Trusting God (December 1 Sermon Summary and Discussion Questions) - Isaiah 7:1-17 (also 2 Kings 16 and 2 Chronicles 28)

Summary

We are soon going to be celebrating Christmas, the commemoration of God coming into the world in Jesus Christ. The Biblical writers tell the story of Jesus’ coming and birth as the answer to hopes and needs that had been present for a long time. They draw on words that were spoken by prophets from centuries earlier in order to explain the significance of Jesus. Isaiah 7:14 contains one of those statements that has been significant for our thinking about Jesus: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” We know this passage because Matthew says that it explains something of the significance of Jesus’ coming. But what did it mean at the time when it was spoken, and how does it continue to have meaning for us?

In its context within the book of Isaiah, this statement was something the prophet Isaiah spoke to King Ahaz when he failed to trust God at a time of deep challenges. Isaiah saw King Ahaz’s refusal to engage with God as a terrible failure. Ahaz was focusing all his attention on the problems he faced and on the solutions that he thought would get him out of trouble—his own strength, his own wisdom, and the attractiveness of foreign religions—and focusing none of his attention on the God who was willing and able to rescue him.

When we find ourselves in a stressful situation and start to scramble for solutions, we often look in the same directions that Ahaz did: our own resources and abilities, our own wisdom to solve our problems, and the allure of “spiritual” practices that might help us cope. But God came in Jesus Christ to be for us and with us (“Immanuel” means “God with us”), and he is the only one who can really deliver us from the challenges of living in a world of persistent trouble.

Discussion Questions:

In Isaiah 7:1-2, we read about the cause of Ahaz’s troubles: the kings of surrounding nations (the northern kingdom of Israel, which was also sometimes called Ephraim, and the neighbouring kingdom of Aram) have allied against Ahaz’s kingdom, the southern kingdom of Judah. Verse 1 tells us that these kings marched up against Jerusalem but couldn’t overpower it. But in verse 2 we read that “the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken.”

Read 2 Chronicles 28:5-8 to see some of the details of why they were so upset.

1.      Despite Jerusalem not being overtaken, what damage were these kings able to do to Judah?

Read 2 Chronicles 28:9-11.

2.      According to the prophet Oded, why did this devastating attack on Judah take place?

3.      Oded says that God has a word for the northern kingdom (Ephraim/Israel) as a result of their brutal attack upon Judah. What did the prophet say was wrong with Israel’s actions?

In Isaiah 7:3, Isaiah and his son Shear-Jashub meet King Ahaz on the road to the Launderer’s Field at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool. This likely indicates that King Ahaz was checking to make sure that his resources were able to withstand any attack on his water supply. (Cutting off an enemy’s water supply was a common approach to attacking the citizens of a walled city.)

4.      What is the meaning of Isaiah’s son’s name? How might that name hold significance in the context of an attack from outside?

Read Isaiah 7:7-9 for God’s word of response to the threat.

5.      What does God say to reassure Ahaz?

6.      In verse 9, the Lord says, “If you do not stand firm in faith, you will not stand firm at all.” What do you think this means? How would a failure to stand firm in faith bring trouble upon Ahaz/Judah?

7.      Is it difficult to “stand firm in faith” when hard times come? How do you find your faith challenged or threatened when you are facing hard times?

Ahaz’s lack of trust in the Lord seems to be because he can’t see the Lord. Instead, he is looking at:

A.      His own strength/resources (e.g., the aqueduct)

B.      Other spiritual practices/magic (see 2 Kings 16:10-14)

C.     His own wisdom to find a good solution (according to 2 Kings 16:7-9, Ahaz’s solution was to give himself as a servant of the powerful empire of Assyria. They would happily destroy Ahaz’s enemies, but would also eventually ruin Judah itself.)

8.      What resources might we be tempted to trust when life is difficult?

9.      Have you ever found other, non-Christian, religious traditions to be attractive? Why?

10.  Have you ever come up with what seemed to be a good solution to a problem only to find that it caused more trouble?

In verses 10-17, we read about the “sign” God wants to give Ahaz. This is not a blanket invitation for us to ask God for reassuring signs all the way through our life with him. In its context, God seems to be reaching out to encourage Ahaz to build a relationship with him. Sometimes early in our life with God, he does this kind of thing. But all along the way in our relationship with God, God desires to build our relationship with him by speaking to us through Scripture. Ahaz holds back from engaging with God, and claims that it is out of respect for God that he is refusing. But we know by this point that it is simply a failure to trust God.

God desires to be with us. This is what the sign of Immanuel, which would eventually be fulfilled in the coming of Jesus to live among us and for us and eventually to die for us. God wants to engage with us in a deep and personal relationship.

11.  Do you sometimes hold back from going deeper in your relationship with God? Why do you think this is? What is holding you back?