12/8- Isaiah 7:1-17 A Sign of Deliverance- a Virgin with Child

12/8- Isaiah 7:1-17 - Believing in a sign from God


(Seal found of Ahaz King of Judah)

1 When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it. 2 Now the house of David was told, "Aram has allied itself with Ephraim"; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind. 3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer's Field. 4 Say to him, 'Be careful, keep calm and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. 5 Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah's son have plotted your ruin, saying, 6 "Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it." 7 Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: " 'It will not take place, it will not happen, for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. 9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.' " 10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11 "Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights." 12 But Ahaz said, "I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test." 13 Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of human beings? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and [e] will call him Immanuel. 15 He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16 for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. 17 The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria."

Calvin Abridged (7:12-17) Ahaz refuses the sign the Lord offers him by saying he is unwilling to tempt the Lord. But do we tempt God, when we accept what he offers us? Certainly not. Ahaz’s problem was one of faith. God was giving him a sign to strengthen his faith. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are signs of the faith given in the gospel. Must they be regarded as superfluous? Not at all- they are aids for our support given by God. The refusing of the sign by Ahaz shows stubbornness and ingratitude on his part. Some fanatics today likewise disregard Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as childish elements, but in their rejection they reject the whole gospel; for we must not separate those things which the Lord commands us to join in. Some may ask if we should ask for signs from the Lord as Gideon did (Jdg. 6:17). But Gideon did so under the operation and influence of the Holy Spirit, and we should not abuse his example, restraining ourselves from frivolous asking. We should be satisfied with the signs the Lord offers us. There are two kinds of signs: some are extraordinary and supernatural (as here), and some are ordinary and daily (as Baptism and the Lord’s Supper). The Spirit is at work in both kinds- more visibly in the extraordinary signs, but silently in the ordinary ones. 14- “Trying the patience of human beings…and God”- It is not really possible to make a separation between God and the prophets and holy teachers – who are God’s instruments, making common cause with Him (Lk. 10:16). “Behold a virgin shall conceive”- this passage has become obscure over centuries of misinterpretation. Some have alleged that the person spoken here is Hezekiah, others that it is the son of Isaiah. But Hezekiah was grown when Jerusalem was besieged; the Lord did not promise deliverance from the seed of Isaiah. The title “Immanuel” was far too illustrious to be applied to any human being. Others conjecture it is some obscure child born at the time foreshadowing Christ. But they do not produce a strong argument, say who the child was, or bring forward any proofs. Some say that this passage was not talking about Christ’s birth 500 years later when Jerusalem was not besieged- because the Prophet was giving a sign of deliverance then. When Ahaz rejected the sign of the prophet, Isaiah was reminding him of the covenant given to his Davidic ancestors of the whole deliverance of the nation provided in the Messiah who was God with us. The Prophets in establishing God’s promises, often spoke of a coming Redeemer, however remote. It was as if Isaiah said, “True, you do not believe the promises of God, but yet God will fulfill them; for he will in time send his Christ, for whose sake he determines to preserve this city.” Instead of relying on God’s promises for deliverance, Ahaz relied on the Assyrians for help, and they ended up destroying his kingdom in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.

Thoughts: Most commentators today speak of only an immediate, obscure fulfillment. Yet Calvin, more than any other commentator I have seen, speaks of this as a prophecy of the messiah’s coming only. Isaiah’s wife was not unmarried nor a virgin (she already had a son 7:3, and her second son was no Immanuel). Some say it was someone in Ahaz’s house- but this is real guesswork too. If Isaiah was speaking of a child born right then, the child’s identity (or parents) is not made clear. Calvin points out that the ultimate fulfillment and sign to us is made clear. The virgin birth is a sign given by God. Some say the sign is not important (as Ahaz did in his day). But the sign of Jesus’ birth by the virgin Mary is a confirmation to strengthen our faith, and should not be made light of.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the signs- extraordinary and ordinary you give us in life. Thank you for being our deliverer from fear and death.

12/2/09- Hebrews 2:1-9 Christ saves us from our own failures

12/2 - Hebrews 2:1-9 - God speaks through Jesus

(bird flying into glass over and over)

Devotional using scripture, quote from John Calvin and thoughts for the day each day- on the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth.

Hebrews 2:1-9
1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. 5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But there is a place where someone has testified: "What are mere mortals that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? 7 You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor 8 and put everything under their feet." In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them. 9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.


CALVIN ABRIDGED: He now compares Christ with angels to give the highest authority to his doctrine. Angels gave the law and the Son of God gave the Gospel. What he is trying to say in this passage is that Christ is much higher than the angels in authority, and so the Gospel is higher in authority than the law. Both should be heard with equal attention, yet in the one he reveals himself more fuller than the other. Our reverence and attention should increase in proportion to the extent of his revelations. It is not that God is in himself less at one time compared to another; but his greatness is not at all times equally made known to us.


Thoughts: Hebrews confirms what the gospel is about. It is about salvation from sin, and Christ’s substituting his death for everyone. This passage says that God is not silent. He has broken the silence through prophets over the years, but speaks in an ultimate way by coming down to earth for us as a human being. One time I had a cardinal fly into its own reflection in my window over and over every day. I tried to communicate with the bird by waving, yelling, buying a shade for the window, and putting ornaments on the window. I wished I could have become a bird and show the bird how foolish it was to keep hitting itself. Jesus Christ became human not just to show us how to live, but to save us from our mistakes and sins (sometimes made over and over). All the apologies of the past months- from Federer to Williams, from Wilson to Sanford leave me a bit numb. The media allows us to see others’ mistakes right away and they also allow us to judge and condemn or forgive others. The media also gives us a taste of what hell is like- bringing up our sins over and over and not forgetting them or forgiving them. This week Tiger Woods gets it.  In some ways this is proclaiming from the rooftops what is done in secret!  In the end we need to hear a Word from God that our sins are able to be forgiven. Jesus is that ultimate, final word. At present we do not see everything subject to forgiveness (vs. 8). But Jesus was made lower than the angels and suffered the penalty of death so we might not have to continually pay for our sins.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for speaking to us, and not leaving us alone. Thank you for showing us your love and for your sacrifice that ensures our forgiveness. Help us, as we have been forgiven, to forgive others.