Isaiah 7: 1 – 9

Have you ever felt frightened? I know you have. Who hasn’t? The picturesque description in (2) is no doubt one we can all identify with: ”so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.” We know only too well that feeling when there’s a whole lot of (inner) shaking going on! Things that are bigger than us and seem too powerful for us tend to scare us. That’s what was happening in this situation. It felt like ‘2 onto 1’ and that wasn’t fair. (You will see how what happens in the heart of a leader affects the hearts of his people by the way.)”Rezin” king of ”Aram” (Syria) and ”Pekah” king of ”Israel” (the northern kingdom) had been trying to persuade Ahaz to join them in an alliance against the superpower, Assyria. But Ahaz refused. So these two kings decided to try a more muscular approach (see 2 Kings 16:5). In this frightening situation, Ahaz concocted a plan to approach the king of Assyria for help (2 Kings 16:7-9). But that was not a good idea, because ultimately Assyria posed the greater threat. Ahaz was looking to the wrong king for salvation. Furthermore he was looking to buy off the Assyrian monarch with treasures from both the temple and the palace. There is a kind of fear that demoralises men and nations and causes them to take unwise action.

The Lord sent Isaiah with his son, ”Shear-Jashub”, to tell Ahaz not to look to Assyria (3-6). He would not require their help. (Isaiah gave both his sons symbolic names: Is. 8:1-3, 18. This name means ‘‘a remnant will return”. It was both a warning: Judah will be destroyed, and a promise: a remnant will survive and be restored to the land.) It was true that Rezin and Pekah were plotting his downfall and wanted him replaced with their own man, but they would not succeed.

Fear sees ”fierce anger’’ and people plotting. These things loom large. But faith is a quiet confidence in God that views men as but men. In spite of boasted power, it sees their actual weakness before God: ”these two smouldering stubs of firewood”. They might still be burning, but their flame will soon be extinguished. Faith always reduces our Goliaths to their true size before God. (”And don’t panic over these two burnt-out cases…They talk big but there’s nothing to them.” The Message. )

Isaiah brought a very precious word from God. It amounted to, ‘This is not going to happen; their plots will come to nothing. They are ”only” men. But you have got to trust or you will not stand. ”If you don’t take your stand in faith you won’t have a leg to stand on.” The Message. (see Eph.6:10ff./1 Pet.5:9).

We will often face overwhelming odds in this world. Things will loom over us that look ominous and scary and way too big. But the call will always be the same: to trust God and not man.

”Fear knocked at the door; faith answered, and there was nobody there.”

Prayer: Today, Lord, I choose the way of faith.