Stand Firm
God sent Isaiah with a message for King Ahaz. Times were shaky. The king of Aram and the king of Israel had united against Judah, and their armies were marching on Jerusalem. Ahaz and the people of Judah were shaken by this turn of events. But God was not surprised.
The Almighty had a message for the king, so He dispatched His prophet, Isaiah, to deliver that message. God told Ahaz, “Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid.” God explained that even though these two tough-talking kingdoms were united against Judah, their plans would fail to “take place.” In fact, God had plans for these kingdoms, and they were not favorable plans.
In verse nine, the Lord gives Ahaz some age-old wisdom and insight: “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” God reassured the king, but He also put the king on notice: Ahaz had responsibilities in this matter. The situation required an act of God if Judah was to be rescued, but the king would need to stand firm.
In the battles and trials we face today, the same goes for us. We too must understand that unless we stand on our faith in God, we will not stand at all. If we will not or cannot stand on what we believe in our God, we are done. Only in Him do we have a stand.
Another interesting detail in this passage of scripture:
After giving Ahaz instructions on standing firm, God tells the king to ask for a sign. Ahaz refused to ask for the sign because he did not want to “put the Lord to the test.” Putting God’s patience to the test was something Ahaz, the most corrupt king Judah ever had, did frequently. It was almost second nature for the guy, and here in this passage, we see the king putting God to the test by not putting Him to the test!
Yet, in fantastic Godly fashion, the Almighty’s response to the king’s refusal of a sign was to announce the future Messiah! In verse 14, God declares that the “virgin will conceive and give birth to a son.” God’s plan for Immanuel, Jesus Christ, was announced to Ahaz when he refused a sign. The king was worried about a couple of weak, human-governed kingdoms, while God had plans to defeat sin, death, and hell.
If we cannot stand in our God, whose plans exceed even our imaginations, we do not have a stand at all.
