Daily Devotions
Isaiah
"If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established"
Text: Isaiah 7:9
THE PLACE OF BELIEF IN GOD
Judah had by and large departed from its faith in the LORD. Many had turned to idolatry and had rejected the deep traditional beliefs of their ancestors. King Ahaz was given an opportunity to return to his faith in the LORD.
“Thus says the Lord GOD:
‘It shall not stand,
Nor shall it come to pass.
For the head of Syria is Damascus,
And the head of Damascus is Rezin.
Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken,
So that it will not be a people.
The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
And the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son.
If you will not believe,
Surely you shall not be established.'”
Isaiah 7:7-9
1. Assurance from the LORD.
a) The plans of Syria and Israel would not come to pass.
b) Their plots would come to nothing.
c) Would this word from God be heeded?
2. A brief comment about Syria.
a) God shows His knowledge of Syria.
i) Damascus was the capital.
ii) Rezin was the king.
b) This knowledge of God suggested that God was in touch
with the problems at hand.
c) But would this revelation from God be sufficient for Ahaz?
3. A brief comment about Israel.
a) Ephraim was the leading tribe of Israel.
b) The king of Israel then was Remaliah’s son.
i) The LORD refused to use his personal name (Pekah was his name).
ii) Pekah had served under King Pekahiah before assassinating the king.
iii) He installed himself as the king (2 Kings 15:23-31).
iv) He was the penultimate king of Israel.
v) He was slain by Hoshea, who became the last king of Israel (2 Kings 15:30).
c) Israel would cease to be the Northern kingdom within 65 years.
4. The challenge to believe in this word from God
a) Ahaz was urged to believe in the LORD.
b) If he continued to reject faith in God, he would never be established.