"Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz saying, 'Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God: make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven." But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!' 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? 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.'" Isaiah 7:10-16 NASV

I was feeling very exhausted as I finished writing this scripture this morning and my bottom was in a lot of pain so I finally decided it was time to go back to bed. I rested most of the day, meditating on this passage and the following ones. To my surprise, just the scripture alone evoked one response from POH and she was right on in what she was interpreting from it. However my meditations were taking me in a different direction and I am not sure this meditation today will cover all I see here, so this may be several posts instead of just one.
In spite of what I wrote yesterday and the gap that exists between chapter six and chapter seven, I believe that understanding the historical backdrop is essential in understanding what is going on here. Isaiah, in chapter six, is receiving from the Lord a prophecy of destruction and desolation for the holy land as a result of their spiritual hard heartedness and idolatry. cf. Isaiah 6:11-13. This has to be still in his mind, and some time has passed since that occured. Most people do not realize that Uzziah was 15 years a leper before he died. Jotham took over the co-regency including the kings household at the age of 25 and reigned for 16 years, so for 15 years Uzziah had been banished from human contact and Jotham had been in all intents and purposes King. Shortly after King Uzziah died, Jotham did as well, and Ahaz became king. During that time Isaiah had a son, who was named Shear-jashub which means literally "a remnant shall return." It is clear that Isaiah took the prophecy of the tenth to heart, especially about the holy seed (6:12-13), and named his son as a prophetic act. The child was old enough when God sent Isaiah to Ahaz that the child was able to accompany Isaiah. Exactly how old he was is not clear, but he does demonstrate clearly that Isaiah had taken the prophecy of chapter six to heart.
Jotham was not the best King Judah had ever had but he was still considered a fairly good king. Ahaz, on the other hand, was - well shall we say the common buzzword of today - ethically challenged, especially in later years.
But at the beginning of his reign, Ahaz had not yet turned against the Lord. It is into this backdrop that this passage occurs, and the historical setting is very germain to the result. With the time differential, it is almost certain that the story of Isaiah's vision had been told and even retold to the point that Ahaz would have had to be totally deaf not to have heard of Isaiah's prophecy of what was coming to Judah. That prophecy may in fact had added to the normal fear that would have come anytime one nation is attacked by two. Is it any wonder then that when Ahaz and the people of Judah heard of the terrorism planned by Israel (also known as Ephraim) and Syria, that they "shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind." (v. 2). Into this terror God sends Isaiah and his little boy. Ahaz almost certainly had heard the name of the little boy, but if he hadn't, introductions would have been made, and the name of the boy would have been another reminder of God's decree that Judah would become a desolation but that a remnant would return. Here Ahaz is already shaking in his boots and God sends a reminder of the judgment impending on Judah. But at the same time, the message that Isaiah is told to deliver king Ahaz is one of hope: "Take care and be calm, have no fear and do not be faint hearted ...." Thus says the Lord God, "It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass..." (Isaiah 7:4,7),
and again "If you will not believe, you surely shall not last." (v. 9).
Ahas had been brought up as a prince of the House of David. As such it is certain he had been taught the history of his house and the histories of the various kings and their relationships with Almighty God. Although he had been taught the history, however, it is clear that he did not have a personal relationship with the almighty. It is doubtful if he even believed in the Almighty, and it is exactly this point that God pinpoints with the statement "Ask for yourself from the Lord your God..." Notice God does not tell him to have Isaiah ask, or for that matter, to have the priesthood ask. God wants Ahaz to ask. God wants Ahaz to enter into a deeper relationship with Himself. Notice God does not deny that he has no relationship with Ahaz. God speaks of Himself to Ahaz as "the Lord YOUR God (capitalization mine). (v. 11). Perhaps Ahaz had had some initial experience with the Almighty as a child, perhaps later. But in any case it is clear that Ahaz is challenged here to deepen his relationship with the Almighty.
That this relationship WAS to be with the Almighty is underscored by the depth and breadth of the challenge God issued: Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God, make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven." Who but the Almighty could issue such a challenge? And the fact that the Almighty was King over the Davidic throne was underscored again in the usage of the name, "The Lord your God". Ahaz might have recently received the throne of David, but God was reminding him that the throne of David was simply one vassel of the King of Kings. And that, for Ahaz, was a bone of contention, for it is clear that Ahaz did NOT accept God's kingship over himself. It is recorded that Ahaz later on became a strong worshipper of Molech, even causing his own son to pass through the fire, but rebellion against the mores and laws of Judah was apparent from the beginning of his reign. (cf. II Chron 28:2-3, II Kings 16:3). While the geneology of exactly when Ahaz began to reign is a bit confused, most scholars believe Ahaz was 20 when he finally began to reign and that this incident occured at the very beginning of his reign. Pekah had been reigning for four years when Ahaz took office and was being pressed by Syria for an aliance against Tiglath-pilesar of Assyria. Perhaps Judah had refused to join the alliance - certainly Uzziah would have refused, and most likely Jotham would have as well.
So the Lord God Almighty pinpoints Ahaz and having reminded him of His Lordship over the House of David gives Ahaz a direct command. Notice it was not a suggestion, but a command. A King, the King of Ahaz, was commanding him to do something. Ahaz refused, making the excuse that he would not test the Lord. Notice Ahaz does not recognize the Almighty as His God. He admits he is the Lord, but does not accept him as his God. It is likely he had already given his allegiance to Molech. As such he was admitting that he denied the divinity of the Almighty and accepted another god. And thereby he lost his only chance, for the Almighty no longer addresses Ahaz but instead begins to talk to the "house of David". Ahaz had burnt his bridges. He had denied the Holy One. And from this point historically, Ahaz went from bad to worse.
But my point is this for today: God, in spite of knowing Ahaz's heart and tendencies, gave Ahaz a chance. Had Ahaz accepted God's challenge, what an awesome change in history might have been wrought. God effectively said to Isaiah "You want proof of my existance? Ask. The sky is the limit. Actually I'll even go beyond the sky. Ask ANYTHING!" What an amazing challenge! What an amazing God! God was willing to do anything to inspire Ahaz to believe on Himself, and to have faith that the nation of Judah might stand. But Ahaz refused to ask.
God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is not a respector of persons. I am convinced that the challenge God gave to Ahaz, he still gives to us today. God was interested in a personal relationship with Ahaz and he is interested in a personal relationship with us. God challenged Ahaz and God challenges us today. I have repeatedly challenged agnostics and atheists to honestly come before God and seek Him with all their heart, challenging God to reveal Himself to them, being willing to believe if and when He does so. Some have believed but it is my experience that most atheists and agnostics prefer their atheism and agnosticism to honestly seeking the Truth. I can cite numbers of those, however, who have taken the challenge and been totally tranformed when God did in fact reveal Himself to them.
I remember one Jewish man, who in desperation wanted God to bring his wife through an operation. He called me on the phone and asked me to pray, even though He knew I was a Christian. I did so, and as I was praying, his wife died, had her death certificate signed and was sent to the morgue. He nearly gave up hope, but he forgot to tell me so I was still interceeding and asking God to raise her up.
She went to heaven and talked to Jesus. I had no knowledge of this but continued in spiritual warfare, asking for her complete healing. Some time later, one of the people in the morgue was startled to see this lady sit up. Nearly frightened him to death. But several years later she and her husband, now a Christian, came to see me and she told me of her visit with Jesus. I tell you the truth. A believer can ask ANYTHING and the father will give it. I was in Newton Kansas and she was in Topeka Kansas but distance is no problem to the Father. I was ignorant of her death and she was in the morgue, dead, but death is no problem to the Father. "And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us, and if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him." (I John 5:14-15).
I want to make it clear I am no one special. I just was obedient and prayed as the Lord gave me His Spirit to guide me in prayer. You are just as able to be used in such prayers. If you believe. God was not just challenging Ahaz. He is challenging you today. Will you take that challenge to heart?

At 7:00 a.m. I had two hard boiled eggs. At 11:00 I had the meals on wheels meal with a small patty of mystery meat, 1/2 cup mashed potatoes and gravy, 1/2 cup mixed vegetables, and a small piece of cake. At 3:00 p.m. I had a beef stir fry and again the same at 5:00 p.m. At 8:00 p.m. I had a cup of corn meal mush and some fried egg smothering it. At 11:00 p.m. I had two diet jello/applesauce sorbets.

"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 syria 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, "Syria has camped in Ephraim," his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind. 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 highway to the fuller's field, and say to him, 'take care, and be calm, have no fear and do not be fainthearted because of these two stubs of smoldering firebrands on account of the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. Because Syria with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has planned evil against you saying, 'Let us go up against Judah and terrorize it, and make for ourselves a breach in its walls, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it.' thus says the Lord God, 'It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin (now within another 65 years Ephraim will be shattered, so that it is no longer a people), and the head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you will not believe, you surely shall not last."'" Isaiah 7:1-9 NASV

First of all we need to notice that there is a length of time between chapter six and chapter seven. Chapter six was written at the end of Uzziah's reign and the beginning of Jotham's reign. Chapter seven was written during the reign of Ahaz, son of Jotham.
This prophecy does not immediately follow the one of chapter six, though chapter six is a backdrop for this prophecy and has something to do with it.
Secondly we need to recognize that this prophecy was given in a specific historical situation for a specific reason: Two armies were invading Judah and the King and his people were scared. Notice the tactics of these armies were that of terrorism. Their intention was to terrorize Judah and Jerusalem. Almost sounds like today, doesn't it. The citizens of west bank and Syria have been in the terrorism business for a long time.
Third, notice the attitude of the people of Judah: they were shaking like trees in the midst of a wind storm. They were filled with fear and didn't know what to do. In other words, the terrorism was working.
We have here a lesson that has many applications for us today. Terrorism is a great problem today as it was then. In today's terrorism, it is not so much national armies that are doing the terrorism but they are armies none the less, sometimes sponsored by nations such as Syria, other times by free-lance "freedom fighters" who form their own private armies. In either case, their purpose is to terrorize and through fear bring about the changes they want. They want to coerce people into accepting their will rather than the current status quo.
But what is needed to fight these terrorists? We find the answer here. First we find a lesson in God's sovereignty. Notice verse 7.
"Thus says the Lord God, 'It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass.'" No matter the intention of the terrorists, God is still on the throne (cf. chapter 6) and God can overrule any king, nation or army of terrorists. If God overrules then the terrorists intentions will fall flat. So the first line of defense against terrorism is to recognize God's sovereignty and the fact that He can overrule the terrorists, and cause them to come to nothing.
The second thing we need to see is the warning of God to Judah: "If you will not believe, you surely shall not last." Believe in what? Believe in their own ability to defend themselves from terrorists? No. The context makes it clear that what they are to believe is the sovereignty and mercy of God; that God can and does overrule the terrorists, as was expressed to them by the prophet's encouraging words. So they are to believe the prophet's words and through those words, to believe in the God who sent the prophet so that they might believe in God's sovereignty and not give up hope and live in fear. If they did not hear and believe the prophet, neither would they hear and believe God.
There is nothing a terrorist likes more than to see the fear and the terror of his victims. It is a sure sign to the terrorist that he is going to get his way. The thing that causes fear to the terrorist is when his victims refuse to fear but instead put their trust in one who is able to defend them and protect them from the terrorism. That is a sure sign to the terrorist that they are loosing the battle, for the primary weapon of the terrorist is the weapon of fear. If one is operating in trust and faith, then there is no fear, and the terrorist has lost.
In these days of rampant terrorism, we need to apply these lessons to our own hearts. Are you afraid today of what might happen if the terrorists bring in a nuclear bomb into one of America's harbors? Then turn from your fear and look to God, crying out to Him in intercession that he will overrule the terrorists and cause their plans to fail. Are you afraid to fly for fear some terrorist might hijack your plane and fly into a building with you on board? Put your trust in the Lord and not in the airline security officers: Trust the Lord that He will protect you and bring you safely to your destination. Take your eyes off of man's means of protection and put your eyes firmly upon the Holy One of Israel, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who is able to override all terrorism.
Notice that God stands against fear. He does not want his people to live in fear, but in faith and trust. He warns if we will not believe in Him and His word, we will not last. Those words are as true today as they were back in Isaiah's day.
I pray that all who read these words will look to see what they fear in their lives. Not all terrorism is from human terrorists. Satan has been using terrorism and fear in many ways for thousands of years and his demons and hosts are expert at bringing fear into our lives. But the thing we need to remember is that God is sovereign over fear and God is Love. There is no fear in love but perfect love casts out all fear (cf. I John 4:18). If we become aware of the reality that God loves us and is on His throne, overriding the designs of the devil, it will enable us to stand against any fear in our lives. Trust in the Holy One of Israel: Let Him override the fear and terror in your lives. Seek His word and be encouraged by it.
May all who read these words be blessed in the Lord God Almighty.

For Breakfast I had my last grapefruit, then at 11:00 a.m. I had the meals on wheels which consisted of a 2 x 2 x 1 inch meatloaf, a half cup mashed potatoes and gravy, a half cup mixed veggies, and a small 2 inch piece of spice cake without frosting. For 2:00 p.m. I had a small potatoe salad, a hamburger patty and a few fried onions with ketchup. For 5:00 p.m. I had a small serving of potato salad and 3 cups of veggie soup. But I blew it at 8:00 p.m. and had a lettuce salad. I was unsatisfied with that and so a half hour later I had 6 fried eggs and 4 pieces of melba toast. At 11:00 p.m. I had a jello/applesauce sorbet and four more pieces of melba toast.

"And He said, "Go, and tell this people, 'Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.' Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull (lit. heavy) and their eyes dim (lit. besmeared), lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and repent and be healed." Isaiah 6:9-10 NASV

Our last meditation we spoke of how Isaiah aligned his heart with God's heart and volunteered to answer God's call to service. Imagine his surprise then, when he heard God speak these words! He had just been the recipient of God's gracious forgiveness himself, but now he is told that God's people will NOT be able to find that forgiveness, for their ears would be deafened, their eyes obscurred, and they would become insensitive. Surely, unless Isaiah had truely been sensitive to the heart of God he would have thought "I gotta be hearing this wrong!" or "Am I hearing the wrong voice?" These two verses at first glance seem to hold only doom and gloom, no mercy, no grace. Taken by themselves they could easily lead to a wrong and evil misapprehension of the nature of God.
There are some who see these verses in that light. They believe that God is revealed here as a vengeful God just waiting for the slightest slip up to bring his wrath upon mankind, and upon His people. They see God as a just lawgiver who demands perfection and if it isn't given, then rightly judges and condemns. Is that what is going on here? Is God saying that he is purposely going to keep his people from perceiving his will or understanding His heart?
Isaiah recognizes that is not God's intention. That is why he answers God with the question in verse 11: "Lord, how long?" He knows from his own experience that God is merciful, as well as just, and that God is a God who forgives. He knows that there is hope for a change, as the mercy of God is just as sure as the justice of God. He recognizes that God must have a purpose in this, but that God's purpose must be of God's own nature, merciful. So He asks this question, "Lord, how long?" fully expecting that God would use these circumstances to reveal His mercy. And so it was: "And He answered, Until cities are devastated, and without inhabitant, Houses are without people and the land is utterly desolate. The Lord has removed men far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. 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." (Isaiah 6:11-13) NASV.
God DID and DOES intend these hardenings of heart and insensitivities in his people to bring about a revelation of His mercy. He speaks of a tenth remaining, the holy seed, which will again be subject to burning. He speaks of the scattering of the people. He speaks of the high places being forsaken once and for all. He speaks, in a phrase, of the abomination of desolation spoken of in Scripture.
But why would God do that to His own people and His own land? What purpose could drive him to send such a serious prophecy and intent upon His own people? Remember in Isaiah's day the people of God were the tribes of Israel, and even then ten of the tribes had fallen away into idolatry and the two remaining were pervaded by it. Remember well God's curse of idolatry and his warnings about it (cf. Psalms 115:3-8 and Psalm 135:14-18). In God's justice he had no choice but to bring the results of the curse of idolatry upon His people, but He also had a great design in doing so.
Paul recognized that design in Romans 11:7-8 where he writes "What then? That which Israel is seeking for, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it and the rest were hardened: just as it is written "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes to see not and ears to hear not, down to this very day." He goes on to say "I say then they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles to make them jealous." (Rom. 11:11) Paul affirms that the purpose of God in allowing this hardening of heart and blinding of eyes and deafening of ears among God's people was in order that the hope and reality of Salvation might be preached to the gentiles as well as the Israelites. God was scattering his Holy people to make the gentiles jealous of their salvation, that the gentiles also might be brought into the fold. cf. Isaiah 11:12-36.
Thus we see that God did indeed have a redemptive purpose in this hard to understand revelation of His word to His prophet Isaiah. And Isaiah, having heard and noticed the heart of God had the perception to realize that God's heart was redemptive in nature, not that of a tyrant waiting to destroy His own people, but a loving, gracious but just Lord who was seeking ANY who would be willing to repent and come to Him for forgiveness. Isaiah's first prophecies (chapters 1-5) were given for the whole world, and now Isaiah is given an understanding of how the word of salvation would come to the entire world and not just the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
So how does this apply to us? In several ways. First if you are a gentile, take the warnings of Romans 11 to heart. Recognize that we gentiles are indeed grafted into Israel, and are part of Israel only by the grace of God. Secondly, recognize that God is Just but He is also Merciful. They are two sides of a coin that must never be divorced. You cannot have mercy without justice, nor should we want justice without mercy. God's nature is BOTH. He is Just. He is Merciful. And we dare not separate the two. Thirdly, in these last days, it behooves us to recognize one of the lessons of this passage. Sometimes God's word goes contrary to popular assumptions or expectations. Just as Isaiah was given a grasp of God's nature and heart and it caused his word to be totally contrary to that of the many false prophets who were prophecying out of their own hearts, and was hard to understand to his hearers, so we also if we hear the heart of God may be given messages that at first blush seem to be contrary to the nature of God, but on deeper study reveal His redemptive nature. In these last days there will be prophets who arise who warn of disasters and judgments and many will reject those prophecies as not being from God, but not every prophecy from God will always be mercy and grace. Some will be calls to repentance. We must be sensitive to discern through the Holy Spirit those that are truely from God and those that are not. There are a number of tests we can use to discern these things, but that is another study.
I pray that each who read these words will take them to heart and become aware of how they are grafted into Israel. I pray that each one will find the forgiveness and mercy of Almighty God and that each will learn to seek God's heart as well as His word. May each of us see the need, and answer from our heart, "Here am I, Lord. Send Me."