A Sign of Immanuel
December 21 | Rick Thiemke
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Isaiah 7:10-16
The Sign of Immanuel
10 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. 15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.
Isaiah is a prophet sent by God to His people to call them to repent and trust the Lord. Isaiah has a high fear of a holy God. He has two powerful messages: judgment and hope. He is pleading with Israel and its leaders to turn from their rebellion, idolatry and oppression of the poor. If they do not repent, God will use evil nations to bring judgment upon them. He longs for Israel to fulfill its calling to bless all nations.
In our text, Isaiah is in a face-to-face meeting with King Ahaz who is not trusting the Lord, but is instead trusting in pacts with other nations. The Lord invites him to ask for a sign (verses 10-11). He can ask anything as low as Sheol (hell) or as high as heaven (where God rules). With a false humility, King Ahaz refuses to ask for a sign.
God Will Show Up Among Us In This World
In exasperation, Isaiah prophesied a sign from the Lord Himself (verses 13-14). The sign will take place somewhere between heaven and hell - smack dab in the middle of both: here, earth, the world or, more precisely, Bethlehem.
The gospel doesn’t call us to be otherworldly. We do not serve a God who is unwilling to show up in the midst of our sin and evil. He is holy and yet lovingly reaches into the muck and mire of history, the world and our lives. He sends love and light where there is hatred and darkness.
He is not a distant God who stays away. Instead, He draws near and invites us to do the same. Isaiah prophesied that a son would be born to a virgin and that He would be called Immanuel - “God with us.”
God’s Plan Will Prevail
Isaiah is confident that God will fulfill all of His promises and ultimately fulfill the covenant made with Abraham (Genesis 12). There is hope! There will be an advent of a leader that will fulfill all that Israel has failed to do. This leader will pour out His Spirit among those who believe and they will be a blessing to all nations. Matthew included our text as he wrote of the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:22-23).
God is intervening. God is at work. He is on duty accomplishing what He intends in every situation. This was true in Isaiah’s time and ours. God is sovereign and will carry out His plan of redemption. He will use us if we are willing, but needs nothing in order to carry out His plans.
Today, we can be assured that all that is promised to be accomplished in the second advent of Jesus will happen. No evil, no man, no scheme in hell can stand against the Lord’s plans. He is King! He is all powerful! Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Isaiah stood toe to toe with a King and announced to anyone who had ears to hear, "There is nothing too difficult for God. He is coming to this very city. It will be for all people. Trust Him with your problems, believe His promises, hang on when it feels too hard to hang on - and you will see what God can do!"
Paul saw these signs and communicated them to the early Christian Church (Romans 1:1-7).
Discussion Questions
Where do you most notice the pressure to look for control or certainty, instead of trusting God’s presence in this season of life?
What does the promise of Immanuel, God with us, change about how you face fear, uncertainty or exhaustion right now?
What might it look like for you to move from asking God to fix things to inviting Him to be with you in them?