Isaiah 7:9b: Stand Firm!

Presented to Swift Current Corps on Jan 31, 2010 and Feb 9, 2014
By Captain Michael Ramsay

To read the 2014 Version, click here:  http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2014/02/isaiah-79b-stand-firm.html

I remember when I was in elementary school: when I was in the intermediate grades, probably Grade 5 or Grade 6. Across the street from our elementary school there was a senior high school for Grade 11 and 12 students, sixteen and seventeen year-olds. Every spring, it would seem, there was a ritual. (For the record, where I grew up there was no snow on the ground in March – ever) At lunch time, some of us grade fives and sixes would get up the nerve to go across the street and provoke some grade eleven’s and twelve’s who would be smoking outside or just lounging on the lawn. At first one or two of us would run across the street and call a small group of the high school students various names hoping that the sixteen and seventeen year-olds would chase us back across the street to the elementary school… where we had a trap set for them. We had a plan: the entire grade five and six classes were lying in wait ready to ambush them, dog pile on them, jump on them. We were looking for a play fight.

At first we -the selected two or three Grade fives and sixes- would go across the street to try to get the high school students to chase us. But as soon as the high school students just moved or said ‘boo’ we grade fives would be running back across the street as fast as we could. The teenagers would then go back to whatever they were doing until we would return. Eventually we grade fives and sixes would get braver and the high school students would actually have to get up before we fled. Then we kids became even braver and so the high school students would have to stand up before we ran away. And then we became even braver still so that the older students would actually have to run right at us before we would flee. Then the moment would finally come – the moment we were waiting for – the moment finally comes when there is a group of about eight of us grade fives and sixes brave enough to actually entice some Grade 11/12s to chase us back to the elementary school where, remember, there are about sixty grade fives and sixes ready to pounce on them so the Grade 11/12s come running across the street right into the trap with 50 grade fives and sixes waiting for them and inevitably as soon as the teenagers fall right in our trap and we have them right where we want them, when the time we are waiting for has come about and everything is perfectly set-up… we run away…we aren’t really brave enough to stand our ground…and instead of us now pursuing them, they continue to chase us.

Isaiah 7:9b: “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’”

We remember from the historical context of the time of the prophet Isaiah from our message last week that the countries of Israel and Judah (as well as other Palestinian states such as Aram/Syria and the Philistines, Edom, etc.) were threatened by the superpower of their day, Assyria. Israel and Aram/Syria propose that Judah team up with them like a group of grade five students and attack the high school of Assyria. The King of Judah, following the advice the prophet Isaiah (his school counsellor) will have none of this. He wants to stay out of the fight. Because of this Aram/Syria and Israel decide to gang up on and attack Judah.[1] King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah of Israel, like rebellious grade school boys, decide to attack Judah and implement a regime change (Isaiah 7:1,2; See 2 Kings 15:37; 2 Kings 16:5).[2] They decide to pick a fight with Judah and then put one of their friends, someone sympathetic to their cause, on Judah’s throne (Isaiah 7:6) – and because of this, Ahaz, the King of Judah is afraid and the hearts of his people, Isaiah 7:2 records, ‘shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind’.

It is in this context that the Prophet Isaiah comes to the King of Judah and assures him to ‘keep calm and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smouldering stubs of firewood’ (Isaiah 7:4). He tells King Ahaz that the impending invasion will not be successful. The regime change they want to implement will not happen (Isaiah 7:7) and more than that he says that the troublemakers will get a detention. Syria/Aram and Israel will be shattered (Isaiah 7:8,9); they will not stand. But it seems that Ahaz does not believe Isaiah.[3] He will not obey God’s command (via Isaiah) to ask for a sign (Isaiah 7:11-12; See Deuteronomy 16:6; Matthew 4:6,7; Luke 4; see also the story of Gideon, Judges 6:14, 17-18, 38-40). Israel does not stand firm in their faith and it is not spared.[4] Judah however does stand against Israel and against Aram/Syria and Judah is spared - but Judah too is only spared for a time. Judah, Jerusalem, the line of David and even God’s Temple will all eventually fall to Babylon, Assyria’s successor. They do not remain standing and, Isaiah 7:9b, “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’”

And the same is true of us today, if we do not stand firm in our faith we will not stand at all. How many people under the age of 20 are in churches around this country today? Not many. How many people under forty are in churches today around this country? Not many. We no longer have the Lord’s Prayer in our schools. Since we have had the recent series of federal governments, we no longer have the Lord’s Prayer in the House of Commons. Bible reading no longer happens in the classrooms. Gideon Bibles, which used to be handed out coast to coast in this country, are no longer welcome in many classrooms across this nation. Even in this very province, Bibles are being removed from hospital rooms. I was part of a group of people in Nipawin who were questioning the health district about their decision to remove Bibles from our hospital rooms. Even in Tisdale, I felt compelled to respond to a letter to the editor that complained that a minister mentioned Christ in a Remembrance Day Ceremony.[5] I, myself, have been instructed in situations (not in this province) to not mention Christ’s name at various public venues. What will we do in this province as more and more people challenge our responsibility to share our faith?

The enemy is at our gate as much as he is was at the gates of Abraham’s promised land. The enemy is at our gates as much as he was at King Ahaz’s gate. Isaiah 7:9b: “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’” Israel failed to stand firm here and Israel fell first and Judah later fell. If we fail to stand firm, we too will fall. And there is proof of this…and this proof –as weird as it sounds- is the good news.

The proof that we’ll stand is that “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Isaiah 9:6-7: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end…”

This is exciting! Now a number of brilliant theologians and scholars have come up with many different ideas as to who this person, who this child might be. They also concentrate on who this virgin might be. The five main theories are as follows:
1. The mother is a royal: maybe even the queen, and so the child is a prince, perhaps even the Grown Prince, Hezekiah (J. Lindblom, A Study on the Immanuel Section in Isaiah 7:1-9:6 [Lund: Gleerup, 1958], p. 41).
2. The mother is Isaiah's wife, and so the child is one of Isaiah’s sons (Clements, Isaiah 1-39).
3. The prophecy does not refer to a specific mother but rather to mothers in general giving their children names symbolizing their hope in God (cf. 1 Sam 4:19-22) (O. Kaiser).
4. More likely: the mother is a member of the Royal family whose child's name would symbolize the presence of God with his people foreshadowing the Messiah, Jesus, God incarnate. (J.A. Alexander).
5. Most likely: the mother is simply and straightforwardly the Virgin Mary and the child is Jesus Christ himself (cf. Matt 1:22-23). (Young, Book of Isaiah.).[6]

This last explanation makes the most sense. Raymond C. Ortlund Jr., notes that:

“Although some claim that the word translated virgin (Hb. ‘almah) refers generally to a “young woman,” it actually refers specifically to a “maiden”—that is, to a young woman who is unmarried and sexually chaste, and thus has virginity as one of her characteristics (see Gen. 24:16, 43; Ex. 2:8, “girl”). Thus when the Septuagint translators, 200 years before the birth of Christ, rendered ‘almah here with Greek parthenos (a specific term for “virgin”) they rightly perceived the meaning of the Hebrew term; and when Matthew applied this prophecy to the virgin birth of Christ (see Matt. 1:23), it was in accord with this well-established understanding of parthenos (“virgin”) as used in the Septuagint and in other Greek writers.”[7]

To make a long story short: the Bible is right; the gospels are right. Just like the proof that Moses would deliver the people from Egypt was that he would worship the Lord on Mt. Horeb (Sinai) AFTER he had finished what he was supposed to do (Exodus 3:11-12); just like the sign that God was making a covenant with Abraham that his offspring were going to inherit the promised land was that Abraham’s descendants would be enslaved for 400 years AFTER Abraham was dead (Genesis 15:13-15); so too the proof here that God will deliver Judah from the Assyrians is that 300+ years AFTER he does so another king will deliver the Jews and the Gentiles alike (Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:26-38, 2:1-40). Another king, the King of Kings and the Prince of Peace, the Wonderful Counsellor and the Everlasting Father and Mighty God himself will be born (Isaiah 9:6,7).

This is the good news because this sign is not simply a sign it is also the salvation of the whole world. Isaiah tells us that “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all’”(Isaiah 7:9). But if we do stand firm in our faith we will experience God’s promised salvation. In Genesis 12:3 God tells us that all the nations of the world will be blessed through Abraham. 2 Samuel 7 records that there will be a king of the royal line who will rule forever. Luke 2 heralds the birth of the Son of God who is the saviour of the whole world of which John 3:16 (cf. Matthew 3:9, Luke 3:8, John 8, Romans 11) tells us that God loved so much that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but will instead be saved forever. Paul tells us in Romans 3:3,4 that God is faithful to all of His promises. Even when we are faithless God is faithful and He has now delivered us from our enemies. Between the cross and the grave, between the death and the resurrection, Jesus, the Prince of Peace defeated sin and death. God through Jesus has provided for the salvation of the whole world and He desires that not one shall be lost (See Matthew 18:11, Luke 19:10; John 17:12). God has already won the war. All we need to do is stand firm in our faith and we will reap the benefits. God has already saved us. All we have to do is not reject that salvation that is here waiting for us.

As Christ has already won the victory, I urge us all – brothers and sisters – to remain loyal, to fight the good fight; do not give up and so forfeit the crown that Christ has already purchased for us at such a great personal expense to himself (See 1 Corinthians 9:25; 2Timothy 2:5; James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4; Revelation 2:12, 3:11). Let us go from here today renewed in our faith and our resolve to serve the Lord for always and forever in Jesus’ name. For unto us a son is given, for unto us a child is born so there is no need for anyone to perish. Therefore let us all stand firm in our faith because the Lord promises that indeed if we do stand firm in our faith we will not fall.

Let us pray.

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[1] Cf. John D.W. Watts, Isaiah 1-33, (WBC24: Waco, Texas: Word Books), 78-79. Edom and Philistia were also involved in harassing Judah (2 Kings 16:6, 2 Chronicles 28:17-18)
[2] Geoffrey W. Grogan, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Isaiah/Exposition of Isaiah/I. Oracles Concerning Judah and Jerusalem (1:1-12:6)/I. The Sign of Shear-Jashub (7:1-9), Book Version: 4.0.2 : It is clear from 2 Kings 15:37 that the alliance of the two northern kings against Judah began before Jotham died. Cf. Christopher R. Seitz, Isaiah 1-39 (Interpretation: Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press, 1993), 75-76.
[3] Christopher R. Seitz, Isaiah 1-39 (Interpretation: Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press, 1993), 65-67.
[4] John D.W. Watts, Isaiah 1-33, (WBC24: Waco, Texas: Word Books), 79. Aram becomes an Assyrian province in 734 BCE. Israel becomes a province in 721 BCE.
[5] Read the letter on-line at: http://www.sheepspeak.com/Not%20an%20atheistic%20society.htm
[6] Geoffrey W. Grogan, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Isaiah/Exposition of Isaiah/I. Oracles Concerning Judah and Jerusalem (1:1-12:6)/J. The Sign of Immanuel (7:10-25), Book Version: 4.0.2
[7] Raymond C. Ortlund Jr., Note on Isaiah 7:14 in ESV Study Bible. (Crossway Bibles: Wheaton, Illinois: 2007), page 1254. Available on-line: http://www.esvstudybible.org/search?q=Isaiah+7