Isaiah 7:25

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Isaiah 7:25

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25 And on all hills [har] that shall be digged [`adar] with the mattock, [ma`der] there shall not come thither [bow'] the fear [yir'ah] of briers [shamiyr] and thorns: [shayith] but it shall be for the sending forth [mishlowach] of oxen, [showr] and for the treading [mirmac] of lesser cattle. [seh] KJV-Interlinear

25 And as for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns; but they will become a place for pasturing oxen and for sheep to trample. NASB

This verse completes the description of the horrific state of the land during and after the invasion that is about to take place.

Ahaz despised Isaiah and instead of turning to God for his defense, he turned to his alliance with Assyria in his attempt to defeat the alliance of Syria and Israel.

But once that alliance, of Syria and Israel, are disrupted in their invasion, then Assyria will turn on Ahaz, and when we get to the next chapter, we will see that the double cross will come swiftly and without mercy.

The valleys are the typical place of farming and grazing. The hills are not typical locations for farming.  And this description is of those hard to get at places where only grazing animals can reach and survive.

The mattock is a shovel or hoe that is used to remove weeds, and otherwise cultivate or maintain or plant the vines or crops.

And here is the completion of the description of a land that is thoroughly destroyed, such that people will flee from the cities, abandon the valleys, and go to the hills or mountains where they may eek out a living as best they can by cultivating an otherwise uncultivable ground.

These places will be thoroughly overtaken by the weeds and thorns and though they will be virtually unmanageable, they will also be a place of hiding and defense for eluding any enemy that might come looking for them.  Thick thorn bushes provide a defensive wall that many do not want to enter, thus the fear is not of fright, but of reluctance.  Enemy forces will be reluctant and unmotivated to pursue or to even search out people that might be hiding within the thick thorn bushes.

So, a disaster and a difficult environment, will in the future, turn out to be a blessing.

The land is described as thoroughly destroyed.  The population is hammered down to a small remnant.  Life in the cities is not safe and so people are forced into the hills and otherwise inhospitable places in order to survive.

Life has to function within the confines of an area that is overrun by thorns and good for only substandard livestock. Livestock that runs free for the most part and is not confined or otherwise contained in an orderly fashion.  But yet there are sufficient provisions, for those in hiding, to survive with some comfort.

The inhospitable living environment is both difficult but also provides protection in that an enemy is reluctant to search through it, or searches indiscriminately.  There is not much booty to gain from the rocky hills, so the draw for riches and plunder is not in the hills but in the cities and valleys.  So there is little incentive to venture into a difficult pursuit that promises nothing.

Isaiah 7:24

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Isaiah 7:24

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24 With arrows [chets] and with bows [qesheth] shall men come [bow'] thither; because all the land ['erets] shall become briers [shamiyr] and thorns. [shayith] KJV-Interlinear

24 People will come there with bows and arrows because all the land will be briars and thorns.  NASB

In an agriculture society, the emphasis is on the plowing, planting, cultivation, and harvesting of the various and many crops.

However this activity is also applied to many types of manufacturing and production activities in a prosperous economy.

But, when the big one hits, then all of these activities will virtually cease and be replaced with hunters with bows and arrows, or with adventurers or with predators that do not intend to work the land or for making it productive, but for their own individual gains and satisfactions.

The hunter seeks out the prey and kills it and takes what he wants, and then leaves.

No one is moving in, to an abandoned area and taking possession of the land, for homesteading or development.

The people moving in are there only for the plundering of whatever remains and then they leave

So, when Assyria and Babylon and Persia and Greece and Rome all took their individual turns at invading the land, they all left some remainder of a population that continued in the productivity of the land.

However, remember that this destruction indicates a phenomenal destruction such that weeds and such will take over leaving nothing of a once prosperous economy.

When the Tribulation eventually arrives in our future, remember too that it will last only seven years, so in order for weeds, or inactivity, to overtake a region it has to be hammered with extreme violence and with extreme rapidness in order to subdue the area quickly.

So, this description is one that is beyond our imagination and certainly has never left even an example in history for our study.  Lesser destructions have occurred in the Middle East, but the big one is yet to be.

These verses lead us to understand that the destruction in the future, when it occurs, will be horrific and beyond our current comprehension.

And just so we all know that these horrifying judgments will occur to some future generation, it is not limited to the future only.  Into each individuals life may come disasters, and certainly if you disregard doctrine, you will face disasters either in life or in death.

Note, that once you have died, then the fertile ground of your soul and life in this world, will cease to exist.

So there are many applications of this principle of negative volition toward ones spiritual life.

For an unbeliever the destruction after death will be beyond imagination.

For a believer, the destruction will be reflected in the loss of reward.  And for all of eternity, a little loss will grow to be an infinite loss.

Isaiah 7:23

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Isaiah 7:23

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23 And it shall come to pass in that day, [yowm] that every place [maqowm] shall be, where there were a thousand ['eleph] vines [gephen] at a thousand ['eleph] silverlings, [keceph] it shall even be for briers [shamiyr] and thorns. [shayith] KJV-Interlinear

23 And it will come about in that day, that every place where there used to be a thousand vines, valued at a thousand shekels of silver, will become briars and thorns. NASB

The last three verses of his chapter describe the great desolation that the land of Judah would become.

The currency of those ancient days, was silver in the form of a coin called the shekel.

The shekel was both a weight standard and a coin.

Before the invasion, the land was prosperous and valuable.  Any given vineyard would be worth a silver coin for each vine. And larger vineyards had vines that numbered into the thousands and were thus quite valuable.

But, agriculture in Judah required constant maintenance, constant cultivation and as a result became valuable.

That is a subtle principle that describes the spiritual life of the individual.  Your spiritual life requires constant maintenance, constant cultivation and nurturing.  The person who maintains their spiritual life will become extremely valuable as a result.

And on the reverse side of the table, when cultivation does not take place, then thorns and briers result.  The land, or the soul of the individual, become worthless or without value.

And so it will be when Judah is overrun.  The population will be decimated, leaving no one , or virtually no one, to cultivate and care for the vineyards, or anything else for that matter. The result, the land will be overrun with briers and thorns, and will become virtually useless.  A vineyard that was once worth a thousand pieces of silver, will now be worth nothing.  That is a dramatic drop in value, from one-thousand down to nothing.

In any decent economy, when times are tough, you can at least get fire sale prices for property, but when the prices drive down to zero, then that indicates phenomenal destruction and desolation. Not to mention that there will be virtually no one to even make an offer, nor anyone to receive an offer, and no one to do the work.

So, when you ignore or do not take care of your own soul, then you are more or less investing in your own destruction and worthlessness.

And note one important thing, your investment in your spiritual life, is more than just mere lip service, it is a commitment to a daily study, to constant residence in fellowship, to continual learning and growth each and every moment of the day, throughout your entire life.

The spiritual life is not a once a weekend activity, not a once reading through the Bible and then you know it, not a rendition of spiritual rhetoric, not the quoting of verses as though that will communicate wisdom.

The spiritual life is just like the garden that requires constant maintenance throughout the year.  Let it go and weeds will overtake the garden, productivity will fall, and its value will vanish.

You are the garden, doctrine is the gardener the water the nutrition required.  Withhold doctrine and you will have what?

Isaiah 7:22

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Isaiah 7:22

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22 And it shall come to pass, for the abundance [rob] of milk [chalab] that they shall give [`asah] he shall eat ['akal] butter: [chem'ah] for butter [chem'ah] and honey [dabash] shall every one eat ['akal] that is left [yathar] in [qereb] the land. ['erets] KJV-Interlinear

22 and it will happen that because of the abundance of the milk produced he will eat curds, for everyone that is left within the land will eat curds and honey. NASB

The description of desolation is continued.  And though it is not apparent from the text, the context of this chapter is one of desolation.

What has happened thus far in this prophecy, is that the land is invaded by an enemy that is so numerous, that the land is decimated of all of its wealth and most of its population.  The enemy leaves it in ruins.

But there are survivors, even when there should not have been any survivors.  With a much smaller population and with fewer means of commerce, which is to say there are fewer herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, but the land is still there.  Though not cultivated because of the population that no longer exists, then those cattle and sheep can wander further and eat in abundance, thus producing more milk and thus butter.

Bees, when once confined to controlled hives, will be free to build hives nearly anywhere, which means more honey, even though one has to go out to find the hives and the honey.

So, even in disaster there is some semblance of blessing for those who remain and survive.

In past generations this would have been a blessing of survival, or the hope of some sort of survival. 

In the future Tribulation, when the world is totally devastated, there will still be survivors. And even though they are much fewer in number, they have more room and space for squeaking out a survival for themselves. 

In disaster there is still hope and even a little bit of a treat or pleasure for ones sustenance.  This verse applies to food or diet, but can also indicate other pleasures or luxury items, even if they are small in portion.

Even in our current day, when people are losing their jobs or homes or health, or whatever, nearly everyone has something that they have that could easily be classified as luxury items.  They still have clothes, they still eat out, they still go to movies, they still have cell phones, and so forth.

So, in even the worst of conditions, if you look really hard at your own life, you still have blessings, even if you do not want to recognize them as such.

Often times people do not realize their blessings until they lose them.  Whether they are things or people in your life, or even the opportunity to study doctrine, you should cherish them all and what you have now, because one day, you might not have them.

And in disaster, when things are lost for good, then it is doubly difficult to regain or replace them, and even then those replacements may not be any better or even a bit worse than what you had, but simply refused to appreciate.

The worldly implications here are concerned with your loved ones, your things, your life in general. The spiritual implications here are concerned with your entire existence and eternal destiny.  Therefore value what you have and your opportunities now, because one day you may lose them.

Isaiah 7:21

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Isaiah 7:21

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21 And it shall come to pass in that day, [yowm] that a man ['iysh] shall nourish [chayah] a young [baqar] cow, [`eglah] and two [shanayim] sheep; [tso'n] KJV-Interlinear

21 Now it will come about in that day that a man may keep alive a heifer and a pair of sheep; NASB

In an agriculture society, a single cow and two sheep represent poverty.

In the normal sense of an agricultural society, people are expected to possess herds and flocks with numerous animals, so the reduction to just three animals for the entirety of ones subsistence, means huge losses and huge poverty.

This is not only the poverty of a single person, but of a family, and then extends to the nation.

When people are lowered in life that they must survive on meager means, then when this applies to an entire nation, then that nation is in extreme poverty, and that means horrendous stress and a substandard life for all.

So, when Judah is overrun by Assyria and Egypt, then what will result is not only the humiliation of the defeat, as well as the fear and terror brought about by the invasion, but whoever remains must live in phenomenal poverty.

Recovery from that low state of life is extremely difficult if not impossible.  It certainly does not happen overnight, and often times takes several generations to bring about some semblance of a recovery.

When these prophetic verses eventually apply to the Tribulational generation, then time simply will not exist for any type of recovery in the usual sense of historic recovery.  The punishment of poverty will not only be extreme, but life will be beyond the unbearable.

Isaiah 7:20

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Isaiah 7:20

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20 In the same day [yowm] shall the Lord ['Adonay] shave [galach] with a razor [ta`ar] that is hired, [sakiyrah] namely, by them beyond [`eber] the river, [nahar] by the king [melek] of Assyria, ['Ashshuwr] the head, [ro'sh] and the hair [se`ar] of the feet: [regel] and it shall also consume [caphah] the beard. [zaqan] KJV-Interlinear

20 In that day the Lord will shave with a razor, hired from regions beyond the Euphrates (that is, with the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard.  NASB

In the day of judgment, regardless of when that judgment is to occur, it is the Lord who brings that judgment, regardless of who He employs to bring about that judgment.

Jesus Christ controls history.  He is God.

God controls history in three ways.

He controls history directly by doing something directly Himself.  His direct will.

He controls history by utilizing the influence of truth and the principles of divine establishment.  His indirect will.

He controls history through permitting the free will decisions of mankind.  His permissive will.

In all of these ways, God knows what the circumstances are and what the outcome will be.  He foresaw all things in eternity past and decided to insert people and events into history at the appropriate time in order to guide and direct history, even to cause discipline and judgment.

In this situation, Ahaz and the people of Judah have been anti-God and anti-truth.  They are going to be judged.

Through their own decisions the king of Assyria will invade them, double cross them and take the land from them.

And in this manner, it is God who will permit this series of events to occur.  Therefore, the hired or employed army of Assyria, is hired by God through the events and decisions of history as brought about by man, but directed by God from eternity past.

God did not interfere with anyone's decisions, nor even in the decisions that were made to invade the land.  Man brought about all of the misfortune upon themselves.

To shave the hair off the head off the beard off the feet, means to bring into disgrace those who have placed their trust in their appearance.  The hair on the head and on the face was traditionally viewed as an appearance of honor.  But such appearances are on the external portion of ones body, not in the soul.  So the trust and therefore the arrogance of confidence by means of appearance is totally misplaced.

To cut off the hair on the head and on the feet means to cut the hair off all portions of the body that have hair.   This includes privates, and this emphasizes the disgrace and the total humiliation that will be inflicted on the people of Judah.

And note, that when an invading enemy army is cutting your hair off, they are not concerned with your appearance or your comfort.  Violence attaches with the cutting.  This applies to both male and female.  Torture accompanies the abuse of the males and abuse in many aspects accompanies the mistreatment of the females.

Isaiah 7:19

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Isaiah 7:19

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19 And they shall come, [bow'] and shall rest [nuwach] all of them in the desolate [battah] valleys, [nachal] and in the holes [naqiyq] of the rocks, [cela`] and upon all thorns, [na`atsuwts] and upon all bushes. [nahalol] KJV-Interlinear

19 And they will all come and settle on the steep ravines, on the ledges of the cliffs, on all the thorn bushes, and on all the watering places.  NASB

Revelation portrays Israel as a land of wealth and thus the western king is its protector, but not for the wealth, but for its eventual destruction.  That is Satan’s ultimate plan, get them all into one area and then destroy them.

This verse portrays the land which herein is Judah, as a land now overrun by invading armies.  Like bees and flies, they will be everywhere, swarming.

They will be in the good valleys, the cities, along the good waterways, and even in places that people generally do not go, thus the thorns and bushes.

And so continuing on from the description of the previous verse, the land will be overrun and overwhelmed by its enemies.  And those enemies will consume everything, leaving nothing of value.

And even though many prophecies are fulfilled in part at various points in history, such as in the Babylonian invasion, followed by the Persian invasion, followed by the Greek and Roman invasions, the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy will not occur until the final days of history, just prior to the Second Advent.  That will be in the Tribulation.

The Tribulation will be the absolute worst period of history not only for Israel, but for the entire world.

The description here is one of overwhelming occupation and destruction of the land.

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Isaiah 7:18

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Isaiah 7:18

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18 And it shall come to pass in that day, [yowm] that the LORD [Yahovah] shall hiss [sharaq] for the fly [zabuwb] that is in the uttermost part [qatseh] of the rivers [ya`or] of Egypt, [Mitsrayim] and for the bee [dabowrah] that is in the land ['erets] of Assyria. ['Ashshuwr] KJV-Interlinear

18 And it will come about in that day, that the Lord will whistle for the fly that is in the remotest part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. NASB

In that day is a reference to the day on which the Lords judgment will take place. It could occur in the space of a single day or over the course of a longer period of time such as a week or month or even several years.

The hiss, comes from Isa. 5:26, wherein the Lord will call or whistle or blow a flute or some instrument, and those who hear, will come to its call.  In the ancient world, bees were called out of their hives into the fields and back to the hives, with flute like calls.

And so it is used here to demonstrate that the Lord controls history, not man.  He uses His power and intellect and plan, and ability and so forth, to call forth the nations from the far distant places, to rally and come to participate in the destruction being executed.

The fly can also refer to a plague of flies, huge numbers of flies, the decaying aspect of flies consuming decay, the trouble that large numbers of flies cause, and so forth.  And here it is a reference to the armies from the south and from the north, that will invade the land.

When an area is dried up and/or in decay, then flies appear from seemingly out of nowhere and in great numbers.

Bees come when called and they can be just as pesky if not more so, than flies.

And so this prophecy was fulfilled by successive invasions of Pharaoh-Necho, Esarhaddon and Nebuchadnezzar, Isa 36; 37; 2 Chron 36:7-21.

But the real prophecy will culminate in that day, which is the ultimate day of judgment that will occur in the Tribulation.

Throughout history, Gods day of judgment applies to the various nations and empires that have existed, it has applied to every single individual within their individual lives, and it most certainly will apply at the end of history during the Tribulation.

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Isaiah 7:17

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Isaiah 7:17

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17 The LORD [Yahovah] shall bring [bow'] upon thee, and upon thy people, [`am] and upon thy father's ['ab] house, [bayith] days [yowm] that have not come, [bow'] from the day [yowm] that Ephraim ['Ephrayim] departed [cuwr] from Judah; [Yahuwdah] even the king [melek] of Assyria. ['Ashshuwr] KJV-Interlinear

17 "The Lord will bring on you, on your people, and on your father's house such days as have never come since the day that Ephraim separated from Judah, the king of Assyria."  NASB

Ahaz had received the promise of safety from invasion, but Ahaz rejected this promise and thus the consequences of that rejection will result in even greater suffering for both Ahaz and the nation from the very source in which they chose to place their trust.

From the time of the splitting up of the nation into two separate nations when Jeroboam rebelled and took with him ten of the tribes leaving only Benjamin and Judah, (1 Kings 12:16-24), to the time of the impending future judgment of the nation at the hands of Assyria in whom Ahaz had placed his trust, then there will be an even greater violence against Judah from Assyria.

Initially, Judah was under threat from Syria and Israel.  They invaded and attempted a failed siege against Jerusalem.  They returned a year later as a result of Ahaz’s continued and growing wickedness, and again laid siege against the city.  Tens of thousands were killed or taken captive, 2 Chron. 28.

From this second seige, Ahaz stripped the temple of its treasures and ornaments, and sent them to Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, to induce him to come and defend him from Syria and Ephraim. The consequence of that was that the king of Assyria took advantage of this to bring increasing sufferings on Judah, but he first killed Rezin, and took Damascus; 2 Kings 16:7.

After this, Assyria now controlled both Syria, and the northern kingdom of Israel also called Ephraim.  And that set the stage for a more formidable enemy against Judah and Ahaz, and that means even greater hardships and suffering for Judah.

Both enemies of Ahaz are now dead as promised, but instead of relying on God, Ahaz rejected God and as a result, will now have an even greater and far more dangerous enemy.

When you continually reject Gods will, then the difficulties in your life will continue to increase against you until you either change your ways and turn to that which is right and expected of you, or until your death, in which case you will lose far, far more than you realize or expect.

Escaping your difficulties through death or by some other means, namely drugs or alcohol for example, is never an escape, for the price of that escape will affect your entire eternal future, and that is a huge price to pay, when simply complying with Gods will, will produce certain and guaranteed blessings, far greater that you can begin to imagine.

Nevertheless, during the time of your rejection, you will indeed experience suffering in whatever appropriate form God deems for you, so that you can either reform your thinking, or demonstrate your utter stubbornness toward change. 

A wise person will yield to suffering and change.

A fool will maintain their stubbornness and simply refuse to learn even as their losses pile up.

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Isaiah 7:16

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Isaiah 7:16

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16 For before the child [na`ar] shall know [yada`] to refuse [ma'ac] the evil, [ra`] and choose [bachar] the good, [towb] the land ['adamah] that thou abhorrest [quwts] shall be [paniym] forsaken [`azab] of both [shanayim] her kings. [melek] KJV-Interlinear

16 "For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken. NASB

Before the child is old enough to know the difference between good and evil, between right and wrong, then both kings, that of Syria and that of Israel, will be no more.

And in fact shortly after this prophecy, which occurred only a couple of years prior, the king of Assyria marched on Syria in Damascus and killed Rezin, the Syrian king.  Likewise a year later the king of Israel was assassinated. 

Pekah, the king of Israel, the son of Remaliah, was assassinated by Hoshea, the son of Elah, who conspired against him and killed him.  This occurred in the fourth year of the reign of Ahaz.  Enough time for a girl to get engaged, get married, get pregnant, and raise up a child for a couple of years as the prophecy stated.

Both of these events are documented in 2 Kg. 15-16.

But Ahaz did not merely listen and accept this prophecy as given by Isaiah.  He had to go and add to Gods plan and try to do things in his own way.

After this message, Ahaz took the gold and silver from the temple and sent it to the king of Assyria, who in turn invaded Syria.

For this distrust, the next several verses speak of the treachery of Ahaz and certainly his lack of faith, and that the very person he sought to rely upon, the king of Assyria, will now become an even greater enemy against him. 

This, God will bring about as punishment for the lack of faith in Ahaz.

No matter what you place your faith in, in this world, it will, sooner or later, become your enemy, the very source of your failure, the basis of your loss, and the cause of your misery in this life.

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Isaiah 7:15

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Isaiah 7:15

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15 Butter [chem'ah] and honey [dabash] shall he eat, ['akal] that he may know [yada`] to refuse [ma'ac] the evil, [ra`] and choose [bachar] the good. [towb] KJV-Interlinear

15 "He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. NASB

Again we have a verse that will have a double meaning in its application toward the sign being given to Ahaz, and the prophecy that is attributed to Christ as a child.

Butter and honey are forms of foods that are typically given to infants.  And as the infant grows up and begins to learn of the differences between good and evil or right from wrong, so then the diet will also change.

So this is a description of the time period when the child is in its infancy.  He does not learn right from wrong from his diet, but this describes the period of infancy until he is able to discern the differences between right from wrong.

As for the first sign, then this applies to the first two or three years of the child, as it moves beyond infancy and into the toddler stage of life.

And as for the sign for Ahaz, this now includes the time that a virgin unmarried girl, then gets engaged, then gets married and then gets pregnant, and then has a child and then the child is raised out of infancy.  This whole time frame could possibly cover perhaps six years, give or take.

Through all of this time, Ahaz will witness that the invading forces will fail, that his economy will continue to thrive and then the northern threat will eventually vanish as a threat.  Thus, Ahaz has his sign which is reinforced repeatedly by the passage of time.

This also applies to the Christ child, in that God does not require food for His nourishment, but a human infant does.  And the baby Jesus will be raised in the usual manner as all children of his day were raised.  Since this child, the Messiah, is God, then He too is now referred to as man, and therefore is portrayed as both God and man.  The Messiah is both God and man the unique person of the universe, born of a virgin, and raised as a normal human baby.

The third principle from this verse as it applies to Ahaz, is that butter and honey are not only the typical foods for an infant, but they are also commodities that are readily available in a prosperous society.  Thus even though the nation is under threat from Israel and Syria, that threat does nothing to upset the balance of the economy of Judah. 

The young virgin of Ahaz’s day is not referred to as royalty, nor identified with any particular quality, and therefore is from the common class of people, and therefore this reinforces the concept of the stability and prosperity of the economy on the whole for all citizens, both rich and poor.

A further indication that the nation is safe, in accordance with Gods promise. 

And even in the time of Christ, there is a degree of prosperity in existence whereas a poor carpenter is able to provide for his family with adequate means and under normal circumstances, even though in Jesus' time the nation was under the yoke of Roman rule.

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Isaiah 7:14

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Isaiah 7:14

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14 Therefore the Lord ['Adonay] himself shall give [nathan] you a sign; ['owth] Behold, a virgin [`almah] shall conceive, [hareh] and bear [yalad] a son, [ben] and shall call [qara'] his name [shem] Immanuel ['el]. [`Immanuw'el] KJV-Interlinear

14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.  NASB

One of the many Messianic prophecies, this one mentioned in Matt. 1:23, deals with the meaning of the name, not the name itself, that is given to a child.

Here we have a double purpose in the prophecy given  by Isaiah to Ahaz.

First, Ahaz seeks a sign of the safety of himself and of his nation. But more so, Ahaz did not listen to the message of Isaiah and so rejected the promise of the safety of the nation, so God is now going to give a sign, that Ahaz can recognize within his own time, that God is indeed with the nation, despite the fact that God and Gods message has been rejected.

Second, Isaiah also gives the sign of the birth of a child, that is far more distant into the future.  A sign that no one but God can accomplish.

Just as no one but God, can accomplish the safety of the nation, though rejected, so also, no one but God can accomplish the sign as stated in the distant future when the entire nation of Judah has gone to an all-time low as virtually negative toward God.

In the first instance, Ahaz will be able to relate to the passing of a general time frame for the dissolution of the alliance that has been set against him.  In the second instance, the nation and the world in general can see the fulfillment of the virgin pregnancy for the sake of all of humanity.

Adonay, is the proper name for the Lord.  It is He and only He who can give the signs and fulfill them.  Since Ahaz was given the opportunity to request a sign, but rejected that opportunity, then it falls on God, to provide a sign that is neither requested nor desired from anyone in humanity.  God alone provides us with signs, it is for us, through doctrine, to be able to recognize them and see them.

Virgin, ‘almah,’ is derived from a word that describes a young person growing up, a young person whose identity is hidden and as yet is to be identified.  This typically is used for a young woman of marrying age, but is not yet married, a virgin.  And thus in the first application of this sign to Ahaz, of which Ahaz can see for himself, there will be a woman, any woman, who is now a virgin, or not yet married, who will get engaged, get married, get pregnant, have a child, and that child will grow up, but before that child is of the age of discernment, perhaps three to five years of age, or perhaps older, then with that passage of time, within a few years, Ahaz will see the confederation of Israel and Syria, dissolved and of no more threat to Judah.  Thus this first sign to Ahaz will be fulfilled.

And so Ahaz is given a sign, namely that within a few years, his enemies will no longer be a united alliance against him.

This is a sign of a general statement of time.  It could apply to any unmarried woman that is yet married and will thus go through the marriage process and have her first child.

And as a result of this sign, the attached meaning of the sign, is Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.’

So it is God who is really with Ahaz, even though Ahaz rejects Gods words.  It is God who will accomplish the dissolution of the enemies of Ahaz, and He will do it within just a few years.

Note, that this is unrelated to the sixty-five year prophecy when the northern nation of Israel will no longer exist.  This is a sign specifically for Ahaz’s eyes to see.

And then there is the second application of this prophecy, which it mentioned in the New Testament, and therefore applies to Christ.

And so behold, a virgin, an unmarried girl of marrying age, hidden, as yet unidentified, will conceive and have a son, and his name will be associated with Immanuel, namely ‘God with us.’ 

In the first instance, God is with the king and with the nation in the accomplishment of the defeat of their enemies.

In the second instance, ‘God with us,’ carries likewise a double meaning, for God is in fact with humanity quite literally, for it will be God who is born a man, and it is God who accomplishes the miracle of the sign.

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Isaiah 7:13

Copyright Ó 2012 J. Neely

Isaiah 7:13

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13 And he said, ['amar] Hear [shama`] ye now, O house [bayith] of David; [David] Is it a small thing [ma`at] for you to weary [la'ah] men, ['enowsh] but will ye weary [la'ah] my God ['elohiym] also? KJV-Interlinear

13 Then he said, "Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well? NASB

The language of Isaiah thus far has been quiet and respectful toward Ahaz.

However, now the tone changes.

Ahaz has been given advice and information from God, and he met it with disrespect and personal defensiveness, and that is the principle that we need to learn from this study.

God gives us all information, which most people disregard or give little concern or attention to, in preference to our own opinions.

Gods information of course comes with the full and complete backing of one who is omniscient and eternal.

Our opinions, needless to say, evolve only from what the world exposes us to during what few years we might have in this life.

God has been around forever, and has designed and authored the divine plan or all of history.

People know only what they choose to know and believe only what they choose to believe, and certainly none of us have been on this earth longer than our current lifespan.  And even so, people will argument over what is or what is not divine revelation.

People who disregard doctrine, are incapable of sorting out the truth from the lies.  Only people who have doctrine in their soul, can discern the lies for the truth of life.

And so, Isaiah now makes a clear statement to Ahaz.

This situation has to do with more than you alone, but has to do with Gods entire plan.  Isaiah addresses Ahaz as the house of David.  This impending attack is against God, and His divine plan for the Messiah through the line of David.  This is not against Ahaz.

And here is our principle.  All of life has to do with truth and doctrine and God and Christ and your spiritual life, and has nothing to do with you personally.  So when most folks take things personally, or are thin skinned, or perceive that they are insulted, or have political correctness issues, or look at life as unfair to them, then they are indeed weak spiritually.

Life is not about you, so you need to loosen up and take a few steps back and let loose of your arrogant rigidness and outlook on life.

People have far too many opinions regarding others, and far too few objective opinions regarding themselves.

People take themselves too seriously, and place great priorities on false or phony principles, treating the true principles of life with disregard and indifference.

People take themselves too seriously and have unreasonable expectations about life and their place in life.

People ‘weary’ men.  

Weary, ‘la ah,’ means to tire, disgust, grieve, lothe, and overall this comes to mean that people are annoying with their petty and ridiculous beliefs, opinions, self-centeredness, and attitudes that are tied to nothing.

Likewise, they weary God, as people who lack doctrine, have no clue as to what life is all about, and so are constantly running off in their ridiculous and selfish and self-centered attitudes.

Ahaz was thinking only of himself, not of his nation, not of his heritage, and certainly not of Gods plan.  And so too, most people think only of themselves, their aches and pains and burdens and the poor me attitudes that people adopt in life.

Whereas God has given every human being a phenomenal opportunity and whereas most people disregard that opportunity, tossing it aside, in preference for their own ideas and objectives and wants, and when those things do not pan out, then they blame anyone and everyone, never once looking to themselves as the person responsible for their failures.

By choice, people reject Gods will, and that is why they fail.

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