A Sign for David

7/3/2016

Isaiah 7.13-14 13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? 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 will call him Immanuel. – Isaiah the Prophet

Scathing might be the word used to describe Isaiah’s prophecy in the years of his ministry with Ahaz. Harsh would also be a descriptor. He was standing before men having been sent by God, and when he dealt with Ahaz, the grandson of Uzziah, the great king, he spared no severity.

Much like our own country today, Judah had forgotten who she was, and what God had created her for. She certainly had a better track record with her run of kings than her sister Israel, to the north. Israel started off bad and got worse; for Judah it took a while longer. The biggest problem was both kingdoms ultimately ‘unfriended’ God. They wanted idols they could see, rather than God they couldn’t; and they attributed the visible ‘successes’ of the pagan kingdoms around them to the worship of pagan gods.

We are like that today – even in the practice of our Christianity: always looking for the best option to get us what we want. I think we are presently in a divine season of ‘no signs and wonders’. There are none, save this one: the faithful who, despite all the bad press about Christianity and God, remain because they refuse to doubt the promises God has made. That is impressive faith in the face of humanism and secularism. They are not faithful to impress; they are faithful because God has said. Much of the power of society would lose its steam if people simply quit believing every word thrown at them by the news media (Fox included). The great war of today combats the words of men against the word of God.

So, Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? 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 will call him Immanuel. The hard part about prophecy is, is it for now, or later?

Apparently, in this prophetic time, the prophecy of the Virgin birth was for later: the Virgin birth of Christ. You see, God didn’t accept their unfriending because God is eternally faithful and Paul says in Romans 11.29: God never changes his mind about the people he calls and the things he gives them. Unfriending God doesn’t nullify His plan, purpose, or gifts. Many would feign power over God by thumbing their nose at Him as if to say: I don’t believe in You, or what You have, or how You do. God isn’t affected by our posturing; never has been, never will be.

So who is affected? Well, we are. Some things are true whether we believe them or not. God doesn’t want our belief – He desires our friendship. For some, that’s just too big an ask. For Ahaz, the ancient king, it was too big; and for millions today, it is the same, friendship with God is foolish and a nuisance. And so God reserves the unthinkable to shake our beliefs in ourselves and bring about a new understanding of Himself.

Father, You have shown us a sign and many just don’t believe it; but some will. Help me to be faithful in my beliefs of You, helping others to come to belief as well. Amen.