Isaiah 7: 10-16 is part of several segments embracing 7:1-20, 8:1-8, 11-18 that relate the signs for Ahaz.
Isaiah 7:10-17 has the theme of the sign of Immanuel. In II Kings 16:7-9, Ahaz chooses to rely on the intervention of the Assyrian king rather than the Lord. 10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying. Here is a phrase that seems disconnected to what has preceded it. Up to this point in the narrative, the Lord has not spoken directly to Ahaz, but only to the prophet Isaiah, who relayed the information on to Ahaz. One can see this in 7:3, as well as 8:1, 5, and 11. 11 Ask a sign of the Lord your God. The only time in the Bible when the Lord wants someone to designate a sign. Usually, the Lord simply gives a sign. God told Noah the sign of the promise God makes me to every living creature would be a rainbow (Genesis 9:12-17). Circumcision of the male is a sign of their faithfulness to their promise (Genesis 17:11). God makes the sign of divine presence with Moses and the people to be bringing the people out of Egypt and worshipping at the holy mountain (Exodus 3:12). A sign will be the memorial stones that memorialize the entry into the Promised Land. Gideon asks for a sign (Judges 6:17). The death of his two sons will be a sign to Eli of the end of his family line (I Samuel 2:34). As we can see the with Sabbath and circumcision the sign does not have to be a miracle. A sign is never an end in itself; signs always point beyond themselves to the presence of the divine. Let it be deep as Sheol, the abode of the dead righteous or unrighteous, or high as heaven. I Samuel 28:14-15 indicates that righteous find rest in Sheol and resented the living disturbing them through the medium at Endor. The psalmist prayed the wicked would be silent in Sheol (Psalm 31:17). The wisdom of God is deeper than Sheol (Job 11:8), suggesting it is in the vast depths beneath the earth. Of course, the imagery suggests that the sign can be anything Ahaz would choose. 12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. He hides behind false piety. He showed lack of trust in the ability of the Lord to defend Judah. The sign gives personal assurance in this case. The refusal of the king on the ground that he would not tempt God Isaiah regards as an expression not of faith but of an unreadiness to rely seriously on God, namely, on the message that Isaiah proclaimed to Ahaz.[1] 13 Then Isaiah said: “Hear then, O house of David! This phrase emphasizes the dynasty tradition. Is it too little for you to weary mortals, focusing upon the impact the indecision of Ahaz on human beings, that you weary my God also?[2] The promise has turned into a threat. The timidity of Ahaz has become weariness to fall upon prophet and deity. The point in the Immanuel passage is to clarify his message or to verify it. 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Is the sign the pregnancy of the woman? Is the sign the birth of the child? Is the sign the name of the child? Is the sign the diet of the child? When will the sign happen: immediately, if the sign is his name, soon if it is the birth, or several years into the future? Such ambiguities are common with signs in the Old Testament. Look, the young woman (almah, LXX translates this word with παρθένος “virgin,” which was taken up in the birth narratives of Jesus to denote his miraculous virgin birth, as in Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:2, while the Hebrew notes a young woman of marriageable age, but not necessarily a virgin, a sexually ripe young woman, maid or married.), not specified but the wife of the prophet (or one of them; cf. the birth of Isaiah’s third child by “the prophetess,” 8:3) is likely, is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. The sign is the impending birth of Isaiah’s second child, Immanuel, “El/God is with us,” with whom “the young woman” is pregnant. The name gives assurance that God is with Judah in their crisis. In the Isaiah context, there is nothing significant about the mother of the child, the child’s conception, or the child’s birth. The child’s symbolic name, Immanuel, refers to the divine promise that the Lord would put his name, or presence, in the temple erected in Zion, the Jebusite citadel captured by David and dedicated to the worship of Israel’s God. The prophet affirms that the Lord is present with and for Jerusalem. The offer of a promise has become judgment. 15 He shall eat curds and honey, referring to the first solid foods that parents would give an infant. The child will show the likes and dislikes of food. By the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. This refers to the weaning of the child, pointing to the only significance of the child. 16 For, before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, referring to the awakening of moral sense, the land before whose two kings, Rezin and Pekah, you are in dread will be deserted, the Lord is with Judah in the form of protection, the point being that the Assyrians will squash the revolt of the Aramaeans and Israelites.
When times become tough, we often rely upon our resources, our perceived strengths, and our wisdom. King Ahaz of Israel is a good example of such a person. Militarily, he had threats from all around him. Eventually, he did what political leaders often do. He forged an alliance with another country, a dangerous country, one that had destroyed many other nations in its brief history. Yet, he trusted them for help against his enemies. We make decisions like this when we are afraid.
Ahaz did have a chance to trust the Lord. Isaiah gave him that chance. He could have asked for a sign from the Lord that the Lord was with him. When he did not ask for a sign, the Lord gave him one anyway. A child of the prophet would receive the name Immanuel, God with us. This is an unusual sign to offer a king, the leader of the military forces of the land.
When we leave the safety of our homes, most of us rely heavily on signs. It is the way we live. We stop when a sign tells us to. We go when the light turns green. If we are in unfamiliar territory, we look for signs that will help us to our destination.
When we face challenging times, our fear, our guilt, our pride, often makes us fall back to the habits upon which we have relied in the past. They are the resources we feel comfortable using. We may well need to open ourselves to new possibilities. God is with us, the sign of which may be something as simple as the birth of a child. God, who is so different from us, has revealed to us something so marvelous about the divine and human relationship that we could never discover its truth on our own. This truth needs an event that discloses its truth. That event is Jesus of Nazareth. Only God could disclose this truth. All we need to do is turn to it in faith, embrace it, and allow it to transform our lives. Even when we are rebellious, when we simply miss the mark, when we are clueless, and when we wander, God is with us.
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[2] The translation of Isaiah’s rhetorical question — “Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also?” — is a bit confusing, given Ahaz’s refusal to ask for a sign. The question put that way would make more sense if Ahaz had been pressing for a sign. The Hebrew verb translated “to make weary” also means “to be wearisome to” or “to try the patience of,” and Ahaz’s timidity has tried the patience of both prophet and deity.
Liked the application it is so true we rely on what works for us.Also liked the section in signs.
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