Testing God’s Patience – Part 2
Isaiah 7:1-8:8 (7:10 – 8:8)
April 30, 2023
Last Sunday night we began this new segment in Isaiah’s prophecy.
The segment runs from chapter 7 through chapter 12.
And I would tell you again that the main thrust of the segment is
That God will redeem His remnant and that remnant will rejoice.
You may remember that following Isaiah’s vision in the temple, God commissioned him into service.
• Isaiah would go and preach
• But from a salvation standpoint would not have much success.
• In fact, God revealed to him that 90% of the people he preached to would only become more hard-hearted as a result of his preaching.
• Yet there would be 10%, a remnant, who would be saved through the fire.
Isaiah 6:13
“Yet there will be a tenth portion in it, And it will again be subject to burning, Like a terebinth or an oak Whose stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is its stump.”
Chapters 7 through 12 tell that story.
We see what it takes to be a part of the remnant
And we see the ultimate rejoicing of the remnant.
And the segment started with sort of the setting of Isaiah’s day.
#1 THE DILEMMA
Isaiah 7:1-2
“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. When it was reported to the house of David, saying, “The Arameans have camped in Ephraim,” his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.”
The dilemma of the day is that Aram and Israel had made and alliance
And were now threatening to come and conquer Judah.
• Each of those nations had attacked Judah separately.
• Neither of them had been able to conquer, but they did cause several casualties and carried off many captives.
• In fact, when Israel had attacked they killed 120,000 and carried of 200,000 women as captive.
• They had caused massive casualties but had not been able to totally conquer them.
But now Aram and Israel have allied
And the threat of facing their combined armies has Judah terrified.
And then we moved on to the second point.
#2 THE DECREE
Isaiah 7:3-9
God sent Isaiah out to meet Ahaz and to tell him, “Take care and be calm, have no fear and do not be fainthearted because of these two stubs of smoldering firebrands.”
The message to Ahaz was clear: “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
God promised that He was going to
Deal with both of the nations which threatened them.
BOTH OF THEM WOULD SOON FALL.
And then God gave Ahaz a word of strong advice.
(9b) “If you will not believe, you surely shall not last.”
God had already made faithful promises to David
That his descendants would reign on the throne.
That deal had not expired.
JUDAH WOULD SURVIVE, REGARDLESS OF WHAT AHAZ DID.
But this message was for Ahaz
And incidentally it is for all of us as well.
The expectation and calling of God is that Ahaz trust God in his dilemma.
Indeed, this is a defining characteristic of the remnant;
THEY BELIEVE GOD.
SO YOU SEE HOW THE STORY BEGINS.
• God is calling His people to trust,
• Isaiah is offering hope
• We’re waiting to see if Judah is going to trust God or not.
The Dilemma, The Decree
#3 THE DEFIANCE
Isaiah 7:10-13
Here God goes even above and beyond to reveal Himself to Ahaz.
He does that which God commonly does not do.
Jesus even said:
Matthew 12:39 “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign…”
• Jesus wanted men to take Him at His word,
• Craving a sign was an indication of wickedness and a lack of faith
• And really an insult to His integrity.
But God here, in an effort of pure grace,
Actually submits Himself to the peculiar reality of offering a sign to Ahaz.
In fact, God gives him A BLANK CHECK.
(11) “Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”
How far is God willing to go to get Ahaz to believe?
That is a remarkable offer.
But then comes THE DEFIANCE.
(12) “But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!”
• Now I know that sounds pious and faithful.
• But Ahaz is not refusing a sign, Ahaz is refusing to believe.
• He wants no part of trusting God.
And Ahaz’s response INFURIATES ISAIAH.
(13) “Then he said, “Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well?”
Based on Isaiah’s response
Ahaz must have dripped with scorn and sarcasm
Because Isaiah fires right back.
And notice the righteous indignation.
• In verse 11 Isaiah told him to ask a sign “from the LORD YOUR God”,
• But in verse 13 Isaiah chides him for trying “the patience of MY God”
Isaiah is totally offended that Judah’s king
Would so easily dismiss the Holy One of heaven.
AHAZ REFUSED TO TRUST.
Ahaz had his own plan.
2 Kings 16:7-9 “So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son; come up and deliver me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.” Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent a present to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria listened to him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and captured it, and carried the people of it away into exile to Kir, and put Rezin to death.”
• Ahaz didn’t want to trust God,
• Ahaz was determined to put his trust in the king of Assyria.
This is a foolish thing to do.
Jeremiah 17:5-8 “Thus says the LORD, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD. “For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.
Ahaz should’ve listened, Ahaz should have trusted God,
But instead he wanted to turn to the king of Assyria.
Instead of placing his fate in the hands of God,
He placed his fate in the hands of a ruthless pagan ruler.
One commentator wrote about the situation saying:
“the whole episode was like a mouse attacked by two rats, squeaking for the cat to come and save him.”
(Ortlund Jr. Raymond C. [Isaiah: God Saves Sinners; Preaching The Word Commentary series; Crossway; Wheaton, IL; 2005] pg. 91)
And although Assyria would come and plunder Aram and Israel,
They showed no loyalty to Judah and nearly destroyed them as well.
2 Chronicles 28:19-21 “For the LORD humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had brought about a lack of restraint in Judah and was very unfaithful to the LORD. So Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him. Although Ahaz took a portion out of the house of the LORD and out of the palace of the king and of the princes, and gave it to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.”
IT WAS A STUPID MISTAKE.
Ahaz had tested the patience of God and that is a foolish thing to do.
GOD’S PATIENCE is a remarkable thing.
Romans 2:4 “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”
1 Peter 3:20 “who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.”
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
The patience of God is that attribute of His
Which allows Him to tolerate sinners instead of killing them
While He gives them time to repent and trust Him.
We are grateful that He is so long-suffering.
BUT IT IS A FOOL who hears God’s offer of salvation and says,
“You’re just going to have to keep on waiting.”
That is what Ahaz did and it infuriated Isaiah!
It was nothing but absolute defiance.
God extended massive grace to Ahaz and Ahaz threw it back in his face.
This is a foolish thing to do.
Hebrews 10:26-31 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
God does not take it lightly when He pours out patience and grace upon a sinful individual only to have that individual throw it back in His face.
The writer of Hebrews says that a man who does such a thing
Only has one fate to look forward to.
He receives “a terrifying expectation of judgment”
For “it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
IN SHORT,
• If God offers you grace…
• If God shows you patience…
• If God offers you salvation…
TAKE IT!
It is a foolish thing to insult such a gracious offer.
So what would God do in response?
The Dilemma, The Decree, The Disobedience
#4 THE DECISION
Isaiah 7:14-25
Well for starters Ahaz IS getting a sign.
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.”
You are certainly familiar with the first part of that promise,
But first you must see that it had to be a promise which worked for Ahaz.
I know that Matthew will apply that verse to Jesus many years later,
But if it only referred to Jesus it was a pointless sign for Ahaz.
This was a time indicating sign.
There would be this child born
And before this child knew the difference between good and evil,
God had promised that Samaria and Aram would already be dealt with.
• God promised to preserve David’s line and even Ahaz couldn’t mess that up.
• God was going to deal with these two rogue nations which threatened Judah.
SO THE SIGN TO AHAZ WAS
That God would remove the threat of Samaria in less than two years.
Now I know that we read that verse and reference Christ.
RIGHTLY SO, for Matthew wrote about the birth of Jesus and said:
Matthew 1:22-23 “Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”
When Matthew read through Isaiah,
• No doubt he read 7:14 and saw a picture of Jesus
• Who was born of a virgin
• Whose birth marked the near end of our two enemies “sin and death”
• And who was a definite picture of God being with us.
We talked about it last Sunday night,
This section is filled with prophecies that have sort of dual fulfillments.
On one hand it was a definite promise for Ahaz which he could see and learn to trust God.
But on the other hand it was also a far-reaching promise for us so that we could also see that God still desires a relationship with mankind.
The same patience and grace which God extended to Ahaz
HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO US.
We have a Savior!
We have a deliverer.
We have the promise that if we will believe then we will be saved.
And the same warning issued to Ahaz applies to us as well.
Isaiah 7:9b “If you will not believe, you surely shall not last.”
God isn’t just speaking to Ahaz here, He’s speaking to you and me.
Only a fool would test the patience of God
By neglecting so great an offer of salvation.
GOD WILL DELIVER JUDAH FROM ARAM AND ISRAEL
BUT: Ahaz’s lack of faith will still cost him.
Because after Assyria takes care of Samaria, Judah is next.
(17-19) ““The LORD will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house such days as have never come since the day that Ephraim separated from Judah, the king of Assyria.” In that day the LORD will whistle for the fly that is in the remotest part of the rivers of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 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.”
In short Ahaz, prepare to be invaded.
You wouldn’t trust Me, you chose to trust Assyria,
Well you’re about to get all that comes with him.
And that includes HUMILIATION
(20) “In that day the Lord will shave with a razor, hired from regions beyond the Euphrates (that is, with the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard.”
That was a picture of humiliation.
For a man to have his head, beard, and legs shaved was utter shame.
Do you remember this Old Testament story?
2 Samuel 10:1-5 “Now it happened afterwards that the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son became king in his place. Then David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent some of his servants to console him concerning his father. But when David’s servants came to the land of the Ammonites, the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think that David is honoring your father because he has sent consolers to you? Has David not sent his servants to you in order to search the city, to spy it out and overthrow it?” So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away. When they told it to David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. And the king said, “Stay at Jericho until your beards grow, and then return.”
God speaks of the same type of humiliation here.
God was about to humiliate Ahaz and all of Judah for their lack of faith.
You do not get to ignore the only Savior
And expect that there are no consequences for it.
And then comes POVERTY
(21-22) “Now in that day a man may keep alive a heifer and a pair of sheep; and because of the abundance of the milk produced he will eat curds, for everyone that is left within the land will eat curds and honey.”
That sounds ok, when you read it, but it wasn’t.
• They had an abundance of milk because their heifer had no calf.
• There was also nothing else to eat.
• Assyria was going to ravish all their crops.
Your only meal would be what you could get from your milk cow
And if you could find some honey out in the pasture.
It was a steady diet of cottage cheese and honey.
You cannot fail to trust God and expect blessing.
And then comes DESOLATION
(23-25) “And it will come about in 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. People will come there with bows and arrows because all the land will be briars and thorns. As for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the hoe, 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.”
Your land is about to be stripped and ruined.
Remember what Isaiah said in that FIRST SERMON as he prophetically looked at what was coming?
Isaiah 1:5-9 “Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick And the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head There is nothing sound in it, Only bruises, welts and raw wounds, Not pressed out or bandaged, Nor softened with oil. Your land is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire, Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your presence; It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers. The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city. Unless the LORD of hosts Had left us a few survivors, We would be like Sodom, We would be like Gomorrah.”
Well, their failure to trust God had brought it to pass.
Ahaz would be given the option to trust God and flourish,
He refused and he was severely disciplined.
• He tested the patience of God…
• He ignored the call of God…
• He refused to believe God…
AND IT IS NOT WORKING OUT WELL FOR HIM.
It is a simple yet sobering WARNING TO EACH OF US.
Certainly the NON-BELIEVER should heed this warning and understand that a failure to trust in Christ means a sure and certain eternity in hell.
You do not want to trample Christ underfoot
And fall into the hands of the living God.
But the picture here is NOT JUST for the stubborn non-believer.
The call here is also for God’s people.
Those whom He calls “Immanuel”
Those whom He is for.
The question of Isaiah is that
When you face life’s dilemmas (and you will) how do you handle them?
• Do you trust God?
• Do you believe God?
• Do you have faith in God?
• Or do you follow your own logic?
Do you run to the world’s saviors
Or do you obey and trust God to do what He says He’ll do?
WE TALKED ABOUT IT LAST WEEK,
But what did God want Ahaz to do here?
And the answer is: NOTHING.
Ahaz was simply asked to wait on God and do nothing.
God was going to deliver.
But instead of trusting God to come through as He said,
Ahaz took matters into his own hands, followed his own logic,
and sent word to Assyria for help.
He got help, but he also got more than he bargained for.
One thing God’s people must learn is that
Satan is the god of this world
And therefore the world is not for you.
They may help you…
They may momentarily bail you out…
But always remember the words of our Lord:
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
The world’s saviors aren’t there to save you.
They are there ultimately to exploit you.
Ahaz would learn this the hard way,
As will so many of God’s people throughout this life.
FAITH IS WHAT GOD REQUIRES.
Trust Him!
So Ahaz has handled the situation wrong
And God promised discipline.
Let’s look at the fulfillment.
#5 THE DESTROYER
Isaiah 8:1-8
God promised a sign of a virgin having a child.
Here that sign is fulfilled.
(1-4) “Then the LORD said to me, “Take for yourself a large tablet and write on it in ordinary letters: Swift is the booty, speedy is the prey. “And I will take to Myself faithful witnesses for testimony, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.” So I approached the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. Then the LORD said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz; for before the boy knows how to cry out ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”
So first Isaiah is told to get a large piece of posterboard and a sharpie and write “Swift is the booty, speedy is the prey.”
And God is even going to provide witnesses to what Isaiah wrote.
It indicates that someone is coming quickly
And they are going to quickly plunder their enemy.
And then comes the fulfillment of the sign:
• Isaiah approaches his wife and she has a son and Isaiah names him “Maher-shalal-hash-baz”
• Which incidentally literally means “swift is the booty, speedy is the prey”
And again the promise. “before the boy knows how to cry out ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”
That was the promise earlier in chapter 7.
• God is about to quickly plunder both Aram and Israel.
• He is about to remove the threat of their invasion from you.
• He said He would and He will.
But obviously there are SOME QUESTIONS to ask
Regarding the initial prophecy and the fulfillment of it.
For starters:
In chapter 7:14 God said that “a virgin will be with child” and yet here we see that Isaiah approached his wife and 7:3 tells us that Isaiah already had one son. Clearly Isaiah’s wife was not a virgin.
Secondly:
In chapter 7:14 God said that the child would be named “Immanuel” and here the child is named “Maher-shalal-hash-baz”
SO WHAT DO WE DO WITH THAT?
Let’s talk about the virgin problem first.
There are two Hebrew words that can be translated “virgin”
• The first is ALMA and it can be a virgin, or a young maiden, or even a newly
married or young married woman.
• The other is BETH-OO-LAW which only refers to an actual virgin.
In 7:14 the word Isaiah used was ALMA
He spoke of a maiden.
So regarding God’s promise to Ahaz, there is no problem.
A child was born to a maiden just as Isaiah said.
Then someone will ask: Then why do we see that as a prophecy of the virgin birth?
• If that word can just mean young married woman, why does say Isaiah
prophesied of a virgin?
That is because of Matthew.
When Matthew quotes that passage
He uses the Greek word PARTHENOS which only refers to a virgin.
It is one of those beautiful complexities of God’s word.
Isaiah uses a word that can mean either a virgin or a maiden
To give a prophecy which had a dual fulfillment.
In Isaiah’s case it was a maiden, in Matthew’s case it was a virgin
And Isaiah used the only Hebrew word that would allow for both.
But what about the other problem?
What about the fact that clearly Isaiah did not name his son “Immanuel”?
THAT IS SIMPLE: The child has two names.
• One name speaks to the REALITY Of The Day – God is with us.
• The other name speaks to the RESULT Of The Day – God will carry away
the booty of Aram and Israel.
What you actually have then in 7:14 is a unique prophecy
That perfectly fits both their day and ours.
It speaks to the wisdom of God and the perfection of His word.
So in Isaiah’s day, God has fulfilled His promise.
This child has been born, he is a sign for Ahaz.
And before this child is weaned Aram and Israel will no longer be a threat.
God will use Assyria to totally strip them.
WHY?
(5-7) “Again the LORD spoke to me further, saying, “Inasmuch as these people have rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah And rejoice in Rezin and the son of Remaliah; “Now therefore, behold, the Lord is about to bring on them the strong and abundant waters of the Euphrates, Even the king of Assyria and all his glory; And it will rise up over all its channels and go over all its banks.”
God is punishing Aram and Israel
Because they also have not trusted God.
God says that Israel (that northern kingdom)
• “rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah”
• To “rejoice in Rezin the son of Remaliah”
The “waters of Shiloah” refers to a well south east of Jerusalem.
It was an analogy that Israel rejected God.
• Remember, they defected from God,
• They split apart from Judah
• They went north to make their own altars.
• Jeroboam set up those golden calves as worship sites
• And Israel no longer came to Jerusalem to worship.
And now, even in their hardship and plight they didn’t trust God,
They cried out to Aram.
They rejected the living water for stagnant water
And now they are about to get hit with a tidal wave.
Jeremiah 2:11-13 “Has a nation changed gods When they were not gods? But My people have changed their glory For that which does not profit. “Be appalled, O heavens, at this, And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the LORD. “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.
AGAIN, you don’t get to reject God as savior
And have everything work out well for you.
Israel and Aram will be plundered speedily for their refusal to trust God.
But as we said, Ahaz and Judah do not get off either.
(8) “Then it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass through, It will reach even to the neck; And the spread of its wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.”
After Assyria finishes plundering Aram and Israel they will invade Judah.
• They were no savior.
• They didn’t care about Judah.
• They will sweep in to afflict them as well.
In fact, Isaiah says that this tidal wave will “reach even to the neck”
Judah is going to have to stand on it’s tip-toes to survive the flood.
It was a mistake to trust in Assyria.
It was a mistake to fail to trust God.
And yet, we find such comfort in the final word of this segment.
God says that Assyria will invade Judah and reach right to the throat,
But notice how God finishes the announcement.
“And the spread of its wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.”
• Despite their rebellion…
• Despite their lack of faith…
• Despite them testing God’s patience…
Do you see what God still calls them?
He calls them “Immanuel”.
What is the message God is sending?
I AM STILL WITH YOU.
• You messed up for sure…
• You failed to trust Me and it cost you…
• You have been and will be disciplined for your lack of faith…
• BUT I HAVE NOT ABANDONED YOU.
I am still here and I am still calling for you to trust Me.
And so now I want you to stop and see
What you can learn from such an event in Israel’s history.
What is your dilemma?
What is your trial or hardship?
What is terrifying you?
God would have you trust Him.
For Ahaz that was waiting. (I’m sure his advisors scoffed at that)
• Waiting may be the call to you as well.
• Or perhaps it is to step out and obey God’s word.
• Perhaps it is to ignore the world’s saviors.
WHAT DOES FAITH LOOK LIKE IN YOUR SITUATION?
We have said it many times but Isaiah’s name is so crucial to our understanding of this book. His name means “The LORD is salvation”
That is the message.
Quit trusting in other things.
• He is our provision
• He is our healer
• He is our protector
• He is our joy
• He is our strength
• He is our hope
• He is our Deliverer
• He is our Redeemer
You cannot trust in others for those things, only Him.
And church this is where revival occurs,
When we learn to be the remnant.
When we learn to not be like the 90%
Who do everything the world does because it appears wise in the world.
The remnant in this story (as we will see tonight)
Are those who forsake the world and their backward thinking
And trust God.
THAT’S WHO WE WANT TO BE.
I want to encourage you this morning, whatever you are facing,
DON’T TRUST THE WORLD, TRUST GOD.
Obey Him, endure with Him, wait on Him
TRUST HIM.
