I am doing an in-depth, careful study of Isaiah 7 this week. The chapter recounts events which happened over 2,700 years ago (Cir. 742 BCE).  Ahaz, king of Jerusalem, and all the people of Jerusalem were fearful because of an alliance made between the king of Aram and the king of Israel, to attack Jerusalem. The text says, “Ahaz and the people shook like trees in the wind.”

SIGNS JERUSALEM COULD TRUST

A recent Photograph of Isaiah

Isaiah tells Ahaz not to worry about Israel or Aram, they will soon be destroyed. And they were destroyed in 732 BCE by the kingdom of Assyria.  God gave a sign to Ahaz to prove it was going to happen, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.”  The prophecy was first fulfilled when Isaiah’s fiancé gave birth to Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (possibly another name for Immanuel). And later is fulfilled in the birth of Jesus.

I am having so much fun doing this study because the truth conveyed seems so relevant to the world I live in. Ahaz and the people are afraid of the wrong thing. They fear temporal powers and have little faith in God or his prophet Isaiah. God gives them a sign, but the sign seems too ordinary to carry much significance to Ahaz or the people.

We are all bombarded with ads telling us to be afraid. The message under all advertising is that there is something to be afraid of: looking old (beauty products will fix that), health problems (drugs will fix that), not having enough excitement or adventure (a new truck will fix that).  High school really pushes the fear of poverty: if you don’t study hard, get good grades, go to college, you’ll be poor and unhappy your whole life. Almost all the Airmen I know are afraid, some more than others, of their futures.

But God’s message to us, not unlike His message to Ahaz, is don’t be afraid of those things. We read in Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both the soul and the body in hell.”

SIGNS WE CAN TRUST

The Only known photograph of Ahaz

God gave Ahaz a sign: A child will be born. And God has given us signs. The precision in the way the universe is put together is a sign that God is behind it all. Our bodies, the way they function is no less than miraculous. The more I understand about how my body functions, the more miraculous it becomes. Even our conscience, which tells us that there is more than just the material universe that is seen. But just like the birth of Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz seemed too normal, many people just can’t see the miraculous nature of the creation.

The birth of Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz was a sign, but it was also a foreshadowing of the birth of Jesus. In the same way, the signs that God has given us in creation are just a foreshadowing of the ultimate fulfillment of the new heaven and the new earth which we will experience in the future.

HEARING GOD’S VOICE

As I have been working through this passage, I have heard the voice of God clearly. He tells me not to be afraid of what others are afraid of, but to just trust in Him and His plan. There have been times when I have been disappointed with God’s method of communicating with me. It seems His primary communication tool is the Bible, thousands of years old, written in another language, and given in the context of a culture which is very different from my own. I have often wanted to hear His audible voice, or at least some updated instructions which fit my modern circumstances.

This morning I am very pleased with how God has chosen to communicate with me through His word! I feel foolish for thinking I need an updated word from God. I don’t need an updated Bible, I need to be diligent in studying the Word He has given me.

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Savior, I pray you would be blessed by your study of His Word. I pray that when you hear and read the Christmas story, which you have heard many times before, God will speak to you as clearly as He has spoken to me this week.