Ahaz (king of Judah) fears, as do the people when they hear that Israel and Syria are planning to come against them (Isaiah 7:2), but God vetoes human intent and instead tells them that Syria and the northern kingdom will fall – and they did. The people of Judah have an opportunity to hold on to God, but their faith must be firm – there is a tie between stability and faith (Isaiah 7:3-9). In verses 10-17, we see God calling Ahaz to place ultimate faith in him – and even encourages him to ask for a dramatic sign (v11), but Ahaz had placed his faith in human strength – instead of turning to God for help, Ahaz turned to the king of Assyria. He had given gold from the temple treasury to the Assyrians to elicit them to attack the Syrians & the northern kingdom (2 Kings 16:1-9). All that they needed to do was to place their ultimate faith (trust) in the one that providentially plots the course of nations. God prompts Ahaz to place his faith in a far more reliable source – God himself and then goes on to promise the coming of the messiah, the ultimate gift of grace. Ahaz’s lack of faith in God to deliver them came at a cost, in 733 BC the Assyrians overthrew the northern kingdom and the Syrian’s (2 Kings 15:29), but the cost was extreme – in gold and Judah had aligned themselves with a wicked nation and became a servant to the Assyrians. All because they lacked faith in the God who had delivered them and provided for them. Failure of earthly kings, requires the intervention of the King of kings to deliver His promises. God was to be Israel’s king from the beginning, but they wanted an earthly king, like everybody else. Where is your ultimate faith (trust)? In politicians, morality, marriage, religion, relationships, wealth, significance, success – or God. Where do you look for deliverance?
Category Archives: Growth/Pursuit
Isaiah is undone in the presence of the Lord
““Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”” (Isaiah 6:3 ESV)
Isaiah is undone in the presence of the Lord as he cries out, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”” (Isaiah 6:5 ESV). The prophet recognizes how short he falls from holiness when he is faced with the holiness of God as he stands in His presence. But God provides the only remedy for Isaiah’s (and our) position: grace. God graciously provides and atones for his sinful inadequacy: “Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”” (Isaiah 6:6–7 ESV). Being in the presence of the Almighty and experiencing His grace moves Isaiah to action and service, ““Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”” (Isaiah 6:8 ESV). Isaiah is called to be a prophet to the people. However, Isaiah’s proclamation will not cause the people to repent and turn to the Lord, rather God had ordained that it would only serve to harden their already darkened and depraved hearts: ““‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”” (Isaiah 6:9–10 ESV). The regenerating faith to respond to God is a gift of His grace, for without it we won’t want Him.
God whistles, as if calling a dog
God whistles, as if calling a dog, and the wicked Assyrians come running to be used as the disciplinarian of God’s people. The sovereign God wills and calls and nations respond. “He will raise a signal for nations far away, and whistle for them from the ends of the earth; and behold, quickly, speedily they come!” (Isaiah 5:26 ESV)
Theology Refresh: The Holy Spirit
Desiring God is doing a series of brief interviews with various teachers called “Theology Refresh.” Kevin DeYoung just completed one on the Holy Spirit.
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Death reveals that the world is not as it should be but that it stands in need of redemption. Christ alone is the conquering of death
“Death reveals that the world is not as it should be but that it stands in need of redemption. Christ alone is the conquering of death.” –Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Do You Feel Distant from God?
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What is an Idol?
God’s people had no influence over their neighbors in spreading the glory of God because their lives were saturated with the same practices and allegiances as their neighbors were. Instead of their hearts and lives being set apart, they were set on the same things as their neighbors. The had mixed the religious rites and practices in with theirs; “their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made.” (Isaiah 2:8 ESV)
What is an idol? An idol is not necessarily a statue that we bow to in worship. An idol is anything that we ascribe ultimate allegiance to. It is the thing that we feel like we must have in order for life to work. Often times, idols are good things that we have turned in to God things. Things like children, financial success, athletics, marriage, hard work, friends & relationships. This is not a new problem, the Hebrews wrestled with it and many of us do today. Paul summarizes our propensity for preferring created things over the Creator of all things like this, “they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!” (Romans 1:25 ESV). What are you worshiping as ultimate? Really?
Theology Refresh: Sanctification
Desiring God is doing a series of brief interviews with various teachers called “Theology Refresh.” John Piper just did two on sanctification.
Part 1 covers sanctification in general. The progressive nature of becoming more like Jesus, being made more in to His image, becoming more holy in practice.
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Part 2 covers how sanctification works “on the ground;” how it happens in the real world and what role does the gospel plays in our sanctification. Listen now or download
Manipulating God
“When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.” (Isaiah 1:15 ESV).
Isaiah 1:10-20 highlights the hypocrisy of the Hebrews. God had setup the sacrificial system and all of its facets to produce repentance and tender hearts toward God and ultimately flowing out to others. It was intended to produce dependance and piety in the people. The people no longer pursued God, but rather went through the motions in an effort to manipulate God and place him in their debt. God utterly rejected their worship because their hearts are far from Him. Though they went through all of the religious motions, God ignored them because their hearts were far from Him.
“Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.” (Isaiah 1:5 ESV)
Not even the most difficult circumstances will bring them to repentance. Depravity reigns. Even the decimation of their land and being overthrown by foreign invaders has moved them to repentance (7-8).
“If the LORD of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.” (Isaiah 1:9 ESV)
It is only by God’s power and grace is a remnant left in Israel.
We want improvement not regeneration or transformation
We want improvement not regeneration or transformation
The Gospel Centered Life 