Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20030803.htm

ISAIAH: GOD'S DIRECTIVE TO THOSE TROUBLED AT GOVERNMENTAL APOSTASY
Part VI: God's Salvation From Intimidating Government Forces
(Isaiah 7:1-25)
  1. Introduction
    1. Even ethical government officials are tempted at times to yield to political pressures from constituents or to other influential officials when doing what is right contrasts with the will of these parties.
    2. The prophet, Isaiah was sent by God to minister to Judah's king Ahaz who faced such intimidation to godless pressures, and we can learn from his message how to address such pressures in our era as well:
  2. God's Salvation From Intimidating Government Forces, Isaiah 7:1-25.
    1. King Ahaz faced a personally life-threatening crisis if he refused to heed godless pressures of officials:
      1. King Pekah of the Northern Kingdom of Israel had joined king Rezin of Syria to rebel against the tributes exacted by the growing dominion of Assyria.
      2. They wanted to press Ahaz of Judah into joining in their opposition to Assyria, and were minded to attack Judah, assassinate Ahaz and set up their own puppet king in his place were Ahaz to refuse to join in their league, cf. 2 Kings 16:5-8; 2 Chronicles 28:5-21 with Isaiah 7:5-6.
      3. When news of this plan came to Ahaz and the people of Judah, he and his people were terrified: they were left either (a) joining Syria and Israel to rebel against the powerful Assyrians and incur almost certain war, or (b) joining the Assyrians in opposition to the Mosaic Law (cf. Deut. 7:2) and suffering reprisals from God, Syria and Israel, or (c) just trusting in God by faith for their welfare, Isaiah 7:2!
    2. God thus sent the prophet, Isaiah to king Ahaz with a helpful plan out of Ahaz's dilemma, Isaiah 7:4-11:
      1. Through Isaiah, God urged Ahaz to stay courageous by thinking in God's way of thinking:
        1. Isaiah called upon Ahaz to be careful not to act rashly in dread apart from God's will and Word out of fear from the words of his threatening opponents in Pekah and Rezin, Isaiah 7:4a NIV, ESV.
        2. Isaiah called upon Ahaz to stay quiet, calm with God's words through Isaiah, Isa. 7:4b NIV, ESV.
        3. Isaiah urged Ahaz to avoid being afraid, Isaiah 7:4c.
        4. Isaiah told Ahaz to remain courageous through heeding Isaiah's prophetic oracle, Isaiah 7:4d.
      2. God's way of thinking included the prophetic oracle through Isaiah that Syria was headed by a mere and doomed man in Resin (7:7a-8a with 7:4), and that Israel was headed by a mere and doomed man in Pekah (7:8b-9 with 7:4), making their threat to topple Ahaz for not submitting to their plan to rebel against Assyria an empty one, Isaiah 7:5-6, 7. [In 65 years, God revealed Israel would be so shattered it would no longer be a people; this prediction was fulfilled when Assyria invaded and deported many Hebrews only to replace them with Gentiles, cf. Bible Knowledge Commentary, O.T., p. 1047.]
      3. Isaiah also claimed Ahaz should not disbelieve this oracle or he would suffer defeat as a king, 7:9b.
      4. Finally, God offered Ahaz the opportunity of asking for a supernatural sign to bolster his faith in God's prophetic oracle through Isaiah, Isaiah 7:10-11.
    3. Yet, Ahaz decided to join with Assyria instead of trusting in the Lord (implied through the prophecy of Isaiah 7:17-25). Ahaz accordingly refused to ask God for such a faith-bolstering sign, Isaiah 7:12.
    4. In grace, the Lord through Isaiah gave such a sign anyway, Isaiah 7:14-16:
      1. Isaiah predicted a virgin would have a child, but that before the child would mature, both Pekah of Israel and Rezin of Syria would be gone from power, Isaiah 7:14-16.
      2. I hold that this prediction contains a double fulfillment: (a) A virgin in Isaiah's day would wed, have a son, and the boy would be still young when Pekah and Rezin would be killed; indeed, in three years, Tiglath-Pileser II destroyed Damascus in 732 B. C., Ibid., p. 1048. (b) The prediction anticipates the virgin conception and virgin BIRTH of Christ, "God with Us," Jesus Christ, cf. Matt. 1:18-21, 22-25.
Lesson: When faced by godless, threatening pressures from government officials, the believer should (1) AVOID making RASH reactionary decisions, (2) but RATHER (a) stay calm and (b) courageous (c) and HEED SCRIPTURE for GOD'S richest blessing!

Application: Overcoming intimidating forces in government arises from HIDING in the INFINITE POWER and INSIGHT of ALMIGHTY GOD! Since God is BIGGER than government officials, we must rely upon HIM and HIS INSIGHT for the confidence and direction we need at such times!