Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Have you ever wished you could see your future? What would you do if someone you trusted described for you what your life would be like 10 or 20 years in your future? I’ve long ago decided I’m very glad God does NOT allow me to see my future.
I’d rather trust Him fully and do my best to follow His leading in my life, because I know God is sovereign over all, I know God is all knowing (omniscient) and all powerful (omnipotent) and therefore only God can lead me into what He knows is best for me and for His glory. What about you, my friends?
Many times in the story of the Bible, we meet men and women who are called ‘prophets’. No, usually these are not people who attended a particular school or received a particular prophet training teaching them how to hear from God and then speak God’s words to the people. These ‘prophets’ are almost always people who didn’t expect it, but God met them and commissioned them to carry God’s messages to His people.
Now that may sound glamorous to you but almost always God raised up these prophets because God had some hard warnings to send to the leaders of His people who were either spiritually drifting or were abandoning God altogether! And usually these prophets were met with rage rather than respect, in some cases they were tortured and killed because the leaders did not want to hear God’s messages!
Do you know, my friends, that is happening TODAY in many parts of our world?
Sometimes God’s messages through these prophets were early warnings, giving the kings lots of time to repent and lead Israel back to God. But sometimes God’s warnings were final as judgment was imminent. Almost always God’s warning messages were accompanied by God’s urgent invitation to repentance and restoration.
Several times in history those who received God’s warnings did repent and God spared them. Remember we saw that with the prophet Jonah and his warning to the great city of Nineveh? Lately, I’ve been trying to help us learn from a very critical time in Israel’s history which has remarkable parallels to our day in many parts of our world.
Two men, Isaiah and Micah, were the prophets God was speaking through to warn King Ahaz, urging him to learn from what he was witnessing in the devastation of the northern kingdom Israel under the vicious conquering of Tiglath-Pileser and his Assyrian army. But even though King Ahaz had watched both his father Jotham and grandfather Uzziah lead the people of God wisely and well, Ahaz had a hard heart and an evil heart. He rejected his heritage and in both pride and fear, Ahaz worked to turn the people of Judah away from God.
Isaiah 8 gives us another of these powerful messages from God, through His prophet Isaiah, to king Ahaz during these terrible times: “Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah…therefore the LORD is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates – the king of Assyria with all his power. It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it…” (Isaiah 8:6,7)
In the southern area of Judah, the Judean hills, are canyons. It’s a desert area but on rare occasions a sudden rain can fill these dry canyons with a rushing torrent of water which will wash away anything and everything in its path. Jews in Judah knew all about that danger!
Near Jerusalem there was a gentle stream of beautiful fresh water which ran along the eastern side of the City of David known as “Shiloah”. It flowed up from a spring which provided water for Jerusalem. A few years later, in the days of Ahaz’s son King Hezekiah, this spring became essential and is very famous to this day. We’ll look at that event next week. In the days of Jesus, this spring fed into what was known as the ‘Pool of Siloam’ where Jesus sent a blind man to wash and receive his sight miraculously. (John 9:7)
By contrast, the great Euphrates river was one of the most renowned rivers of that time for its size and power. The Euphrates has been one of the largest rivers in Western Asia flowing from its source in modern Turkey through Syria and modern Iraq, 1740 miles, before emptying into the Persian Gulf. Over the centuries entire civilizations have risen up around this great river with several significant cities built on its banks, including Babylon, Nineveh and Ur.
Isaiah’s message was clear… King Ahaz and many people of Israel had turned their backs on the sweet, gentle provisions of God and the relationship He continually invited them to; and as a result they would be overwhelmed and ravaged by the armies coming from the region of the Euphrates, the Assyrians.
Because the kings of both Israel and Judah had rejected the guidance offered them by God; because the people of Israel and Judah had rejected God as their Holy King; Isaiah had another message regarding a future, God-sent King who would reign over them. Isaiah 9:6 describes that future, glorious, God-sent leader for His people: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of His government and peace there will be no end…”
For Ahaz and the people of God they cherished God’s promise to David that his throne would always be occupied by a direct descendant of David. For King Ahaz and the people of Judah, each of their kings since David had succeeded his father and grandfather. They all could trace their lineage directly to David. And yes, the government responsibility did ride on the shoulders of the King and God did hold the king of God’s people to a high and holy accounting.
But those next four descriptive statements could not be spoken about any of the kings of Israel, not even David or Solomon. Only the Messiah could fulfill those titles, and of course we know Jesus Christ did, fully!
And one day in the future, when Jesus reigns in Jerusalem during His Millennial Kingdom of 1000 years, (Rev. 20:6) Jesus will fully fulfill this prophecy of Isaiah, especially the next words Isaiah spoke: “He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:7) As King Ahaz heard these words from Isaiah I wonder if he felt a deep conviction in his heart and mind?
While he had been born, by the Sovereignty of God, into the royal line of King David, and he had succeeded his father Jotham on the throne of Judah in Jerusalem, Ahaz knew he was not at all a man of God honoring character like either his father or grandfather Uzziah. Ahaz knew he was far from a ‘Wonderful Counselor, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ Ahaz knew that he was not leading the people with justice or righteousness and certainly not with the greatness of many who had preceded him.
And rather than Ahaz being anointed with a ‘zeal of the LORD’ for accomplishing great things, Ahaz was fearful and seeking to build alliances with powerful armies to gird up his authority. Ahaz knew he should not expect God’s blessing or protection for he had abandoned God! Ahaz should have understood from Isaiah that the devastation he had witnessed God pour out on northern kingdom Israel would soon be coming on Judah and he was contributing to that judgment because of his failed leadership.
Now let’s pause right here my friends. If you and I were to receive a message from God today about what He sees in our future for the rest of our lives, what do you think God might say to you? What about your heritage which you inherited and the legacy you have built with your life? What about the influence God has wanted you to have with your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors? What about your impact on your city, and your world?
Let’s invite God to speak to each of us today… what does God see in our future? Here’s a song to help us consider this…
Today’s Scripture: Isaiah 8:6,7; 9:6,7.
Choose below to read or listen.
Isaiah 8:6,7
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Isaiah 9:6,7
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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