In Isaiah 7:14-16, Immanuel is a sign linked to the specific dilemma of Ahaz: Before the child Immanuel would be old enough to decide between different kinds of food, “the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted” (Isa: 7:16, NRSV). This refers to the land and kings of Syria and northern Israel (see … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Isa: 7:14-16, Isa: 7:17-25, Isa: 8:1-10, Isa: 8:11-15, Isa: 8:16-22. Memory Text: “I will wait on the LORD, who hides His face from the house of Jacob; and I will hope in Him” (Isaiah 8:17). At a burning building in New York City’s Harlem, a blind girl was perched on the fourth-floor window. The firemen … Continue reading –>
Floating Red Book By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission Toroni Kumar Tripura was thrilled to receive a Bible with a beautiful red cover in his remote village in southeast Bangladesh. The Bible arrived as a reward for completing a series of Bible lessons by mail. But Toroni had to be careful. His father served as a … Continue reading –>
Further Study: “‘His name shall be called Immanuel, … God with us.’ ‘The light of the knowledge of the glory of God’ is seen ‘in the face of Jesus Christ.’ From the days of eternity the Lord Jesus Christ was one with the Father; He was ‘the image of God,’ the image of His greatness … Continue reading –>
Isa: 7:14 Like the name of Isaiah’s children (Shear-jashub, “a remnant shall return,” and Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which means “swift is booty, speedy is prey”), the name of Immanuel has a meaning. It is literally “with us God.” But the commonly accepted translation “God with us” misses something important. As with other Hebrew names of this kind … Continue reading –>
Isa: 7:14 An offer of a sign as “deep as Sheol or high as heaven” (Isa: 7:11, NRSV) did not move Ahaz. So, when God says He Himself will come up with a sign (Isa: 7:14), we expect it to have breathtaking dimensions that only the divine imagination could devise (compare Isa: 55:9, 1 Cor: 2:9). Surprise! The sign is a … Continue reading –>
Isa: 7:10-13 Ahaz did not respond to Isaiah’s call for faith. So, God mercifully gave the king another chance, telling him to ask for a sign that was “deep as Sheol or high as heaven” (Isa: 7:11, NRSV). Here is one of the greatest invitations to faith ever given to a human being. Unlike lotteries or … Continue reading –>
Isaiah 7.3-9 While Ahaz was weighing his political options to meet the threat from Israel and Syria, God knew some things he did not. For one thing, it was God who had allowed trouble to come upon him in order to discipline him and bring him to his senses (2 Chron: 28:5, 2 Chronicles 28:19). Moreover, although … Continue reading –>
Isaiah 7.1-9 What terrifying crisis did King Ahaz face early in his reign? 2 Kings 15.37-38; 2 Kings 16.5-6; Isaiah 7.1-2. The kingdoms of northern Israel (Ephraim) and Syria (Aram) ganged up on the smaller country of Judah, to the south. This happened when Judah was weakened by attacks from the Edomites and Philistines. In the … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Isa: 7:1-9, Isa: 7:10-13, Isa: 7:14. Memory Text: “If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established”(Isaiah 7:9). One Sabbath Connie and Roy drove into their driveway after church. A bantam hen flew frantically across the yard in front of them. Something was wrong. The pet birds were supposed to … Continue reading –>
