Isaiah 7:10-25 A Sign
God is asking King Ahaz to trust Him. God promises to give any sign Ahaz asks for as proof, but Ahaz refuses. God gives a sign instead to ALL of Judah, and the world.
We looked at the very beginning of this section yesterday. When Ahaz says he will NOT ask for a sing or “put the Lord to the test” made it into our study last time. It means something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than when Jesus quoted this line to Satan during His temptation.
Ahaz says it out of refusal to even listen or try letting God handle his problem. Ahaz has already made up his mind about where his help comes from, and it’s not God. When Jesus uses these same words, He is speaking to Satan and telling him that God is not ‘a puppet’ who has to do exactly as we say and putting yourself in danger so God will have to save you is sin.
When Ahaz refuses to receive a personal sign, God gives a sign that will be seen and known by all the earth. Those with faith will grab hold of that sign and find salvation there. Those who reject it will be forever in bondage. This sign sets up the very foundation of Jesus’ deity. Without this fact, Jesus would not have been able to fulfill the Law any more than any other person who came before or after Him. This is a sign beyond ALL human abilities.
King Ahaz would not live to see this sign fulfilled. Instead, he would see Judah become a puppet to Assyria and the fall of Israel. By refusing to have faith in the Lord, King Ahaz opened the doors wide to the enemy and invited him in. Ahaz wouldn’t see the fall of Judah but he is the one who gave them a GREAT push towards that fall. He feared being conquered by his brothers so let himself and all Judah be subjected to another’s rule.
I wonder if Ahaz was happy to see Israel fall. The fact that these two kingdoms were at war more than they were at peace with one another leads me to believe he rejoiced at Israel’s removal. Did Israel become the briar and thistle patch Isaiah prophesied about or was that reserved for Judah a little later down the line? Did the neighbors move in and take over when Israel went into captivity? Was there a remnant left from Israel?
While reading this chapter of Isaiah, we keep seeing the tribe of Ephraim mentioned as one of the players. I was curious as to why. Was it only the tribe of Ephraim that made this deal? Was there something more sinister about Ephraim’s involvement than Israel’s? What about the other tribes of Israel? Were they involved too?
Looking back to the first part of this chapter where Isaiah tells King Ahaz that Syria and Ephraim are coming after him, he identifies “the head”, or ruling city, of Ephraim as Samaria. This was the ruling city of Israel, therefore, leading to the conclusion that Ephraim’s name is substituted for Israel. I don’t know if there was a specific reason for this. One person speculated that it was because Ephraim was the largest of the 10 northern tribes. I’m wondering if King Pekah was from the tribe of Ephraim. I have come to discover that Hosea calls Israel, Ephraim at times too. Bible Archeology Report said that they were referred to as separate entities by Hosea. After reading much of where Hosea refers to Israel, Ephraim, and Judah, I’m not sure what to think. What I did notice is that when the term Israel is used in Hosea, it appears to be for the earlier years. Ephraim is mentioned in one section as God having brought Ephraim out of Egypt and taught him to walk. Other than that, Ephraim seems to be the term used most when speaking of great sins and departure from God. Take from that what you will.
Is it possible that this name issue is a bit like the apostle Paul’s name change? When Saul/Paul was persecuting the Christians, he went by Saul. Later on, as he labored alongside the other apostles in the church, he was known as Paul. One name for one character and another for when that character changed. And WHY this has captured my attention today is beyond me; for now.
One last thing I thought of regarding name changes is when Jesus tells us He will give us a “new name.” This is seen in Revelation 2:17 at the end of where “The Spirit” speaks to the church of Pergamum. A change in character brings about a “new name.”
Because of Israel and Judah’s sins the nation was changed to a wild wasteland. God restored some of what was lost through the remnant that remained but the nation would never be the same. And the name originally given by Him has a different ‘meaning’ now with the loss of most of her tribes. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was never rebuilt; only the Southern Kingdom of Judah. GOD didn’t change; the people did. He preserved a remnant and remade a seriously pruned back nation.
Father God, no matter what else I’m called, I want to be called YOUR child. I have no idea what ‘name’ You have prepared for me. I pray I live up to that name that YOU picked just for me.
Tear up the briars and thorn bushes that have grown up in me and replant Your seed there. Help me tear it up too Father. Like the star thistles that I pulled up for so many years, help me identify the harmful plants in my heart and pull them up; roots and all. And BURN THEM UP Father! Keep me diligent too so that those weeds don’t creep back in.
Did those who heard Isaiah’s prophecy and believed wonder when You would bring about that sign? Did they watch with gladness or anxiety as the nations were conquered and the land fulfilled a portion of that prophecy? Did it build their faith or their fear? In the world I’m living in today, my faith keeps building as I see the end of days drawing closer. It fills my faith but also brings some sadness and a tinge of fear with it for my family who are still not walking with You. I pray they return or turn for the first time to You before those days. But if that is what it will take to get their attention, DO WHATEVER IT TAKES. What sign will it take to reach them?
