The Forest of Shaking Hearts
Labels:
Isaiah
A little personal
counsel
I have been trying to encourage the
reader in every lesson that, because we will not be writing the whole portion
of Scripture in the article, you will have to have your Bible open and follow
along, as I attempt an expository lesson. I hope that I’m not being naïve, when I imagine someone sitting at
a desk or table with the Bible on the right, open to Isaiah, and articles like
this one on the left.
Everyone
who knows me will tell you that I am a proponent of the reading of good
Christian books, as a complement to consistent Bible reading and study. Read as
much as your time will allow from time-proven authors! I don’t know of any
reputable Christian, now or in church history, who would advise you
differently. However, the trend today of sitting in a circle to study together
the latest book, in general is not advisable. I’m not saying that in the case
of some books, especially classics in church history, it might be profitable to
do so, but I shudder to think of how many Christians have been misled by some
of the most popular literature of our day. Much is simply garbage!
Christians
today really need to study the Bible in expository form and if you are not
doing so in some other Bible class, well here is a good opportunity for you. By
expository teaching, we hear best what God has to say, rather than to consider
the opinions of men. We often do hear their
opinions, because preachers and teachers have certain thoughts, which they have
developed on their own, and look for Bible texts to give authority to their
thinking. This method is not only unwise, it is dangerous. I hope that you will
join me, as I attempt to hear the voice of God through the book of Isaiah, as
we study verse by verse.
9. An
expository study of Isaiah, chapter 7
This chapter has valuable truth for the life of any
believer and contains various messianic prophecies. However, I have found it
especially edifying for people, who are struggling through severe spiritual
battles. Personally, I have shared it for that purpose and have sometimes been
asked to repeat the message for others in similar circumstances. Just in case
you have not learned it, the Christian life has plenty of soul-shaking,
life-and-death conflicts that threaten our spiritual survival. The sooner we
find this to be true, the sooner and better we will be able to face them.
As the chapter begins, here is the situation that we
find: The king of Judah is Ahaz, the worst of the kings, mentioned at the
beginning of the book, to come into power during Isaiah’s ministry. Yet, I am
amazed at the mercy and grace of God, who, through Isaiah, reaches out to try
to help this man come into faith.
The kingdom of Judah is being threatened by its
“brother” country to the north, Israel. This had to happen sooner or later. The
northern kingdom bore the name Israel and for that reason some of the southern
kings tried to maintain friendly relationships with it. By this time,
idolatrous Israel was showing its true colors and joined forces with the
totally pagan king of Aram to war against Jerusalem, the city which still
showed some allegiance to the true God. The attacks against Jerusalem failed up
to this time (v.1).
Uncontrollable
fear
The House of David, mentioned in verse two, is that
which God promised to David back in 2 Samuel, chapter 7:8-29. He assured him
that this house would stand in good times and in bad times, would endure and be
established forever. His lovingkindness, removed from Saul, would not be
removed from the house of David. We cannot apply the consequences of Saul to
David. God would chasten David’s descendants “with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My
lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul” (v.14,
15).
When Ahaz, the descendant of David and the
representative of his house in Isaiah 7, heard that Arameans were poised for
another confrontation, “his heart and
the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.”
All right, friend, can you relate to this heart condition? The text speaks
of the heart and, whatever the threat may be, physical or spiritual, what
concerns us today is the condition of our heart. Perhaps you have never been
faced with a dilemma as the one described in these verses or maybe you have had
the courage to withstand anything that has come up against you up to this
point. I will simply state that there is a limitation to any person’s courage,
beyond which the overwhelmed heart shakes as trees in the wind. The wind speaks
of spiritual forces, preceding whatever storm enemy armies might bring to
Judah. I will confess that I have stood in the forest of shaking hearts.
Now we will see how the Lord deals with this situation
and learn from it how we can face the situations that come into our lives.
There is little or nothing that we can do about a shaking heart. It is useless
to say, “Stop shaking!” However, there are principles that lead to a shaking
heart, of which we can take notice and respond obediently to the Lord’s
instructions.
“Fear-not”
lessons to conquer our shaken hearts
1.
Lessons
from the names of people
Isaiah and his son are sent on a mission to the king
(v.3). His son’s name, Shear-jashub, means a
remnant shall return and he must accompany Isaiah, whose name means the Lord is salvation. These are the
first two truths that Ahaz will encounter, when he meets with them in the
fuller’s field. He is to see that the Lord is salvation and therefore the House
of David cannot be fully destroyed. The sovereign purpose, which God determined
from the beginning, cannot be frustrated.
 |
| Jerusalem 1915... Upper Pool (click for slightly larger view) |
Ahaz is either contempla-ting a way to assure that the
water will continue to run into Jerusalem during a future crisis, or planning
to make it unavailable to the invading armies. The source of the Upper Pool,
316’ x 200’ x 18’ deep, is the nearby Fount of Siloam, and from it conduits
carry the water underground into the city. Later Hezekiah stopped any water
acces-sible to the enemy, but saw to it that it flowed behind the walls of
Jerusalem for his people (2 Chr.32:4). The ruins of the pool still exist.
2.
Lessons
from God’s view of the enemy
Ahaz is wasting time and energy, because his thoughts
are in vain. He has been preoccupied with the threats of the enemies and he
needs to see them from God’s point of view and that is the viewpoint of truth.
Remember, we can apply these same steps or principles to our lives, in order to
steady a shaking heart. How does God see these, who are causing so much
consternation in Judah and Jerusalem? He calls them “stubs of smoking firebrands”, meaning that the fire has been
extinguished and there is nothing left, but an angry smokescreen (v.4). Our
enemy is a deceiving serpent, whose poisonous fangs have been removed at
Calvary. He goes through the motions, he raises his head and belches out smoke,
but no real damage can be done. For those whose confidence is in the cross and
in the One who hung there, “He who was
born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him” (1 Jn.5:18).
Ahaz is told not to fear, because there is no real
cause for fear. The Lord reveals that He is the omniscient Sovereign who rules
over the plots of men. He gives to the king their very words and then declares
with total authority, “It shall not
stand nor shall it come to pass” (v.5-7). What you are fearing and against
which you are mounting a defense, will never happen! This is the second lesson
given, after sending the first one in the person of a father and son. So much
for the lies from the opposite camp!
The eternal Lord places a time element upon the
threatening nations. They will be swallowed by the finite limitations, both in
time and range, of their existence. They will never be more than what they are now
and what they now are will not continue to be. Ephraim, that is the northern
kingdom, whose capital is Samaria and whose king is now Pekah, only has 65
years remaining before they will be completely annihilated (v.8). Can you be
destroyed by the temporal, when you are upheld by the eternal? That’s the
lesson and let’s be sure to learn it! Every time you are tempted to believe the
wind of the spirits, which move the waves on the oceans of men, read Revelation
20:10: “And the devil who deceived them
was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false
prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” As
to Damascus, Aram and its king, read chapter 17:1-3.
3.
Lessons
about trusting God
Next we learn the mighty principle, which exceeds
all others, as far as the people of God are concerned: “If you will not believe, you surely shall not last” (v.9). To
believe is to place your confidence in God and that is the meaning of faith. Hear the central core truth of
the entire Word of God: “The just shall
live by faith.” See the purpose defined in the Gospel of John 20:31: “These have been written so that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may
have life in His name.” There is no assurance for the unbeliever, whether
he lives in Samaria or Jerusalem; before the first coming of Christ or before
His second coming. Believe God, trust His word in this matter and in all
matters. The one goal of faith is to believe in Him and to place your whole
trust in Him, and then you surely shall
last!
I find consolation in the Lord’s work to bring Ahaz to
faith. Remember he is at this time the House of David (v.10-13). “This
is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (Jn.6:29). We
just noticed John’s purpose in his inspired Gospel and, in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus encourages His disciples to have the faith of God (as some versions translate Mark 11:22). “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will
be opened to you” (Mt.7:7). Then, should one of them feel that he is
the exception to God’s promises, as Ahaz, perhaps because of his sin, Jesus
removes that doubt also: “For everyone who asks receives, and he who
seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Mt.7:8). He then
argues His point by turning to an example of a natural father/son relationship.
The human father, born with a sinful nature, still knows to give good things to
his son.
Referring again to the House of David, God promises, “I will be a father to him and he will be a
son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him…” (2 S.7:14). God
pleads with David’s descendent, “Come Ahaz, learn faith! Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; make it deep as Sheol
or high as heaven” (v.11). However Ahaz wastes the opportunity by a
sanctimonious response, “I will not ask,
nor will I test the Lord!” Was he ever spiritual! But history has him down
as a wicked, unbelieving king. God opened heaven to him as a sign that He is a
prayer-answering God, if he would simply humble himself, as a child would ask a
father for a sign, but Ahaz’ spiritual pride gets in the way and the evil in
his nature is proven by his unbelief. Unbelief is sin; justify it as you will
by theological garbage. Add to his unbelief, passivity and indifference, when
God is looking for passionate involvement; He is looking for someone to stand
in the gap.
4.
Lessons
about the sovereignty of God
There is another lesson to learn and stand upon. Never
mind the sinful reluctance of fallen man, God’s purposes will be carried out.
The doctrine that God is subject to man’s faith can easily be disproven in the
Scriptures. Much later in his book, Isaiah proves, “He saw that there was no man, and was astonished that there was no one
to intercede; then His own arm brought
salvation to Him…” (59:16). As all the inspired writers of Scripture,
the Psalmist declares His sovereignty, “Our
God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases” (Ps.115:3). I have
often challenged listeners to name one disciple who believed that Jesus would
rise from the dead; but He arose!
When Ahaz loses his chance to take his part in God’s
eternal purposes, God Himself steps in with a sign for all ages. What a sign it
is! He points to, not only the hope of Israel, but of all the nations. Whatever
sign Ahaz might have thought too big, God had a bigger one in mind. “Behold, a virgin will be with child and
bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel” (v.14). The angel
announced to the shepherds of Bethlehem, “This
will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a
manger” (Lk.2:12). The simple shepherds believed the sign, hurried straight
to Bethlehem and found the fulfillment of the sign, told it to everyone that
they could reach, and glorified and praised God.
Let us then, as individuals, when we are afflicted, learn
the lessons of Isaiah and Shear-jashub. The Lord is our Savior and though we
are severely tried, we will not be destroyed. Let us not lose heart and be
shaken by the lies of the enemy, but learn to see him as God sees him. Let us
not waste our lives, in defending against that, which will never be able to
touch us. As we refuse to listen to the enemy’s threats, let us learn to hear
and obey God. Let us be simple and passionate in our prayers, not passive, justifying
our unbelief with self-invented doctrines. By God’s answers let us grow in
heavenly faith and listen, as He reveals to us the hope that is only in Christ.
Let us hold to him in faith and let us live with Him, as our Immanuel. Let us
be assured that He is sovereign over spiritual powers, earthly potentates and,
most of all, over our own weaknesses and strengths.
Christ
and Shear-jashub
The present state in Ahaz’ day is vitally connected to
the Messiah, as it was since the time of Abraham. God gave Abraham and Sarah
supernatural ability to have a son when they were well past age, in order that
one day a virgin would conceive and bear a Son. For that very reason, Israel
was delivered from Egyptian bondage and brought into the Promised Land. In that
land, God became the commander of Israel’s army, because this was His chosen
country, in which a virgin would move from Nazareth to Bethlehem in order to
bear a Son according to Scripture. For this reason, God removed Saul and put
David on the throne and gave the promise concerning
his house. This is God’s one purpose, His one sign for all history.
Therefore Jerusalem was preserved in the time of Ahaz and on through the following
centuries until this prophecy was fulfilled.
Now, it seems, Isaiah turns from his prophesy and
points to his own son Shear-jashub. It would appear that he is an infant and
God uses him to show the beginning of the total destruction of the enemy armies
within a few years. That is why he accompanies his father on the mission. Before
he would come to an accountable age, they would be destroyed and Shear-jashub, a remnant shall remain, shows that although
God’s people will come through severe trials, they will survive to fulfill His
purposes (v.15-17).
We will learn of the siege of the mighty king of
Assyria later, as one of these severe trials. God will whistle for the fly and
the bee from Egypt to Assyria to punish the House of David with the rod of men.
As bees and flies settle in the pastures and the bushes, strangers would fill
the land (v.18-19). Notice now, as you read through the rest of the chapter,
how Judah will be decimated. It will be as a razor shaves the hair from the
head and body (v.20), so the valuable vines will be stripped from the land and
replaced by briars and thorn (v.23). The world’s great herdsman, who typified
Israel since the time of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, will be reduced to a heifer
and a pair of sheep, if he is able to even keep them alive (v.21). The economy
will fail and, instead of selling milk products, the producer will eat them to
survive (v.22). Honey will be available, because the bees will thrive on the
wild flowers that cover the formerly tillable fields. Cattle, sheep and goats
will break through the fences of these fields, in order to forage (v.25). It
will be necessary to hunt wild animals for meat (v.24). So Judah will be broken
down and humbled, but it will not perish.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Recommended Books
Post a Comment