Isaiah 7:1-25 Ahaz at the Crossroads

by Larry Ferrell | January 12, 2018
The question mark put against the doctrine of hope by chapter 5 was erased by Isaiah’s own experience. His sin was as the sin of the people (6:5). If the Lord dealt with Isaiah’s sin, will He not deal with theirs? Hope is restored (6:13b). Isaiah proceeds now to work this out. First, the moment of decision has come. Isaiah found himself faced with the Word of God and the challenge to respond (6:8); so it would be for the people. For them the point of no return had arrived. Secondly, membership of the people of the Lord must now be evidenced by personal decision and commitment. It’s not a matter of nationality. In these chapters (7:1-11:16) the doctrine of the believing remnant flowers. Thirdly, the dying kingship of Uzziah provides the foil for the hope to come: David’s house is sinking fast but the promised King will come.

The setting this encounter between Isaiah and Ahaz is briefly sketched in verses 1-2. A resurgent Assyria has begun to push west and south into Palestine. The kings of Israel and Syria have formed an anti-Assyrian pact and are determined to force Judah to join them by deposing Ahaz and installing a puppet king in his place (v. 6). Ahaz is torn between two fears. He is panic-stricken in the face of the invasion by Syria and Israel (v. 2), but he is even more fearful of joining them against Assyria. When Isaiah confronts him he appears to have already decided to try to hold out in the hope of finding security through submission to Assyria. Isaiah offers him a radical alternative: forswear all alliances and trust wholly in the Lord (vv. 7-9). In view of Ahaz’s refusal to do this (vv. 10-11), Isaiah announces that Judah will soon be overrun and devastated by that very Assyria that Ahaz has foolishly decided to turn to for help (vv. 17-20).

Verses 13-16 are clearly the theological key to the chapter. The encounter with Ahaz in verses 1-12 leads up to them, and verses 17-25 which follow are an extended commentary on them. It’s certain that verse 14 finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ, but what is its meaning here in its immediate context? In chapter 6:9-10 Isaiah was told to make the ears of the rebellious people dull and to close their eyes. Here in chapter 7 we see Isaiah doing this to Ahaz. Ahaz has rejected the clear word of the prophet (vv. 7-9) and the offer of a clear sign to confirm it (vv. 10-12). Therefore Ahaz is given a sign which is veiled, a sign which he cannot understand (vv. 13-16).

But the sign is not meaningless. It can be understood, but only from the perspective of faith, and again chapter 6 provides the key. The final verse of that chapter spoke of a righteous remnant, a “holy seed” that would survive the coming judgment. At the beginning of chapter 7 Isaiah is pointedly told to take his son Shear-Jashub with him as he goes to meet Ahaz. “Shear-Jashub” means ‘a remnant shall return’ or ‘a remnant shall repent’. Both are possible, but since the immediate context here is one of faith verses unbelief rather than exile and return, the latter meaning is almost certainly the primary one. Isaiah comes to challenge Ahaz to repent and join the remnant who believes, but he refuses. The Immanuel saying of verse 14 is therefore given to Ahaz as a veiled message of judgment.

Two important themes from the previous chapters are strongly developed here in chapter 7. The first is the Lord’s supreme, universal sovereignty, which was so forcibly set before us in 6:1-3. Here in chapter 7 we see Him exercising that sovereignty as He summons the nations to do His bidding. The second theme is closely related to the first, namely, the absolute necessity of wholehearted reliance upon the Lord. In chapter 2 the alternative to such trust was reliance upon man; here that general notion is developed in terms of trusting in the nations (especially Assyria) for protection instead of the Lord. The choice is put squarely to Ahaz in verse 9b: “If you will not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” Whatever we rely on instead of trusting in God will eventually turn and devour us.

Isaiah 7:1-25 Reflection Questions:
Have you ever been in a situation similar to Ahaz and to put all your trust in the Lord?
What would be some of today’s examples of “Assyria” and “Syria & Israel” that we face?
Are you receiving signs (dreams & visions) or Words from God that you are ignoring?
What are you relying on instead of God that you might need to repent from?

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Philippians 2:9-11 The Name Above All Names (Part one)

by Larry Ferrell | January 20, 2018
The statements of Philippians 2:5-11 cover many of the great doctrines that concern our Lord Jesus Christ. They have taken us from the high point of His glory as the eternal Son of God to the low point of His death on the cross. Paul now moves back up again toward his climax – Christ’s exaltation. It is symbolized in the name that is above every name: Lord, the equivalent of God’s own name, Jehovah.

A number of commentators have taught that this supreme name given by God is “Jesus.” But this is incorrect for several reasons. A.J. Motyer argues, “First, no name other than Yahweh [Jehovah] has a right to be called ‘the name above every name.’ Secondly, the movement of verses 9-11 does not stop at the phrase ‘gave the name…,’ but flows straight on to the universal confession that ‘Jesus Christ is Lord,’ which suggests that the significant thing is the ascription of ‘Lord’ in addition to the names already known. Thirdly, verse 10 is a pretty direct quotation of Isaiah 45:23, where Yahweh [Jehovah], having declared Himself to be the only God and the only Savior, vows that He will yet be the object of universal worship and adoration. It’s this divine honor that is now bestowed upon the Lord Jesus Christ.” The full impact of the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord will be seen only when we realize that the name of Lord is above not only all human names but also all of the unique names that have already been given to Jesus.

Why is the name “Lord” the name that is above every name? Why not any of the other titles? Or why not another name entirely? These questions have several answers, but the most important is that the title identifies the Lord Jesus Christ with God. The truth is easily seen in both the Greek and Hebrew usage of the word. The Greek word for Lord is kyrios, the word used by citizens of the Roman Empire to acknowledge the divinity of Caesar. This title was never used of the emperors until they were thought to be deified through a religious ceremony; therefore, it was used as a divine title. The same meaning is present when the word occurs in Hebrew, only more so. The Hebrew word is Adonai. It is a title somewhat like our “sir,” but it assumed an extraordinary importance in Hebrew speech because in practice it replaced the personal name of God, Jehovah. No Jew pronounced the word “Jehovah,” even when reading the Bible. Instead he said, “Adonai.”

Another reason that the name “Lord” is the name above every name is that it indicates that Jesus Christ is sovereign. Jesus rules as God rules. Today He controls even the smallest things of life. One day He will subdue His enemies forever. The doctrine of sovereignty of God or the sovereignty of Jesus Christ has sometimes been called fatalism by enemies of the gospel, but it is not fatalism at all. A belief in fatalism or fate is found in the Moslem religion, where it is referred to as “kismet,” which means the impersonal force by which the universe is believed by Muslims to operate. They believe fate operates in ways that are totally insensitive to the needs or ends of individuals. This is not the Christian teaching. The Bible teaches that the God who controls all things is not an impersonal deity but a God who loves us and who orders the events of our lives to lead us into His perfect and desirable will. It is not meaningless or tragic when difficulties enter your life or when there are temptations. God knows about it and has even permitted it to come in order that He might accomplish something in you that will be for your good. In the moments when these things come you must turn to Him and seek His way. As you do, you can be certain that He is making you more and more into the person He would have you to be.

There is one other great truth contained in the title “Lord.” It also means that Jesus is coming again. In the second chapter of Hebrews the author says of Jesus that God has put “everything under His feet. In putting everything under Him, God left nothing that is not subject to Him” (Heb. 2:8). This is wonderful, but at this point a break occurs in the thought, and the author adds, “But now we see not yet all things put under Him.” Jesus is Lord. Jesus is sovereign. But if He is to be Lord completely, He must return to conquer evil and to establish His righteous will forever. Do you look for the Lord’s return? The early Christians looked for His coming, and it gave them strength even in their troubles, even in martyrdom. They had a prayer that expressed this hope. Is your prayer to see Him? To know Him? To see the affairs of the world brought to perfection and to judgment in His own time and in line with His will? It should be. It has always been the great hope and consolation of Christians.

Philippians 2:9-11 Reflection Questions:
What are some unique names that have been given to Jesus?
Is Jesus your God, your Lord and personal Savior?
Do you believe that God is personal (involved in every little thing)?

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