Isaiah 7:10-17: a reflection

10The LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11“Ask a sign of the LORD your God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.” 12But Ahaz said, “I won’t ask. I won’t tempt the LORD.” 13He said, “Listen now, house of David. Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God also? 14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15He shall eat butter and honey when he knows to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16For before the child knows to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you abhor shall be forsaken. 17The LORD will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah, even the king of Assyria.

God, through Isaiah, offers King Ahaz something extraordinary: ask for a sign, anything, as deep as the grave or high as the heavens, to confirm my word. But Ahaz refuses, cloaking his unbelief in false piety: I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test. It sounds humble, but it is really a mask for a heart that has already decided to trust in political alliances rather than in God. He does not want a sign because he does not want to depend on God.

God responds with a sign greater than Ahaz deserved or desired: the Lord himself will give you a sign; behold, the virgin will conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel, God with us. Beyond the immediate situation, these words reach forward to the coming of Christ, God himself entering the world as a child. Even in the face of a faithless king, God announces the greatest sign of all: that he would come to be with his people, Immanuel.

Two things to hold. First, beware the false piety that masks unbelief, the spiritual-sounding excuse that is really a refusal to trust God. Ahaz hid behind pious words to avoid depending on God; do not do the same. Second, rejoice in the sign God gave anyway: Immanuel, God with us. Whatever your situation, the deepest truth is that God has come to be with his people in Christ. When faith is hard, hold onto his name, Immanuel. He is with you.

Lord, Ahaz hid his unbelief behind pious words, refusing to trust you, yet you gave the greatest sign of all: Immanuel, God with us. Guard me from a false piety that masks a refusal to depend on you. And thank you for the sign you gave anyway, that in Christ you have come to be with your people. When faith is hard, let me hold onto your name, Immanuel, and know that you are with me. Amen.