Isaiah 7

(Note: VB stands for Victor Buksbazen, the commentary mentioned earlier.)

We come now to one of the real high points of Isaiah, the Immanuel Prophecy of Isa. 7-12.  In it’s entirety most people are not aware of these chapters though many can quote 7:14 and 9:6-7 because they hear them at Christmas.  Others may be familiar with Jesus as the stone of stumbling, about the lion laying down with the lamb and something they hear at Christmas about Naphtali and Zebulun.  All these are here.  But you will be far richer if you see them all in their context.

Here is how the story starts.  The Syrians (Damascus, King Rezin) and Israel (Samaria, King Pekah) are ganging up on Jerusalem (capital of Judah) and the people and King Ahaz are afraid.  Rezin and Pekah have already ransacked the rest of Judah and are headed to Zion to replace the David King with someone names the son of Tabel.  (Read more detail in 2 Kings 16 and 2 Chron. 28.)  Ahaz is evil.  He is reaching out to the Assyrians to come to his aid instead of trusting God.  Nevertheless God sends Isaiah to tell him everything will be okay.  

Isaiah takes his son Shear-Jashub (his name means A Remnant Shall Return) and meets Ahaz, not at the palace but near the aqueduct that carried water from the Gihon Spring, Jerusalem’s water source.  He tells Ahaz God’s message, including telling him that within 65 years Ephraim, his enemy, will no longer even be a people.  This really happened as this chronology indicates (VB, p147f).  Do the math.  It’s 65 years!

·        734BC: Isaiah met Ahaz

·        732BC: Damascus was captured and Rezin killed.

·        722BC: Samaria was captures and a large part of her population carried off into captivity.

·        669BC: Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, put a complete end to Samaria by carrying off the rest of the ten northern tribes to Assyria and resettling Samaria with colonists who became known as “Samaritans”.

Then Isaiah says, “Ask me for a sign from God.”  Now this may seem odd but it is clearly what we call a God-thing!  Evil Ahaz refuses to ask, sounding a bit pious, but actually it’s his disregard for God and His prophet.  So Isaiah gives him one anyway.  The sign is the verse you learned as a child, Isa. 7:14, Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.  Isaiah says before this Child grows up the two kings you fear will be gone and the King of Assyria will be your problem (7:16-25).

The first thing Ahaz needs to know is, interestingly, the first thing we need to know.  7:9: If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.  He needs to trust God.  He needs to lead his people to trust God.  But as you can already see, Ahaz doesn’t have a heart for trusting God.  Do we?

More tomorrow about the virgin and Immanuel.

Psalm 133

This short Psalm tells us something else the pilgrim finds when he makes his journey to God.  He finds that he is not alone in the enjoyment of his soul-satisfaction.  He did not make this journey alone (Psalm 122:1). and he is not alone in Jerusalem.

I have often thought how wonderful it would be to retire alone to a cabin in the woods.  But before long, I come to my senses.  First, I realize that I would have to learn a whole new set of life-skills, such as how to deal with a grizzly in the yard or pesky raccoons on the porch.  But then, even more I think about what it would be like to live alone.  A few days alone can be, and are wonderful, but after that one becomes self-centered.  To live a life where you are the only object of your own attention is an empty life and not the one of deep satisfaction we discover when we come to God.

Think of another setting.  I once attended a Denver Broncos game with one of my sons.  The Broncos were trailing as they entered the 4th quarter.  The quarterback, John Elway, was known for his 4th quarter comebacks.  The crowd of 65,000 anticipated one of John's miracles, as did I and my son, and when it materialized, the response of the extremely partisan Denver crowd was just overwhelming.  We continued to bask in the glory of the moment as we made our all-night drive back to our home in Montana.

Now imagine that you are part of a crowd of people who has just completed the long, dangerous, dusty trek to the glorious city of God.  Rounding the corner where the magnificent temple of Solomon comes into view must have been a thrill.  To share it with a crowd would have been like that moment in Mile High Stadium.

But now go farther.  Think of a group, perhaps a church fellowship, or a Bible study class, or men's prayer group, or young moms fellowship for prayer and study.  Imagine that as they journey together in the Scriptures, sharing their lives together, together they come to know God at a whole new depth, life evermore as the Psalm says (v3).  I have experienced that a few times and there is nothing like it.  A Jew might say it's like the oil that runs down the beard of the priest at his most holy consecration.  Or perhaps it's like the refreshing dew of Mt. Hermon, that most beautiful mountain in Israel.  Words fail to describe, but one cannot miss the point: God has not only made us to fellowship with Him; He has made us to fellowship with other pilgrims.  And when you stay with each other on the difficult walk, the arrival at the moment of deeper worship is truly amazing!

Some Guidelines to the Interpretation of Prophecy, Pt. 3

(Continuing excerpt from Victor Buksbazen on interpretation of prophecy.  Bibliographical information will appear at the end of the Aug. 5, 2017 post.)

8.     In dealing with predictive prophecy it is necessary to distinguish between the prophecies which have already been fulfilled in the past, and those which still await their consummation.

          Thus the predictions of the Egyptian bondage, the Assyrian invasion, the Babylonian captivity and subsequent return to the Holy Land were fulfilled.

          Other prophecies were fulfilled in part and await their final consummation in the future. To this second type of predictions belong many of the Messianic prophecies. When the prophets Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah and others first uttered them, these were still future events which were later fulfilled with the coming of the Messiah Jesus. However, their complete fulfillment awaits the return of Christ and the establishment of His kingdom.

9.       We must bear in mind that the prophets were primarily God’s messengers to Israel, to teach, to rebuke, to console, to foretell His future plans for Israel. Where the prophet speaks concerning other nations, it is generally with regard to their relationship to Israel. In general it can be said that the Old Testament speaks chiefly to and about Israel, while the New Testament deals with the Church composed of Jews and Gentiles who believe in Christ as their Lord and Saviour (Eph.2). The Church is a supranational spiritual entity. Israel is a national entity with a spiritual goal. It is therefore a mistake to confuse the Church with Israel as so many have done.

10.  The point of convergence of prophecies which were of a national character and those of a universal nature, is the person of the Messiah of Israel who is also the Saviour of all men. In His person the Kingdom of God and His salvation embraces all mankind. Within physical and national Israel there is a spiritual remnant, which is the true Israel, the Israel of God (Gal. 6:16). This is one of the central themes of Old Testament prophecy, and is continues in the New Testament. Out of this faithful remnant of Israel come Christ, His apostles and the New Testament Church, the ecclesia. To this Church belong both believing Jew and Gentile (Mt. 28:19; Mk. 16:15; Lk. 24:47; Gal. 3:28; John 10:16, Acts 1:8, Eph. 2; Rom. 9:24).

11.  Because the God of Israel is also the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ and of His Church, there are many spiritual similarities and parallels between Israel and the Church. Nevertheless historical “Israel” and “the Church” are two distinct entities which live their separate and distinct lives and should never be confused. The spiritual core of Israel, the faithful remnant is not the Church, but a part of it (Eph. 2:19-22). Conversely the Church is not Israel, nor “the New Israel” as erroneously taught for centuries by the Church of Rome and many contemporary Protestant theologians. The Church consists of believing Jews and Gentiles. The confusion of the Church with Israel has had baneful consequences for the Church and for Israel, and has caused grave misinterpretation of the Scriptures. For centuries it has colored Christian thinking about the Jews. It left the Jews with all the dire threats and predictions of judgment and desolation and exclusively misappropriated for the Church all the promises of divine redemption and mercy. There are enough distinctive and glorious promises given specifically to the Church of Christ without misapplying those which were given to Israel (Rom. 9:4, 5).