat curds and honey because he knows how to. 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. 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.

And 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 thorn bushes and in all the pastures.

In that day. The lord will shave with a razor that is higher 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 gave He will eat curds for everyone who has 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 and become briars and thorns Will become briars and thorns with bow and arrows. A man will come there for all the land will be briars and thorns.

And as for the hills that used to be hoed with a hoe. You will not come there for fears of briars and thorns. But they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread. May the lord add his blessings to the reading of his holy word.

The Threats That Shake Us

Well, what do you trust to help you?

When you're in need.

And you need some help when you're in trouble and there's a big problem the health scare or unemployment. Or a legal entanglement some kind or a relationship disruption.

Where do you go for help?

Water. Who do you immediately turn to to get you out of your jam? Of course, you'll say. Well that depends on what the trouble is. If it's a blood test or a biopsy that comes back. Troublesome bad we go to the doctor.

We need health insurance, of course to do that. Otherwise, it gets too expensive. So we've got to have a job. The job we got to have for help. Many people depend on their job and so. They depend on their employers.

For their health insurance or their pensions. And they become dependent.

On them.

And one way to make people loyal Is to make them dependent. People are almost always loyal to what they are dependent on. About a century ago christian missionaries in china would give out charity with the gospel particularly rice.

Resulting in some people becoming dependent on the missionaries for their livelihood for their eating resulting in what some people pejoratively called rice christians. When the missionaries went away.

And the charity went away with them and the rice went away with them. So didn't many of the so-called christians. We'll change our whole life to get to get or keep. What we depend on. Of course some people, you know depend on the government.

And they think that's solid. The government doesn't go away. Does it it occurs to me that people who think we need to be dependent on the government Are more inclined to be involved with the government often the kind who are obsessed with the government with politics.

Those who depend on corporations, of course or on unions. For their generous pensions and insurance. Well, they don't want them touched. They keep them safe. Maybe keep them safe from the government. What you depend?

What do you depend on? For help, whatever it is. You want it safe if we get served papers and now we're being sued. We probably need the help of a lawyer. As benjamin franklin said that he who has a himself for a law his lawyer has a fool for a client.

Yeah, you don't want to depend on yourself. Sometimes you need help you can depend on like the police. Uh, if you get robbed or you get cheated, you need someone you can call for help. You'll call 9 -1 -1.

Even if you've never had to call 9 -1 -1 in your life, how would you feel if you suddenly were told that there was no one to call? That that no there were no police or fire departments out there that make you feel.

Vulnerable.

When that moving company that took all our stuff and then didn't deliver it. Um when that happened, I had I had the fbi that I could call to for help across state lines. It was an fbi thing. Uh, there were other people had been victims of them, too.

And so the fbi raided their offices and found thankfully they kept some records. And they told us that showed that all our furniture and stuff was in a storage unit in detroit, michigan. And we drove there we found it exactly where the fbi said it was.

Which makes us people who moved out of detroit without ever living there. Okay, great. Uh, it's good to have someone that you can call on for help. Of course since we're here in church kind of expect to hear well, we're trusting god calling him for help.

You know when we need it and that's true. But some you know, some take that so far as to think that that means, you know, if you if you really trust in god. You won't even think to call on anyone else for help, right?

So if you're sick. You know you get a disease don't go to the doctor you just pray for healing. Don't take medicine pray for healing and believe that's all you need. Don't inoculate your children. Just believe god will protect them from diseases.

That's faith, isn't it? Of course, most christians won't do that. I think I hope everyone here knows better than that. Is it really because though they they is it because they believe that god works through means.

Which is true. That's what they should believe. That is it because they believe god has provided medicine and doctors and hospitals and so forth for us to use. And that we should receive them as his provision with thanksgiving something to thank god for.

Or is it really because is it just really because we're secular? You know we have our religion over here. Where we have our kind of abstract beliefs. We where we think we'll go, you know to heaven when we die the spiritual realm.

And then we have our practical life over here. Taking care of the day-to-day kind of things our health our stuff our family all that they're kind of separate. So when the diagnosis comes back bad or or and we and then we run to the doctor.

But if there's nothing he can do. We don't know what to do. We panic. Why is it that some christians will go what is it? This is kind of unrelated, but why is it some christians will go to the doctor if they're sick in their body?

They got a cold like me.

But.

Maybe if they're sick in their brain. They won't go to the doctor for that. You know, are they secular when it comes to the when it comes to the body but super spiritual when it comes to psychological problems things in the brain.

Or do they think god uses means medicine doctors, uh when it comes to the body. But not when it comes to psychological kind of brain things. Okay, you'll admit it okay I win right. We'll call on human help when it comes to mental problems, too.

I won. But now how does that make us any different than just secular people? We call on doctors even psychiatrists. Our lawyers or the police or the fbi whoever when we need help just like they do. How are we any different?

Except after we've been to the doctor or to the lawyer or the police. We thank god for having provided them. Are we any different? Except for the theology we kind of tag on at the end. Well here in isaiah 7 we see how we're different in two major parts first trust during trial.

And then the sign of a son. First in the first nine verses we see the challenge of trust during trial. And that comes also in two parts first. There's the threats. And second there's the promises. Now the first two verses describe the scene.

Okay, a lot of unusual names um, well, it's not a lot but there's three of them, but. It's not hard to grasp. There's the threats. At first there's ahaz and he's the major character here except for isaiah himself I guess but there's ahaz he's the king of judah.

All right, and judah is the smaller portion of israel in the south. That uh that the smaller portion that is left after israel split in two about 200 years before this. Ahaz now was not a good king. All right, it doesn't really it kind of shows here but not clearly but he sure he would worship the lord.

But he also worshiped other gods, uh, he kind of took an all of the above approach to religion. You know, uh, he's like many people today that. Who think that being a believer? Means accepting anything that is faith-based.

That we're supportive of almost anything as long as it's not secular. You know, we wish there would be prayer in schools and we don't care if they're mormon prayers or if they're prayers to mary. Really?

Is that what we want? Well, like dwight eisenhower said.

Our form of government.

Has no sense. Unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious faith.

True.

And I don't care what it is I wonder is it possible to have a deeply felt religious faith Without caring what it is. But anyway here ahaz he's under trial. And that will show what his deeply felt religious faith.

That is his trust what is in. What is he trusting? Well first his little kingdom judah is being attacked by syria. It's basically the same country that exists as today as syria. With his king resin and then israel called israel, but it's the northern kingdom the larger northern much larger than judah the northern northern kingdom.

With his king named pecca. So I got the three characters ahaz king of judah Syria with his king resin and israel northern kingdom with his king, uh, pecca. Excuse me. And so they are attacking ahaz. Because Syria and israel the northern kingdom they formed alliance to protect themselves.

From this new.

Dominant vicious Threatening superpower. This empire in the east called us syria. Understand us syria is different than syria. Us syria is in present-day iraq, right? So Syria and the northern kingdom of israel.

Have decided that they need to join together. And it's kind of reasonable joined together to fend off the us syrians. And they want all the other empires and little kingdoms in their area to join them including judah.

But ahaz the king of judah. Doesn't think this is a good idea. He doesn't go along with this plan. He'd rather submit to us syria and just pay them off. Pay, you know give them what they call tribute money every year and so syria and israel decide.

Because judah won't go along syria and israel decide to attack judah. Capture jerusalem then capture ahaz himself. And then replace him with another king. A sort of a puppet who will then join their alliance who will go along with them.

So that is the threat. That ahaz is now under. Right from israel and syria joining together to attack him. Now, how will he react? Otherwise, who will he call on? Now that he is under threat. Well verse 2 says that now with the armies of syria and israel, they're knocking at the door.

They're coming close and say exactly where they are, but they're they're threatening. But they're not yet able to overcome Jerusalem take jerusalem overcome judah, but they're out there. Uh, it says that the heart of ahaz and the heart of his people shook.

As the trees of the forest shake before the wind. Probably most of us have seen that right if you've ever seen a near a forest the storm comes rumbling in. You get the picture. Right, right right here.

By the way, this this place is a great place to see that. Yeah, i've been in this building when some violent storm comes crashing through and all the trees around will be just swaying back and forth. Once a large tree, um on the edge of that football baseball field back there shook so much.

It just came crashing down in the middle of a storm and that's the way these people are their trust. Was in buying off assyria. So they wouldn't get attacked now precisely because they have bought off the assyrians.

They are getting attacked. And so they're terrified they're shaken. They're unstable. If you if you want to see whether someone really trusts in the lord. It's really not a matter of whether they'll go to the doctor, you know, if you really have faith you wouldn't go to the doctor.

No, it's not that we know better than that or when they're sick or to a lawyer when they need help legal help or to the police. When they're victimized it's it's whether. It's not whether they go to those things.

It's whether they're shaken like trees in a storm. Whether they're just traumatized. Like their whole world is just falling apart. They think they're upset they're unstable. Nothing else seems to matter to them because they're they're being threatened.

They can't cope. They can't operate. Maybe it's because their health or the health of a loved one is in danger. The money that they've trusted in they work so hard to get has been taken or they could lose it all because they're being sued.

Or whatever the relationship that means everything to them. It's the world to them.

Is crumbling.

So they go to the doctor or the lawyer or the police or to a counselor. They have to because they have nowhere else to go. If though if those helps can't help. Maybe the disease is incurable.

The money is lost.

The relationship is just beyond repair. Then they're at an end. Everything that matters to them Has been lost. Well here they are. They are shaking. They're and shaken.

Because.

What they've been trusting in Is under threat. And next comes the promise. So the lord tells isaiah to take his son sheer joshua.

All right.

No, no one's. Maybe that'll be Justin it'll be your fifth son. Maybe sheer joshua meaning a remnant shall return. The son's name was it was a message take this son. Basically is a message to ahaz that though most of israel would be wiped out.

It's not not entirely encouraging not a completely encouraging message. But there would be a remnant left over some. A lot of you're going to get wiped out, but there'll be some left over.

The.

A few would return and return literally to the land. But also it means spiritually Return to the lord would repent and believe. So the son's name is a message to king ahaz take him And meet ahaz it says at the conduit at the upper pool and it gives even the place in verse three.

In other words It's media has eight has at the waterworks.

The reservoir.

Now why is a has you think you think you'd go to the palace and that where the king hangs out? Why is he at the waterworks? Because he's under attack. He's scurrying around. He's probably panicking. So he's doing whatever he can do to hopefully to survive this coming siege.

And one way cities fall during a siege is if they run out of water. Right, you run out of water. You can't drink. You're only going to last a few days. And so he's trying to make sure that they have enough water.

He's at the waterworks. He's doing exactly what people do when what they trust in is under threat running around. Doing whatever he can do. And so god's word to him in verse four is. And notice that verse four.

Be careful. There's actually four different commands be careful. Be quiet. Do not fear. And do not let your heart be faint.

In other words.

Chill. Relax, I got this.

I guess.

And that's what we need here when we're under threat when the diagnosis comes back bad.

When we're unemployed.

When there's trouble in the family or in the relationship or in the church. There's nothing wrong with looking after the practical needs. There is nothing wrong here, but they has. Looking after the water supply of jerusalem with a siege coming.

Okay, that makes sense. What's wrong. Is the shaking in the wind the panic? the fear. Nothing wrong with going to the doctor. Striving to find a job on the job market so you can get a good insurance. Going to the lawyer the counselor or doing whatever there is to take care of your problems.

The problem. Is that terror.

That seizes you.

If the doctor or the job or the lawyer or the counselor can't do anything. The problem is the panic we feel. That maybe there is no earthly help. Because that panic reveals we have no trust in heavenly help.

God's word to us then. Is sure it's it's fine. Use. The doctors the psychiatrists the lawyers the counselors. Use whatever means god has provided. Go to the waterworks. Look after the water supply. That's fine.

Look what do what you have to do to solve your problems, but first. Be careful. Meaning. Take heed be on your guard. About what you are really trusting in. Be careful that you're using god's means. Like looking after the water supply.

Because you really believe. Those are god's means. That's the way that he's given you to take care of your problems not.

Because.

You don't really believe god has taken care of you and you had better do it yourself. Right. Be careful about who you trust. Then be quiet. Be calm. People today don't usually know it particular in our day.

You gotta be flashy gotta be ostentatious looks good on tv. Um, people today don't usually know it but Most of the time it's those who are quiet. Who are the most confident. Those who don't yell so much about how i'm too blessed to be stressed.

Uh who are. Those kind are probably really deep down the stressed ones. It's the ones who don't Have to flash it. That are probably the most confident. You know this this old saying goes still waters.

Run deep.

And the early church state they saw that often. And when they were persecuted by the roman empire and you could die for being a christian. That they saw often that those who were so emotional when they happened.

Remember, they made they made heroes out of the martyrs who would die for the faith. And there were often some of these Christians who were so emotional and so outspoken. That that they would just love oh i'd love to be a martyr for jesus.

Just like you know, like they'll let the heroes do her. You got eaten by the lions. I only got a chance. Oh, yeah, I can't wait for my chance. I'm gonna tell caesar. You're no god caesar. No Jesus is lord.

They're gonna say it boldly. No matter what they're threatened with they bring out a pot. You're gonna boil you in oil if you don't recant. And they would say no jesus lord. Give me your worst. I don't care what you do.

It was those who were the most loudly. They found out were often those who folded the quickest. Who caved in under pressure? I believe that when martin luther was finally forced to give a straightforward answer about whether he would recant the gospel of salvation by grace.

Alone through faith alone in christ alone. That he didn't just he didn't yell it and stick out his chest. And you know with uplifted fist. To to charles v. I tell you what you tyrant. I. No, I think he calmed calmly.

Confidently.

But calmly said I can't recant. I'd like to but my conscience won't let me. Here I stand I can't do anything else. God help me. When your confidence is really in the lord you'll be calm. Even when it appears there are there are there are no means out of your trouble.

Then finally do not fear and do not let your heart be faint. Ahas didn't have that, you know nameless unreasoning unjustified terror that franklin roosevelt warned us about. That paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat and to advance his famous speech.

The threat was real. It had names resin the king of syria pecah the king of israel. It was reasonable to be afraid of them. The fear is justified some christians faced with a with a threat.

A cancer.

A lawsuit. The reality of singleness.

The threat of divorce.

Sometimes they think they can just wish it away. Wave a bible verse in it. No weapon formed against me will prosper. And they they think they can do that and then they don't have to do anything. That's that's really that's really you can call it gnostic.

It's almost buddhist. As if this world were an illusion. If you can just see past the illusion, it'll go away. Uh for some I think I think it's really they're just really they're just paralyzed by that.

What franklin roosevelt talked about that kind of terror nameless unreasonable deep down terror that paralyzes them by fear. And so they can't deal with the reality of the situation they're in. Now ahas here wasn't doing that got to give him that much credit.

He was taking the needed action. But he was doing it because he thought that was his only hope. He uh when when we're threatened we need to take action while deep down. Not fearing. Knowing that the lord works good out of everything for his children.

Even attacks by syria and the northern kingdom of israel or attacks by Cancer or loneliness or loss of money and property. Don't fear. It's true. No weapon formed against you Will prosper. Can can really hurt you in the end?

Oh.

It might kill you don't get me wrong. It might take away everything from you. It might take people from you. But nothing Can really hurt. You can separate you from the love of christ That god has for you.

So there's the threat. And then there's god's word to that threat be careful Of not really trusting god. Be on your guard. You know be calm confident chill. Then there's the promise beginning the second half of verse four.

Uh through verse nine that promise there. Don't be so shaken. By what to god what he calls sort of this is god mocking them these two molder. Smoldering, excuse me stumps of firebrands. In other words, they're like torches that have gone out.

There's no more light. They're just smoke.

They're spent.

They're done. Now sure. They appear to have fierce anger. The disease appears.

Fatal.

The doctors call it aggressive.

Terminal.

The relationship appears in shambles. The family seems dysfunctional the police say. There's nothing they can do for you. Sure here. They have they have he says in verse five devised evil against you they're seeking to terrify you.

Here their plot was to conquer jerusalem and replace ahaz with a puppet who would do their bidding. But the lord god says it shall not stand and it shall not come to pass The lord god vetoes.

Human intentions.

Their plot won't work. God says here their head is Is only resin in syria and only their head is only this guy pekka. In samaria, even then he's called his name again. He's the son of ramalia. That's their head.

And he said then within 65 years. That that northern kingdom of israel you're so worried about now. He has So threatening so powerful He won't even exist. It won't even be there anymore to threaten you.

And that's exactly what happened in 65 years that nation wasn't was it even there it was gone. Assyria wiped him out. And everything we fear now. Everything that makes us shake. And so unstable. You know the diagnosis the loss of a family member or or money.

Or.

Everything anything. All of that will be gone. One day. This kingdom that is bullying them now with their head in samaria that the head the son of ramalia. That will one day that They're coming to try to conquer you.

No, they will be conquered and their head will be replaced. So god's word to them and then and to us now is at the end of verse 9. Look at that end of verse 9 that final phrase be firm in faith. If you are not firm in faith, he says You will not be firm at all.

Trust or bust. Instead of being unstable instead of being like trees shaking in the wind be firm.

In faith.

Having a firming faith. A faith that gives you stability that gives you a backbone. That is deeply anchored in god's word and grace. Now sometimes evangelical christians give the idea. Uh, you know to be truly saved now, you need to have some kind of dramatic testimony of an emotional conversion, you know.

While the organ was softly playing just as I am. And the tears streamed down your cheeks. You prayed to god. Suddenly everything was new. The fireworks went off. That's great. If you were really saved that way not Putting that down some people though.

Some people with real faith and christians, I think have real faith. Wonder if they're missing something. Because they can't report kind of an earthquake of an experience a dramatic time. Notice here that faith is defined here.

Not by an emotional experience you had at one time but by firmness. That lasts over time. If you are not firm in faith. You will not be firm at all. So if the tear inducing joy inspiring experience doesn't lead to a quiet confident solid stabilizing faith.

That holds you through the hard times. And there's a problem. On the other hand if you don't have the tear inducing joy and joy inspiring experience. When maybe when the emotions aren't stirred. But your faith keeps you reading the bible and praying.

Going to church denying yourself seeking the lord. Even when all that stuff seems routine. Maybe you're tempted to do something else. If it gives you a calm confidence. When you're under threat. Then you have real faith.

You do.

Real faith might be emotional at first. Or it might not be. It might be the still small voice telling you like here. The threats won't stand. The threat of your guilt. Of your of the punishment of your sins deserve the threats of satan.

The the the threats that you'll. You'll go to hell. You'll be cut off from god. The the threats that god like in psalm 88 that you. There's no one out there. No one's listening. Those most serious threats Will not come to pass.

Because your head Is christ. Real faith Might be emotional and loud. Or it might not be. But it is definitely always persevering stabilizing fear. Quietening confidence, but who do you trust? The lord speaks the way he has through isaiah to ask for a sign.

Now he and his people remember they're quaking. They're shaking like trees in the wind. They're panicking. They're running around Doing whatever they can do fearing. It won't be enough and so You're told ask the lord for a sign.

Something that you know could quiet your fears. Something you can see to assure them. Let them know that they don't have to be afraid that the lord is on their side so they can be steady. Ask for a sign.

It can be anything god says. It can be deep as the pit or high as the stars. Could be anything from an earthquake to the sun standing still. Something spectacular ask for it something supernatural. Something for which there is no other explanation other than that.

The lord did it ask for a sign. Anything.

He has says.

Nah, don't need it. It's all right. Don't worry about it. Isaiah we got to take care of. Now he almost sounds pious in verse 12. I will not ask and I will not put the lord to the test now. Sure, there's the command, you know famous command.

You shall not put the lord your god to the test, but that means to our test. We don't make up tests for him. He'll do Signs and he'll do tests of his own making if he wants. Here he wants to steady the people With a sign he wants to give them one.

The lord will sometimes give us signs. Do you think it was a sign? Uh that the very vote That initially caused this church put to us as stay or go. Was followed immediately the very next week by a sermon from first timothy one.

That I had prepared and entitled years before but I'd forgotten the title and to my surprise it was stay. I remember opening the file and in my own computer. Okay, what's the sermon next and it's stay?

Uh, I said myself out loud. Oh, you've got to be kidding. Was that a sign of god's vote? Was it a sign that we should move here into this building? When the day after we were told that if we moved here That we would not get 1200.

I don't know why it was 1200. I have no idea why that ought amount 12 when we but but if we moved here, we were told we would not get 1200 a month that we were promised 1200 a month that we thought we depended on we needed that 1200.

To afford this place.

Was it a sign? That the very next day I get an email from someone in houston, texas who knew nothing about what was going on promising exactly guess how much. $1 ,200. Was that a sign? Oh, yeah, I think so God will give signs to steady his people.

Here though isaiah on this kind of false piety or maybe just plain unbelief. He maybe just doesn't care about the lord. He just refuses the sign. So isaiah says back to him in verse 13. Here they are.

No house of david. Speaking to ahaz the current representative of the dynasty of kings. Uh from you know from david which was under threat. Remember this whole dynasty speaking that is under threat these these kings of northern kingdom of israel and and syria.

They want to replace ahaz. They're threatening this dynasty. That comes from king david. That's why you see like three times here. He talks about the house of israel that that promise that god made to david is under threat.

If if this conspiracy between israel and syria if it succeeds Will it will it be. Will god let his promise to david be broken? Well ahaz who is now the representative of that. Will he trust god? Ask for a sign ahaz.

If ahaz is unfaithful. Who will eventually fulfill the promise? To the house of david. Well, that's another story now. The lord wants to give a sign that shows that he is he is. What he is doing Is really from him.

It's not just a coincidence. It's not something just kind of naturally explainable. It's you know, okay. Just odd coincidence but Give me ahaz isn't interesting. Ahaz is uh is ask. You know when he just blows off the sign.

Isaiah asked him is it too little you for you to weary men? I think isaiah means himself. You know what in the world you mean no. We're going to give you a supernatural sign. You say no. You're you're wearying me.