One day he got word that two kings had joined forces and were going to attack him; they were Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel.
Isaiah 7:2 (LB) reports: ...the hearts of the king (Ahaz) and his people trembled with fear as the trees of a forest shake in a storm.
The Lord sent Isaiah, the prophet, to king Ahaz to tell him to not be afraid. (v.7) This plan will not succeed.
But, God - who knows all things - saw that king Ahaz didn't quite believe Isaiah. So God said: (v.9) You don't believe Me? If you want Me to protect you, you must learn to believe what I say.
Then, in an effort to convince Ahaz, God said: (v.11) Ask Me for a sign, Ahaz, to prove that I will indeed crush your enemies as I have said. Ask anything you like, in heaven or on earth.
Wow! What a golden opportunity! ...anything...in heaven or on earth!
- "God, let me visit Heaven for one hour!"
- "God, heal my sick friend or relative."
- "God, take away that mark on my neck!"
- "God, bring great wealth to my family."
- "God, make it rain on our vineyards."
- "God, give me a brand new chariot with chrome wheels and four-horse-power!"
WHAT? Are you kidding? What a fool!
But wait: maybe God knew what He was doing. Maybe God was orchestrating a bigger plan and simply using Ahaz's reticense to accomplish it.
Then, Isaiah spoke for God: (v.14) All right then, the Lord Himself will choose the sign - a child shall be born to a virgin! And she shall call Him Immanuel (meaning "God is with us").
And now you know THE REST OF THE STORY!
PS - God went on to promise that before this child was weaned, both Rezin and Pekah would be dead! And so it was...
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