Our Savior Lutheran Church
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod

Announcements

            No Men’s Bible Study this Saturday

Sunday Worship 3/30

            Morning Praise

Readings

            Isaiah 12:1-6

            Romans 8:1-10

            Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Psalm 32

Hymns: 306, 304, 109, 384

Isaiah 7

This took place in the days when Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah. Rezin king of Aram, and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, marched up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but they could not capture it.

2 The house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself with Ephraim.” The heart of Ahaz trembled, and the heart of his people trembled as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.

3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah:

Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear Jashub. Meet him at the end of the water channel from the upper pool, on the road that goes to the launderers field.

4 Tell Ahaz, “Get control of yourself, and remain calm. Do not be afraid. Do not lose your courage because of these two stubs of smoldering torches. Do not be afraid because of the fierce anger of Rezin, Aram, and the son of Remaliah, 5 even though Aram, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you and said, 6 ‘Let’s go up against Judah and tear it apart. Let’s divide it among ourselves and set up a king over it, namely, this son of Tabe’el.’”

7 This is what the Lord God says.

Their plan shall not succeed.

It shall not take place.

8 Yes, the head of Aram is Damascus,

and the head of Damascus is Rezin,

but within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken into pieces,

so that it will no longer be a people.

9 The head of Ephraim is only Samaria,

and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.

If you do not stand firm in faith,

you will not stand at all.

10 The Lord spoke to Ahaz again. He said, 11 “Ask for a sign from the Lord your God. Ask for it either in the depths below or in the heights above.”

12 But Ahaz responded, “I will not ask. I will not test the Lord.”

13 So Isaiah said:

Listen now, you house of David. Is it not enough for you to test the patience of men? Will you test the patience of my God as well? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give a sign for all of you. Look! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and name him Immanuel. 15 He will eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse evil and choose good, 16 because even before the child knows how to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.

17 The Lord will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house days worse than any since the day that Ephraim broke away from Judah. The Lord will bring the king of Assyria.

18 This is what will take place in that day: The Lord will whistle for the fly that is at the farthest end of Egypt’s rivers and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 They will come and settle in the deep ravines, in the clefts in the rocks, among all the thorn hedges, and in all the pastures.

20 In that day the Lord will shave with a razor hired from the regions beyond the River Euphrates, namely, the king of Assyria. This razor will shave their head and the hair on their legs, and it will also scrape away their beard.

21 In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep, 22 and because of the abundant milk they give, he will eat curds. So everyone left in the land will eat curds and honey. 23 In that day, in every place where a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels were growing, there will be only briers and thorns. 24 Hunters will go there with a bow and arrow, because all that land will be briers and thorns. 25 You will no longer venture into all the hills that once were cultivated with the hoe, because you will be afraid of the briers and thorns, and the hills will be a pasture for grazing oxen, a land trampled by sheep.

Pastor’s Comment

From this chapter of Isaiah we get the familiar Christmas reading: A virgin will conceive and give birth to a child. Perhaps it seems like an unusual context to have this Messianic prophecy, and an unlikely recipient. Ahaz was one of the more wicked kings of Judah. An example of his wickedness is found in 2 Chronicles 28:22–23

22In the time of his distress, King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD. 23Since Damascus had defeated him, he sacrificed to their gods and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But these gods were the downfall of Ahaz and of all Israel.

Even to the unfaithful kings, God graciously sends a comforting word in the mouth of Isaiah. It is not yet time for the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah. Ephraim (referring to the Northern Kingdom of Israel) and Aram will be defeated. What a wonderful opportunity to turn away from his idolatry! Yet Ahaz, giving a show of piety, continues even to obey God’s Word when offered a sign to make more certain God’s promise. God provides a sign regardless: the virgin will give birth to a son. Christ’s birth is a sign of hope for all who put their trust in the Lord, and a sign of judgment against those who put their trust in the creation rather than the creator!

Luther’s Comment

Ahaz pretends religion, as if from fear of God he did not wish to ask for a sign. Such is the nature of hypocrites, who display religiosity where it is not proper; on the other hand, where they should fear, they are most proud and stubborn, as Ps 36:1 and Ps 53:5 say. Both are extremely offensive to God and deceptive to the people

To put God to the test is indeed evil when it is done without a word of God. He who is commanded to put God to the test and does not do so is sinning. God is not being tempted when He Himself orders it. It is not tempting God to believe in Christ, to love the neighbor, because God has commanded these things. However, he who desires to serve God short of His commandment is tempting Him, since he does not know whether it will please Him. Thus Ahaz multiplied the religions of the heathen in Judah, he tempted God and yet did not think he was tempting Him. He thought so, however, when he was ordered to do so. There are many such people, above all the false prophets.