Isaiah 7:1-25.  We want to keep in mind the reflective or chiastic layout of chapters 2-12 of Isaiah.  In chapters 2-4 we saw Isaiah challenging the people about their selfish lifestyles.  In chapter 5 they were warned that God would not put up with their disobedience forever.  In chapter 6 Isaiah was rededicated in his job to confront the people of Jerusalem and Judah, the southern kingdom.  Chapters 7-8 now returns to the destruction of Judah.  What was theory before is now becoming a reality.

Isaiah identifies Ahaz as the king of Judah.  The enemies are identified too, Rezin and Pekah.  Rezin was the king of Aram (Syria) and Pekah was the king of the northern kingdom, Israel.  In 734 BC Assyria (a rising power to the east of Israel in wht is modern Iraq) sent troops to areas both north ans south of Israel and Judah, mostly along the Mediterranean coast.  Israel (the northern kingdom) and Aram (Syria) were getting nervous and expecting Assyria to return and invade them in the near future and were looking for Ahaz to make an alliance with them to fight Assyria.  Ahaz on the other hand was pro Assyria, or at least was in favor of making peace with them.  In response to his rejection of the alliance Rezin and Pekah invaded Judah, they intended on putting a man named Tabeel on the throne in place of Ahaz.  The war lasted from 734-732 BC and is called the Syro-Ephraimite War. It was around this time that Jotham, Ahaz father and co-king died leaving Ahaz as the supremem ruler of Judah (2 Kings 15:37-38).  Ahaz suffered great losses in the war with 120,00 troops killed in one battle and 200,000 people taken captive (2 Chronicles 28:6-8).  Interestingly the captives were released back home when God intervened (2 Chronicles 28:9-15).

Isaiah warned Ahaz that the alliance would not be able to remove him from the throne and that he should trust God.  Ahaz was not in the habit of trust in Yahweh (see 2 Chronicles 28:1-4).  In fact 2 Chronicles 28:5 tells us that the initial defeat in the war was a judgment from God for his unfaithfulness.  It would seem that the return of the captives was a sign from God if His good will toward Ahaz in spite of Ahaz’ unfaithfulness.  God actually offeerd Ahaz more proof when Isaiah told Ahaz to name his miracle, what ever sign from God he wanted to prove that he could trust God to protect him and his kingdom. Ahaz’ fake response was that he would not test God (Isaiah 7:12).  Iaiah saw through Ahaz’ false (v. 13) and God supplied the sign but the sign would not be good.  A certain child was in view who would eat “curds and honey” (v. 15).  Verses 21-25 discuss the destruction which is going to come upon Judah because of Ahaz’ refusal to trust God to save the kingdom.  In verse 22 again we see the eating of “curds and honey”.  Curds are unfinished cheese and honey is a food gathered from the wild.  John the Baptist ate locusts and honey because he was living on the edge of society.  The idea here is “fast food”, food eaten in a hurry or on the run, this is quite a contrast from the kingdom that was all peace and security with big houses and parties that had existed under Uzziah and Jotham.  The sign that God could have cared for Ahaz’ kingdom would be a particular boy eating in the midst of a culture falling apart.

According to 2 Chronicles 28:16 Ahaz blew off Isaiah’s advise and made a pact with Assyria.  Ironically Isaiah 7:17-20 Isaiah warned Ahaz that Assyria would be the real oppressor in his life.  It would be Assyria who would destroy make his kingdom poor.  Historically we know that Assyria did return.  They conquered the northern kingdom and Aram and laid siege to Judah.  They never took Jerusalem though, but that is another story.

For me there are two things I want to take from this story so far.  First I want to remember that the structure focuses back on chapter 6 and the last verse of chapter 6 reminds me that the stump of the tree would again grow.  That verses tells me that the “holy” seed is the stump.  People dedicated to God will survive.  The second thing from today’s reading is from verse 4.  Isaiah told Ahaz to be careful (the word means to be watchful or observant), to be calm, to have no fear, and to not lose heart.  It is easy to let the things in life scare us into certain actions, actions that seem reasonable.  Ahaz sent money to keep the Assyrian king off his back and to get the alliance off his back too, seems reasonable, but God told him not to do it.  If we are dedicated to God he will protect us.  That does not mean that trouble will not come it just means that we will ultimately grow.  Job suffered but he kept his eyes on eternity (Job 19:26).  By the way , Isaiah’s sons name means “a remnant will return”, could this have been talking about the 200,000 returned by the alliance?  Would that have made Shear-jashub a sign?  God help me look and see what you are doing.  Help me see the signs of your work that are in front of me.  Help me be calm.  Help me not fear.  Help me not loose heart.  God help me see and do.  Keep me faithful.

Isaiah 6:1-13.  This chapter was very difficult for me.  It required a lot of study and consideration.  The first part seemed pretty obvious to me.  King Uzziah died (about 739 BC).  A new king Ahaz is on his way in.  If you remember the introduction Jotham was mentioned between Uzziah and Ahaz.  Jotham was Uzziah’s son and he co-ruled with both his father and his own son Ahaz.  The last twelve years of Uzziah’s life, after he got leprosy, he shared the throne with Jotham.  According to 2 Kings 15:30 Jotham ruled for 20 years but he also shared his throne with his son Ahaz for twelve years meaning that there was an overlap between all three of four years.  That is probably why chapter six tells us that Uzziah died and chapter seven will start with Ahaz being king, Jotham seems to have been less important in the who scheme of what was going on.

Historic accounts in 2 Kings 16 and 2 Chronicles 28 show that Ahaz brought idol worship back to Judah.  He was not faithful to Yahweh as his father and grand-father had been (though they only partially).  Here in chapter six Isaiah receives “new orders” regarding his ministry.  He has been warning the people about their sins and a coming judgment.  Mixed in was some encouragement to turn back to God.  The people have not turned back to God though and so Isaiah is going to make it very clear what is coming.

Chapter 6 starts with Isaiah meeting God “face to face”.  He only gives us a small look at what he saw but even the edge of God’s robe was impressive.  And there in Heaven were great flaming creatures (seraphim comes from a root whord which means to burn).  Although these creatures live constantly in God’s presence they do not stop talking about God’s holiness (A word that means separate.  God is completely special).  In Hebrew repeating a word is how you make it into a superlative; good-better-best.  So theses creatures are declaring that God is most holy, most special. Isaiah too, shows how awesome God is when he declares a warning on his own existence, in the face of God he realizes he should be destroyed, cut down, cease to exist.  There  is hope though when one of the creatures responds to his confession and touches his moth with a burning coal then declares that his guilt is gone and his sin (disobedience to God) paid for.  In this passage Isaiah is using his mouth and speech to represent his life and existence.  In Luke 6:45 Jesus tells us that what we say reflects what is in our hearts.  Isaiah has confessed to being dirty all the way through and without hope, God has responded to that confession by cleaning him up and forgiving him.

All of this is in preparation for the hard task Isaiah is about to accept.  God is looking for a representative and Isaiah volunteers.  Notice he does not even know what the job is, yet he volunteers.  After meeting God face to face it doesn’t really matter to him what the job is.  The completely pure God has removed his uncleanness so he is ready to do whatever.  The task is a hard one, he is to go and tell the Israelites, that Judah will be destroyed and this time he is told they will hear and see but not really care.  Verse 10 in the New American Standard says, “Render the hearts of this people insensitive”.  In the King James Version it says, “Make the hearts of this people fat”.  In the New International Version it says, “Make the hearts of this people calloused”.  From the rest of verse 10 it looks like God does not want them to understand and return and be healed.  This part of Isaiah is quoted by Jesus and appears in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  It also is quoted by Paul in Acts.  In Matthew we see that the people have closed their own eyes.  In Romans 1:18-32 we see that people reject the message about God and as a result their thinking became futile, foolish, and darkened.  Their minds became sick.

I like the translation of Isaiah 6:10 in the NIV where it uses the word calloused.  The Hebrew language is very fuzzy and words often have very big meanings.  That word can be translated fat but basically means thick, both a fat person and a calluses are thick.  The ears become dull or heavy.  That word interestingly is the same word for honor and sometimes is translated glory.  The root idea is heavy or impressive, or weighty.  It can also mean hardened (Exodus 8:32, 9:7 about Pharaoh’s heart).  Isaiah’s comments about the ears and the hearts are parallel and basically give the same idea.  When we put the two Hebrew words together and look for a common idea we see that a callus is hard and insensitive, the skin is thich and not much feeling gets through.  As a person who works with their hads I have had many calluses.  The interesting thing is that they form when the skin is constantly rubbed under pressure.  Usually a blister forms first and if the pain is ignored the skin build up an insensitive thick callus.  Isaiah’s message was putting pressure on the lives of the people of Judah and rubbing against their lifestyle.  They were not responding to the pain of the message and their hearts were getting thick and insensitive.  God’s word is that way it keeps rubbing at our disobedience and if we don’t respond destruction is in our future.  This time the destruction will be severe.  At first only 10% will survive then another wave of destruction.  There is hope though.  Just as a tree can come back from it’s roots, a stump will remain, those people who are holy.  They will seed the kingdom of God.  But look at the destruction a sprout from a whole tree.  We need to be sensitive while there is a chance, to ignore God is to run the risk of becoming so hard we will need to be cut off.  Lord help me be responsive.  Help me see you and your truth clearly.  Help me respond in a right way, let me fall at your feet and confess my dirtiness.  Thank you for being ready to clean me up.  Again let me respond by doing whatever you ask.  Let me be responsive.