January 5th 2025 Isaiah ch 7 v 10 - 16
God, by the prophet, makes a gracious offer to Ahaz, to confirm the predictions, and his faith in them, by such sign or miracle as he should choose
Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God;
Here is the divine faithfulness and truth. God tells us nothing but what he is able and ready to prove.
Ahaz was a bad man, yet God is called the Lord his God, because he was a child of Abraham and David, and of the covenants made with them. Ahaz is asked to choose his sign, as Gideon about the fleece
Ahaz rudely refuses this gracious offer, and (which is not righttowards any superior) kicks at the courtesy, and puts an insignificantupon it (v. 12): ….I will not ask.
The true reason why he would not ask for a sign was because, hedepended upon the Assyrians, their forces, and their gods, for help, he would not dare to trust God of Israel, it would offend them.
He would not ask a sign for the confirming of his faith because he was determined to continue in his unbelief, and would indulge his doubts and distrusts; yet he pretends to be a religious person:
I will not tempt the Lord; as if it would be a tempting of God to do that which God himself invited and directed him to do.
Isaiah accuses him and his court., him and the house of David, the whole royal family, for their contempt of prophecy, and the little value they had for divine revelation
"Is it a small thing for you to weary men …But will you weary my God also
Nothing is more grievous to the God than to be distrusted. "Will you weary my God?
Do you suppose Him to be tired and unable to help you, or to be weary of doing you good?
The prophet here calls God his God with a great deal of pleasure:
Ahaz would not say, He is my God, though the prophet had invited him to say so (v. 11)
Is The Lord his God; …..but Isaiah will say, "He is mine."
The prophet, in God's name, gives them a sign: "You will not ask a sign, but the unbelief of man shall not make the promise of God of no effect: The Lord himself shall give you a sign (v. 14), a double sign."
A sign in general of his good-will to Israel and to the house of David,for of your nation, of your family, the Messiah is to be born, and you cannot be destroyed while that blessing is in you, which shall be introduced,
"In a glorious manner; for, whereas you have been often told that he should be born among you, I am now further to tell you that he shall be born of a virgin, which will signify both the divine power and the divine purity with which he shall be brought into the world,-….-that he shall be an extraordinary person, for he shall not be born by ordinary generation,…….and that he shall be a holy thing, not stained with the common pollutions of the human nature,
Now this, though it was to be accomplished above 500 years after, was a most encouraging sign to the house of David ( v13) and an assurance that God would not cast them off.
Ephraim did indeed envy Judah (ch. 11 13) and sought the ruin of that kingdom,
The Messiah is to be introduced in a glorious work.
They shall call his name Immanuel--God with us, …God in our nature, God at peace with us, in a covenant with us.
This was fulfilled in their calling him Jesus…a Saviour (Matt ch 1 v21-25), for, if he had not been Immanuel…God with us, he could not have been Jesus….a Saviour.
The promised seed shall be Immanuel, God with us; let that word comfort you. God is with us, and that your land is Immanuel's land.
Butter and honey shall he eat, as other children do, particularly the children of that land which flowed with milk and honey.
Though he be conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, yet he shall not therefore be fed with angels' food, but, as it becomes him, shall be in all things made like unto his brethren, Heb. Ch 2.v 17.
Here is another sign in particular of the speedy destruction of these potent princes that were now a terror to Judah, v. 16. "Before this child (so it should be read), this child which I have now in my arms" (he means not Immanuel, but Shear-jashub his own son, whom he was ordered to take with him for a sign, v. 3),
"before this child shall know how to refuse the evil and choose the good"
before this child be three or four years older, the land that thou abhorrest, these united forces of Israelites and Syrians, which thou hast such a hatred to and standest in such dread of, shall be forsaken of both their kings, both Pekah and Rezin," who were in so close an alliance that they seemed as if they were the kings of but one kingdom.
This was fully accomplished; for within two or three years after this, Hoshea conspired against Pekah, and slew him (2 Kings 15 v 30), and, before that, the king of Assyria took Damascus, and slew Rezin, 2 Kings 16 v 9.
There was a present event, which happened immediately, and when this child carried the prediction of in his name, which was a pledge and solemn of this future event.
Shear-jashub signifies
The remnant shall return, which doubtless points at the wonderful return of those 200,000 captives whom Pekah and Rezin had carried away, who were brought back, not by might or power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts.
Read the story, 2 Chron. xxviii. 8-15.
News from the Church New dates
5th January…….Covenant Service at 6-30pm
8th January …..Friendship Group, (this covers all ages and the lonely people)
15th January….. Knit and natter is a time to finish old projects or learn new skills
ANSWERS TO 29th December QUESTIONS
1) Iconium Lystra and Derbe 2) Lystra 3) They left the city 4) Paul5) Paul and Barnabas 6) Silas
7) (John) Mark 8 ) Mark 9) Barnabas 10). A missionary journey 11) Peter 12) Yes he worked with Paul at Colosse 13) Peter 14) Barabas 15) 2 Timothy 4 v 11 16) Barnabas
Bible Quiz this week’s Quiz is about Herod, Pontius Pilate, and John the Baptist
1 After the Crucifixion Pilate was asked to seal the tomb of Jesus. What did Pilate say to them?
2 What was the reason Herod and Pilate became friends?
3 Which Disciples did Herod put in prison ?
4 Which of these did he kill?
5 Did Herod want to see Jesus?
6 What happened when he did see Jesus?
7 Why did he specially want to see the Christ?
8 How did Herod die?
9 To who did John the Baptist say “Behold the Lamb of God”?
10 Why did John send 2 of his Disciples to see Jesus?
11 How did Jesus describe John the Baptist?
12 Who put John in prison?
13 What was the outcome of a foolish oath made by Herod?
14 When Herod heard about the Miracles of Jesus, what did he say?
15 Who did John’s Disciples tell about his death?
16 When Jesus heard about this what did He do
God Bless