Isaiah 7:1-9: a reflection

1In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. 2David’s house was told, “Syria is allied with Ephraim.” His heart trembled, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest tremble with the wind. 3Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you, and Shearjashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway of the fuller’s field. 4Tell him, ‘Be careful, and keep calm. Don’t be afraid, neither let your heart be faint because of these two tails of smoking torches, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. 5Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have plotted evil against you, saying, 6“Let’s go up against Judah, and tear it apart, and let’s divide it among ourselves, and set up a king within it, even the son of Tabeel.” 7This is what the Lord GOD says: “It shall not stand, neither shall it happen.” 8For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim shall be broken in pieces, so that it shall not be a people. 9The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.’”

King Ahaz of Judah is terrified: two enemy kings have allied against him, and his heart and his people's hearts shake like trees in the wind. But God sends Isaiah with a word of calm: Be careful, be quiet, do not fear; do not let your heart be faint over these two smoldering stumps of firebrands. Their plot, God says, will not stand. And Isaiah adds a pointed condition: If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all; if you will not believe, you will not be established. Ahaz's stability depended on whether he would trust God's word.

Notice the link Isaiah draws: between faith and stability. God tells Ahaz not to fear, promising that the threat against him will not stand. But the promise comes with a condition: If you will not believe, you will not be established. Ahaz's steadiness in the crisis, his very stability, depended on whether he would believe God's word and be calm, or give way to fear. Faith was the ground of standing firm.

That link between faith and stability holds for us. When threats and fears loom, our steadiness depends largely on whether we will believe God, trust his word and his promises, and be calm, or give way to fear. Faith is the ground of standing firm; without it, we are shaken like trees in the wind. When you face a frightening threat, hear God's word to Ahaz: be careful, be quiet, do not fear; and heed the condition: if you will not believe, you will not stand. Ground your stability in faith, trusting God's word and promises, and you will be established; give way to fear and unbelief, and you will be shaken. Believe, and stand firm.

Lord, when Ahaz was terrified by the enemy kings allied against him, you told him not to fear, promising their plot would not stand, but you added a condition: if you will not believe, you will not be established. Teach me the link between faith and standing firm. When threats and fears loom, my steadiness depends largely on whether I will believe you, trust your word and promises, and be calm, or give way to fear. Faith is the ground of my standing; without it, I am shaken like a tree in the wind. When I face a frightening threat, help me hear your word, be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and to ground my stability in faith rather than in fear. Help me believe you, and so stand firm. Keep me from being shaken by unbelief; establish me in faith in you.