12-24-13. Isaiah 7:1-14 .THE SIGN OF IMMANUEL-my devotional

Key Verse: 7:14                                                                                            Kevin E. Jesmer

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Dear Lord heavenly Father, thank you for the love of Christ at Christmas. This is the first time that I have been separated from my family at Christmas time. I can feel the emptiness. But I find comfort meditating on and writing about the Word of God. I also find comfort among my friends and going to Christmas Eve services to worship you. Thank you, Lord for being there at a time where emptiness could reign. How many people are out there suffering alone at Christmas? How many people are empty? How many people long for a source of love and friendship? The numbers must be staggering. Lord, enter into their hearts and lives. Shower them with your love. Quench their hearts with your word and your Spirit. Help them to know that they are no alone, but that you, O’ Christ, Immanuel, are with them, now and always. Teach them the joy of worship and fellowship and the satisfaction from the word of God in the Bible. I pray all of these things in Jesus’ name. Help me to accept one word deeply in my heart. I pray in Jesus’ Holy Name. Amen!

Part 1: A Decision To Stand Firm in Faith in the Almighty God (1-9).

Verses 1-9, “In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. 2 When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. 3 And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field. 4 And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, 6 “Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” 7 thus says the Lord God: “‘It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass. 8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. 9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’”

    We need to understand some history in order to understand this passage. The Assyrians were planning to attack Syria (Aram) and the Northern Kingdom of Israel. They wanted to consume them and expand their empire.  Aram and the Northern Kingdom asked Judah to help them fight the Assyrians. But Judah refused to become their ally. The Syrians (Aram) and N. Israel decided that they were going to fight against Judah. Judah was getting worried about this. They were trying to make an ally with Egypt in order to protect themselves.

   When Aram allied itself with Israel to attack the southern kingdom of Judah, King Ahaz trembled in fear. When their leader shook with fear, the people also lost heart and the whole nation was overshadowed by a sense of defeat. Ahaz was consumed with fear because he put more faith in the might of armies, like Egypt, than in Almighty God.

    Sometimes we too shake in fear with the things that seem to threaten us. I fear because of financial insecurities, fears about not meeting the standard at work, fears about going into dangerous areas, like winter roads in Northern Canada. Sometimes these fears stop me from stepping out in faith and embracing the call that God has for me. They keep me from being God wants me to be. It actually linked to the fear of death. How powerful is the devil’s hold on us, through the fear of death. But we can not be restrained by fear. We must live by faith and not fear. Faith is actually the opposite of fear. One fear that Jesus has freed me from, since becoming a Christian, is the dear of judgment. Because of Christ, I know that my sins have been forgiven. I know that I am declared holy and righteous, based on the efficacy of the blood of Jesus. I am already living in the kingdom of God, by the grace of God. Jesus also has been healing me of my fear of possible lack of financial security, by always being there to provide. He has shown me over and over again, for the past, almost 30 years, the truth of Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”  He has provide for us time and time again to show us that we should not be afraid. He has also protected me and my family repeatedly to show me that I should not be afraid being alone without his protection. I am so protected, that if I am not careful I could die a slow, comfortable, uneventful, quiet, painless death without even a whimper. Do I want that? I am not sure. But I am sure that God is there to protect me according to his will.

    But the Sovereign God had a message for King Ahaz. He shouldn’t lose heart; the enemy wouldn’t succeed. (4, 7) It was time for him to shake off his fears and believe God’s word standing firm in his faith. (9)

     Without a decision to stand firm in faith, one cannot stand at all! There are times when we just have to stand firm in faith. There are times when it is not acceptable to waver in faith and waver in our unbelief. I need to stand firm in my faith as I serve to nurture the mission to the North. This will mean some traveling and some sacrifices and even some drives on a winter road. It will mean going to next step every time God makes a move. I don’t know what is next with God. We are not meant to know. We are only meant to roll with the changes as the will of God unfolds. And that is what is happening with this mission to the North. I need to stand firm in faith and embrace the will of God, without fear.

    God does his wonderful work of deliverance and salvation all on his own. God does it all. He saves us from our sins simply through the suffering, death and resurrection of his One and Only Son, Jesus. It is not of our doing. It was all Jesus. Our job is to stand firm in our Gospel faith. We don’t need to panic. We don’t need to make all kinds of compromises with the world in an effort to save ourselves. We don’t need to frantically try do this and that. Of course we should act responsibly, but at the same time we can take rest in knowing that Jesus is with us. He will bring about his salvation. He will save us from our sins and deliver us in his way and in his time. I need to rest in this fact. He has delivered me from many relational issues and depression and anger and despair in a miraculous way. He has set my feet upon a rock. He has helped Julie and I to find a unique mission in life for us. He even sent nurses to switch shifts for me so that I could be a missionary. My kids are experiencing a revival of sorts in their hearts lately too. Was it through anything that I have done? No. I would have never though about saving myself in this way. I had no plan. I was lost. But Immanuel God rescued me. Praise the Lord.

I pray that the Christians across our land may stand firm in faith and make a stand for Jesus Christ, who is Immanuel God.

Part 2: The Sign of a Virgin Birth (10-14).

     Verses 10-14, “Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

     God had another message for Ahaz to ask for a sign. God wanted to shine his light of hope in the darkness. It was time to trust and obey God’s word by faith with no excuses. But when Ahaz refused to ask God for a sign, God promised to give him a sign anyway- the sign of Immanuel- God with us. He promised that a virgin would give birth to a child, Immanuel. And before the time this child would know how to choose good over evil, possibly by the age of 5, the two kings, the kings of Syria and Northern Israel will be defeated by the Assyrians. God would later deliver Judah from the Assyrians too. All they had to do is wait on the Lord and let God work a miracle. They simply had to stand firm in their faith.

    But this prophecy is also a dual prophecy, like many prophecies in the Bible. It is a dual prophecy for it looks forward to Jesus, the Savior of the world who is born of the virgin Mary. All God’s people’s hearts looked in hope for God’s sign to be fulfilled. And 2,000 years ago, Jesus came as Immanuel God to be with us always (Mt 1:22, 23). He came to deliver his people from their enemies of sin, death and the devil. He came to deliver them from the kingdom of darkness and bring them into the kingdom of Christ. He came to bring them complete salvation.

    There are people looking for God’s sign to be fulfilled even now. How many are sitting in the darkness of sin and emptiness of heart, waiting for some kind of deliverance. How many are suffering, alone and depressed this Christmas? They are waiting for a sign from God. They are waiting for Jesus, to reveal himself to them as Immanuel God. They are waiting to see the truth that he is with them and has always been with them. Lord, may you open the spiritual eyes of the people across our land, that they may see Jesus with them, patiently waiting for them to open their hearts to his gentle knock.

Prayer: Lord, you are God with me. Help me trust you and to stand firm in my faith.

One Word: Immanuel God is with us