The Gospel According to Isaiah pt. 2: “Asking is Believing” (Isaiah 7:10-14)

¹⁰Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, ¹¹“Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.” ¹²But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.” ¹³Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also?

Observation #1: Acting out of confident ‘godliness’ is the essence of unbelief and self-sufficiency
cf. Hebrews 11:6

–Ahaz appeared righteous by saying he would not test God with a sign. In fact, God had told him to ask, but Ahaz didn’t really want to know what God would say. Often we use some excuse–such as not wanting to bother God or blaming some theological question that concerns us–to keep us from communicating with him. Don’t let anything keep you from hearing and obeying God.^{Life Application Bible study notes, Isaiah 7:12}

¹⁴Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Observation #2: God subtly provides signs in ways that ironically highlight our unbelief
cf. Isaiah 7:3-4; Isaiah 65:1

–The word virgin is translated from a Hebrew term used for an unmarried woman old enough to be married, one who is sexually mature (cf. Genesis 24:43; Exodus 2:8; Psalm 68:25; Proverbs 30:19; Song Of Solomon 1:3, 6:8). Some have compared this young woman to Isaiah’s young wife and newborn son (cf. Isaiah 8:1-4). This is not likely because she had a child, Shear-Jashub, and her second child was not named Immanuel. Some believe that Isaiah’s first wife may have died, and so this is his second wife. It is more likely that this prophecy had a double fulfillment. 1) A young woman from the house of Ahaz who was not married would marry and have a son. Before three years passed (one year for pregnancy two for the child to be old enough to talk), the two invading kings would be destroyed. 2) Matthew 1:23 quotes Isaiah 7:14 to show a further fulfillment of this prophecy in that a virgin named Mary conceived and bore a son, Immanuel, the Christ.^{Life Application Bible study notes, Isaiah 7:14-16}

Application: Recognize that God delights in supernaturally providing deliverance through perceived weakness, by asking Him to be with you in your need

The Gospel According to Isaiah: “Ribbons of Rejoicing & Remembering” (Isaiah 2:1-5)

¹This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: ²In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. ³Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Observation #1: Christmas reminds us of God’s unopened gift of Christ’s future Kingdom.
(cf. Psalm 2; Psalm 110:1-3; Hebrews 1:1-13)

–The temple was built on the mountain of the Lord, Mount Moriah, highly visible to all the people of Jerusalem (cf. 2 Chronicles 5:1-14). In the last days the temple will attract the nations, not because of its architecture and prominence, but because of God’s presence and influence.^{Life Application Bible study notes, Isaiah 2:2}
–God gave Isaiah the gift of seeing the future. At this time, God showed Isaiah what would eventually happen to Jerusalem. Revelation 21 depicts the glorious fulfillment of this prophecy in the new Jerusalem, where only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life will be allowed to enter. God made a covenant (promise) with his people and will never break it. God’s faithfulness gives us hope for the future. Ask God to help you spread his word.^{Life Application Bible study notes, Isaiah 2:2-4}

⁴He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. ⁵Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Observation #2: Christmas reminds us of God’s unopened gift of a Kingdom marked by peace.
(cf. Isaiah 11:1-10; Revelation 20:6)

–This describes a wonderful future of peace when instruments of war will be converted to instruments of farming, when we will be taught God’s laws and will obey them. Although we know that eventually God will remove all sin and thus the causes of war, conflicts, and other problems, we should not wait for him to act before we begin to obey him. We should walk in his light now, just as Judah was told to do. Though our eternal reward awaits us, we already can enjoy many benefits of obedience now as we apply God’s Word to our lives.^{Life Application Bible study notes, Isaiah 2:4-5}

Application: Rejoice in Christ’s opened gift of salvation, remembering His unopened gift is a future Kingdom.
(cf. Isaiah 35:1-10; Ezekiel 40-45; Revelation 19-20)

“Representing the King” (Luke 9:51-56)

⁵¹As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. ⁵²And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; ⁵³but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem.

Observation #1: Representative-faith exercises mercy, ‘moving on’ in the face of rejection

–Although Jesus knew he would face persecution and death in Jerusalem, he was determined to go there. That kind of resolve should characterize our lives as well. When God gives us a course of action, we must move steadily toward our destination, regardless of the potential hazards that await us there.^{Life Application Bible study notes, Luke 9:51}
–After Assyria invaded Israel, the northern kingdom, and resettled it with its own people (c.f. 2 Kings 17:24-41), the mixed race that developed became known as the Samaritans. “Purebred” Jews hated these “half-breeds”, and the Samaritans in turn hated the Jews. So many tensions arose between the two peoples that Jewish travelers between Galilee and souther Judea often would walk around rather than through Samaritan territory, even though this would lengthen their trip considerably. Jesus held no such prejudices, and he sent messengers ahead to get things ready in a Samaritan village. But the village refused to welcome these Jewish travelers who were headed for Jerusalem.^{Life Application Bible study notes, Luke 9:53}

Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. (Matthew 10:11-14)
–Why did Jesus tell his disciples to shake the dust off their feet if a city or home didn’t welcome them? When leaving Gentile cities, pious Jews often shook the dust from their feet to show their separation from Gentile practices. If the disciples shook the dust of a Jewish town from their feet, it would show their separation from Jews who rejected their Messiah. This gesture was to show the people that they were making a wrong choice–that the opportunity to choose Christ might not present itself again. Are you receptive to teaching from God? If you ignore the Spirit’s prompting, you may not get another chance.^{Life Application Bible study notes, Luke 10:14}

⁵⁴When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” ⁵⁵but Jesus turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶Then he and his disciples went to another village.

Observation #2: Representative-Faith responds to Jesus’ correction to reman on mission

–When the Samaritan village did not welcome Jesus and his disciples, James and John didn’t want to stop at shaking the dust from their feet. They wanted to retaliate by calling down fire from heaven on the people, as Elijah had done on the servants of a wicked king of Israel (cf 2 Kings 1). When others reject or scorn us, we too may feel like retaliating. We must remember that judgment belongs to God, and we must not expect him to use his power to carry out personal vendettas.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood And you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyoe he accepts as his son.”^a (Hebrews 12:1-6)
–This “great cloud of witnesses” is composed of the people described in the previous chapter (cf Hebrews 11). Their faithfulness is a constant encouragement to us. We do not struggle alone, and we are not the first to struggle with the problems we face. Others have run the race and won, and their witness stirs us to run and win also. What an inspiring heritage we have!^{Life Application Bible study notes, Hebrews 12:1}
–Long-distance runners work hard to build endurance and strangth. On race day, their clothes re lightweight and their bodies lean. To run the race that God has set before us, we must also strip off the excess weight that slows us down. How can we do that? 1) Choose friends who are also committed to the race. Wrong friends will have values and activities that may deter you from the course. Much of your own weight may result from the crowd you run with. Make wise choices. 2) Drop certain activities. That is, for you at this time these may be weight. Try dropping them for a while; then check the results in your life. 3) Get help for your addictions that disable you. If you have a secret “weight” such as pornography, gambling, or alcohol, admit your need and get help today.^Ibid
–The Christian life involves hard work. It requires us to give up whatever endangers our relationship with God, to run with endurance, and to struggle against sin with the power of the Holy Spirit. To live effectively, we must keep our eyes on Jesus. We will stumble if we look away from him to stare at ourselves or at the circumstances surrounding us. We should be running for Christ, not ourselves, and we must always keep him in sight.^{Life Application Bible study notes, Hebrews 12:1-4}
–When we face hardship and discouragement, it is easy to lose sight of the big picture. But we’re not alone; there is help. Many have already made it through life, enduring far more difficult circumstances than we have experienced. Suffering is the training ground for Christian maturity. It develops our patience and makes our final victory sweet.^{Life Application Bible study notes, Hebrews 12:3}
–These readers were facing difficult times of persecution, but none of them had yet died for their faith. Because they were still alive, the writer urged them to continue to run the race. Just as Christ did not give up, neither should they.^{Life Application Bible study notes, Hebrews 12:4}

Application: Represent Jesus’ heart by exercising mercy when wronged, to remain on mission with the King.

===FOOTNOTES===
^aProverbs 3:11-12