Isaiah 7: 21-25

 

²¹ Now in that day a man may keep alive a heifer and a pair of sheep;
²² and because of the abundance of the milk produced he will eat curds, for everyone that is left within the land will eat curds and honey.
²³ And it will come about in that day, that every place where there used to be a thousand vines, valued at a thousand shekels of silver, will become briars and thorns.
²⁴ People will come there with bows and arrows because all the land will be briars and thorns. ²⁵ As for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns; but they will become a place for pasturing oxen and for sheep to trample.

In a day in America in which no issue is pricklier than the state of the economy, it is not surprising to see that it has been a hot topic since, oh, probably forever! Does God leave an imprint on a nation's economy? Today's verses closing out Isaiah, Chapter 7, certainly tell us so.

"And [because of the desolation brought on by the invaders] in that day, a man will [be so poor that he will] keep alive only a young milk cow and two sheep."

--Verse 21, Amplified Bible

Judah's primary economy in the days of Isaiah had been agricultural. Crops were grown in the lush, fertile lands. We recall "The Parable of the Vineyard" today, from Isaiah, Chapter 5, as we remember the nation's perfect conditions for the growing of grapes. A middle eastern "breadbasket," as well, if you will. But with the political and, ultimately, spiritual mistakes made by the nation, God would force a change of conditions.

"'So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard:
I will remove its hedge and it will be consumed;
I will break down its wall and it will become trampled ground. I will lay it waste....For ten acres of vineyard will yield only one bath of wine, and a homer of seed will yield but an ephah of grain.'"

--Isaiah 5: 5, 6 and 10 (excerpts)

Judah's beautiful landscape would change from vineyards and farms to "briars and thorns." (vs. 23) Vines that used to be "valued at a thousand shekels of silver"--a year's rent, says commentator Matthew Henry--would now be trampled by "pasturing oxen and...sheep." (vs. 25) And, not great "pasturization" at that! It's the dregs from the once-overflowing Starbucks' cup. The crumbs in the plastic tray of Oreos that your kids should have thrown out instead of put back in the pantry. It's not even quite back-to-basics.

That cow and two sheep per remaining household in Judah needed to meet the needs of the whole household, which could have included not only children but extended family and servants of the has-been farm. Even in these times of desperation and desolation, God provided for those remaining, allowing the animals to produce enough milk for living:

"And because of the abundance of milk that they will give, he will eat butter and curds, for [only] butter and curds and [wild] honey [no vegetables] shall everyone eat who is left in the land [these products provided from the extensive pastures and the plentiful wild flowers upon which the bees depend]."

--Verse 22, Amplified Bible

I pulled out the Amplified Bible's version because of its expansion on what these pasture lands looked like. Note the reference to "bees." Last week, we revisited that bees were common to Assyria and are metaphorically mentioned in the Bible relating to the Assyrian Empire. The bees came at God's whistle to stake out positions in the ledges, cliffs and thorn bushes (Isaiah 7:19).

"The bees constructed their honeycomb and deposited their honey in holes in the ground; under rocks or in crevices between the rocks. They do the same today.... The Syrian bee is an especially hardy type and a good honey producer. It is carried to Europe and America for breeding purposes."

--International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

In the midst of "bee-dlam," there was honey.

Besides the product, the tools for commerce also had to change with the land. The hoe (vs. 25)--more specifically, a weeding hoe or 'mattock,' as used in some translations--would be exchanged for "bows and arrows." (vs. 24) The tidy farmers had to become hunters, as there were no fields of crops to tend but plenty of wilderness upon which wild animals would graze. Matthew Henry takes the wild nature of things a step further:

"The whole land having become briers and thorns, the grounds that men used to come to with sickles and pruning-hooks to gather in the fruits they shall now come to with arrows and bows, to hunt for wild beasts in the thickets, or to defend themselves from the robbers that lurk in the bushes, seeking for prey, or to kill the serpents and venomous beasts that are hid there. This denotes a very sad change of the face of that pleasant land. But what melancholy change is there which sin will not make with a people?"

 --Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible

Always love how deep Matthew Henry makes me think! Do we see what happens when we allow the sin in our lives to take over? I know I personally understand the feeling of being in a wilderness, letting anxiety and loss of control be my "bows and arrows." Foolishness to be there, I know, especially when I have been witness to those times of joy and spiritual prosperity. Not that there won't be trouble and tough times. But do I want my heart to become as King Ahaz's--lost to asking for a sign, or accepting and trusting the Word of God for my own situation?

"And see what folly it is to set our hearts upon possessions of lands, be they ever so fruitful, ever so pleasant; if they lie ever so little neglected and uncultivated, or if they be abused by a wasteful careless heir or tenant, or the country be laid waste by war, they will soon become frightful deserts."

--Matthew Henry

"Damascus and Samaria Fall," as we open up Chapter 8 and God's Word through Isaiah is affirmed.... 'Til next Wednesday!

Photo: photoeverywhere.co.uk

* * *

Next week: Isaiah 8: 1-4

Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation,
specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB).
I will quote other sources if used in a post.
I also use Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
(with notes from the King James Version).

Isaiah 7: 10-16

 

The Child Immanuel

¹⁰ Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying,
¹¹ “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” ¹² But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”  
¹³ Then he said, “Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well?
¹⁴ Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
¹⁵ He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. ¹⁶ For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.

Been left hanging long enough, waiting for the response from Ahaz to God? The wait is over today! But, even more than the response comes a word from God "which will be for all the people." (Luke 2: 10)

In one more measure of grace to Ahaz, God says, "Ask a sign for yourself." God knows that Ahaz is scared out of his mind because Israel and Syria have plotted against him (with Assyria watching in the wings). Just because He has told him that their stand against him will not come to pass, He also clearly sees the problem with Ahaz's faith. He said, "If you will not believe, you surely shall not last." (vs. 9) And so, to help his unbelief, God offers up the opportunity for Ahaz to ask for a sign to verify all of this. Pick a sign. Any sign!

"Ahaz was a bad man, yet God is called the Lord his God [vs. 11], because he was a child of Abraham and David, and of the covenants made with them. See how gracious God is even to the evil and unthankful; Ahaz is bidden to choose his sign, as Gideon about the fleece (Jdg. 6:37); let him ask for a sign in the air, or earth, or water, for God’s power is the same in all." 

--Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible

After all of this, Ahaz goes with what classic Let's Make a Deal host, Monty Hall, would say: "Let's see what's behind Door #3, Carol Merrill?" Ahaz decides the best answer to God is not to ask nor to test. Perhaps he was remembering the trouble the Israelites got themselves into in the wilderness:

"'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah. [The place at which the Israelites, in the wilderness with Moses, questioned and quarreled over whether God was with them or not.] You should diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and His testimonies and His statutes which He has commanded you.'"

--Deuteronomy 6: 16 and 17

Of course, as you are reading the Scripture, you can see how if that was Ahaz's thinking it was terribly flawed. You put God to the test when you do not keep His commandments, testimonies and statutes, although the weariness of God in dealing with stiff-necked Israelites--and Judean kings--also tests the Lord. This results in Isaiah's words about Judah trying "the patience of my God as well." (vs. 13) Not to mention the problem with that quarreling episode from the Exodus in the first place. God was ALWAYS with them. Likewise, through His covenant, God could have been with Ahaz, too. But, Ahaz did not recognize God as "the Lord your God" nor that God gave Ahaz permission, if you will, to ask for a sign. God said it was OK. Nope. The level of rejection and rebellion at the hand of Ahaz tipped the scales.

But, and this is the noteworthy point of the day, God gives Ahaz--and all of us--a sign anyway! What?! Why? Covenant promises. Can God extend His grace to the most vile of offenders? Yes! Can He continue to work through the rejection of that grace? Absolutely! Did Hope come as a sign in the midst of unbelief? Who can do that?! Isaiah brings forth the word of the sign in verse 14: "Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel." More than 500 years after this prophecy--and long after Ahaz "slept with his fathers"--Christ, Immanuel, God with us, would be born to a virgin named Mary. And now you know the rest of the story.

OK, not quite the rest yet. But wasn't that great?! Stories like that should give us hope!

There is more to our passage today, and there is more to Chapter 7. Verse 15 speaks of the child, Immanuel, eating "curds and honey." This is notable because this was not a typical child's diet. My study resources tell me that this indicates the land was in poor condition for growing crops as a result of the post-exillic period and the takeover of the land by foreigners. This would not be a child brought up with the luxuries of a king's palace. Already, we understand something about Christ's humble origins, even before He is born, not to mention how quickly He would mature to "know to refuse evil and choose good," (vs 15) "increasing in wisdom and stature...." (from Luke 2:52)

Verse 16 looks as if to quote the end of verse 15: "...know enough to refuse evil and choose good." The NASB uses the capital 'H' in verse 15, referring to Christ, while lower case 'h' is used in verse 16 in reference to "the boy." We need to go back to verse 3 to remember who "the boy" is--Isaiah's son, Shear-jashub. This is a fancy way to indicate time, by the maturing of the Son of God and the son of His prophet. When you think about the timeframe of a boy reaching the age by which he should "know enough to refuse evil and choose good"--which, in the day, would be in the early teen years--you then figure it is not many years before Isaiah's next spoken prophecy would come about: "the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken."

[Pekah/Israel/Ephraim] "I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me;
For now, O Ephraim, you have played the harlot,
Israel has defiled itself."

--Hosea 5:3

[Rezin/Aram/Syria/Damascus] "Thus says the Lord, 
'For three transgressions of Damascus and for four
I will not revoke its punishment....
So the people of Aram will go exiled to Kir,'
Says the Lord."

--Amos 1: 3 and 5 (excerpts)

Matthew Henry ties it all up with a bow:

"This was fully accomplished; for within two or three years after this, Hoshea conspired against Pekah, and slew him (2 Kgs. 15:30), and, before that, the king of Assyria took Damascus, and slew Rezin, 2 Kgs. 16:9. Nay, there was a present event, which happened immediately, and when this child carried the prediction of in his name, which was a pledge and earnest of this future event. Shear-jashub signifies The remnant shall return, which doubtless points at the wonderful return of those 200,000 captives whom Pekah and Rezin had carried away, who were brought back, not by might or power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts. Read the story, 2 Chron. 28:8-15."

--Matthew Henry

The boy, Christ, the Messiah, will also signify that a remnant shall return, bringing the covenant promise full circle through Immanuel, God is with us. Because God is ALWAYS with us!

Since Ahaz went for "Door #3," now, the "Trials Come for Judah".... 'Til next Wednesday!

Photo: giselhoglund.com; boston.com

* * *

Next week: Isaiah 7: 17-20

Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation,
specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB).
I will quote other sources if used in a post.
I also use Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
(with notes from the King James Version).