Firm Faith – Isaiah 7:1-9

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been in the spotlight of late because of his daily updates on the battle of New York against covid-19, and really, because he has demonstrated an appropriate fear of the situation while also demonstrating strength and faith in the possibility of winning this war. His firm faith is encouraging to the rest of us. Isaiah’s people are facing an enemy of a different kind, but he is enjoining upon them that same kind of firmness of faith that can only come from trusting Yahweh.

In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.

And the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field. And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, “Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” thus says the Lord GOD:

 “‘It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’” (Isaiah 7:1-9 ESV)

When Isaiah was prophesying the kingdom of Israel had divided into two kingdoms, Israel (sometimes called Ephraim for the strongest tribe in it, or Samaria, its capital city) and Judah.  It was the northern tribes, Israel, versus the southern tribes, Judah.  Judah retained Jerusalem and the temple, so to retain worshipers who would otherwise travel to Jerusalem for festivals, Israel’s kings devised their own religious centers and rituals and fell into idolatry.

Because the two nations were at odds they occasionally went to war against each other.  At this time Ahaz, a wicked king in Judah, learns that Israel has allied itself with Syria to try to conquer Judah, and he is terrified. Israel’s army is outside Jerusalem waiting on Syrian troops to reinforce her and embolden her to attack.  But Yahweh sends Isaiah to tell him not to fear, that this coalition will fail and Judah will be safe.  In fact, the northern kingdom of Israel has only 65 years before it is conquered and many of its people exiled from the land. But, Ahaz must be firm in faith if he is to benefit from this promise and be obedient to God.

Isaiah says, “If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.”  When we don’t trust God and His promises we lose all sense of “firmness.”  We lack strength and confidence, we make decisions based in fear and in our own wisdom.  This often leads to disobedience.  A woman told me that if she didn’t sleep with the guy she was dating she would never see him again, so she felt she had to do it, even though her conscience was killing her.

If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all. What are you doing out of fear instead of faith?

Discussion Questions

1. When have you felt your heart shake like “the trees of the forest shake before the wind”? How did you handle it?
2. Ahaz and the people of Judah were terrified of the invading Israelite army and her allies. Why do we get afraid?
3. What reasons did Ahaz and Judah have for believing Isaiah’s word of hope?
4. How do you make your faith firm?
5. What fear are you struggling with now and need to firm up your faith?
6. Who do you know who needs some faith firming and how can you help them achieve firmer faith?