Ahaz

[Read Isaiah 7:10-17]

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”

When you climb a tree, you look up and around for good, strong boughs to hold; you want something that will support your weight. Thick branches are enticing, but you really want to look for one with green leaves, signifying that it’s healthy, and trustworthy.

At a glance, pulling Isaiah 7:12 out of context, King Ahaz of Judah looks like a solid limb. He says, “I will not put the LORD to the test.” Plus, he’s the earthly king of God’s p
eople. Sounds good and noble. Seems Christ-like, when we remember how Jesus rebuked Satan’s temptations in the wilderness with similar words.

But, Ahaz isn’t reliable at all. He’s an altar-desecrating, murderous father and an evil king with bad foreign relations policies, and his refusal to “Ask a sign of the LORD” is actually disobedient and bone-headed. He didn’t want to hear what God was planning to do, and he took matters into his own hands as he trusted himself and his earthly allies – only to find that he was grasping at dead branches, too.

To think that a guy like this could be part of Jesus’ family tree. To think that God could make use of this dead wood.

The reality is that without God’s help, Ahaz was worthless, as we all are. Without Christ, there is no life, no purpose, no hope for future glory. Without Christ, our destiny is to be forgotten amidst the rest of the kindling. But…

Christ comes as Immanuel – “God with Us” – and validates Ahaz’s place in history, and proves that God brings new shoots from dead branches. He gives us something to hold on to as we clamber for something…and Someone we can trust.

The Editors – Cory Dahl (First Baptist, Sturgeon Bay) and James Gomez (Prince of Peace Lutheran, Sturgeon Bay)


 







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