relationships (Isaiah 7:1-25) Trust and Confidence

(Isaiah 7:1-25)  Now it came about in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not conquer it. 2 When it was reported to the house of David, saying, “The Arameans have taken a stand by Ephraim,” his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake from the wind.

3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the road to the fuller’s field, 4 and say to him, ‘Take care and be calm, have no fear and do not be fainthearted because of these two stumps of smoldering logs, on account of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Aram, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has planned evil against you, saying, 6 “Let’s go up against Judah and terrorize it, and take it for ourselves by assault and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” 7 this is what the Lord God says: “It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass. 8 For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin (now within another sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken to pieces, so that it is no longer a people), 9 and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you will not believe, you certainly shall not last.”’”

10 Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 “Ask for a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I put the Lord to the test!” 13 Then he said, “Listen now, house of David! Is it too trivial a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel. 15 He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. 16 For before the boy knows enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be abandoned.

17 The Lord will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim separated from Judah—the days of the king of Assyria.”

18 On that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is in the remotest part of the canals of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 They will all come and settle on the steep ravines, on the ledges of the cliffs, on all the thorn bushes, and on all the watering places.

20 On that day the Lord will shave with a razor, hired from regions beyond the Euphrates River (that is, with the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard.

21 Now on that day a person may keep alive only a heifer and a pair of sheep; 22 and because of the abundance of the milk produced he will eat curds, for everyone who is left within the land will eat curds and honey.

23 And it will come about on that day, that every place where there used to be a thousand vines, valued at a thousand shekels of silver, will become briars and thorns. 24 People will come there with bows and arrows, because all the land will be briars and thorns. 25 As for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the plow, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns; but they will become a place for pasturing oxen and for sheep to trample.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

In our relationships with the Lord, when we are obedient to His will, He will work things out for good.  This is the most trustworthy relationship we could ever have!  Therefore, whenever anything happens, or we suspect that something might happen, as verse 4 suggests, we can remain calm, which is exercising self-control so that we can also remain clear-headed and "taking care", without fear or being faint-hearted.  

We can definitely be confident in our faith and trust in the Lord, because He will actually do the things that He promises.  This is why it is so important to take note of the prophecies given in the Bible, because we can see the proof in how God fulfills His prophecies.  The only ones which remain to be fulfilled will happen after the rapture, and during the Tribulation and Millennium.

The prophecy in this chapter told King Ahaz not to fear the ones getting ready to attack Jerusalem, but to trust the Lord, because those other kingdoms would come to an end.  While echoing the prophecy of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the virgin mentioned here refers to the wife that Isaiah took after his first wife died.  The timeline works out in that, while their son was between 12 and 14, Aram and Israel was captured in 722 BC.

Verse 9 mentions that "if you will not believe, you will not last".  Applicable to that situation, it is also applicable to eternal life as well.  And once we are believers, while we cannot lose our salvation, when we doubt the Lord and decide to act and speak for ourselves, in our own wisdom and strength, things will not go well.  From my many years of walking with the Lord, every time I trust in what God says and follow His direction/s in His strength and wisdom, I experience peace and comfort, and God sorts things out for me.

This doesn't come naturally.  For years, my approach to my belief and faith in God was more task-orientated.  But when I finally realized a relationship-based-faith... WOW!!!  I mean, becoming a Christian was life-changing, but seeing the Lord as my closest friend and ally, to depend on Him for everything, was extra-life-changing!  Our faith, trust and confidence will continue to grow as we grow closer to the Lord.