FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Scripture Reference: Matthew 1:18-25

Ahaz and Immanuel – Continued

From last lesson: God had offered Ahaz a gentle deliverance, but Ahaz wanted a mighty warrior. Now, God says, Ahaz would find one. The mighty army of Assyria would come and sweep away the invaders. But the army of Assyria would be hard to control. It would be like a flood, bursting its banks. That army “will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel” (Isaiah 8:7-8).

When we hear “Immanuel” again it seems like a poor fit for the passage. At first we do not grasp Isaiah’s meaning. Clearly, this use of “Immanuel” has no direct connection with the birth of a child then or with the birth of Jesus later on. Yet in context the sense becomes clear: God is with Ahaz, whether he likes it or not. Ahaz has rejected the Lord’s deliverance. He has said, “I want no dealings with God. I want to work with the king of Assyria.” In essence, the Lord replied, “Go ahead and work with the king of Assyria. Afterward he will work you over. Once his army comes your way, it will sweep over your land and do as it pleases. After that happens, you will know that I am Immanuel and you still must deal with me.” That is, if Ahaz refuses the gift of God because he does not want “Immanuel,” because he does not want God’s presence, then he must know that God is still “Immanuel.” God offered to be with Ahaz to bless, but if Ahaz repudiates that, then God is still present, to curse. He will let Ahaz taste the folly of inviting the Assyrian army into his land.

The principle of Immanuel teaches that if we reject God’s gracious deliverance and work something out for ourselves, we may succeed in the short run. Ahaz had deliverance for a day, when Assyria drove out the small invaders. But then Assyria stayed on, making Ahaz his vassal. Like floodwaters rising neck high, Assyria came within an inch of killing Ahaz.

So it goes to this day. When we work out our own deliverance, it often seems effective for a while. But then trouble comes swirling, up to the neck. Some find deliverance by drowning their pains with alcohol or drugs. It works for a while, then comes swirling up to the neck. People seek deliverance in money and career, in bodily health and strength, in education and skills, in families, in networks of well-connected people. They all work to a degree, for a season, but none can match the eternal, gracious deliverance God offers.

The original Immanuel prophecy meant that God offers to be present to bless. But if we refuse his blessing, he is still present, to judge. The original Immanuel prophecy of Isaiah bears a radical message: God is always present, always with us, either to bless or to curse; but he is always there.

Later on, Isaiah makes this point another way. If Israel trusts in God, “he will become a sanctuary.” If not, he will be “a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling” (Isaiah 8:14). Yet Israel’s lack of faith will not permanently thwart God’s plan. Deliverance will come through Immanuel, God with us. We must trust this Immanuel.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Daniel M. Doriani, The Incarnation in the Gospels, Reformed Expository Commentary.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: Matthew 1:18-25

Ahaz and Immanuel – Continued

From last lesson: Ahaz was not a believer, yet God sent Isaiah the prophet to offer him a gracious blessing. Isaiah said, “Do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint.” The evil plan, the invasion, “shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass” (Isaiah 7:4, 7).

Since Isaiah knew Ahaz might be skeptical he added two thoughts. First, he warned: “If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all” (Isaiah 7:9). In other words “if you don’t stand firm in faith, you won’t stand at all.” Second, he offered something: “Ask a sign of the Lord your God” and he will grant it so you can be sure he will grant you this deliverance (Isaiah 7:10).

Unfortunately, Ahaz wanted no part of Isaiah or his sign. He did not believe the Lord would deliver him. Instead, he had his own plan of escape. To defeat two small powers, the northern tribes of Israel and Aram, Ahaz planned to appeal to the greatest power of the region, the king of Assyria. Ahaz, however, was unwilling to admit his plan to Isaiah, so he used a pious ploy, couched in religious jargon, to cover his rebellion. He said, “I will not ask [for a sign], and I will not put the LORD to the test” (Isaiah 7:12). How often do we, in times of doubt and uncertainty put forth our justification with phony religious jargon and a false humility? Ahaz was not being humble, but rather, devious, it was a false humility.

Now it is true that we should not test the Lord. We should not demand that he perform signs or wonders for us. We should not tell God, “Do this and do that for me and then I will believe in you” (compare Genesis 28:20-22; Exodus 17:1-7). However, God had already resolved to give Ahaz a sign, as a gift. He knew Ahaz did not believe in him, so he offered a sign as a token of his strong love. Ahaz was saying, in essence, “I want no dealings with God, no gifts, no signs. I will care for my own destiny.”

Isaiah replied that whether Ahaz wanted a sign or not, he would receive one: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Before this child knew right from wrong, the two kings attacking Ahaz would be destroyed (Isaiah 7:16). But after that, Isaiah said, God “will bring . . . the king of Assyria!” (Isaiah 7:17).

Ahaz intended to hire Assyria to fight for him, to make an alliance. He invited Assyria’s army to come and fight the invaders and then, most likely, to receive the booty from the defeated armies and a gift from Ahaz. We can imagine, therefore, that when Isaiah said Assyria would come it pleased Ahaz, initially at least. Yet, Isaiah continued, when Assyria came and delivered Ahaz, it would do so its own way. Assyria would come like a plague of flies, like bees swarming, like a raging river sweeping over the land (Isaiah 7:18-19; 8:4, 7-8).

God had offered Ahaz a gentle deliverance, but Ahaz wanted a mighty warrior. Now, God says, Ahaz would find one. The mighty army of Assyria would come and sweep away the invaders. But the army of Assyria would be hard to control. It would be like a flood, bursting its banks. That army “will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel” (Isaiah 8:7-8).

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Daniel M. Doriani, The Incarnation in the Gospels, Reformed Expository Commentary.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: Matthew 1:18-25

The Child’s Name and Mission – Continued

Three times in the gospel of Matthew we hear that Jesus is God with us: in the beginning, at its midpoint, and at the end. It is a crucial moment each time. In the beginning, we hear that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, to save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21-23).

In the middle, we hear that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, to purify his church. Jesus promises, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20). We often use this verse to find assurance that God hears when we gather for prayer, and rightly so. But in its original context, Jesus had a specific prayer in mind. In the agony of church discipline, when a Christian persists in sin and will not repent, when the leaders deal with such rebellion, Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, to preserve the purity of the church.

At the end of Matthew, Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, to expand the church. Just before he ascended into heaven, Jesus directed his disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations. It is a vast task, therefore Jesus declares, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, to empower the church to make disciples.

What a comfort to know that Jesus is God with us. In Christ, God is always with us. What a comfort when a child gets on a plane or travels to a camp or starts first grade or goes to college or moves to another continent. When we can no longer be with them, God is with them. What a comfort when we are lonely, sick, guilt-ridden, or afraid. Jesus is Immanuel, always God with us.

Ahaz and Immanuel

The story of Jesus’ conception invites us to imagine a young woman, holy and yielded to God, astonished to hear that God incarnate has entered her womb. The eternal God will grow in her womb, will be her baby. We may also imagine a young man, holy and yielded, startled to find that his betrothed wife is pregnant, not by his seed. However, he will adopt this child, the Son of God.

It is the story of a young man and a young woman, but much more it is the account of God’s action. God entered human history, declaring that he is the God with whom we have to do. Immanuel is more than a title: it is a declaration that God has entered our realm and that we must reckon with him.

There are right and wrong ways to do this. This is so important that the Lord took pains to prepare his people to recognize the weight of it. To prepare us for Immanuel, he predicted it and sent a prototype of it. The prototype of the Immanuel principle came long ago, during the reign of an evil king of Judah named Ahaz.

Early in the reign of Ahaz, two neighboring kings, Pekah king of the northern tribes of Israel and Rezin king of Aram (or Syria), invaded his land and marched toward Jerusalem, the capital city. If they succeeded, they would install a puppet king and divide his country (the southern part of Israel) between themselves. The Bible says that Ahaz and the people shook with fear (Isaiah 7:1-2).

Ahaz was not a believer, yet God sent Isaiah the prophet to offer him a gracious blessing. Isaiah said, “Do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint.” The evil plan, the invasion, “shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass” (Isaiah 7:4, 7).

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Daniel M. Doriani, The Incarnation in the Gospels, Reformed Expository Commentary.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.