ISAIAH 7-82007 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Isaiah 7-8

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2007. But this evening we're in Isaiah chapter 7.

Continuing on in our study of the book of Isaiah, and starting in chapter 7 now, we're dealing with a new set of prophecies that Isaiah is bringing forth to the nation of Judah. Chapters 7 through 12, he's bringing forth these prophecies of deliverance.

somewhat of judgment upon the surrounding nations, but God's promise to deliver and continue to support and protect the nation of Judah, the southern kingdom of the nation of Israel. And so as we begin this, we're beginning kind of a new section, a new timeline, really, in the book of Isaiah. And so I wanted to run through some quick information for you, some background information, that you might have an idea of the context behind

of what we're talking about. First of all, please look at verse 1 of Isaiah chapter 7, and it says, "...now it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but could not prevail against it."

And so I want to just give some background on who these men are that we're talking about and what's going on with the nation of Israel. So if they could put on the screen, there we go. This is the chronology of the kings of Israel and Judah. If you remember, the nation of Israel was at one time united. It was one nation under King Saul, under King David, as well as King Solomon, but the

After Solomon, his son, the kingdom split and so it was divided into the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom. The northern kingdom was called the kingdom of Israel and this is part of their kingdom here, the

kings that they had which were all bad from the beginning none of them followed the Lord and then the bottom bar here is the kingdom of Judah or the southern kingdom and the kings that they had now this is just a few of the kings there's more on either side uh

They had some more kings before and after. But this is the middle of really the kingdom of Judah and the time that Isaiah ministered. And so you could see the blue box there. And he ministered under the reigns of these kings, under the king Azariah, also known as Uzziah. You probably are familiar with him from chapter 6.

and Jotham. Ahaz is who we're talking about today in chapter 7 verse 1. It talks about being in the days of Ahaz. And so it was during his reign that these prophecies that we're reading about were written and taking place and delivered to the nation.

Well, during Ahaz's reign, up here on the top, we have the kingdom of Israel who is coming against Judah to conquer them. And we're looking at this guy named Pekah or Pekah. And his reign was right in here. So he overlaps a little bit the reign of Ahaz. And it was during Pekah's reign that he is coming against the nation of Judah along with the nation of Syria. If you could skip to the next slide, please.

We have a picture here, a map of the two kingdoms. So this lighter area that I'm pointing at here, this is all the nation of Israel, the northern kingdom that has been divided. This green, darker section here is the kingdom of Judah. This is where Jerusalem was, the temple was. This is where Isaiah was ministering. And this is where God was continuing to work with his people.

And so we have this division. And then this guy up here, Aram, is another name for Syria. So Syria was another nation up here, just north of Israel. And then the kingdom of Israel, both of these two guys were coming against the nation of Judah, trying to conquer the nation of Judah and set up a new king.

They were unsuccessful and they were not able to do it. And we'll look at that here in chapter 7. And what God promises is that those two nations that are coming against Judah will be conquered by another nation, which is really becoming a world power as we are reading these things. And so if you can look on the next slide here.

Here is the nation of Assyria. Now it's a little bit different scale, so let me get you orientated real quick. Here is this little section here in the middle. That is the nation of Judah that we're looking at before, that green section. So that's where Jerusalem is. That's where the kings are. This is where Isaiah is ministering. But you'll notice the kingdom of Assyria conquered all of this area here, which is northern Israel, and

Assyria

Those other two nations are conquered, and yet Judah remains. God protects Judah from completely being destroyed by the kingdom of Assyria. And so you see the huge range of their kingdom. And then right, kind of funny, you know, right in the middle, there's this little pocket that they were not able to conquer, which is the nation of Judah under the protection of God.

And so that's a little bit of background so you can have an idea and understanding of what is taking place while Isaiah is writing these things to the nations. And so let's continue on reading through the book of Isaiah chapter 7. And let's look at verses 2 through 4. It says this, And it was told to the house of David, saying, Serious forces are deployed in Ephraim.

So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind. Then the Lord said to Isaiah, Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Sher Jashub, your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool on the highway to the fuller's field. And say to him, Take heed and be quiet.

Do not fear or be faint-hearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands for the fierce anger of Rezan and Syria and the son of Remaliah. Here we have God sending Isaiah to a king who's under attack. This is King Ahaz, who is the king there in Judah at the time.

Now, King Ahaz was not a good king. 2 Chronicles 28 says,

2 Chronicles 28 deals with his reign and the things that take place. In fact, you can read a little bit more about this situation that they're facing. But it tells us in verse 1 that he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord. He was not a good king. He didn't lead the people towards God and in the worship of God. Instead, he led them away from God. So we have Ahaz, who is the king of Judah...

And then we have these other two kings that are coming against him. Rezin is the king of Syria, which is there just north of the northern kingdom or the kingdom of Israel. And he's coming against Ahaz. And then we have Pekah, and he is the king of Israel, which is also referred to as Ephraim in these prophecies. Ephraim is that northern area, the northern kingdom, the kingdom of Israel.

So these two kings are coming against Ahaz, but it says that they could not prevail against it in verse 1. They tried, they were powerful, they gathered together, they joined forces, but they could not prevail against Judah.

Now Judah will be conquered eventually, not by these two guys, not by the Assyrian army, but by the Babylonian army about 150 years after this or 100 years after this. But these kingdoms fail in their attempts.

However, during all of this, these attacks from these two kings of Syria and Israel, and then the attacks that will take place after that with the kingdom of Assyria,

have a devastating blow on the nation of Judah. They're not completely conquered or wiped out, but they are dramatically affected by these battles. And the reason it tells us in 2 Chronicles 28 verse 19, it tells us that Judah was brought low

God brought Judah low because of this king Ahaz, because he encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the Lord. This king Ahaz, king of Judah,

He was unfaithful to God. He encouraged moral decline. He helped people turn away from God's principles, and he led the people away from God. And as a result, Judah, the nation, is affected by this man's influence upon the nation.

And the nation is brought low. And there's much devastation that takes place as a result of his unfaithfulness to the Lord. And then as these guys attack, it even goes on to tell us in 2 Chronicles 28, that he became increasingly unfaithful. As more and more kept happening, and as they were brought low, and they experienced more devastation, he ran even further from the ways of the Lord. We find in verse 2...

Going back to the beginning, they get the bad news. The word is out. Syria is joining forces with Israel. They're getting ready to attack. Hey, serious forces are there in Ephraim, right there on the border, and they're about to attack. And it says that they get freaked out at this point. It says that his heart and the heart of the people, I like the imagery he gives us here, the

Their hearts were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind. And so if you've ever seen a strong wind come through, the Santa Ana's come and you see the palm trees bending over and the branches being thrown everywhere. That's the idea here of what's taking place. Their hearts were just completely taken aback. They were bending over. They were knocked over with this devastating news that these guys were joining forces against them.

It was a difficult time for them. And what I love about this portion of Scripture is that we can see here, God knows your heart and He knows my heart. He knows our struggles and where we are. And when our hearts are moved, as trees of the woods are moved with the wind. When those powerful forces come through and knock us over and catch us off guard. When our hearts are moved, God knows everything.

These guys had good reason to be freaked out. Again, 2 Chronicles 28, giving this story more completely, tells us that they were actually able to conquer some of the cities. They were able to knock down walls and take captives, and many were taken captive by Syria and Israel during this battle. They weren't conquered, but they experienced devastation and they were taken captive as a result.

So they had good reason to be freaked out when they heard this news. But God knew what was going on and he was in control. This evening, I want to share and make this a little bit more personal for us because we face those times in our lives. We have good reason to be freaked out.

And maybe you're in one of those situations right now that, man, you have good reason to be freaked out because there's all of these things stacked against you or these other areas that, you know, the people around you, they're combining forces, you know, the creditors are joining together and coming against you or this situation and that situation and this other thing is going on and it's all attacking you at once and there's good reason to be freaked out.

But know and be assured that God knows your heart, and He knows the struggle, and He knows what is going on. Not only that, but we find from this portion of Scripture that God knows exactly where you are. Not only does He know what's going on, and He knows the state of your heart, but He knows exactly where you are. In Isaiah chapter 7 verse 3, as we're reading here, we find that

Isaiah is the first one with the map quest directions. God tells him, okay, go here, turn left there, go over there, okay, past the fuller's field right there on the road, that's where you're going to find Ahaz. He gives him specific turn-by-turn directions, probably with little pictures as well, so that he could find Ahaz and deliver the message that God wanted to deliver.

So God knows your heart and he knows your struggle. He knows exactly where you are and he desires to speak to you. As we see, he sends Isaiah with a message in verse 4. He tells Isaiah, hey, take your son, go meet Ahaz and bring this message. The message is essentially, hey, calm down. Don't fear. Don't be freaked out. I'm in control.

His son's name, Sher Jashub, this is the son of Isaiah, it means a remnant shall return.

We've talked about the remnant before. The remnant is that group of people that God always preserves. There's always a remnant, those who are faithful to God and those whom God protects and He will not allow them to be completely wiped out. It's His covenant with the nation of Israel. It's His promise. They will not be wiped out. There will always be a remnant. And so He takes His son to Ahaz. Ahaz.

God has placed this in your life as a testimony to you that the remnant shall return. You're not going to be completely wiped out. The kingdom is not going to be completely abolished. There will be a remnant. God will preserve those who are faithful to Him. So calm down. Do not fear. Don't be freaked out. But trust in the Lord. And in the same way, whatever you and I go through, the message is the same to us.

Hey, be calm. Don't fear. But trust in the Lord with all of your heart. He will preserve and protect those who are faithful to Him. It's the message that Jesus brought to us in Matthew chapter 6. Teaching us not to worry or be anxious. Don't worry about what you're going to eat and the clothes you're going to wear. Don't worry about those things. I'll take care of those things. I know that you need those things. Instead, you seek first the kingdom of God. Don't worry. Don't be anxious. Don't get freaked out.

Just seek me first and I'll take care of all those things. Paul also shared this in Philippians chapter 4, verses 6 and 7. Very familiar scriptures for us. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

What we need to do is seek Him first. We need to be anxious for nothing, but present everything to Him with prayers and supplication. We need to trust in the Lord, whatever you're facing and whatever you're going through. The message is the same to us. Hey, be calm. Don't fear, but trust in the Lord. Going on in verses 5 through 9.

Isaiah is still delivering the message of God to Ahaz, and he says, "...because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, Let us go up against Judah and trouble it. Let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabor."

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 Rezan. Within 65 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."

That's worth reading again. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established. God sends this message to Ahaz. Hey, be calm. Don't get freaked out just because these guys have plotted evil against you. They had reason to be freaked out. There was a powerful force coming against them. But God says, don't. But Lord, they've plotted evil against us.

Don't freak out. Now this is really the important point in chapters 7 and 8 of the book of Isaiah. God is saying, look, don't get all bent out of shape and freaked out when others plot and plan. Don't fear man or what man can do. Instead, fear God. There needs to be the fear of God in our hearts. The plan of the people coming against Judah was to break down their walls.

To set up a new king. Nobody knows anything really about this man who they wanted to make king, but they wanted to overthrow the government there in Judah, set up their own king, and have a nice new kingdom under new leadership. But again, God is on the throne. He's in control. And so God says, uh-uh, oh no you don't.

You can't do that. I'm not going to allow you. He says in verse 7 there, It shall not stand, nor shall it come to pass. It's not going to happen. It's not going to take place. You have this plan, and you think it's going to work out perfectly, and you've got the numbers for it, and you've got it all figured out, but it's not going to happen. Why? Look, who's on the throne? God is on the throne. He is in control. No matter how much...

Man plots and plans, no matter how much they scheme and connive, no matter how big the army, no matter how big the campaign, no matter how hard they try, you cannot overthrow the plans and the purposes of God. And so God says, this is their plan, this is their plot, but don't freak out, be calm, because it's not going to be successful.

There will be devastation. There will be effects upon you because of these battles. Because Ahaz is a bad king. Because he encourages moral decline. But even though he's in the midst of that rebellion against God, God is protecting the nation from that destruction that they desire to bring. Instead, God says...

Not you, Judah, but those guys will be broken. In verse 8, he says, Ephraim will be broken within 65 years. Ephraim is the nation of Israel, the northern kingdom. So the nation of Israel is going to be destroyed and wiped out. Prophetically, he says, within 65 years. Was it fulfilled? Absolutely.

In 722 BC, Israel was conquered by the Assyrian army. And throughout the years following, the people that were there in the northern kingdom were dispersed, were taken out of their land by the northern kingdom, sorry, by Assyria. They were taken out of the northern kingdom and taken through different parts of the Assyrian empire. The nation was completely emptied and destroyed, just like God promised.

They're plotting, they're planning, but it's them who will be destroyed and not Judah. But he tells him in verse 10, if you will not believe, surely you shall not be established. God says, this is what I'm going to do. This is what's going to happen. But for you, here's what you need to know. You need to believe. Hey, if you don't believe, you're not going to be established.

if you don't get right with God, you're not going to be established. I'm going to take care of these guys. Don't worry and be freaked out about them. But what you need to worry and be concerned about is where do you stand with me? Because if you don't believe me, you will not be established and you will face the same judgment and destruction.

God is pronouncing the futility of the plans of those other nations. But then he asked the nation of Judah, do you believe me? Will you believe my word? Will you trust me? And when we go through those times, when we face threatening situations, we need to remember we have the future laid out before us. Just like Judah knew what was going to happen to those nations because God had told them,

We know what's going to happen. We know what this world is coming to. We know where we will spend eternity. At least I hope you know where you will spend eternity. We know who is on the throne. And so the important thing for us is not to be freaked out and concerned and stressed over all the plans and plots and what might happen or what might not. But what we need to be concerned about is believing, seeking first the kingdom of God, knowing that all this will be added unto us.

If you will not believe, you will not be established. And God wants to help Ahaz believe. And so he offers to give him a sign, to show him proof of what he is saying. In verse 10, it goes on to say, Moreover, the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God. Ask it either in the depth or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord.

Then he said, Here now, O house of David, is it a small thing for you to weary men? But will you weary my God also? Here, God offers to give him a sign. I'm sure there's many of you who could relate. You know, there's those times where you wish God would make this offer to you. You know, there's that situation you're facing and you want confirmation and

You want God to say, hey, just, you know, you want me to show you a sign? Yes, show me a sign. Write my name in the stars or, you know, do something so that I know that this is what you want me to do or that I know that what you said will come to pass. God doesn't always do that. But here in this case, with King Ahaz, he says, I want to show you a sign. I want to give you proof that what I'm saying is the truth and it's going to happen. You know, there's the practice, we call it putting out the fleece.

From the story of Gideon, who put out the fleece before the Lord, and if the fleece is dry, but all the ground is wet with dew, then Lord, I'll know. And then that wasn't enough, and so he puts it out again. Okay, if the fleece is wet, and the whole ground is dry, then Lord, I'll know that this is really you.

And there's a lot of discussion that we could have and we could go back and forth. You know, is it right? When we feel like God's putting something on our heart, is it right to ask for a fleece or not? You know, is it wrong to do that? But here in this case, we can understand this. Hey, if God tells you to ask for a sign, ask for a sign. It's something he wants you to do. He wanted to give this sign to Ahaz, but Ahaz refuses. Now, remember, he's an evil king.

This isn't like some great act of faith. Oh, I don't need a sign. I believe God at His word. No, it's still...

and rebellion upon his heart. He is freaked out about his situation, but not freaked out enough to deal with his heart before the Lord. It's not enough for him to get right with God. See, if God gives him a sign, if he asks for a sign and God gives him a sign, then he has to understand and know, hey, God is real and I need to follow him and he's the boss and I need to live life by his principles and his guidelines and he doesn't want to face that.

He doesn't want to get right with God and deal with God. And so he says, no, no, I don't want a sign. I don't want to test God. He pretends to be pious or religious, spiritual in that way. But if God tells you to ask for a sign, then ask for a sign. And so God says, I'm going to give you a sign anyways. He goes on in verse 14 and he says, therefore...

The Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel. Verse 15. Curds and honey he shall eat, that he may know how to refuse or know to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings.

The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and upon your people and your father's house days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah. Here's the sign that God gives. You don't want to ask for a sign? That's okay. I'm going to give you a sign anyway. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel.

A wonderful prophecy of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. 700 years before his birth, it's pronounced that he would be born of a virgin. Matthew quotes this verse in the first chapter of his book, talking about how the angel appeared to Joseph and quoting this verse, fulfilling and proving that Mary was indeed a virgin. She had not known a man. And Jesus said,

is called Emmanuel, which means God with us. Because Jesus, being God, became a man to come and walk this earth and die for you and I. And so the sign that God gives is a sign that will come much later in the form of the Messiah, Jesus Christ coming.

Now, there's also different opinions about whether or not God also had an immediate fulfillment that Ahaz could see. We know it talks about Jesus because the Bible tells us in Matthew chapter 1. But was there also another situation that happened there immediately that would be the proof for Ahaz of what God had said would come to pass?

The clear and ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy is in the person of Jesus Christ. But it does seem that there was an immediate fulfillment in a limited sense, not in the sense of Jesus being born of a virgin, but there being a child that was born, that before that child was of age to know between good and evil, these other two kingdoms, Syria and Israel, would be wiped out.

In the next two to three years, God is saying those kings will no longer be on the throne of those kingdoms. Now, the kingdoms will be destroyed in the next 65 years. But those particular kings that are coming against Judah, God is saying they will forsake their kingdom. They will be removed from the throne in the next couple of years.

So God is sending a message of hope and encouragement to the nation of Judah. Hey, these guys are coming against you, but they're not going to be on the throne for long. They're evil and wicked men, but they're not going to be there ruling their kingdom for very long. They are going to be removed. They're going to have other kings put in their place. And then ultimately, those kingdoms are going to be destroyed within the next 65 years.

God uses the nation of Assyria to accomplish this. But Assyria will also attack Judah.

So it's kind of like, you know, bad news and then more bad news. The good news is that these two nations are going to be conquered by this nation of Assyria. But, you know, the bad news is that same nation is going to attack you and inflict much pain and devastation upon you as well. And so he goes on now in 18 and following to talk about what's going to happen when Assyria attacks the nation of Judah.

He says in verse 18, Verse 20,

Verse 23.

It shall happen in that day that wherever there could be a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, it will be for briars and thorns with arrows and bows. Men will come there because all the land will become briars and thorns. Verse 25. And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns.

But it will become a range for oxen and a place for sheep to roam. Here God describes what it will be like when Assyria attacks Judah. They're going to conquer these other nations, so you don't need to fear them. But after them will come this nation, Assyria, that is going to bring great destruction. There will be mass poverty as a result.

First, he tells them of the humiliation that will take place in verse 20 when it's referring to the shaving of the head and the legs and the removing of the beard. It's a humiliation that takes place of being conquered and being subjected to being shaved by these other nations. It was a common practice in those days to humiliate another nation or a group of men. You would take them captive and shave them completely.

And it would be a sign of being conquered, being overcome. And so they would be humiliated as a result of Assyria's attacks. There was going to be great humiliation. There was also going to be great poverty. In verse 22, it talks about the curds and honey that everyone will eat who is left in the land. There's no crops left.

They're not going to be farmers. There's no more vineyards. Everything is wiped out. They're reduced to the bare minimum. They're just going to live off of hardly nothing. Just butter and honey. That's all they have left. They're going to barely be surviving. There's going to be much destruction in verse 24. And over and over again after that, it tells us that the land will become briars and thorns.

Wherever there was a field, it will be filled with briars and thorns. Wherever there was a vineyard, briars and thorns. Wherever there was anything good worth growing, it will all become just desolate wasteland. There's going to be great destruction. Assyria will not be able to conquer Jerusalem, but they will inflict much pain. They will bring great devastation because of Judah's rebellion against God. Let's go on in chapter 8, verses 1 through 4.

It says,

For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be taken away before the king of Assyria. Here we see one of the reasons why it seems that the prophecy of Isaiah 714 was not just of Jesus ultimately, but there was a smaller scale fulfillment of that prophecy in the birth of a child,

by Isaiah's wife. The prophetess there is a reference to Isaiah's wife. And God tells him, here's what I want you to name this child. And can you imagine him walking around with that name? Meher Shalah Hashbaz. Which means, speed the spoil fast.

Hasten the booty. In other words, hey, there's going to be a quick devastation. And hasten the booty is not anatomy, okay? I'm not talking about dancing or anything like that. I heard some snickers, so I thought I'd better explain it.

No, pirate treasure, okay? They're going to be conquered and all their treasures are going to be taken very quickly. And why very quickly? Well, before he's able to say, my father or my mother, Abba or Ame in the Hebrew, before he's able to say those things, before he's able to say Jesus, as Gene shared with us, both Syria and Israel will be conquered by the nation of Assyria. Within the next couple of years, it's going to happen.

He refers to Damascus because it's the capital of Syria. And he refers to Samaria because it's the capital of Israel. So this child will be born. God says, take these two priests. They're a witness. This is what's going to happen. You're going to name him. Hey, the destruction is going to be quick because in the next couple of years, they're going to be wiped out. Look at verse 5.

The Lord also spoke to me again, saying, Inasmuch as these people refuse the waters of Shiloah that flow softly and rejoice in Rezin and in Remaliah's son, now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up over them the waters of the river, strong and mighty, the king of Assyria and all his glory. He will go up over all his channels and go over all his banks."

He will pass through Judah. He will overflow and pass over. He will reach up to the neck and the stretching out of his wings will fill the breadth of your land. Oh, Emmanuel. Again, a reference to this son that would be born, that would see this destruction before he was able to know right from wrong or be able to say, my father, my mother. And he uses now the imagery of

He had used the imagery of the wind coming before, but now he uses the imagery of a peaceful water or a rushing water. The peaceful water he refers to in the pool or Shiloh, the waters of Shiloh, which was a pool that was right there in Jerusalem. The pool of Siloam, it's referred to as in the Greek. You can see a reference to that in John chapter 9, where Jesus is ministering.

So there's in the city of Jerusalem, this pool, this calm water. And God is essentially saying this. Look, if you do things my way, if you will be obedient to me, there will be this calm and peaceful water. There'll be this peace that I bring that comes from following me and walking in my ways.

But since the people were not willing to have this refreshing and calm and peaceful water, instead they're going to get the rushing torrent. They're going to get the tidal wave of Assyria. The river that overflows its banks, that will flood and just completely wipe out the nation. The surrounding nations will be completely swept away.

And he describes the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah. The water is going to come up to their necks. They're almost going to be conquered. They're going to be reduced and brought very low as a result of this nation coming. God is here. He's bringing judgment upon the people. It says the people refused judgment.

The people refuse God's ways. It's not just against the leaders that God is bringing judgment, but the people chose to follow those ungodly leaders rather than God. The people have no excuse, just as you and I have no excuse. We cannot blame bad leaders or hypocrites or anyone else for where we stand with God. You will reap what you sow, Galatians 6, 7 and 8 tells us.

And if you sow to the flesh, you will reap the overflowing river of corruption. You'll be completely flooded, just as the nations around Judah were flooded, as they chose to rebel against God. Remember on the slide, remember there's that tiny little bit of area that was not conquered by Assyria? Everything else was wiped out and swept away because they chose to not follow the ways of God and be obedient to Him. Look at verse 9 and 10.

He says, And again, He tells the people,

upon whom this judgment is coming. Go ahead. Get ready. Prepare yourself. Go ahead. Do the best you can. Put up the best defenses you can think of. Come up with the best schemes and the best ways to get out of this. But you cannot fight against God. Go ahead. Gird yourself. Prepare yourself. Get ready for battle. Counsel together and come up with a good plan. But it will come to nothing because you cannot escape God's purposes and plans. You cannot escape His judgment. You cannot defeat Him.

The plan of God. You can try and you can rebel and you can try to beat God. And if that's the state of your heart, go ahead, plan. Try to beat God. Try to plan how you can continue to live in sin or live contrary to His ways. Try to beat God. Go ahead. But it will fail. It will come to nothing. Plan and plot how you will escape His laws and how you can make His principles and regulations in His Word not apply to you. Go ahead. Do your best. It will come to nothing.

In the end, you will reap what you sow. But the real question is, why fight God and be miserable? Why ask for that rushing torrent? Why not get the peaceful waters and get right with God? Why not just surrender to him and find the fulfillment that you are looking for? Isaiah begins now to share what God has spoken to him personally in verse 11. He says, For the Lord spoke thus to me with a strong hand and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,

Do not say a conspiracy concerning all that this people call a conspiracy. Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hollow. Let Him be your fear and let Him be your dread. He will be as a sanctuary.

but a stone of stumbling and rock of offense to both the houses of Israel as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble. They shall fall and be broken, be snared and taken.

Isaiah is sharing what God has spoken to him personally and God has said to him, don't be like everyone else. Caught up in all the conspiracy theories, worrying about who is saying what and the threats that the surrounding nations are making and all the things that could potentially happen and all the struggles and strife politically. He says, instead, don't be like that. Instead, fear God. Hallow Him. Put Him first.

Isaiah, don't fear man, God says. Don't fear his plans and plots. Don't fear his politics or those who make all of these threats. Instead, fear God and he will be a sanctuary to you. He will shelter you. He will speak to you. He will protect you. But for everyone else, he will be a stumbling block.

For those who run to him, he'll be a sanctuary. But if you choose to be outside of his plan, if you choose to be outside of his purposes for you and your life, then instead of being a sanctuary to you, he will be a stumbling block to you. First Peter chapter two talks about this as well. Tells us that to you who believe he Jesus Christ is precious. But to those who are disobedient, he is a stumbling stone and a rock of offense.

He will be one of those things to you. Either Jesus will be precious to you and you'll be obedient to him and walk with him and have a relationship with him or he will be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense because you refuse to be obedient to him because you run away from him and you choose the waters, the rushing wave of judgment instead of the peaceful pool of Shiloh.

Wherever you're at, whatever is going on in your life, God knows your heart and he knows your struggle. He knows exactly where you are and he desires to speak to you. Run to him. He is your sanctuary. Don't stumble over him, but run to him. Don't be freaked out about life and the threats and the problems, but run to him and trust in him and have relationship with God.

Going on, verses 16 through 18, he says,

Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me. We are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts who dwells in Mount Zion. Isaiah presents himself and says, Here we are. Me and my family, we're for signs. You know, God's named my children appropriately that you would know what he wants to say to you. We present ourselves to you as a sign. And Isaiah shares with him, As a sign for you guys, here's what we're going to do, Isaiah says. As for me, I will hope in the Lord.

I'm going to trust in him. I'm not going to be freaked out by these other nations. I'm not going to be freaked out by all these things. I'm going to trust in the Lord. Isaiah takes his own advice. He runs to the Lord to be his sanctuary. He doesn't stumble over the things of God, but he runs to and embraces God. And he says, I'm the example for you.

Going on, verses 19 and 20, he says, And when they say to you, Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter, Should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony, if they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Those around you, as all these threats are coming, as these problems are taking place, they're going to say to you, hey, you know what you need to do? You need to seek the mediums. Those who consult dead spirits. And you need to seek the psychic network and call this hotline and find out what they say.

You need to find out what my grandma says because she has a lot of wisdom. Or you need to listen to my favorite talk show host. They really know what they're talking about. They have all the answers. And there's going to be all this advice that you're given and all these people that others want you to listen to. And Isaiah says, in that day, when they say those things...

Verse 20 is absolutely crucial. It's one of the best verses in the Bible. Highlight it, underline it, print it out and post it on your walls, whatever you need to do. To the law and to the testimony, if they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. When all those other people are offering advice, when everybody's bringing counsel and they're saying what you should do and what you shouldn't do and so and so said, go back to the word of God. This is the standard.

Based upon this, determine what God desires for you and the course He wants you to take. We need to take this verse literally. And we need to take every bit of advice and everything we hear in our whole life and live it according to this verse. Going back to the Word of God. Hey, if those people don't speak according to the Word, there's no light in them. Nothing worth receiving. Don't even bother. Don't waste your time.

Isaiah tells the nation of Israel, Hey, we're going to hope and trust in the Lord. And all these people are going to tell you you need to worship these gods or consult these people or freak out and run to these areas. But I'm telling you, look to the word of God. Trust in the Lord. Finally, verses 21 and 22 says,

He says, Here's the contrast. You can pick the peaceful pool of Shiloh, or you can pick the raging judgment of Assyria. You can pick God's word,

to the law and to the testimony. Or you can pick all of these other avenues of advice and counsel and hope and all these different answers. But those who choose not to base their life upon the Word of God, not to live obedient to the Word of God, He says they will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry. It's going to be difficult.

Those who run to God, they find sanctuary. You don't have to stumble over him. Embrace him. Run to him. Don't be freaked out by life's threats and problems. Run to the Lord. Trust in him. He knows your heart. He knows exactly where you are. He desires to speak to you and protect you and be your sanctuary. Those who run to him will find sanctuary. But those who do not...

Those who disregard the word of God. Those who do not live according to his ways. Those who turn from him. They will be hard pressed and hungry. And if things get difficult, they will become enraged. And they'll be enraged against the Lord. They'll be enraged against society. They'll be enraged against everything. Everywhere they look, they'll see trouble and darkness and gloom and anguish. Which life would you rather have? The peaceful pool or the turbulent waters?

God offers to you sanctuary. He offers to the nation of Judah here, sanctuary. Calling them back to His word. Again, calling them back to holiness. Get right with God, He says. And in the same, He calls us to get right with God. And I don't know where you're at this evening. I don't know what's going on in your life. And if there's struggles and threats and difficulties, much like Judah that had these nations coming against them.

But we need to trust in the Lord. We need to go back to His ways. We need to run to Him. Understand whatever you're going through, God knows. He knows what's going on in your heart. And you're not here by accident. He knows exactly where you are. He didn't give us MapQuest directions to you. He gave you MapQuest directions to this place this evening. Because He loves you and He wants to speak to you. And He's calling you and He says, come to Me.

Get right with me. I offer to you sanctuary and peace, fulfillment that you're really looking for. Come to me. Run to me. And I'll be your sanctuary. I'll protect you. I'll satisfy you. But if you turn, if you disregard the word of God, expect the turbulent waters. Expect the judgment because you will reap what you sow. So let's sow to the spirit. Let's draw closer to Jesus Christ.

and develop our relationship with Him. Amen? Let's pray. Heavenly Father, God, I thank You for Your Word. It speaks so powerfully, Lord. Thousands of years ago, You shared these words with a nation that was deeply troubled, shaken completely to the core, with overwhelming forces against them and difficulties in their lives. And God, we can relate. Lord, there's been those times in our lives

And many here face those times even now. The overwhelming battles that are about to take place. God, I pray that you would help us to run to you and trust in you. Lord, not looking to our own strength and our own devices and our own plans. But Lord, may we really trust in you. Knowing that you are on the throne. Believing you at your word that you work all things together for good. Help us, Lord, to trust in you. And God, I pray if there's any who are like the surrounding nations.

Lord, you brought your word against the people who refuse to receive you and your ways and your word. God, I pray that you would reach out and minister to those who are in that state. Lord, that they would turn. That you wouldn't be a rock of stumbling for them. But Lord, that you would be a sanctuary as they turn to you. God, may we look to your word, to the law and to the testimony. May it be a standard for our lives. The rule that we live by.

as we enjoy sweet and personal intimate relationship with you, as you share your heart with us, and as we draw close to you. We thank you, God, for your goodness, for your grace, for your mercy, for your protection, for your great love with which you have loved us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.