Isaiah chapter seven tells of God’s promise to king Ahaz that God would defeat his enemies. King Ahaz was the grandson of King Uzziah and was not a good king. II Kings 16:2 says, “Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God.” However, in this particular chapter, God promised to protect Ahaz against three of his enemies, and Ahaz chose to make a right decision. Today, we will look at the setting and at God’s assurance to Ahaz and His encouragement to him not to be afraid.
Ahaz and Judah hear about their enemies and are afraid:
“1) And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. 2) And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.” (Isaiah 7:1,2)
When Ahaz and the rest of the people heard that their enemies had made a confederacy and were coming up after them, they were afraid. Their hearts were moved as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind. That is, they were so afraid that they were agitated and shaking with fear.
God Sends Word to Ahaz and Judah to tell them not to fear:
God had mercy on Ahaz and the people of Judah, and He sent Isaiah to tell them not to be afraid. “3) Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field; 4) And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. 5) Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, 6) Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal.” (Isaiah 7:3-6)
The enemies of Ahaz had conspired together to go up against Judah and make a breach and set up a different king. They wanted to take over the current government and set up their own.
The Purpose of the Enemy Shall Not Stand:
God not only told Ahaz and the people of Judah not to be afraid, He also told them why they should not be afraid. God said, “Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.” (verse seven). The plans of the enemy would come to naught. They would not stand. In fact, they would not even come to pass. Ephraim, Syria, and the son of Remaliah would not even be able to come in and set up their own king or take over with their own government. God would not allow it.
In this instance, God showed great mercy. Ahaz and Judah did not deserve mercy. Ahaz was not a righteous king, nor were the people of Judah doing the things that were right in God’s eyes. Yet, God bestowed mercy upon them. Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition gives the following as one of the definitions of mercy, “Forbearance to inflict harm under circumstances of provocation, when one has the power to inflict it; compassionate treatment of an offender or adversary; clemency.” This certainly fit God’s treatment toward Judah and king Ahaz in this case. God was merciful and showed great kindness.
God shows great undeserved mercy to us as well. He blesses us with physical and material provisions, even if we do not show our appreciation for them. Matthew 5:45 teaches that the Father in heaven “maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” When Paul was preaching on Mar’s Hill, he told the Athenians that God is not “worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.” (See Acts 17:25) Luke 6:35 teaches that God “is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.”
God showed His greatest kindness to us when He gave His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Romans 5:8 says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
“16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18)