If You Will Not Believe, You Will Not Last

Isaiah heard the Call of God to go to the disobedient people of Judah and preach repentance to them, though they would not understand or grasp his message. The Word of God fell on their hard hearts and was rejected. It was in the days of King Jotham, son of Uzziah, that the LORD began to send Rezin king of Syria and Pekah king of Israel against Judah. Pekah had had become friendly with Aram. This would lead to the downfall of both Damascus and Samaria soon, they just did not know it yet. Rezin and Pekah thought they had found an easy target in Judah but they failed to capture Jerusalem. The coalition of Aram and Israel went up and camped in the forests of Ephraim, not too far north of Jerusalem. Jotham died and Ahaz became King of Judah in his place. 

And it was at this moment that the Word of the LORD came to Isaiah. "Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-Jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the fuller's field. Say to him, "Take care and be calm, have no fear and do not be faint hearted because of these two stubs of smoldering firebrands, on account of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the son of Remaliah. Because Aram, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, has planned evil against you, saying, 'Let us go up against Judah and terrorize it, and make for ourselves a breach in its wall and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,' thus says the Lord GOD: 'It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass. For the head of Aram is Damascaus and the head of Damascus is Rezin (Now within another 65 years Ephraim will be shattered, so that is it no longer a people), and the head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of Samaria in the son of Remaliah. If you will not believe, you surely shall not last.'"

Here at the beginning of the reign of King Ahaz, God sent Isaiah to him with a message. He had a choice to make. Would he trust the LORD and walk in His ways or would he reject that. Isaiah had taken to heart the visions he had seen from God so  much that he named his oldest son  Shear-Jashub - "A remnant will return" - and God had sent Isaiah with his oldest son to speak to Ahaz. This was a reminder to Ahaz that judgment would come as Isaiah had been preaching, but he likely did not understand that message, just as God had stated so plainly when Isaiah answered the call of God to go to His disobedient people. Ahaz was walking near the city, probably trying to fiure out what his approach would be to dealing with his enemies. This message from the LORD was that he just needed to calmly trust God to deliver him and his people. The plans of Aram and Israel woudl be thwarted if he trusted God. God even told him the timeline for the next 65 years! Both Aram and Israel would fall and be no more.

The final sentence of the message is what is often overlooked. If Ahaz would not believe God, he would not last. Uzziah had reigned 52 years and God had blessed him because he had obeyed and beleived the LORD, except in the matter of buring incense in the Temple. Jotham had been blessed because he obeyed the LORD. What kind of king would Ahaz be? It matters what kind of men lead, because that affects the entire nation. It is bad enough that the people are ungodly sinners who do not listen and obey the commands of God, but ungodly leaders do much harm and bring enemies on their people.

Then the LORD Himself spoke to Ahaz, "Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven." Ahaz responded, "I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!" So God Himself replied to Ahaz, "Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you try the patience of God as well? Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign: Behold a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His Name Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken."

God had given Ahaz an opportunity He had never given to any other king except Solomon. Ahaz could have asked for anything and God would have granted it to him!  Instead, Ahaz missed the opportunity because he refused to take advantage of what God had offered him. His stated reason was that He did not want to put the LORD to the test, but the LORD had given him a blank check that he could have written any way he desired and it would have been granted. This missed opportunity was from the LORD, because judgment was coming on Judah also. Israel and Aram would indeed fall, but eventually Judah would also. All because the people would not listen and obey. Because Ahaz - and Judah - would not believe, they would not last.