Read: Isaiah 7:1-17
Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” Then Isaiah said, “Here then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:10-14, NRSV).
I was thinking about this incident just the other day. My son and I were taking our usual walk along the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller’s Field. We’ve been walking there regularly for years. Though it takes me longer than it used to, I still like to get out there whenever I can—both for the exercise and the memories.
We always pause at the spot where we had that encounter with King Ahaz all those years ago. It’s not my happiest memory, although I do take some satisfaction in knowing I did the right thing. I followed God’s orders to the letter, after all. It’s not my fault Ahaz acted like the arrogant young idiot that he was.
I ask you. Have you ever begged God for a sign? Well, I have. And even though I’m a prophet, God doesn’t always serve up signs just to suit me. But that day, God offered Ahaz a sign on a platter—just to reassure him that if he trusted in God, the political storm would soon pass. “Let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven,” God told him. Talk about a blank check!
But would Ahaz ask for a sign? No. He muttered some mumbo-jumbo about not putting the LORD to the test, as if he were Mr. Piety personified. Well, that’s where I lost my patience, and I told him that God was going to give him the sign whether he wanted it or not. “Look!” I said. “The young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel (God With Us).”
I have to say, that got his attention! Every king wants an heir, after all, but to receive the news that the heir will be a son—and that the birth of that child will be a sign of God’s favor and blessing! Well, that’s more than any monarch could hope for.
Did the sign make a difference in Ahaz’ politics? No, sadly. He was so skittish about the two kings who were threatening him that he ran right out and made an alliance with Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria. I don’t need to tell you what a bad idea that was. Sure, we survived the immediate threat, but we ended up as an Assyrian vassal.
Still, given what I know now about Ahaz’s son, Hezekiah, I can see why God said he would be called “Immanuel.” His reforms were a beacon or light that led us through some very dark days. I had high hopes for him, frankly, but even he disappointed me in the end. At the very end of his reign he made an alliance with the new international bully on the block—the Babylonians. I guess the unwise alliance thing must have run in the family, but honestly—I can’t believe he was so stupid as to give the Babylonians a tour of the treasury! I gave him an earful about that on God’s behalf. But all he could say when confronted with the prophecy that it would all be carted off to Babylon someday was: “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?”
In short, even Hezekiah fell short of my prophetic expectations. So, these days, I spend my time with my disciples “binding up the testimonies.” We’re writing down the prophecies I’ve delivered over the years, you see, because I’ve come to realize that God sometimes uses prophetic words to say more than we know. Sure, we deliver our prophecies as instructed, and they speak a powerful word for the present and the near future. But the whole Ahaz/Hezekiah incident taught me that God can—how do you say it—recycle such prophecies for another day.
So, that’s what I think about on our regular walk. My son assumes I’m thinking about the past. But I’m thinking about the future. I’m still waiting for that promised “anointed one,” whose name will be Immanuel.
Ponder: How do you feel about the suggestion that Isaiah’s words originally may have referred to the great reforming king, Hezekiah? Consider that the Hebrew word used in Isaiah 7:14 means “young woman” and not specifically “virgin.” As one Old Testament commentator puts it, “The sign is the child itself, and not the manner of its birth.” What do you think of the suggestion that the Holy Spirit can recycle ancient words for new situations?
Pray: Keep us faithful as we wait for the coming of Immanuel.