Whom shall you fear?
Isaiah 7-12
At the crossroads
We all face moments in life where we come to a crossroads.
Where we face a decision that, whichever way we decide, its
going to seriously affect life from now on - affecting the
direction we’re heading, maybe the place we live, changing the
friends we will see if we take one road as opposed to the other.
And sometimes those crossroads moments will affect things
permanently as it becomes impossible to turn back the clock.
As we hit Isaiah chapter 7 today King Ahaz of Judah was at
such a crossroads in his life.
16 years have passed since the end of chapter 6. 16 years since
Isaiah had bee taken into the throne room of God. 16 years
since that moment when he had been confronted with God’s
holiness and therefore his own sinfulness. 16 years since God’s
cleansing fire had made atonement for his sins. 16 years since
Isaiah had received his commission to be God’s messenger to
God’s people. 16 years have passed, the whole reign of King
Jotham is passed over with absolutely no comment. And so it
has been16 years of silence from God. No word is given to
Isaiah to speak. No message for the people to hear. But now
King Ahaz has just risen to the throne, a young man of 20 years
of age taking the burden of responsibility following the death of
his father, Jotham. And he is at a moment in time when his own
life and his nations entire future would now depend on how he
responds to God’s silence being broken.
For Ahaz faces a moment of national crisis and God has
something to say to him. Chapter 7 verse 1 sets the scene:
7:1 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.
The year is 734BC, and two kings - the king of Israel to the
North and the king of Aram to the East have made a pact to
invade Judah and install a puppet king on the throne. It wasn’t
a recent decision - for years they’ve been building massive
armies, and through the latter part of Jotham’s reign there’s
been border incursions, rural towns had been sacked and
burned, and the borders moved. And the combined weight of
these nations was now threatening to come right down into the
heartland of Judah. And Ahaz, little more than a teenager,
comes to power. And its at that moment that God’s 16 year
silence is finally broken. Verse 3
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 Washerman'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. 5Aram, 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." 7Yet 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.
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.'"
What does God have to say through his prophet? Do not be
afraid, trust God - despite the evidence of the losses already,
despite the fear that has been struck into the hearts of the nation.
despite the size of the armies facing you who are threatening
your downfall and destruction - they will not succeed!
Its a message of hope. God will wipe out your enemies - be
calm, do not lose heart, - all you need to do is trust in God and
he will bring them down. But there’s also a warning: if you
won’t trust God - well then you won’t stand at all. And so here
is the crossroads: will Ahaz trust God’s word through Isaiah.
Will he hear, will he understand, will he turn and be healed?
Before we come to the answer - notice that Isaiah had to bring
his son along with him - Shear-Jashub. And it might not be
immediately obvious why a kid has to come to this critical
meeting. Indeed over the next couple of chapters we are going
to be told about 4 children - three of Isaiah’s sons and one
mystery child still to come.
And what happens as these chapters move along is Isaiah’s
children become signs to King Ahaz which reinforce the
message their father has to speak. It’s much like with Hosea
who was prophesying at the same time where his marriage
becomes the sermon illustration to a nation gone astray. And
whose kids also served as a warning to the people. And its like
in the 8th Century BC God ramps up the message dramatically
and perhaps to underscore the incredibly stark words of his
prophets - their extreme family lives are a testimony as well.
And in Isaiah’s case the message he was to give is reinforced
through the names of his sons who stand as a testimony to
God’s truth. Its a bit like in the 18th and 19th century with
names of godly characteristics from the Bible -, faith, charity,
patience, hope, chastity. And this whole section of Isaiah from
7 to 12 revolves around 4 children - the first of which is his son
Shear-Jashub who he is to bring to this critical meeting. And
that doesn’t mean much unless its translated into English -
which for the life of me I can’t figure why the translators don’t
just do that in the first place.
For Shear-Jashub’s name means two things: First it means “a
remnant will return.” And it also means “a remnant will
repent.” The Shub bit at the end of his name means either
return or repent. A remnant will return, a remnant will repent.
And you can see why its so significant that Isaiah has to bring
his Son - a Remnant will return, a remnant will repent to meet
the new king Ahaz whose ruling a country in the grip of a full
scale invasion. It reinforces the message of hope - there will be
survivors - but it also is a call upon Ahaz to do what both his
father Jotham and his grandfather Uzziah would not do in their
weakness - both loved God a little bit but both failed to do
anything whatsoever about the rampant idolatry of the nation of
Israel. For all around the countryside - on every hill and under
every tree were shrines set up for the worship of Baal, and
Asherah and Molech and every other god of the nations around
which God’s people were to abhor. Idolatry was running
rampant amongst the nation that were supposed to be God’s
own people. And so Shear-Jashub is a message to Ahaz - God
has a remnant but you must also lead the nation into repentance
and godliness. ***
How does Ahaz react to this message? Well not very well, as it
turns out. And everything goes pear shaped. Verse 10
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."
Now it might sound like a really godly and noble answer Ahaz
gives. I mean isn’t that what the Law of Moses specifically
says - Deuteronomy 6:6 - do not put the Lord your God to the
test? Isn’t that exactly the same thing Jesus quotes when he is
tempted in the wilderness? And hadn’t Gideon tried God’s
patience by doing exactly the opposite and insisting on sign
after sign rather than just believing God when he spoke the first
time?
No, this isn’t like any of this times - its very different - because
God has told Ahaz to ask for a sign. It’s one thing to quote
God’s law to the Devil in refusing to sin. It’s quite another to
quote God’s law to God because you don’t want to do what he
says. It’s called hypocrisy and God hates it. Think of Jesus’
vehemence at the Pharisees when they point to their devotion
which stops them obeying the very commands of God. “You
hypocrites; as it is written: "'These people honor me with their
lips, but their hearts are far from me. When God tells you to
do something, the answer should be - absolutely:
And there are all sorts of moments in our Christian walk when
we are confronted with the truth of God’s word. And the
temptation comes every time to say no. But God will not be
mocked. And so if Ahaz will not ask for a sign - well he’s going
to get one anyway - in the form of another child.
Immanuel - God is with us
13 Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not
enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of
my God also? 14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a
sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son,
and will call him Immanuel.
Now that should sound familiar. But one of the problems we
have when we read the Old Testament is we jump too fast into
the New Testament. We know the angel says of Jesus before his
birth that he will be called Immanuel - God is with us. And so
we read Isaiah 7 and think wow that’s really nice - God is
coming to hang out - what a nice sign. But who is this child
Isaiah speaks of. Well I take it that Isaiah is to have a child and
is to name him Immanuel. It could be that he’s talking about
Ahaz wife having a child, but the vast majority of Jewish and
Christian experts agree Immanuel’s the name Isaiah is to give
his next son by his young wife. Virgin can just mean young
woman. But its like a lot of Old Testament prophecy there’s an
immediate thing in mind - and a future fulfilment it points to in
Jesus.
And in this case - Immanuel is a sign to Ahaz because God is
about to show up, God will come to us. But its not going to be
happy: verse 14
The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will
call him Immanuel. 15 He will eat curds and honey when he
knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. 16 But
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."
God is going to show up - but what is God coming to be with us
going to mean for Ahaz and Judah? Devastation. Yes God’s
word stands Pekah, king of Israel and Rezin king of Aram are
going to fail - God has promised they will not succeed - but
Ahaz because of the hardness of your heart - something worse
will come - the king of Assyria. And its not to help: Verse 18
18 In that day the LORD will whistle for flies from the distant
streams of Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria. 19
They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the
crevices in the rocks, on all the thornbushes and at all the
water holes. 20 In that day the Lord will use a razor hired from
beyond the River - the king of Assyria - to shave your head and
the hair of your legs, and to take off your beards also.
You are going to be stripped naked Ahaz. That’s what it will
mean when God shows up to be with us. That’s what Immanuel
points to. And that’s borne out in the following chapters. But
there’s a third child first: 8 verse 1
Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.
8:1The LORD said to me, "Take a large scroll and write on it
with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 2 And I will call
in Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable
witnesses for me.” 3 Then I went to the prophetess, and she
conceived and gave birth to a son. And the LORD said to me,
"Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz”
Well that’s a bit of a handful. Lucky they didn’t have to fill out
all the government forms in triplicate every 3 months for health
care. What does Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz mean? Quick to the
plunder, swift to the spoil. Its about the ransacking of the
nation. Why should Isaiah name his third son such a long
name and with such nasty connotations? Because verse 4
4 Before the boy knows how to say 'My father' or 'My mother,'
the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be
carried off by the king of Assyria."
Well that’s good news for Judah isn’t it - Aram and Israel will
be destroyed by the Assyrians within a year or two. The two
cities mentioned were the capitals of those nations. And when
they did fall, there was great rejoicing in the streets of
Jerusalem. But God has more to say - verse 5
5 The LORD spoke to me again: 6 "Because this people has
rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoices over
Rezin and the son of Remaliah, 7 therefore the Lord is about to
bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the River - the
king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow all its
channels, run over all its banks 8 and sweep on into Judah,
swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck.
Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, O
Immanuel - (O God is with us)
God with us, not to bring life but destruction - and what an
image - the water bursting its banks in a flash flood. Think of
the destructive power of the floods in Brisbane a couple of
years ago. Or if you’ve ever been a bushwalker or gone
canyoning you know must get as far above the creek as possible
or you will be swept away. That’s what Assyria will be like.
9 Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all
you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare
for battle, and be shattered! 10 Devise your strategy, but it will
be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is
with us.
And that is what it is like when God visits in judgement. It is a
horrifying message Isaiah is to bring and to which and his
children are to be signs.
And I don’t know if you had been called to do Isaiah’s job, to
be the prophet and to name your children as a testimony to God’
message - both of hope and of destruction - how would you
have felt? Would you do it? Would you run from God’s
commission? Would you gratefully accept it.
And as it turns out this is a crossroads moment for Isaiah
himself. And just like God had a word for Ahaz - so also he has
one for Isaiah, for himself. That was our reading - chapter 8
verse 11.
8:11 The LORD spoke to me with his strong hand upon me,
warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said:
12"Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call
conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. 13
The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is
the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, 14 and
he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be
a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes
them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and
a snare. 15 Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be
broken, they will be snared and captured.” 16 Bind up the
testimony and seal up the law among my disciples.
It’’s pretty confronting isn’t it? Not what you hear in most
modern day churches about God is it? The is the one you are to
fear, he is the one you are to dread. Oh we make excuses about
why we don’t have to do dread God: We know God is loving
and merciful and kind. So fear - that can’t mean what it sounds
like. And so we dumb down the fear the Lord to mean
something like show God a little respect - kind of like when we
say to kids take your hat off in the presence of adults. And what
we really mean is don’t swear when your in church. That’s the
sum total of fear of the Lord. But its kind of a bit hard to do
here when God says dread him.
In a sense he’s calling on Isaiah to have the same reaction to
God as he’d had all those years ago - 16 years before when he
had found himself in the presence of the Holy God whose
transcendent purity, majesty and power had brought him to ruin
and woe. Remember how he’d fallen on his face crying out
“Woe to me I am ruined, for I have seen God.” The same God
who has just said he can raise up nations to destroy other
nations, the same God who can visit judgement on even his own
people for their sins. The same God who according to Hebrews
10:26 if we deliberately keep on sinning will leave us with no
sacrifice for our sins but only the fearful expectation of
judgement and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of
God. The same God who descibes himself in Hebrews 12:29 as
a consuming fire.
God is not a cuddly teddy bear. He is not a plaything, he is
not a hobby which we can pick up and put down. He is not
anyone to be trifled with.
When you know who God truly is and what he will do to his
enemies and what he could do to you - it is right to fear him.
Indeed it is the grace of God, the kindness of God when he
leads you to fear him like that - remember the hymn Amazing
Grace - God’s grace first taught my heart to what? Fear.
Why is it God’s grace to teach you to fear him, to dread him?
Because then you will understand who you are dealing with -
and then you will understand how incredible his love is, his
salvation is and you will fly to him when he promises to be your
sanctuary, your shield, your defender, your fortress, your
salvation. Indeed you will know that there can be no safety
except with him and in him. And you will flee to him when he
offers protection. Which he does, in the gospel, in Jesus Christ.
Because the fury and wrath which Ahaz and Judah deserved for
their hypocrisy, idolatry and defiance, is the same fury and
wrath which we all deserve for our sin - but its also the same
fury and wrath which all been poured out on his Son in order
that it might not fall on anyone of us who will be careful, be
calm, and not be afraid of what the world may bring against us -
but who repent of our sins and will put our trust in him. God’s
grace first taught my heart to fear - and then my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.
Indeed that’s why there’s a fourth child in the story. Not one of
Isaiah’s this time - but a promised Son who will be given.
Chapter 9 - pick it up verse 2
A son who will be given:
2The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on
those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has
dawned. [Skip down to verse 6]
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the
government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of
Peace 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will
be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his
kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and
righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the
LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
Here is the promise of a king totally unlike Ahaz and his
predecessors. One who is completely righteous and just, who is
not a hypocrite, one who knows God’s word and upholds it
perfectly, one who reigns in justice and truth but also in mercy
and kindness. He’s talking of course about Jesus. He is the
only place of safety, He is the only hope in the coming wrath.
He is the only one we can trust and rely on. He is the one who
brings justice, truth and life. He is the one we must fear.
But he’s also the one to find our sanctuary and hope in.
So let me finish by asking - what do you fear? Who do you
fear? Many of us live with fears and anxieties and worries all
the time. We worry about food, clothes, the future, the past,
who will like us, whether we are being seen to be someone.
Some of us have the phobias about spiders, germs, people, and
so on. There are the fears that the vast majority of people share:
financial ruin, cancer, pain, a life that is boring or meaningless,
dementia terrorism. And perhaps the greatest fear which
encompasses many of these things is the fear of death. Why do
we do it? For some its a medical reality for which we need
treatment - but for most of us its just the temptation of a
wandering heart - we just find it hard to believe God when he
says - Be careful, keep calm and do not be afraid. Or when he
says to us with Isaiah “Do not fear what they fear, do not dread
what they dread. Fear God, dread him.”
Ahaz just would not do it. At the crossroads of his life - he
rejected God. And in fear of Assyria sold the whole nation out
to them, stripping it of all its assets, stripping the temple of its
gold and silver and its fittings and he went grovelling on hands
and knees to King Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria - because that’s
who he really feared in the end. Read about it in 2 Kings 16.
But Isaiah on the other hand at the crossroads of his life verse
18 Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me. We are
signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD Almighty, who
dwells on Mount Zion.
Who will you fear? And who will you run to for sanctuary and
relief from all your fears?
