Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Pre-exilic Prophets 2 (5)
Pray Psalm 147.1.
Praise the LORD!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.
Sing Psalm 147.1.
(St. Anne: Our God, Our Help in Ages Past)
Praise God, for it is good to sing loud praises to the LORD!
With joy our songs of praise we bring to God and to His Word.
Read Isaiah 7.1-17; meditate on verses 13-16.
Preparation
1. What did God tell Ahaz to do?
2. What did He promise?
Meditation
King Ahaz was a wicked man, and God was bringing the armies of Israel and Syria against him in judgment (2 Chron. 28.1-8). While these nations would not prevail against Jerusalem (v. 1), they would inflict severe damage and death in Judah. Ultimately, Isaiah promised that God will bring both nations down, warning King Ahaz that he must believe this will happen, or he himself will be destroyed (vv. 6-9).
Commanded to ask a sign of God—as a demonstration of the reliability of Isaiah’s prophesy concerning Israel and Syria (vv. 3-9)—Ahaz refused, pretending to honor God (vv. 10-12). He would not obey the Word of God even in this simple matter, and Isaiah was outraged (v. 13). Ahaz would lose a son in his war with Israel and Syria (Maaseiah); but God would give a son—first, to Isaiah and his wife (Is. 8.3, 4), then later, to an as-yet-unnamed virgin (v. 14). While the Hebrew here mentions only a young woman (עַלְמָ֗ה, alamah), the Jewish translators of the Septuagint interpreted this word to mean “virgin” (παρθένος, parthenos), thus offering greater clarity concerning the wondrous birth yet to come.
Ahaz would lose a son; but God promised graciously to provide a son for His faithful prophet, and, later, a Son to the nation, a holy Son (vv. 15, 16). But for now, Israel and Assyria were coming to wreak havoc and destruction on Ahaz (vv. 17-25).
God has a long vision for His people, and He proclaimed it through His prophets. Isaiah’s role was to demonstrate the faithfulness of God’s Word for the long term by making prophecies concerning the immediate future that, when they came true, should have led the people to trust in God and His Word for the present and for the long term.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
“If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established” (Is. 7.9).
As Solomon declared,
“That which has been is what will be,
that which is done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which it may be said, ‘See this is new’?
It has already been in ancient times before us” (Eccl. 1.9 10).
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His Name…” (Jn. 1.12).
“…he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11.6).
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His Name Immanuel” (Is. 7.14).
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit…that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 1.18, 20).
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His Name Immanuel, which is translated, ‘God with us.’” (Matt. 1.23; Is. 7.14).
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life…he who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed the Name of the only begotten Son of God” (Jn. 3.16, 18).
“Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good” (Is. 7.15).
“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But the who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen that they have been done in God” (Jn. 3.19-21).
“The Mighty One, God the LORD, has spoken and called the earth
from the rising of the sun to its going down.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth” (Ps. 50.1, 2).
These prophecies were made and fulfilled.
Do we believe them? Condemnation awaits those that don’t.
Do we believe and act upon the prophecies yet to be fulfilled?
For most assuredly, they will come to pass.
“Just as He said” (Matt. 28.6 NIV).
Reflection
1. Born of a virgin; named Immanuel. How do these parts of Isaiah’s prophecy encourage you in your daily walk and work?
2. What is an example of a prophecy that is yet to be fulfilled? How should you show that you believe this?
3. God’s Word to Isaiah proved true in his day. It proved true in Jesus’ day. How should we think about Isaiah—and all God’s Word—for our day?
The prophecy is so solemn, the sign is so marked, as given by God himself after Ahaz rejected the offer, that it must have raised hopes far beyond what the present occasion suggested. And, if the prospect of the coming of the Divine Savior was a never-failing support to the hopes of ancient believers, what cause have we to be thankful that the Word was made flesh! Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Isaiah 7.10-16
Pray Psalm 147.2, 3, 19, 20.
Thank and praise the Lord for the salvation we have in Jesus. Rejoice in His having come among us and in His promise to return and take us to Himself. Look to Him for strength and guidance throughout the day.
Sing Psalm 147.2, 3, 19, 20).
(St. Anne: Our God, Our Help in Ages Past)
The LORD builds up His Church and He His people gathers in.
The broken hearts He tenderly repairs and heals their sin.
His Word He to His Church bestows—His promises and Law.
No other nation God thus knows: Praise Him with songs of awe!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
