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LESSON 4

* April 17 - 23

The Hard Way

The Week at a Glance:

What calamities befell the northern kingdom? What was the result of Ahaz's alliance with the Assyrians? Yet even amid all this calamity and suffering, what hope did the Lord offer? What does it mean to love and to fear God? What does the Word say to us about the dangers of spiritualism?

Memory Text: 

*Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, April 24.

Prophecy Fulfilled (Isa. 7:14-16).

In Isaiah 7:14-16, Immanuel is a sign linked to the 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" (vs. 16, NRSV). This refers to the land and kings of Syria and northern Israel (compare vss. 1, 2, 4-9) and reiterates God's promise that their power would soon be extinguished.

Why does Isaiah mention " 'curds and honey' " (NRSV) that the boy would have to eat? Isa. 7:15.  

The crops and fields of Judah would be destroyed by the Assyrians (vss. 23-25). So the people, including the Old Testament Immanuel, whoever he was (vss. 14, 15), would be forced to return to the diet of nomads (vss. 21, 22). But while they would be poor, they would have enough on which to survive.

When was the prophecy regarding Syria and northern Israel fulfilled? 2 Kings 15:29, 30; 16:7-9; 1 Chron. 5:6, 26.  

This prophecy of Isaiah was given about 734 B.C. In response to the bribe of Ahaz, Tiglath-pileser III did what he probably would have done anyway: He smashed the northern coalition, conquered the Galilee and Transjordanian regions of northern Israel, deported some of the population, and turned the territories into Assyrian provinces (734-733 B.C.). The remainder of Israel was saved when Hoshea, after murdering King Pekah, surrendered and paid tribute. In 733 and 732 B.C. Tiglath-pileser conquered Damascus, the capital of Syria. Then he carved Syria into Assyrian provinces. So, by 732, within about two years of Isaiah's prediction, Syria and Israel had been conclusively defeated, and it was all over for the two kings who had threatened Ahaz.

Then, King Hoshea of Israel committed political suicide by rebelling against Assyria. The Assyrians took the capital city of Samaria in 722 B.C. and deported thousands of Israelites to Mesopotamia and Media, where they eventually were absorbed into the local populations and lost their identity. God had predicted what would happen to the enemies of Judah, but His point to Ahaz was that this would happen anyway, without any need to rely on Assyria.

Think, if you were living in the northern kingdom while all this was happening, how easy it would be to lose faith What can we do to keep our faith intact, so that when tomorrow's calamities come we can stay firm? See 1 Pet. 1:13-25.

Forseen Consequences (Isa. 7:17-25).

Read the above verses. What is the Lord saying that will happen to the land? Why should we not be surprised at this outcome?  

For Ahaz, the man of fear rather than faith, the good news from God was that Syria and Israel would be wiped out. The bad news was that Assyria, the ally and "friend" he had chosen to help him, would turn out to be a far more dangerous foe than Syria and Israel had been. By turning down deliverance offered freely by God, Ahaz was guaranteed defeat. If Ahaz thought his world was falling apart before, things were going to get far worse!

"It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes" (Ps. 118:9, NRSV). How could Ahaz trust that Tiglath-pileser III would be satisfied with taking the countries to the north and respect Judah? Assyrian writings, such as annals of the Assyrian kings themselves, testify to the fact that their desire for power was insatiable.

Read 2 Kings 16:10-18 and 2 Chronicles 28:20-25. What was happening to Ahaz? What spiritual principle do we see unfolding here? Why should we not be surprised at his actions?  

2 Chronicles 28:20-23 powerfully sums up what happened when Ahaz asked for help from Assyria rather than relying on the Lord.

Our natural tendency is to trust in what we can see, feel, taste, touch-the things of the world. Yet, as we know, the things of the world vanish. Look at 2 Corinthians 4:18. What is the text saying to us? How can we apply what it is saying to our own lives? And what difference will it make for us if we do?

What's in a Name (Isa. 8:1-10).

Can you imagine playing a ball game with Isaiah's second boy? By the time you could say "Maher-shalal-hash-baz, throw me the ball!" it would be too late. But even longer than his name is its meaning: "swift is booty, speedy is prey" or "speed the spoil, hasten the plunder."

The message of the name clearly relates to rapid conquest, but who conquers whom? Isa. 8:4.  

Isaiah 8:1-10 reinforces the message of chapter 7. Before a child could reach a certain stage, spoils of war from the capitals of Syria and northern Israel would be taken by Assyria. Furthermore, because Judah had refused God's message of assurance, represented by the gently flowing waters of the Shiloah stream in Jerusalem, it would be overwhelmed by the mighty power of Assyria, represented by flooding from the great Euphrates River.

Because Ahaz turned to Assyria, the names of Isaiah's sons referred to Judah, as well as to northern Israel: "swift is booty, speedy is prey," but also "a remnant shall return." Why was there still hope? Because although Assyria would fill Immanuel's land (Isa. 8:8), they still had the promise that "God is with us" (vs. 10). Indeed, what we see here is a theme that permeates the entire book of Isaiah, which is that though there would be judgments on God's enemies in Judah and on other nations, delivered in the form of military disasters, suffering, and exile, the Lord would be with the faithful survivors of His people and restore them to their land.

Why does Isaiah tell us he legally recorded the child's name and had marital relations with his wife ("the prophetess")? Isa. 8:1-3.  

The timing of this son served as a significant sign. As with the sign of Immanuel, from the time the son was conceived and born until the time Assyria defeated Syria and Israel would be less time than it would take for the boy to reach an early developmental stage, in this case learning to call for his father or mother (vs. 4). When Isaiah legally recorded the boy's name before his conception, he made the child and his name a public prophecy that could be tested by subsequent events.

Despite repeated mistakes on the part of His professed people, the Lord still was willing to save them. How can we take this principle and apply it to ourselves, personally, especially when we fail and fall in our own spiritual life?

Nothing to Fear When We Fear God Himself (Isa. 8:11-15).

In his first inaugural address, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt told a nation disheartened by the Great Depression: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."—U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., (March 4, 1933). Isaiah's message to depressed people is similar: "We have nothing to fear when we fear God Himself."

God warned Isaiah not to fear what his people feared, but to fear Him (Isa. 8:12, 13). This is an important theme in Scripture. For example, in Revelation 14:6-12, three angels proclaim a worldwide message: Fear God and give glory to Him, rather than fearing and giving glory to the earthly beast power described in chapter 13.

How do you understand the idea of "fearing" God? What does that mean, especially in light of the command that we love God, as well (Matt. 22:37)?  

True fear of God means that you recognize Him as the ultimate Power in the universe. Such fear overcomes any other fear. If He is for you, nobody else can touch you without His permission. If He is against you because you have rebelled against Him, you can run, but you can't hide!

Doesn't the idea that we should fear God contradict 1 John 4:18:  "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love" (NRSV)?  

There are different kinds of fear. If someone with awesome power is your friend, with whom you share mutual love, you do not fear that person in the sense you think he or she will hurt you. But you have a kind of fear in the sense that you know and respect the power of that person and the boundaries of your relationship.

As Christians we aren't to love the things of the world, the things that people of the world love (1 John 2:15). Thinking, then, along parallel lines, as Christians, are there things the world fears that we as Christians shouldn't fear? If so, what are they, and why shouldn't we fear them? At the same time, what things does the world not fear that we, as Christians, should?  See, for instance, Matt. 10:28; Jer. 10:2, 3.

Gloom of the Ungrateful Living Dead (Isa. 8:16-22).

Read the above passage. What is it talking about? What has this to do with King Ahaz? Summarize the ideas.  

Ahaz was deeply involved in pagan religion (2 Kings 16:3, 4, 10-15; 2 Chron. 28:2-4, 23-25), which was heavily interconnected with the occult (compare Deut. 32:17, NRSV—" 'They sacrificed to demons . . .' "; 1 Cor. 10:20). Various aspects of modern witchcraft have striking parallels in ancient Near Eastern rituals, as witnessed by ancient writings outside the Bible. Indeed, even many of today's New Age practices are simply contemporary manifestations of these ancient occult practices.

Isaiah's description of despair resulting from reliance on spirits other than the Lord (Isa. 8:21, 22) fits Ahaz well (compare 2 Chron. 28:22, 23). Isaiah foretells of people becoming enraged and cursing their king (Isa. 8:21). This would warn Ahaz that his people would curse him for leading them into the occult. In fact, when Ahaz died, an exception was made regarding his burial due to lack of respect for him: "They did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel" (2 Chron. 28:27, NRSV).

What do these texts say about the occult? Lev. 20:27, Deut. 18:9-14.  

Separation from the occult is a matter of loyalty to God. First Chronicles 10:13, 14 applies this principle to the case of King Saul:  "So Saul died for his unfaithfulness; he was unfaithful to the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord; moreover, he had consulted a medium, seeking guidance, and did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse" (NRSV).

Further Study:  

Discussion Questions:

Discuss the issue of spiritualism as it appears in movies, books, TV, and popular culture. If nothing can be done to stop it, how can we alert others to the dangers of what, for so many people, seem like harmless distractions, nothing more? Why is a proper understanding of the state of the dead so important in being protected against these deceptions?     Read Isaiah 8:20. Prayerfully, rephrase it in your own words. Let different people in the class read their versions aloud. What is the Lord telling us here?     Dwell more on this idea of loving and fearing God at the same time. In what ways does our love stem from that fear? Or does our fear stem from our love? Discuss.

Summary:

Through Isaiah's actions and family, as well as his words, God reinforced the message of warning and hope: The only safe course is to trust that God knows what He is doing. He has both the love and the power to guide, protect, and provide for those who let Him. For those who turn to other powers, there is only gloom.

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