Think on these questions as you dwell on Isaiah 7:1-9:

1. How does the account of the conspiracy against Jerusalem and Judah in Isaiah illustrate the conflict between human intentions and God's divine plans, especially in the context of the covenant with David's lineage? How does this reaffirm the concept of God's sovereignty over history?

2. King Ahaz is urged to stand firm in his faith despite the impending threat to Jerusalem. In what ways can believers today draw parallels between Ahaz's call to trust God's providence and their own need for unwavering faith in the face of challenges or uncertainties?

3. The passage emphasizes the significance of being firm in faith, relying on God's sovereignty, and trusting in His provision. How can individuals apply this lesson in their daily lives, particularly in understanding their dependence on God's guidance and salvation rather than attempting to rely solely on personal efforts or strategies?

Transcript:

So, here we see this prophetic word that God is sending to King Ahas through Isaiah. And we see that there is some conspiring going on. Now we need to remember, there is a divided kingdom here. It's tough for us to talk through this because when we think of Israel, we think of all 12 tribes, unified together. But we have to remember there was a divided kingdom after Solomon. There was the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Here we see the king of Israel conspiring with the king of Syria and some other kings, and they are going to go upon Jerusalem. There is fear here. But what is going on behind the scenes? What does God have to say about what is happening? Now, we need to remember the promises of God, and promises of God do not fail. What is the promise that God has made in regards to the house of David, the house of the King of Israel, that he has given this covenant with David that through him will come the Messiah. He will be the one who will be King throughout the Ages. Now we understand that promise to be fulfilled in Christ, seated at the right-hand of the Father, reigning, he is the King from David's line.

We understand that. But here we have not only human conspiracy, but they're trying against the shahs, that they want to overtake... Or against Judah, the fact that they want to overtake them in a political way, I guess you could say. But at the end of the day, what are they doing? They're trying to put someone other than a son of David on the throne. They're conspiring with these outside forces. And so they're not just going up against Jerusalem and Judah. They are going up against the plans of God. And so the Lord has something to say. We see this in verse 7. It shall not stand and it shall not come to pass. God is saying, Hey, I am the one who determines history. I am the one who determines whether or not my promises come to pass. This ain't happening, right? So see, Ahad, being told that he needs to be firm in his faith. He needs to trust that God is the one who brings victory for him. Now, in the midst of all that we've seen in Isaiah so far, what have we seen that there is iniquity? There is unfaithfulness to God.

But now the prophetic hall on Ahab is to stand firm faith, to stand with God, to trust that God will, in fact, protect despite what's going on around them. No matter how this looks, He has to be firm in faith or he's not going to be firm at all. So it's important for us to look at this passage and say, Yeah, this is a pretty easy application for us. It's important that we understand if we're not firm in faith, we're not going to be firm at all. As Christians, as people who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, our foundation is in that we can't do this on our own, that we can't win the victories of salvation, but the victories of this life also apart from God's sustaining work. It is God's providential hand over us. But yet we try to plot our own thing. So we are reminded, as we think about this passage, Well, it isn't as big a scale as aspiring kingdoms against Jerusalem and Judah. We have to remember that we are called to trust in God, to be firm in faith and to trust his sovereign hand on our lives, to also trust in the salvation that he has given us in the Lord Jesus.

Because we cannot save ourselves, we need to be firm in faith because he is the one, excuse me, he is the one who accomplishes victory on our behalf. So, may we put our trust in him.