Well, good morning everyone. It's good to be with you this Lord's Day morning. You can turn with me in your Bibles to the prophet Isaiah chapter 7. Isaiah chapter 7, we're going to look at the Emmanuel prophecy this morning.
Isaiah chapter 7, we'll look at verse 10 all the way to chapter 8 verse 10, but we'll begin reading at chapter 7 verse 1 to set the context for us. Isaiah chapter 7, we'll begin reading at verse 1. Now it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Bremaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but could not prevail against it. And it was told to the house of David, saying, Syria's forces are deployed in Ephraim.
So his heart and the heart of his people were moved, as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind. Then the Lord said to Isaiah, Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Jershub, your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the fuller's field. And say to him, Take heed, and be quiet. Do not fear, or be faint-hearted, for those two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezan and Syria, the son of Ramaliah.
Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Ramaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, Let us go up against Judah and trouble it, and let us make a gap in its walls for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabal. Thus says the Lord God, it shall not stand, nor shall it come to pass, for the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. With sixty-five years, Ephraim will be broken, so that it will not be a people. The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remeliah's son.
If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established. Moreover, the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God. Ask it either in the depth or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord.
Then he said, Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men? But will you weary my God also?
The Immanuel Sign and Its Context
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Curds and honey he shall eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. But before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings.
The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people, and your father's house, days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah. It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will whistle for the fly that is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. They will come, and all of them will rest in the desolate valleys and in the clefts of the rocks, and all the thorns, and in all pastures. And the same day the Lord will shave with a hired razor with those from beyond the river, with the king of Syria, the head and the hair of the legs, and will also remove the beard.
It shall be in that day that a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep. So it shall be from the abundance of milk they give that he will eat curds, for curds and honey everyone will eat who is left in the land. It shall happen in that day that wherever there could be a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, it will be for briars and thorns. With arrows and bows men will come there, because all the land will become briars and thorns.
And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe, ye will not go there for fear of briars and thorns, but it will become a range for oxen and a place for sheep to roam.
The Sign of Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz
Moreover, the Lord said to me, Take a large scroll and write on it with a man's pen concerning Meher Shalal Hashbaz, and I will take for myself faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberiah. Then I went to the prophetess and conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, Call his name Meher-Shelel-Hashbaz, for before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be taken away before the king of Assyria. The Lord also spoke to me again, saying, As much as these people refuse the waters of Shiloah that flow softly, and rejoice in Rezin and in Remeliah's son, now therefore, behold, the Lord brings over them the waters of the river, strong and mighty, the king of Assyria in all his glory.
He will go up over all His channels, and go over all His banks. He will pass through Judah, He will overflow and pass over. He will reach up to the neck, and the stretching out of His wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Emmanuel. Be shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces.
Give ear, all you from far countries. Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces. Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing.
Speak the word, but it will not stand. For God is with us. Amen. Well, let us pray.
Our great God, we are thankful for this promise of God with us. We're thankful that we see this promise fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. We're thankful, O God, that that Virgin Mary did conceive and bear a son. We're thankful, O God, the hope that your remnant people had in the Old Testament, provisionally looking ahead to this One who would come, looking ahead to the rod of Jesse.
And we're thankful, O God, that He did come, that He was perfect in every way. He is perfect in every way. He fulfilled the law in perfection, and led captivity captive, and was ascended on high for His people. And we're thankful, O God, He did so to save His people from their sins.
We're thankful, O God, that He did so to save us from the curse of the law and the curse of sin. And we're thankful, O God, that it's in Him that we do have eternal life. And we're thankful, O God, that we as Your people, even though we walk this land, even though we are in exile in this present evil age and go through many trials and tribulations, we have that promise still that You are with us. So help us to remember that Jesus is near to us by His Spirit.
We're thankful, O God, that Christ is near to His people even now. And we pray, O God, as we walk through many trials and tribulations as Your people, as we walk through desolation as Your people, as Your people around the world are persecuted for faith in You and are persecuted for righteousness' sake, We pray, O God, that we and they would be reminded today of Emmanuel, that God with us, that this would be a boon to our souls, it would be a reminder to our hearts that Christ is on the throne and Christ reigns supreme and Christ even now is with us. So we pray, O God, that we would see you with us now by your Spirit, help us to be awake and attentive to the things that we have for us in this Word, give us eyes to see and ears to hear. We also pray, O God, that today would be the day of salvation for many, that you'd show them their sin, show them their wickedness, show them, O God, that you cannot let sin go unpunished, whether it's in them or it's in Christ.
And we pray, O God, that they would look to Christ in faith, look to Christ in hope, and believe that you are God, and believe that your word is true. We know, O God, you are mighty to save and mighty to work, You are mighty to change hearts and give new hearts, remove hearts of stone and give hearts of flesh. We also pray, O God, for Your people. We know, God, that we need Your Spirit to move amongst us.
I cannot change hearts, I cannot change ideas, but only You can do this by Your Spirit. So we pray, O God, that You would do this, and we pray, O God, that You would be magnified, and we pray these things in the name of Christ. Amen.
Introduction
Well, sometimes one word about God can dispel the distress of God's people, especially in the midst of desolation, especially in the midst of exile. And perhaps those words come in the form of a name. And the idea of names of babies, names of children, is very much prevalent, especially in these sections of Isaiah. We see Jeer Jeshub, the remnant shall return.
We see Emmanuel, God with us. We see Meher, Shelel, Hashbaz, speed the spoil, hasten the booty. Then we also come to Isaiah 9 with that name, that wonderful counselor, mighty God, Prince of Peace, everlasting Father. And these names were especially important for the people of Israel during times of the divided kingdom, during times when kings weren't operating aright, when there was much war, but also during times of coming exile as well.
It gave that suffering remnant something to hold on to, something to cling to, when all else seems like it is gone. lost. And really, that's where we find ourselves in these sections of Isaiah. The entire book of Isaiah is all about the advancement of the Holy One of Israel and His glory throughout the world. And we see many themes we see throughout the entire scriptures.
Judgment, salvation, Yahweh's exaltation, human abasement, rebellion, and forgiveness. And especially as we look at Isaiah, it's important for us to understand the backdrop, important for us to understand the historical setting. Isaiah prophesies in the 8th century BC to the southern kingdom. Remember, there's that divided kingdom.
There's Judah in the south. There's Israel in the north. And so he prophesies to that southern kingdom during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Remember, Uzziah and Jotham are OK kings, but they don't take away the high places.
Then there's Hezekiah, who's a fantastic king. He's a wonderful king. Not a perfect king, but a great king. But the king who's reigning right now for us in Isaiah 7 and Isaiah 8 is Ahaz.
He did according to the kings of Israel. If you know your biblical history, you know that the kings of Israel always did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. In fact, Ahaz did some unsavory things. He sacrificed his son as a form of worship.
Not only that, he also mortgaged the house of the Lord for a serious help. Not the greatest king, not the wisest king, not the sharpest king, and not the most godly king. In fact, one of the most wicked kings in the history of Israel. We come to a specific context in his reign, namely what's called the Syro-Ephraimite War.
Syro-Ephraimite coalition. Damascus and Israel versus Judah and Assyria. There is this problem. There is this coalition.
Damascus and Israel want to take out Judah. They want to take out God's king. They want to take out the Davidic son. And rather than trust in God, Ahaz goes to Assyria instead.
And so this war, this impending war, this reality, sets the stage for us with respect to these prophecies, the child prophecies, Emmanuel and the one who is the child who is born in Isaiah chapter 9. It's all about hope in the midst of despair. It's all about light in the darkness. And really, Isaiah himself is looking past these times.
He's looking past his immediate context, past the captivities of Assyria and Babylon, to someone who would come, to a time when Immanuel would truly come, to a time when someone would come and release his people from Exile, so that's all that's what it is about. It's about God's promises to a faithful remnant Amidst the rejection of a has and manual is all about God's rejection of a has and his promises to his remnant And so we'll look at this Emanuel prophecy under two headings this morning. First of all, we'll see a Syria with us chapter 710 to verse 25 then secondly, we'll see God with us in chapter 8 verses 1 through 10 and So Assyria with us, chapter 7, verses 10-25. Then we'll see God with us, chapter 8, verses 1-10.
Assyria With Us
So let's first look at Assyria with us. We see in chapter 7, verses 1-9, we see this coalition emerge. We see their desire to take out the Davidic king and the Davidic promise. And God comes and gives this wicked king an assurance in verses 7-9.
It shall not stand, nor shall it come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. With sixty-five years, Ephraim will be broken, so that it will not be a people. The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remeliah's son.
If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established. So
God's Promise to the Davidic Line
God comes. He gives him this promise. The Davidic covenant shall stand. I shall not let the house of David fall.
I shall let it continue on forever and ever as I have promised. This plan to take out the Davidic king shall not come to pass. And to help Ahaz all the more, God condescends to him in a special way in verse 10. Moreover, the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying in verse 11, Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God.
Ask it either in the depth or in the height above. Any sign, Ahaz, anything you want. I can give you anything to affirm what I'm going to do, to affirm my protection. Most of us would jump for this idea.
A lot of us like those tangible ideas. If God came down and said, here, I'm going to give you anything you want as a sign that I will do what I say I will do. So he gives this special condescension to Ahaz. He gives him this special sign for him, this special encouragement for Ahaz with respect to what he's going to do, with respect to his promise.
And so he gives the sign, which we'd all be thrilled to have. But then Ahaz responds in verse 12. It sounds holy and pious. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord.
It sounds wonderful. We're not to test the Lord our God, right? He sounds like a good Christian person. Sounds like a good king.
He sounds like one who doesn't want to put your Lord God to the test. Sometimes people do this, right? They couch false things in holy language. One of them that seems to emerge a lot of time in Christian circles is prayer.
I prayed about it. I went to my God, I asked God for prayer, and now everything's okay. Not saying you shouldn't pray, but prayer isn't a trump all card, brethren. Just because you pray doesn't mean you get to come and tell everyone you prayed and your decision goes because of that.
Nor is it an excuse for sin. You hear this all the time as well. I prayed about it, but I'm at peace in my sin. That is not right.
Just because someone sounds holy and pious, just because someone uses Christianese language, doesn't mean it's legitimate. And this is the case for Ahaz here. Because you see, for Ahaz, he is not trusting in God, he is trusting in man. He is trusting in someone else.
He is trusting in Assyria. He goes to Tiglath-Pileser III, king of Assyria, the big man on campus at this time. He's the superpower at this time. And he's like, hey, look, Assyria, these two are trying to take me out.
Can you help me? I'll give you the spoil. I'll give you the riches of the house of the Lord. I'll give you these things.
Can you just come and give me a hand as you deal with these ones? He bribes Assyria. He goes to a king. He goes to a man for help instead of Yahweh Himself, which is what the kings of Israel ought to do.
Really, the key issue here for Ahaz is faith. Faith in whom? Is it faith in Assyria? Or is it faith in Yahweh?
Do you want Assyria with us? Or do you want God with us? Or Yahweh with us? Us.
Now we know from Israel's history, this was the problem for the divided kingdom. The kings were very wretched and terrible. Most of the time, they weren't good. There's only a handful of good kings, right?
Solomon was okay, but he wasn't very good. That was before his son divided the kingdom. Then we have a few. Jehoshaphat's okay.
Jotham Uzziah's okay. Hezekiah's awesome. Josiah. I'm probably forgetting a few there.
I don't remember all of them in order. But there are only a few good kings in the history, all in the southern kingdom. But when the kings, and by extension because of the kings, the people engaged in worldly false ways, because of the kings they engaged in sinful ways, sinful practice, engaged in idolatry. So the people would have been fine with this.
Yes, we follow you, our fearless leader Ahaz. Yes, go to Assyria, that would be great. They're just sheep. They don't have a mind.
They don't think. Instead, they just go whatever the king does say. And in fact, Isaiah, the beginning of his prophecy, or we could say beginning of his gospel, some commentators call Isaiah the fifth gospel. In Isaiah 1-2-4, we see the people of Israel called Sodom.
They're a wicked, vile, awful people, has become like Sodom and Gomorrah, and is trusted in Assyria instead of Yahweh. So even though it sounds good for my Ahaz, in reality, it's faithlessness. In reality, it's unbelief. In reality, he's not trusting in the promises that God has given to him, both in a confirmation from Isaiah the prophet, but as well from a sign that the Lord would have given to him.
And so God responds with a righteous judgment. Verse 13, then He said, Here now, O house of David, it is a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? Is there going to be a doom of the house of David that shall come? Right now Ahaz is in the line of the house of David, and following Ahaz there's only going to be two more good kings, Hezekiah and Josiah.
You weary men, How can you weary man, but you weary God also? Weary God and His promises to that Davidic line. In fact, when you see the Davidic Covenant, God's promise to David is He shall have a line forever. But everyone is looking, since the time of that Davidic Covenant, they're looking for a king who would keep the commandments.
If you keep my commandments, we see in Psalm 89, if you keep my commandments, then your line shall be established forever. Solomon fails. His son Rehoboam fails, and kings after and so forth all fail, because they're looking to head to someone who would keep these promises, or keep these laws, who would trust and look to Yahweh, do what Yahweh says. And so the prophecy comes in the midst of judgment.
Verse 14, Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name. Immanuel, young maiden, very much the word for virgin is very much virgin. Some people like to comment and say it might mean a young late.
No, it means virgin. Assumption is she's marriable age, but not yet married. And she shall conceive and bear a son, which is miraculous because virgins typically don't have babies, in case she didn't go to high school, and shall call his name Immanuel, shall call his name God with us. This is an odd place, isn't it?
Typically, at the time of year, we like to remember this text, and we should remember it all the time, every time of the year. Typically, it's usually during a time when things are so-called happy. This isn't a very jolly time, is it, for Ahaz? In fact, the prophecy comes in the midst of judgment.
It's a judgment prophecy against Ahaz. It's an indictment against Ahaz. It's saying God with us and it's a hope for the remnant, but the implication is God will not be with you Ahaz. He's bringing about judgment upon Ahaz's faithlessness, on Ahaz's trust in Assyria, and he's going to use that very trust to bring about judgment upon him.
But behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and call his name Immanuel. Now, a lot of people, like commentators, like to come and talk about the contemporary setting of Isaiah. Who could it be? Who could Emmanuel be?
Some people like to say it could be Meher, Shelel, Hashbaz. Some people like to say it could be Hezekiah. Or perhaps it's a Messianic reference. I think it's very much the latter.
Looking ahead, I think he's looking past Isaiah's time. I think he's looking past Ahaz's time. I don't think there's a contemporary reference. Meher Shalal Hashbaz will have another sign that he does give, but it's not this promise of Emmanuel.
God with us won't happen for Ahaz, but it will happen for the remnant. Some other things have to come to pass before that does happen. And one of those things, he goes on to talk about and describes this one, this child, verse 15, He's not going to come at a time of prosperity. He's not going to come at a time of riches.
He's going to come at a time of desolation, curds and honey. Curds and honey is connected with verse 22. It talks about all they have to eat is cottage cheese and some honey. That's all they have to chew on.
That's all they have to eat. There is no prosperity for this one who shall come. He shall come during curse. He shall come during desolation.
He shall come during Exile and even the language here. He only does good. That's what he's saying here to refuse the evil and choose the good. He's only gonna do good.
And that's an indictment against Ahaz, who only does wickedness, who only does evil. He's going to be the king, Ahaz is not. He's going to be the king that the people do need. He's going to be the king who will do good and not evil.
So
Immanuel Comes Through Exile
he's going to come at a time of exile. He's going to come at a time of desolation. But as well, notice the timing is further enhanced for us or explained for us in verse 16. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings." Something has to happen before this child comes.
Something has to happen before the virgin conceives and bear a son. Now, some people like to refer to the kings here in verse 16 as these two kings in this Syro-Ephraimite coalition, Pika and Rezin. But I think there's a better explanation. I think Davis is absolutely right.
Notice, the land, singular. The land singular that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings. We're at a time of the divided kingdom. It's still one nation of Israel, even though it's a divided kingdom.
And Israel is always meant to be one nation. Remember, Israel, the northern kingdom, is taken away in 722 BC. I tell us three reformed Baptist church, you need to know three dates in Israel's history and know them off by heart. 722 BC, Assyria takes out the northern kingdom Israel. 586 BC, Babylon takes out the southern kingdom in Judah. Then 538 is the decree of Cyrus when the people finally get to return to their land.
So 722, 586, and 538. But notice, I guess the land is forsaken by both their kings in 722 and in 586. Before the child comes, exile must come to pass. Before the child comes, exile must come about.
Before the child comes, God must fulfill his promise to the Mosaic covenant, that if you do not do what is right, I will vomit you out of the land. But even in the midst of that, he's still giving this hope. He's still giving this reminder. He's still giving this encouragement to the remnant who will have to go through that exile.
In fact, that song we sing shouldn't be just one time of the year, but should be all the time. O come, O come, Emmanuel, actually interprets this text for us. And ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appears. Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel, O ransom captive Israel.
Exile must happen before Immanuel comes. Exile must take place before the true king arrives to take his throne. They're looking past to someone else, looking past to everything Ahaz is not. They're looking to Isaiah 9.
For unto us a child is born, and a son is given. And the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. We're looking ahead to Isaiah chapter 11. There shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse.
A branch shall grow out of his roots. Even there, with the promise of the Davidic reign, the Davidic king, it comes forth from desolation. The trees shall be laid waste to simply just stumps, as Davis says. And in the midst of that desolation, there's a twig that grows.
In the midst of desolation, there is still that little bit of hope. In the midst of desolation, there's still that reminder that God is still with His people, will keep His promises to His people, because He is that type of God. But exile must happen, and exile still does happen, and exile shall happen. But as well, there's going to be immediate repercussions for Ahaz with Assyria.
Verse 17, the Lord will bring the King of Assyria upon you and your people and your father's house, days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah. The reason they use Ephraim for the Northern Kingdom is because Ephraim was the most dominant tribe in the Northern Kingdom. So Ephraim just means the Northern Israel. So something shall happen that is rivals.
What happened when the kingdom was divided with Jeroboam and Rehoboam? Massive destruction in the north, but it's gonna extend to the south as well, all the way into Jerusalem. We're gonna unpack more of that as we go through, but it's especially fulfilled, we see in Isaiah 36 and 37. But notice in 18, we see the nature of the invasion.
It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will whistle for the fly that is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. They will come, and all of them will rest in the desolate valleys, and in the clefts of the rock, and in all thorns, and in all pastures.
Assyrian Invasion and Desolation
there's going to be absolute and utter desolation and annihilation. You see the imagery, the bees and the flies swarming? It's like a cloud. But someone says, the cloud is moving too fast for that to be a cloud.
And you're like, that's not a cloud coming at me. That was going to be the armies of Assyria. That was going to be the swarming of the military men who are coming against Israel and Judah. The northern kingdom and the southern kingdom as they expand into that southern kingdom.
Swarms of armies shall cover the land. Absolute, utter desolation. Even the clefts of the rock shall know the fury of Assyria. And then in verse 20 we see shame.
And the same day the Lord will shave with a hired razor, with those from beyond the river, with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the legs, and will also remove the beard. Having hair was something of dignity, I guess you could say, during that time. And to have all of it shaved off and walking along in chains back to Assyria, or perhaps sometimes they talk about hooks in the mouth as well as they're walking back to Assyria. The Assyrians knew how to kill.
The Assyrians knew how to torture. They knew how to do everything to make someone feel miserable. And start off with outward shame. shaving one's head, hired razor, beyond the river, the Euphrates, where the king of Assyria lived past that land, the head and the hair of the legs will also remove the beard." So take away the man's dignity from his face and from his legs, basically stripping him absolutely to nothing. But then we see in verses 21 through 25, the population.
It shall be in that day that a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep. So it shall be from the abundance of milk they give that he will eat curds. For curds and honey everyone will eat who is left in the land." Again, tying in with what he says concerning this child who shall come. He shall come in the midst of utter depopulation.
All that's left in the land is honey and a cow. That's it. And then, because there are no people, thorns shall grow, and wildlife shall return. Verse 23, it shall happen in that day that wherever there could be a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, it shall be for briars and thorns.
I think there's an allusion back to the vineyard song in Isaiah chapter 5. There are several vineyard songs in Isaiah. Isaiah 5 and Isaiah 27. And he talks about Israel as this vineyard that he planted, a place that was meant to grow and produce choice vine, choose choice fruit.
But then because of their sinfulness, because of their idolatry, verse 3 of Isaiah 5, and now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, please, between me and my vineyard, what more could have been done to my vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? Now please let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned, and break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
I will lay it waste. It shall not be pruned or dug, but there shall come up briars and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it. And this is what God does with Assyria.
As he wipes out that northern kingdom, he makes it like this one place that has been depopulated. So much so that hunters can go there. Verse 24. With arrows and bows, men will come there, because all the land will become briars and thorns.
It will be a place where the oxen and the sheep roam. And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns, but will become a range for oxen and a place for sheep to roam. So Immanuel comes in the context of this coming judgment via Assyria. Yahweh will not be with Ahaz.
Yahweh will not be with this king. Assyria will be with this king, whether it's in this Syro-Ephraimite war or whether it's to bring about judgment against Ahaz and his wicked ways. Because Ahaz trusted in man instead of God. And
Trust God, Not Man
brethren, we ought to do the opposite. We ought to trust God instead of man. In fact, isn't that the fundamental difference between us and the world? We trust in the God of heaven and earth instead of what man says, instead of what the government says, instead of what other people say.
Brethren, we all boil it down. Where is our hope? When we all boil it down, to whom can we go to? To whom can we trust?
Ahaz relied so much on this wicked king, TP3 I call him, Tiglath-Pileser III, and he trusted all that Assyria could do for him. And look where that got him. Look where that got him with respect to his coalition. But the further implication is, even though I think we do see that antithesis, Christians ought to trust God instead of man, brethren, we still have that remaining corruption.
We still have that desire to trust in things instead of God. And perhaps the reason we like to trust in things is because they're tangible, aren't they? We have the Word of God. We have God's Word for us, but nonetheless, something about, you know, ticking off a box, you know, I've been a bad person, I'm going to try to be a better person, that seems to work pretty good.
Or if I just take this medicine, things will seem to get better. We seem to like to trust in those things. Or even in the book of Hebrews, the people that the writer is writing to wanted to go back to the Old Testament. They wanted the smells.
They wanted those ideas. They wanted to see the blood. They wanted to see the goat burning on there. They wanted those things.
They wanted visuals, brethren. You see, we have God's Word, which remains true. We do not need to trust in those visuals. As Davis says, who needs Yahweh's Word when you go through a little nose-scarping and boot-licking and bribe Assyria for a sure thing?
Brethren, sometimes we do that. I'm not denying that God doesn't work through means. The problem is when we trust those means instead of God. That's the big-time problem.
That's where we get it wrong. That's where we put our trust in man instead of the Lord God Most High. When in reality, when whatever comes to pass in the life of God's people, whether it's personal struggles, worldwide issues going on, we still have a God that we can come to in those times, that we can trust in. We do not need to fear, brethren.
We do not need to fear what's happening in this world, because when you read history, things ebb and flow, including various diseases that arise and come and go. Just read human history and you'll see that. You know what the truth is? God remains the same forever, world without end.
And he is the God that we can trust in. And brethren, trust is not some fuzzy feeling. Trust is not some experience of the... Trust is believing that God is who he says he is.
That's what trust is. Sometimes we don't always feel like trusting in God. Sometimes we don't have the assurance that we trust in God. But nonetheless, we can still go to God in prayer.
How often do you read the Psalms? How often do the psalmists cry out, how long, O Lord? Why are you cast down, O my soul? Then usually somewhere in there at the end, he goes, I will bless and trust in your name.
Brethren, faith is coming to God in those times we don't feel like we trust Him. Faith is coming to God in prayer when it feels like He is not near. Faith is coming to God whatever emotions we might be going through. That is true trust in God.
We trust in who God is and what He says because He is the God who will do what He says He will. Do. We don't need to trust in princes, but we can trust in the Son of Man. We don't need to trust in the government, but we can trust in the Lord God Most High.
For He is the One who raises up the government, and He is the One who brings down that government. He is the One who operates, and it's in Him that we live and move and have our being. All of the world, but as well, especially for Christians, we can trust in the God who is with us. So that's Assyria with us.
God With Us
Let's then look secondly at God with us in verses 1 through 10. God is still gracious and good, and he gives the remnants, not just the remnant, but all the people, especially for the remnant, he gives them a sign with respect to the immediate threat of this Damascus-Syria connection. And so he says, we have a witness in verses 1 through 4. Moreover, the Lord said to me, take a large scroll and write on it with a man's pen concerning Meher, Shelel, Hashbaz.
Let's write a scroll, take a scroll, we're going to put this name on there. Speed the spoil, hasten the booty. Or as Davis says, spoil soon, plunder pronto. And he uses Uriah and Zechariah, cronies of Ahaz, to put up this giant warning sign along the highways of Israel.
It's almost like a giant billboard. You're driving along, you see this sign, Meherashol HaShabaz. I wonder what that means. You keep driving along again, hey, another sign, Meherashol HaShabaz.
I wonder what that means. It's a sign for not just the remnant, but it's also a sign for Ahaz as well. It's a sign that God is going to help him in this instant, but he's not going to be with him forever. But it's especially a sign that Syria and Ephraim will not win.
It's God's grace to His remnant people. Okay, God, thank you, Immanuel. What about these guys right now? I believe Immanuel, but what's happening right here?
And so God gives them, in His mercy, gives them, Meher Shalel HaShabaz. Verse 3, Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, Call his name Meher Shalel HaShabaz, for before the child shall have knowledge to cry, my father and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will not be taken away before the king of Assyria." Perhaps even before Isaiah knows what it means, okay, Meher Shalal Hashbat, he still puts it up there, he still drives by, oh, Meher Shalal Hashbaz, now I understand what it means. That's how God is, isn't he?
He kind of delays, I tell you, delays his answering of prayers sometimes. You see this with Abraham, right? He went to the land of Canaan at 75. And God said, in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
Doesn't say how that's going to happen. In you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Okay, God, cool. And then, you know, Ahaz does some weird things, or Ahaz, Abraham does some weird things in Egypt, and eventually he's got some issues with Lot, and then we see some good things happening, and then Sodom and Gomorrah.
But even in 18, we do see, okay, now, or 15, sorry, we see further. You know, okay, and your seed shall be as numerous as the sand of the sea. Okay, we're getting a little bit closer to what's happening. It's not till a year before that finally Abraham gets the full picture.
You shall have a son and his name shall be Isaac. He waits 24 years before he gets a very concrete answer. He waits 25 years before that actually is fulfilled. And perhaps Isaiah, who knows how long it took, Mehershal Hashbaz, there's no time frame here, but he gets this sign, and then finally he gets the interpretation of that sign, and it's for the remnant.
The unrepentant, the wicked in Israel have no idea. What is that? Is that some new food we're going to have? No, but the remnant will know what's going on.
It's going to be a sign against Syria and Ephraim that they shall not win. Even though Ahaz trusts in Syria, God is still gracious to the remnant to protect them during this time. But Assyria is going to come still, and they're going to be even more fierce than these two other kings. Verse 5.
The Lord also spoke to me again, saying,
The Waters of Shiloah and Assyria
And as much as these people refuse the waters of Shiloah that flow softly, these people, not just Ahaz, but the entire people, the waters of Shiloah that flow softly and rejoice in Resan and Remeliah's son, now therefore, behold, the Lord brings them up over them, the waters of the river, strong and mighty. You cannot rely on the spoils of victory here, Ahaz, because somebody else is coming. You can't rely on what just happened, because the one whom you look to is going to turn upon you and bring about even more judgment. So we see this, perhaps, contrast.
We see this Shiloah, this small creek in Israel, versus the mighty Euphrates in Assyria. You have this small place, this insignificant place. They didn't trust in the God who helps the insignificant place. Instead, they trusted in the mighty river.
And now that river is going to come up over upon you and become up to your necks as it engulfs the entire countryside of Judah, which it does. Fulfillment, Isaiah 36 and 37. But we'll see God's promise to that as well. And so it continues on in verse 8.
It is describing this water. He will pass through Judah. He will overflow and pass over. He will reach up to the neck.
And the stretching out of his wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel." Even though Assyria is going to come, Immanuel is still the reminder for God's people, the remnant at this time. And in fact, Hezekiah, especially with Isaiah 36 and 37, we see, spoiler alert, Isaiah prays to Yahweh, Yahweh takes out Assyria. That's what he does. He takes out Sennacherib.
But Hezekiah is not Immanuel, but Immanuel is with Hezekiah. The promise of Immanuel remains with Hezekiah even as he faces this plundering and this encroachment by the king of Assyria. So even here we see this,
Immanuel as Living Truth
O Immanuel, even in the midst of that desolation, even in the midst of what's happening, there's that reminder of that name, O Immanuel, God with us. And that's what should cause God's people to rejoice. And you see that refrain there in verse 9. Be shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces.
Give ear, all you from far countries. Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces. Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing.
Speak the word, but it will not. Stand. It's the fearless remnant in the face of such danger. It's the fearless remnant in the face of such opposition.
And the reason they can defy Assyria, that mighty superpower at that time, the reason they don't have to be afraid of Sennacherib as he taunts Hezekiah, is because of that reason in verse 10 at the end, for God is with us. Three times in these verses, Emmanuel, Emmanuel, Emmanuel, God is with us. It's that triumphant refrain. You might be able to take out our city, but you can't take out our God.
And the only reason you can take out our city is because our God raised you up in the first place. God is the one bringing about judgment through Assyria. It's not as though Assyria is going, God, I'm glorifying you as I'm killing... That's not how they operate.
He's just using their wickedness to take out the wickedness of Judah. That's hard for us sometimes, isn't it? That's even hard for God's people. But our God is the sovereign over all things.
Our God is absolute holiness and absolute purity, and He cannot look on sin, as has been prayed this morning. And He must take out sin, as He promised He would do, but He uses nations to take out the nation of Israel at this time. But the remnant does not need to fear. God's covenant promises shall remain.
And Davis says, for them, Immanuel is not only a king to come, but a truth to live by in the present moment. It is the secret of their steadfastness amidst the desolation. Immanuel. Immanuel.
Isaiah as a whole is all about that desolation and sin and restoration found in someone else. You see, there is bad news, there is judgment, but there is good news for God's people. There's good news for sinners who need a Savior. There is good news found in Immanuel, found in God with us.
And in fact, that's what we can do, brethren. We can trust in God in desolation, not man. Desolation is going to come whether you're a Christian or not. Suffering is going to come whether you're a Christian or not.
But the beauty is the Christian has a God to lean upon. The beauty is the Christian has the God of heaven and earth who created the world out of his sheer power. He spoke and it was so. And he governs the world by his power.
The reason you and I have breath right now, brethren, is because of the power of God Almighty. And the reason that you and I still walk right now is because of the power of God Almighty. The reason that you, if you believe on Christ and are saved, and we are saved, is because of the power of the Lord God Almighty. To whom do we trust?
To whom do we go to? To whom do we lean upon, especially in times of such desolation, such hopelessness, so to speak? And
Fulfillment in Matthew 1
this is where that Immanuel prophecy finds its fulfillment in Matthew chapter 1. You can turn to Matthew 1. After the genealogy of Jesus, as we have Matthew's gospel, some writers view Matthew as finishing the Hebrew Bible. The promise of David still needs to come.
If you remember, I just laid out some of the history of Israel, but the people of Israel, even though they returned in 538, or the promise to return was given in 538, and there were subsequent returns, They still didn't have a king. In fact, Chronicles is all about looking ahead to the king, the Davidic one. In fact, the Hebrew Bible actually ends with Chronicles, because they're looking for David to come. And we see that beginning in Matthew 1.1, the book of the genealogy of Jesus, the son of David.
So 700 years after the prophecy of Emmanuel, 586 years after exile, we finally see this come about in the son of Mary and the son of Joseph. We see the angel come in verse 20. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife. That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. shall bring forth a son, and ye shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
And so all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophets, saying, Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel. The remnant in Israel has been waiting for years. The remnant of Israel has been longing for this King to come. And finally, in Joseph's son, in Mary's son, we see that fulfillment in verses 22 and 23.
The Virgin Mary. signifies God with us. Jesus coming signifies that Immanuel is near, that he shall be called Jesus. He shall save his people from their sins. That's what God does when he is near to us and with us.
Jesus stooped down, that second person took on human nature. We see that blessed condescension of God, that he might be perfect, that he might not sin as like us in every way, yet without sin that he might die as that sacrifice for his people, to save his people. from their sins, not from oppressive governments. Yeah, if we die and we go to heaven, we'll be saved from the oppressive government. I get all that.
But not specifically in time and space from oppressive governments. Not specifically from various other things, but primarily to save his people from their sins. And what's interesting is for Joseph and for Mary, there's an assurance for them, even in their personal life, Mary's going to have a baby bump at some point. People are going to start to talk.
That's why Joseph wants to, you know, okay, let's do this quietly. He wants to get rid of the shame. But even though he has the affirmation from Yahweh, there's still going to be ridicule. And so for him, even for him, it is assurance.
But as well, it's assurance for Israel during this time, a time of oppression, a time under Rome, a time under such captivity. Finally, David's son is here. Now, we know that the Pharisees think it's about oppression from Rome, but it's far greater than that. It's something far more serious and sinister than Rome.
It is sin. The hope for Israel has finally arrived, what the prophets longed to see. The ones who went to Assyria, the ones who went to Babylon, they longed to see this one who would save his people from their sins. In fact, in the third stanza of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, O come thou rod of Jesse, free thine own from Satan's tyranny, from depths of hell thy people save and give them victory or the grave.
Jesus comes as that rod of Jesse, as that promise, as that hope in such times of desolation to save his people from their sins. And that's the promise for God's people now, Emmanuel. It's the promise for God's people. As we are in exile, Peter says, when we walk this life, we are in exile.
I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but there is going to be no special utopia in this life. The true utopia is the new heavens and new earth in Jesus. Church is that glimpse and foretaste of that, which is why it's a shame that it's been shut down, as people are missing the glories of gathering together and singing God praises and finding the intersection of heaven and earth. It's where we get to come and meet God in a special way, as God speaks to us through His Word, and God communes with us by His Spirit.
Yes, He's with us throughout the week, but He communes, especially Emmanuel, as we gather. But as well, He's also Emmanuel when we go through such difficult times. He is the one who is with us. And the beauty is that Emmanuel has come, and He reigns on high.
And He's already won the victory. He's already won the battle. We do not need to worry. We do not need to fear, for He reigns supreme.
In fact, this is one of the encouragements of Revelation 12. I know there's a lot of different interpretations of Revelation 12, but I take Revelation 12 to refer to Christ's, really His gospel. I think it's His coming. and his being crucified and ascending on high. Revelation 12, where the vision speaks of a child.
Revelation is all about encouragement for the church in desolation. Well, there's the woman, the child and the dragon that we see in verse five. She bore a male child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. Her child was caught up to God in his throne, ascension, session.
Then the woman fled into wilderness where she has a place prepared by God that they should feed her there, 1,260 years. days. And then verse 13, Satan's thrown down because of the crucifixion. We see verse 13, Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness in her place where she is nourished for a time and times and a half time from the presence of the serpent.
So you see, as he goes on to say, I think that vision is all about Christ ascending and the woman as the Church being persecuted by the devil. If they can't get to Christ, they're going to try and take out the Church of Christ. And the promise that we need in those trials, brethren, is that promise of Emmanuel. Is that promise of God with us?
There may be trials and tribulation, desolation and despair, but there's always hope for God's people. Judah went through darkness before the hope of the Messiah came. The remnant brethren went through exile before the hope of Israel came. Even too, like, okay, they take out the Syro-Ephraimite kings, but they still, Judah, they still are taken away.
The remnant goes with them. And it was important for the remnant as they're walking away, as they're maybe crying a little bit. Again, it's not always a fuzzy feeling. They're like, okay, we're taking away what's happening.
And then eventually, maybe they start to recall Isaiah 7. Okay, Immanuel. And they see their brother crying, Immanuel. And they see their child who's worried and concerned and being carried away, Immanuel.
It's that reminder of who God is amongst such desolation. It's the reminder for God's people. Davis says, here is what steals the soul of God's people, what fortifies them in the face of every peril. He himself has promised to be there in all their trouble in a word.
Emanuel. Whether you have physical trials, Emanuel. Whether you have spiritual trials, Emanuel. Relational issues, Emanuel.
Persecutions, Emanuel. Especially when we read about brothers and sisters being mutilated for the faith. Brethren, people killed because of righteousness sake. They need the reminder of Emanuel.
Or during pandemics, Emanuel. We're getting angry at people because you're worried about how they're reacting to the pandemic. Emmanuel. God is gracious and good because he is Emmanuel.
And that's what Isaiah wants us to see. Emmanuel. We trust in God because God is with us. We trust in God because he has fulfilled his promises.
We trust in God because he is near to his people.
Application and Call to Belief
And if you're an unbeliever here today, there is bad news in this text. Judgment. There shall be judgment upon unbelief. If you do not believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, as the only way of salvation, you do not confess your sins and forsake them and believe on Him, repent and turn to Christ, you shall die in your trespasses and sins and judgment shall come upon you.
But there is a way, there is a hope, there is salvation found in Immanuel. If you believe that he is the true and living God, believe that he is the Son of God, believe on him and you shall find forgiveness in this one. The question we always ask or seek to ask is, do you believe this one? Do you believe in Jesus Christ?
Do you believe in Immanuel? Do you believe in the name of Jesus? Let's pray.
Closing Prayer
Our God, we are thankful for this promise that you are near to your people. We're thankful, O God, that you are with us through such trials and difficulties and sorrows that your people do face in this life. We know, O God, that the outer man does decay and the inner man is renewed day by day, but we confess, O God, we can get caught up in the ways of the world. We get caught up in the fears of this land.
We ask, O God, that you would forgive us for these things, but we're thankful that there is Christ who reigns now. We know that you, O God, govern the course of history. You govern the events of history for your glory and for the good of your people. And we're thankful, O God, what man means for evil, you do mean for good.
And we're thankful, O God, that there is this promise of Emmanuel, that you are God with us. And we're thankful we see God with us fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who is our blessed Emmanuel. We pray, O God, that we would find our hope and encouragement in him this day, that we would come back to your word, come back to your promises, come back to who you are. For you're a God who is patient in longsuffering.
You're a God who does what he says he will do. We pray, O God, that you would strengthen the souls of your people this day. Strengthen our hearts, we do pray. Help us to remember Emmanuel.
And we pray, O God, that you'd be pleased to save sinners this day. Show them their need for Christ and they might come to him. We're thankful for that blessed hope and glory that is found in Him who ascended on high and lives now to make intercession, who reigns supreme as our great and glorious King, who is the Davidic One, who is the Son of David, who fulfilled everything Ahaz could not do. We're thankful that His name is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God and Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father.
We're thankful, O God, that of His kingdom, and His kingdom shall know no end. He shall rule with justice and with equity. He shall rule with peace. We're thankful He does so based on His merits.
So we ask, O God, You encourage our souls today. Save sinners, we pray. But in all things we pray that You be glorified. We pray these things in the name of Christ.
Amen. We'll close this morning's service by singing hymn 564. So you can turn with me in the Trinity Psalter hymnal to 564. We'll stand and sing together 564.
Oh With all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, amen. We'll close with a brief time meditation. The piano's finished, you are dismissed.