The Syro-Ephraimitic War. The Sign of Shear-Jashub. The Sign of Immanuel. Isaiah 7:1-25

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1 1 Commentary and Questions by Clyde M. Miller The Syro-Ephraimitic War The Sign of Shear-Jashub The Sign of Immanuel Isaiah 7:1-25

2 2 Text: Isaiah 7:1-25, Isaiah 7:1 9:7, The Syro-Ephraimitic War Part 1, ch. 7, The Sign of Shear-Jashub The Sign of Immanuel Commentary and Questions by Clyde M. Miller 1. When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it. 2. Now the house of David was told, "Aram has allied itself with Ephraim"; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind. 3. Then the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman's Field. 4. Say to him, 'Be careful, keep calm and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. 5. Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah's son have plotted your ruin, saying, 6. "Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it."

3 3 7. Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'It will not take place, it will not happen, 8. for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. 9. The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.'" 10. Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11. "Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights." 12. But Ahaz said, "I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test." 13. Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14. Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 15. He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. 16. But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. 17. The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah he will bring the king of Assyria." 18. In that day the LORD will whistle for flies from the distant streams of Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria. 19. They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices in the rocks, on all the thornbushes and at all the water holes. 20. In that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the River the king of Assyria to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to take off your beards also.

4 4 21. In that day, a man will keep alive a young cow and two goats. 22. And because of the abundance of the milk they give, he will have curds to eat. All who remain in the land will eat curds and honey. 23. In that day, in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels, there will be only briers and thorns. 24. Men will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns. 25. As for all the hills once cultivated by the hoe, you will no longer go there for fear of the briers and thorns; they will become places where cattle are turned loose and where sheep run. NIV Introduction: 2 Kings 16:1-20, In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God. He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree. Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him. At that time, Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram by driving out the men of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day. Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, "I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me." And Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria. The king of Assyria complied by attacking

5 5 Damascus and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir and put Rezin to death. Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction. So Uriah the priest built an altar in accordance with all the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus and finished it before King Ahaz returned. When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offerings on it. He offered up his burnt offering and grain offering, poured out his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his fellowship offerings on the altar. The bronze altar that stood before the LORD he brought from the front of the temple from between the new altar and the temple of the LORD -and put it on the north side of the new altar. King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: "On the large new altar, offer the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king's burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Sprinkle on the altar all the blood of the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance." And Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had ordered. King Ahaz took away the side panels and removed the basins from the movable stands. He removed the Sea from the bronze bulls that supported it and set it on a stone base. He took away the Sabbath canopy that had been built at the temple and removed the royal entryway outside the temple of the LORD, in deference to the king of Assyria. As for the other events of the reign of Ahaz, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king. NIV 2 Chronicles 28:1-27, Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD. He

6 6 walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and also made cast idols for worshiping the Baals. He burned sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree. Therefore the LORD his God handed him over to the king of Aram. The Arameans defeated him and took many of his people as prisoners and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hands of the king of Israel, who inflicted heavy casualties on him. In one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed a hundred and twenty thousand soldiers in Judah because Judah had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. Zicri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed Maaseiah the king's son, Azrikam the officer in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, second to the king. The Israelites took captive from their kinsmen two hundred thousand wives, sons and daughters. They also took a great deal of plunder, which they carried back to Samaria. But a prophet of the LORD named Oded was there, and he went out to meet the army when it returned to Samaria. He said to them, "Because the LORD, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand. But you have slaughtered them in a rage that reaches to heaven. And now you intend to make the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem your slaves. But aren't you also guilty of sins against the LORD your God? Now listen to me! Send back your fellow countrymen you have taken as prisoners, for the LORD's fierce anger rests on you." Then some of the leaders in Ephraim Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berekiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai confronted those who were arriving from the war. "You must not bring those prisoners here," they said, "or we will be guilty before the LORD. Do you intend to add to our sin and guilt? For our guilt is already great, and his fierce anger rests on Israel." So the soldiers gave up the prisoners and plunder in the presence of the officials and all the assembly. The men designated by name took the prisoners, and

7 7 from the plunder they clothed all who were naked. They provided them with clothes and sandals, food and drink, and healing balm. All those who were weak they put on donkeys. So they took them back to their fellow countrymen at Jericho, the City of Palms, and returned to Samaria. At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria for help. The Edomites had again come and attacked Judah and carried away prisoners, while the Philistines had raided towns in the foothills and in the Negev of Judah. They captured and occupied Beth Shemesh, Aijalon and Gederoth, as well as Soco, Timnah and Gimzo, with their surrounding villages. The LORD had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had promoted wickedness in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the LORD. Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came to him, but he gave him trouble instead of help. Ahaz took some of the things from the temple of the LORD and from the royal palace and from the princes and presented them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help him. In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD. He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him; for he thought, "Since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me." But they were his downfall and the downfall of all Israel. Ahaz gathered together the furnishings from the temple of God and took them away. He shut the doors of the LORD's temple and set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem. In every town in Judah he built high places to burn sacrifices to other gods and provoked the LORD, the God of his fathers, to anger. The other events of his reign and all his ways, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not placed in the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king. NIV Upon the death of Uzziah, Jotham became king and reigned for sixteen years. He had an overlap with Uzziah ( B.C.) and with Ahaz ( B.C.). Ahaz may have been a junior partner in 743

8 8 B.C., and then advanced as the senior partner in 735 B.C. Second Kings 16 and 2 Chronicles 28 record the reign of Ahaz of Judah. The wickedness of Ahaz is shocking in that he offered his own son as an offering to false gods (2 Kgs 16:1-4). No wonder that he panicked when Israel and Syria threatened war (2 Kgs 16:5-9). He could not expect God s help, for he had little trust in God. So he turned to Assyria for military assistance. Assyria responded favorably, and in the ensuring war Assyria destroyed Damascus, took the people captive, and killed Rezin the king. When the war was over, Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath- Pileser III ( B.C.) of Assyria (2 Kgs 16:10-16). He saw the altar in Damascus, and had Uriah the priest make one like it from a model and specifications that Ahaz had sent to him. When Ahaz returned home to Damascus, he worshiped at the new altar. He then had the bronze altar of the Lord removed to the north side of the new altar. He ordered that the royal offerings, as well as those for the people, be made on the new altar patterned after the one in Damascus. All this was done to please the king of Assyria (2 Kgs 16:17-18) (Clyde Miller, First and Second Kings, The Living Word Commentary on the Old Testament, John T. Willis, editor, Abilene Christian University, ACU Press, Abilene, Texas, 1991, pp Commentary: Isaiah 7:1, 2, 8, When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it. Now the house of David was told, "Aram has allied itself with Ephraim"; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind. for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. NIV

9 9 2 Kings 15:25, One of his chief officers, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him. Taking fifty men of Gilead with him, he assassinated Pekahiah, along with Argob and Arieh, in the citadel of the royal palace at Samaria. So Pekah killed Pekahiah and succeeded him as king. NIV Isaiah 7:17-25, The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah he will bring the king of Assyria." In that day the LORD will whistle for flies from the distant streams of Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria. They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices in the rocks, on all the thornbushes and at all the water holes. In that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the River the king of Assyria to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to take off your beards also. In that day, a man will keep alive a young cow and two goats. And because of the abundance of the milk they give, he will have curds to eat. All who remain in the land will eat curds and honey. In that day, in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels, there will be only briers and thorns. Men will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns. As for all the hills once cultivated by the hoe, you will no longer go there for fear of the briers and thorns; they will become places where cattle are turned loose and where sheep run. NIV Background of the Oracle to Ahaz (7:1-2) Aram was the current Hebrew name and Syria was the much later Greek name. Several Aramean/Syrian states existed in the time of Ahaz, but this one had its capital in Damascus (7:8). The son of Remaliah was Pekah (2 Kgs 15:25) whose sole rule over North Israel was B.C. Verse 1 provides the outcome of their effort at the beginning. This is a favorite Hebrew way of telling a story. Verse 2 previews the action of Ahaz when he first heard the news of Isaiah s

10 10 prophecy. This helps us understand verses that record the consequences of the unbelief of Ahaz. Isaiah 7:3-9, Then the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman's Field. Say to him, 'Be careful, keep calm and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah's son have plotted your ruin, saying, "Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it." Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'It will not take place, it will not happen, for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.'" NIV The Sign of Shear-Jashub (7:3-9) The meaning of the name is only a remnant will return. He was the son of Ahaz, and his name stands as a symbol of the defeat of Rezin and Pekah (the son of Remaliah) in the Syro (Syrian)-Ephraimitic (North Israel) war of B.C. Apparently, this means that only a remnant of the armies of Syria and Israel will return when the war is over because the Assyria/Judah coalition will have decimated them. This, therefore, was meant to be an encouragement for Ahaz to put his trust in the Lord and consequently to be delivered. Historical Facts Involving Three Stages of Fulfillment Isaiah 7:8, for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. NIV

11 11 2 Kings 17:24-40, The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. When they first lived there, they did not worship the LORD; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people. It was reported to the king of Assyria: "The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires." Then the king of Assyria gave this order: "Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires." So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the LORD. Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places. The men from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men from Cuthah made Nergal, and the men from Hamath made Ashima; the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. They worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought. To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the LORD nor adhere to the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel. When the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: "Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. But the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and

12 12 to him offer sacrifices. You must always be careful to keep the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies." They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. NIV The Syria-Israel coalition was defeated in 732 B.C. The kingdom of Syria/Damascus was exiled to Assyria and was never restored. Many in North Israel were taken captive and much of their land was decimated. The remainder of North Israel was exiled by Assyria in 722/21 B.C. and was never restored as a kingdom. Essarhaddon ( B.C.) of Assyria resettled much of North Israel s territory with pagans who established a syncretistic religion of Yahweh/pagan deities, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 7:8d (cf. 2 Kgs 17:24-40). Isaiah 7:3, Then the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman's Field. NIV The location of the Upper Poor (v. 3) is uncertain, but it is thought to be the Pool of Shiloah, the New Testament Siloam in the southeast section of Jerusalem. The Washerman s Field was a place where cloth was made clean by treading it in cold water. Isaiah s son was probably taken along as a sign to Ahaz. Isaiah 7:4, Say to him, 'Be careful, keep calm and don't be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. NIV Ahaz was exhorted not to lose heart over the threat of Rezin and Pekah (v. 4). It is implied that he should put his trust in Yahweh. The fierce anger of these two would be allayed. They are likened to two

13 13 smoldering stubs of firewood, meaning that their fire of anger would be abolished. Isaiah 7:5, 6, Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah's son have plotted your ruin, saying, "Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it." NIV Verses 5-6 explain the intentions of Rezin and Pekah to invade Judah. They intended to dethrone Ahaz and replace him with Tabeel, apparently a Syrian king, or at least one favorable to Syria. Isaiah 7:7-9, Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'It will not take place, it will not happen, for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.'" NIV Verses 7-9 provide us with God s response to the evil schemes of these two kings. It will not take place. The meaning is that the head of Aram (Syria), namely Rezin, is only over Damascus. He will not be able to overrun Judah. The head of Ephraim (North Israel) is only Samaria. Samaria, the capital of North Israel, is used as a metonymy for the nation. Hence, these two enemy powers would have to return to their own borders. Furthermore, a prophecy is given that within sixty-five years Ephraim (North Israel) would be shattered so as not to be a significant people. This was executed sometime during the reign of Essarhaddon who ruled Assyria from 681 to 668 B.C. Ahaz is chided for not putting his faith in God, a faith that could have assuaged his fear of Rezin and Pekah (v. 9c,d). The Hebrew involves word play, reading if you do not believe (taaaminu), you will not be established (teaamenu). The implication is that if he trusted God, he

14 14 would have no reason to fear man. Alas, such trust was absent from the heart and mind of Ahaz. The Sign of Immanuel (7:10-17) Isaiah 7:10-17, Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, "Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights." But Ahaz said, "I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test." Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah he will bring the king of Assyria." NIV Jeremiah 32:17, 27, "Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? NIV God challenged Ahaz to ask for a sign regardless of how great it might be (vv ). The Lord spoke to Ahaz through Isaiah. Deepest depths and highest heights employ superlatives to heighten the effect of the challenge. The Hebrew reads, let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven, meaning nothing is too hard for the Lord (cf. Jer. 32:17, 27). Ahaz answered with sarcasm (v. 12). In truth, he will not ask because he has no expectation of a favorable answer. Isaiah proceeds to give Ahaz the Lord s answer (vv ). Ahaz is informed that he is trying the patience of man and God (v. 13). Amaz-

15 15 ingly, God declares that he himself will give Ahaz a sign, and it will be truly high as the heaven and deep as the earth (v. 14). A marvelous announcement is given of a virgin who will bear a child and call him Immanuel ( God Is With Us ). This announcement introduces us to a typical Messianic prophecy. The context of verses shows that the type is a person of that generation. Before the child knows enough to morally discern right and wrong, the land of the two kings that Ahaz dreads (Rezin and Pekah) will be laid waste. The prophecy was fulfilled within three years, if it refers to the end of the Syro- Ephraimitic War. It was fulfilled within thirteen years if it refers to the end of North Israel s existence as a kingdom. The food of curds and honey (v. 15a) indicates a time of hardship before relief comes at the end of the Syro-Ephraimitic war (732 B.C.) or when North Israel is completely exiled (722/21 B.C.), never to be restored as a kingdom. Isaiah 8:8, 10, and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, O Immanuel!" Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us. NIV Isaiah 7:14, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. NIV Matthew 1:23, "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" which means, "God with us." NIV Luke 1:26-37, In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

16 16 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God." NIV Matthew 1:18-25, This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" which means, "God with us." When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. NIV The Immanuel of Old Testament days is spoken to in direct address in Isaiah 8:8, and the meaning is set forth in Isaiah 8:10. The woman of verse 14 may have been a virgin when the promise was given, but not

17 17 so when the boy was born. The antitype (fulfillment of the type) of the woman of verse 14 is Jesus Christ (Mt. 1:23). The antitype that would come centuries later than Isaiah s day far exceeds in glory the type of Old Testament days. The gospels of Luke (1:26-37) and Matthew (1:18-25) set forth the virgin birth of Christ. Luke says that the one born to Mary would be called the Son of God. Matthew says that the one born to Mary should be named Jesus (Savior) because he would save his people from their sins. Mankind should, therefore, accept the salvation that is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah 7:13-17, Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah he will bring the king of Assyria." NIV A time lapse exists between the fulfillment of the prophecy in verses and that of verse 17. Verse 17 warns of the time when Assyria, that mighty power in which Ahaz has put his trust, will devastate Judah. That happened at the invasion of Sennacherib in 701 B.C. That invasion would cause the Syro-Ephraimitic War to sink into relative insignificance in comparison. Elaboration of the Assyrian Invasion of Judah (7:18-25) Isaiah 7:18-25, In that day the LORD will whistle for flies from the distant streams of Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria. They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices in the rocks, on all the thornbushes and at all the water

18 18 holes. In that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the River the king of Assyria to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to take off your beards also. In that day, a man will keep alive a young cow and two goats. And because of the abundance of the milk they give, he will have curds to eat. All who remain in the land will eat curds and honey. In that day, in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels, there will be only briers and thorns. Men will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns. As for all the hills once cultivated by the hoe, you will no longer go there for fear of the briers and thorns; they will become places where cattle are turned loose and where sheep run. NIV In the Syro-Ephraimitic War, Judah allied herself with Assyria in an effort to ward off the invasion of Syria and Israel. Assyria came to her assistance, but only by making Judah her vassal. Judah was thus subject to Assyria, her suzerain or overlord. Eventually, in the days of Hezekiah, that arrangement was dissolved, which caused Assyria to invade Judah. Isaiah 2:11, 17, The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. The arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of men humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, NIV Isaiah 4:2, In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. NIV Isaiah 2:20, 21, In that day men will throw away to the rodents and bats their idols of silver and idols of gold, which they made to worship. They will flee to caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags from dread of the LORD and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth. NIV

19 19 Isaiah 3:7, 18, But in that day he will cry out, "I have no remedy. I have no food or clothing in my house; do not make me the leader of the people." In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, NIV Isaiah 4:1, In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, "We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!" NIV The phrase, in that day, is used four times in these verses (vv. 18, 20, 21, and 23). This expression indicates a time when God will intervene to carry out his purpose within history. Sometimes it refers to a time of blessing of God s people (Isa. 2:11, 17; 4:2) and at other times it refers to a time of divine judgment (Isa. 2:20-21; 3:7, 18; 4:1). The latter fits the usage here. The first two uses refer to threats of the Assyrian invasion of Judah (7:18, 20), and the latter two refer to consequences of that invasion (7:21, 23). Isaiah 5:26, He lifts up a banner for the distant nations, he whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Here they come, swiftly and speedily! NIV Isaiah 7:18, In that day the LORD will whistle for flies from the distant streams of Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria. NIV Zechariah 10:8, I will signal for them and gather them in. Surely I will redeem them; they will be as numerous as before. NIV The idea of God whistling (v. 18) indicates his calling for something to happen (Isa. 5:26; 7:18; Zech. 10:8), whether for weal or for woe. This metaphor was to remind Ahaz and Judah (and us) that God is in control of history and that He can bring about circumstances to accomplish His will. This does not mean, however, that He destroys human volition in the process.

20 20 The flies from Egypt and the bees from Assyria are fit symbols of the hordes of armies that would invade Judah. Egypt and Assyria are here synonymous, referring to enemies of Judah. The steep ravines and crevices in the rocks, and all the thornbushes and all the water holes (v. 19) are metaphors of complete devastation. God will use Assyria to shave both the legs and the beards of Judah, metaphors of completeness (v. 20). The consequences of the Assyrian invasion will be that the land will not be tilled; the people will be restricted to a pastoral existence (v. 21), and to feeding on curds, milk and honey (v. 22). Their vineyards will be replaced with briers and thorns, symbols of unproductiveness (v. 23). Men will be restricted to hunting for their existence (v. 24). The hills will be places restricted to cattle and sheep because of the devastation of foreign armies (v. 25).

21 21 Questions by Clyde M. Miller Isaiah 7: Whom did King Ahaz offer as a burnt offering in his idolatrous practices? 2. With what did Ahaz replace the position of the bronze altar of the Lord when he returned home from Damascus? 3. Of what later Greek name is Aram the Hebrew name? 4. What nation was designated by the name Ephraim?

22 22 5. How did Ahaz respond emotionally when he first heard Isaiah s prophecy concerning the Syro-Ephraimitic War? 6. What is the meaning of the name Shear-Jashub? 7. Whose son was Shear-Jashub? 8. Of whose defeat was Shear-Jashub a sign? 9. When was North Israel exiled never to be restored as a kingdom? _

23 Of what is the word Samaria a metonymy? 11. In whom does Isaiah attempt to get Ahaz to put his trust? 12. What does the word Immanuel mean? 13. Before the Immanuel prophecy pertaining to the Old Testament person was fulfilled, what would the boy be able to do? 14. Approximately, when was this fulfilled?

24 Who fulfilled the New Testament Immanuel prophecy? 16. According to Luke s gospel, who caused Mary to be conceived with Jesus? 17. According to Luke s gospel, what was the one born to Mary to be called? 18. According to Matthew s gospel, who caused Mary to be with child?

25 According to Matthew s gospel, what was the one born to Mary to be called? 20. What does the word, Jesus mean and why was he so named? 21. How then, should we react to Jesus? 22. When Judah became an ally of Assyria, as a vassal, what was she obligated to do? 23. When Hezekiah broke the alliance with Assyria, what did Sennacherib the Assyrian do?

26 What was the meaning of the symbolic flies from Egypt and bees from Assyria that would come upon Judah? 25. What would the people of Judah be forced to eat when Sennacherib the Assyrian invaded the land of Judah?