Thursday, 14th April 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-9 God Covers
What does Immanuel mean to us? Prophet Isaiah told us that God will cover all our inequities, He will protect us to the end, and we don’t need t worry. V1-2 ‘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 Remaliah, 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.’ When King of Judah, Uzziah, passed away, everyone was worried and anxious, because the enemies around the nation all wanted to attack the land of Judah.
Do we observe the work of God? The attacks of the enemies came again and again, and people’s hearts were moved, their faith was also shaken. The name of Ahaz means ‘God is in control’, however when Ahaz saw how strong the enemies were, he was in fear, and he could not see God in control. We must always give thanks and always see the work of God in our lives. There are wonders and miracles happening in our lives every day, but do we see and recognise them, or do we take all these things for granted?
V3-4 ‘Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jashub 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 fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah.’ God wants to talk to the leaders of the nation, but first, Isaiah must obey and listen to God’s guidance. A lot of times, we can only see ourselves, we can only see the troubles in front of us, but we cannot see that God is a generational God, He does not only want to bless us, but He also wants to bless our next generations. God is also telling Ahaz to not fear and not be fainthearted, because He will cover, He will provide, and He will protect.
We are also like this, when God told us to stay still, then we should not worry, because the more we do the more we become blind and the more we cannot see the Work of God. The Israelites were in the wilderness for 40 years, they did not have their land to settle in, but every day, they experienced God and every day, God provided for them. God has prepared the eternal kingdom for us, do not let our sinful lives stop God’s eternal blessings to come to us and our children. Do we believe that the Lord is our Shepherd, and we shall not be in want? We only saw this in writing but not in our heart.
Section Two V10-17 God Promises
A lot of times, we say we believe but, in our hearts, we don’t believe, just like Ahaz, in his heart he did not believe what prophet Isaiah was saying to him. V10-12 ‘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!”’ We may be Christians for a long time, but we still believe in our own ‘doing’, not in the work of God.
V13-14 ‘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? Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”’ God’s salvation will come, there is no doubt. God was telling Ahaz and the House of Judah, that God will definitely save, just like how natural it would be for a young woman to give birth when she enters marriage.
Section Three V18-25 Men’s End
V18 ‘And 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.’ When God vindicates for us, we will see all the signs and wonders being revealed. Also, God’s judgement will come, and everything we thought we are good at will fade away. Do we believe that the judgement will come? God is the Immanuel God, we must be still, follow God, be the light in the latter days, and allow God to use our lives to shine for Him.