Isaiah 7: 1-4

 Isaiah 7:1-4

War against Jerusalem

¹ Now it came about in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not conquer it. 

² When it was reported to the house of David, saying, “The Arameans have camped in Ephraim,” his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.

³ Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the fuller’s field,
⁴ and say to him, ‘Take care and be calm, have no fear and do not be fainthearted because of these two stubs of smoldering firebrands, on account of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the son of Remaliah.

It is hard to leave Chapter 6 of Isaiah, as I easily could have read something from the prophet regarding his inner thoughts on his vision. In fact, dining with Isaiah after that moment would have been an amazing and most memorable meal! But, on to Chapter 7, and the tone and topic change dramatically, as you can see from the chapter's title. Lots of people and place names, so let's explore carefully, today, with that in mind, using the map above and making connections as the Holy Spirit allows.

There are three key people mentioned in the passage, and one who is not mentioned:

Ahaz--He is the king of Judah at the time of this war against Jerusalem. But, note, he is the third king to rule during the prophecy of Isaiah. (We have jumped in time since King Uzziah's death in Chapter 6. In fact, there are no recorded prophecies from Isaiah during the reign of Uzziah's son, Jotham.) Unlike Jotham and Uzziah--Ahaz's father and grandfather, respectively--Ahaz "did not do right in the sight of the Lord" (II Chronicles 28: 1).

Rezin--He is the king of Aram, the capital of which is Damascus and which we now know as Syria.

Pekah--He is the king of Israel, which does not mean the entire nation of Israel here, but, rather, the 10 Northern tribes of Israel, (Ephraim being the largest tribe and often used as a name for Israel). His father is Remaliah.

Tilgath-pilneser (unmentioned)--He is the king of Assyria and plays a role in causing these kings to respond as they do.

Tilgath-pilneser had planned to invade Israel during Azariah's reign in Judah, but a bribe by Menahem, then king of Israel, cooled off things for awhile. The Assyrian Empire was a huge presence to both Israel and Aram, which is why both of those nations eventually formed an alliance. And, why stop at two nations against a powerhouse when you could potentially have three. So, Rezin and Pekah decide that an attack on Judah would be profitable. God, who is angered by Judah's rebellious nature, allows them victory for a time--specifically, at the close of King Jotham's reign (II Chronicles 28), before Ahaz comes to the throne. The nations are then poised to take on Jerusalem, but, at the time of Isaiah's writing, the nations are unsuccessful. (Isa. 7:1)

Judah was not in a position to withstand an attack by Tilgath-pilneser, certainly, much less the continued threats of Rezin and Pekah. This all started to weigh on Ahaz's strategic thinking. As verse 2 reports, "'The Arameans have camped in Ephraim'" his [Ahaz's] heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind." Palpable fear, at their own doing.

"They had made God their enemy, and knew not how to make him their friend, and therefore their fears tyrannised over them; while those whose consciences are kept void of offence, and whose hearts are fixed, trusting in God, need not be afraid of evil tidings; though the earth be removed, yet will not they fear; but the wicked flee at the shaking of a leaf." (Leviticus 26:36)

--Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible

Now, check out this next part: "Then the Lord said to Isaiah...." So, God is going to intervene at this time through Isaiah. Did He have to? He's got an evil king on the throne. But, catch verse 2, it is the "house of David" that is on the throne, even if the current king is evil. God intervened for the sake of His people! Isaiah is told to go with his son to meet Ahaz. Names are terribly significant in Scripture, and Isaiah's son's name is no exception: Shear-jashub, which means "a remnant shall return." Wow! Echoes what Isaiah was hearing in his vision from God--a key message of his prophecy.

Just a short note on the location for this meeting. They were to meet Ahaz "on the highway to the fuller's field." A fuller, according to the Encyclopedia of the Bible, is "one who cleans, shrinks, and thickens newly shorn wool or cloth." The cleaning process in preparing the wool or cloth was messy and stinky, apparently, so the fuller's work was done in a place outside of the city and near a source of water. [I was also wondering if Fuller, of Fuller Brush Company, had any relationship to 'fuller.' Cannot find any definitive link, but it is an interesting parallel.]

Moving on to the Lord's actual words, in verse 4, "'Take care and be calm, have no fear....'" Now, if you were the leader of a nation surrounded by challenging forces and heavy artillery, standing with a multi-king-serving prophet of the living God and his son, who carries the eternal prophecy for your people, would these not be words that would bring huge relief? Ponder that....

Finishing today's passage, the description of Rezin and Pekah is so over-the-top, you almost can't believe it's for real from God: "...these two stubs of smoldering firebrands...." Literally, a firebrand is the burnt end of a stick, and this says "stubs" of sticks. In other words, "Ahaz, these guys are not a problem. I've got this one," says the Lord.

And what does Ahaz say? [Sorry, we're just not there yet!]


More background on our "smoldering firebrands".... 'Til next Wednesday!

Photo: sareltours.com

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Next week: Isaiah 7: 5-9

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 2: 6-9

⁶ For You have abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob,
Because they are filled with influences from the east,
And they are soothsayers like the Philistines,
And they strike bargains with the children of foreigners.
⁷ Their land has also been filled with silver and gold
And there is no end to their treasures;
Their land has also been filled with horses
And there is no end to their chariots.
⁸ Their land has also been filled with idols;
They worship the work of their hands,
That which their fingers have made.
⁹ So the common man has been humbled
And the man of importance has been abased,
But do not forgive them.

The beginning of our passage today reads as though we are back in Chapter 1 of Isaiah. This is God's case against Jerusalem, and the prophet uses a favorite writing technique of mine--parallel phrasing--to emphatically get the word out.

God has abandoned His people because they are "filled with" all the wrong things:

• Influences from the east (vs 6)
• Silver and gold (vs 7)
• Horses (vs 7)
• Idols (vs 8)

Let's explore each category a bit more, because there are other details here.

Eastern influences came into Jerusalem in the form of various superstitions and cultural belief systems from places to the east of the city. That Jerusalem was considered to be "soothsayers like the Philistines" indicates that the city was also besieged from the west. The Philistines were known for their journeys into sorcery and other forms of divination. The King James Version uses 'replenished' instead of "filled with influences" which strikes an ugly note, as God's people should have been filled with His Spirit and power rather than replenished by evil influences. How appropriate that the Hebrew for soothsayer means "to cover; cloud over; to act covertly." [Strong's]

"Their country was peopled with Syrians and Chaldeans, Moabites and Ammonites, and other eastern nations, and with them they admitted the fashions and customs of those nations, and pleased themselves in the children of strangers, were fond of them, preferred their country before their own, and thought the more they conformed to them the more polite and refined they were; thus did they profane their crown and their covenant."

--Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible

The infiltration of these ideas did not only help recalibrate the spiritual and intellectual thinking of the people, but also the business/political environment of Jerusalem. "They strike bargains with the children of foreigners." The city sought out practical relationships and formed alliances with pagan nations in the hopes of maintaining, if not increasing, its status and wealth.

This dovetails with verse 7, which highlights the massive treasures held by Judah. It wasn't enough to merely have silver and gold, but the people actively sought to possess treasures. Again, bringing up my Beth Moore study of James, she mentions a Latin phrase of Ovid's indicative of the time in which James spoke to the Jerusalem church. "Amor sceleratus habendi"--This means "the accursed love of getting." You might want to consider it possessed with possessing!

"You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you."

--James 5: 5 and 6

Thankfulness for the blessings of God?! They didn't recognize God's goodness in the days following the visible presence of Jesus Christ, and neither did the Jerusalem of Isaiah's day. [Do I even have to mention today's world?] Indeed, the corrupt kings who served during Isaiah's ministry offered up their precious gifts to alien nations, seeking their protection.

 "So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, 'I am your servant and your son; come up and deliver me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.' Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent a present to the king of Assyria."

--II Kings 16:7 and 8

Verse 7 continues with references to horses and chariots. The accumulation of such items suggests having at hand tools of war. Israel had built up strongholds (walls and towers) as a means of protecting itself from invaders. Judah was taking its possessive ways into its security systems, too. God had made it clear early on that those in charge were not to amass such items but to rely fully and completely upon Him for their safety.

"Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the LORD has said to you, 'You shall never again return that way.' He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself."

--Deuteronomy 17: 16 and 17 (italics mine, 

to illustrate that earlier point one more time)

Verse 8--a biggie--the land was filled with idols. God certainly disliked that His people were working so hard to live and act self-sufficiently, trying to keep up with their neighbors. But, top that with the creation of idols, and it's like a straight slap to the face. Not that one sin is greater than another, but--and I've said this before--that "You shall have no other gods before me" is the first Commandment speaks to what is primary on the heart of God. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." The workmanship is ALL His!

"Their idols are silver and gold,
The work of man’s hands.
They have mouths, but they cannot speak;
They have eyes, but they cannot see;
They have ears, but they cannot hear;
They have noses, but they cannot smell;
They have hands, but they cannot feel;
They have feet, but they cannot walk;
They cannot make a sound with their throat.
Those who make them will become like them,
Everyone who trusts in them."

--Psalm 115: 4-8

What is left of the relationship between God and His people at this point? Who still acknowledges the presence of the Lord? Verse 9 says both "the common man" and the "man of importance" have fallen to the base of idols.

Is it any wonder the end of our passage today says: "But do not forgive them." There were so many times of past grace. What now?

"What a shame it is that great men think the service of the true God below them and will not stoop to it, and yet will humble themselves to bow down to an idol!"

--Matthew Henry

A bringing about of ultimate humility.... 'Til next Wednesday!

Photo: idlehearts.com

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Next week: Isaiah 2: 10-12

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).