Daily Devotions
Isaiah
"And it shall come to pass in that day"
Text: Isaiah 7:18
WARNING GIVEN TO AHAZ
King Ahaz had his own ideas about how to overcome his enemies, Syria and Israel. But he was not going to trust the LORD and the word of prophecy given to him.
“And it shall come to pass in that day
That the LORD will whistle for the fly
That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt,
And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
They will come, and all of them will rest
In the desolate valleys and in the clefts of the rocks,
And on all thorns and in all pastures.
In the same day the Lord will shave with a hired razor,
With those from beyond the River, with the king of Assyria,
The head and the hair of the legs,
And will also remove the beard.”
Isaiah 7:18-20
1. The imagery of the fly and the bee.
a) The fly was used as a symbol of Egypt.
b) The bee was used to symbolize Assyria.
c) Ahaz may think that his diplomatic ties with them would help Judah
but he was wrong in his assumption.
d) The One who can control the fly and the bee would be none other than God.
e) No one else can control the activities of the fly and the bee.
2. Ahaz believed that these two greater powers would come to his assistance.
a) They would defeat Syria and Israel for him.
b) Judah would be safe from the threat of these two neighbouring nations.
c) Egypt and Assyria would indeed come to Judah but not as Ahaz had thought.
d) They would come in huge numbers and occupy:
i) The valleys
ii) The clefts of rocks
iii) In thorny patches
iv) In pasture lands
3. What would these powerful nations do?
a) Yes, they would defeat Syria and Israel.
b) But they would also humiliate Judah along the way.
4. The well-known cruelty of the Assyrians.
a) They humiliate their enemies.
b) They would also humiliate Judah (though Ahaz thinks of them as allies).
c) They would shave the men of Judah to humiliate them.
d) The figure of a barber was used to describe the way in which Assyria would humiliate Judah.