Monday, December 23, 2019
684 - What's He Doing Here?
Spirituality Column #684
December 24, 2019
Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary
What’s He Doing Here?
By Bob Walters
“Therefore … the
virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and call him Immanuel.” – Isaiah
7:14
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord
had said through the prophet: [Isaiah 7:14] “The virgin will conceive and give
birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means
“God with us”). –
Matthew 1:22-23
It takes more of a Bible geek than me to know, just off the
top of one’s head, who King Ahaz was and what he did. Want to take a shot? Do you know?
We’ll wait.
Time’s up. King Ahaz
of Jerusalem appears in the book of Isaiah and is key to the explanation of the
“Therefore” that precedes the prophetic Isaiah 7:14 passage foretelling God’s
sign of Immanuel (Emmanuel, if you prefer)
noted above.
The word “Therefore” always makes us ask, “What’s it there
for?”
Without replaying the whole passage, Ahaz feared an attack
on Jerusalem – in part by other Jews in the tribe of Ephraim – and God told
Ahaz not to worry: “It will not take
place” (Isaiah 7:7), and “Stand
firm in your faith” (Isaiah 7:9).
Ahaz was unconvinced Jerusalem could be saved. In verse 10, God commands Ahaz, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether
in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.” Ahaz refused, saying, “I will not put the Lord to the test” (Isaiah 7:12).
Oy. God graciously
invited / commanded Ahaz to ask for proof.
Ahaz – evidently figuring he already knew everything he needed to know
about God – said, “No.”
In verse 13, Isaiah notes that it was a terrible idea to
refuse God’s grace and sign, disobedience which also cost Ahaz the peace God
was offering. Then comes verse 14 and
the prophecy of the sign above all Godly signs to come: Immanuel – God with us
- being conceived of a virgin. God
Himself would appear among man.
Now let’s fast forward 700 years or so to the quiet
Bethlehem manager where Joseph and Mary would bring into the world the baby
Jesus. Jerusalem again was being wildly
disobedient to God. Israel’s attention
was entirely taken up with legalistic reconfiguration of God’s commands and
fear of the conquering Romans. God’s
sign, Jesus, is revealed in the humble environment of a baby in a manger while
Israel would ignore all prophecy of His coming, hoping instead for a power to
conquer the world.
Jesus came to conquer our sin, to reveal the true God, to
restore humanity to its original relationship with God and His Kingdom, to
share the truth of God’s love, to prove the worth of our faith in God, to offer
hope of God’s ever-abiding presence and power, to invite humanity into eternal
life, and to allow us in this life to know
God is real. His truth, the real truth, would come to life. Talk about tidings of comfort and joy …
Isaiah is a complex book, but Ahaz’s disobedience is a message
that survives simplification. Notice that Joseph did not argue with God, he
obeyed. Mary obeyed. Jesus obeyed.
And in obedience they, like us, found and find the gift of God’s glory.
Christmas is about God Almighty come to save us – in love,
not in punishment.
Isaiah and Jesus – the names – both mean, “The Lord saves.” Isaiah
foretold God’s coming sign of salvation, Jesus, who saves God’s own glory and saves
our lives.
That’s what He’s doing here; Jesus is the proof, the sign, of God’s saving grace.
All I can say to that is Merry
Christmas!
Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) asserts that “Peace on Earth” is an
affirmation of the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts. Graciously, let’s keep it there always.
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