Reading: Isaiah 5-9
Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord (Is. 7:10-12).
Ahaz, king of Judah, was in desperate straits. For the first time since the city was claimed as God’s own, Jerusalem was under siege (II Kings 16:5). The combined forces of Israel and Syria were bearing down upon him in retaliation for not joining with them in their war against Assyria. Ahaz was concerned that his people’s limited resources would not be enough to sustain them. During this dark time, the Lord sent Isaiah to inform the king that Jerusalem would survive the siege and the nation of Judah would remain sovereign. To further assure him of the truth of His words, the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God.
From our readings, we know that Ahaz was not a God-fearing man. But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel (II Kings 16:3). Even knowing this, the Lord reached out to him as the king of Judah and the occupier of the throne of David, offering him assurances that those attacking him would fail; He even offered to provide proof of His Word. Instead of being humbled by God’s message, Ahaz reacted to Isaiah’s words with thinly disguised scorn. Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. Although his reply was superficially pious, he was not expressing his confidence in God’s Word. He firmly believed that the only way out of his current situation was by seeking the aid of Assyria. So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me (II Kings 16:7). So confident was he of his plan, that he offered up the treasures of God’s Temple in exchange for the protection of Assyria.
We can't serve the Lord our God if we do not trust Him, and it is impossible to trust Him if we do not first know Him. Ahaz was a shrewd politician. He studied the military might of the nations around him, and it was from this knowledge that he made his decisions. He trusted only what he knew, and he did not know God because he refused to learn of Him. This is the same mistake that is being made today the world over. God’s Word offers us all the information we need so that we might know Him, but we must first make the conscious choice to learn from its pages. Only through prayerful study of His most precious Word will our eyes be opened to the truth and our hearts be freed to trust and to serve.
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name (John 20:31).
Thought for Today: If belief in yourself comes at the exclusion of God, then all you are left with is faith in a fool.
Christ Revealed: Isaiah reveals that a Child shall be born; a Son shall be given; and that the government shall be upon His shoulder (Is. 9:6). The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever (Rev. 11:15).
Word Studies: 5:1 vineyard = the Israelites; 5:5 go to = listen to Me; 5:23 reward = bribes; 7:16 abhorrest = hate, despise; 8:21 hardly bestead = sorely distressed, hard pressed; 9:9 stoutness = arrogance.
Pray for Staff: Ryan McCrary • Government Official: Sen Jacky Rosen (NV), Sen. J.D. Vance (OH), Rep.Burgess Owens(UT) • Country: United Kingdom (63,742,977) Western Europe • Major Language: English • Religious Freedom • 59.6% Christian; 4.4% Muslim; 1.3% Hindu; 2% Other; 25.7% None; 7.2% Unspecified • Prayer Suggestion: Pray for understanding of His will as you read the Word of God (Ps. 25:5).
Optional Reading:Hebrews 10