King Ahaz of Judah faced the intimidating Syro-Ephramite alliance marching out to defeat him. The sign of deliverance that the Lord gave him through the prophet Isaiah was, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, NIV). However, to Ahaz, this radical alternative brought no comfort. The sign of a young virgin and her child seemed weak and foolish, no match for the formidable forces.
By refusing to trust God and instead seeking security through an alliance with Assyria, King Ahaz hoped to find deliverance. However, this decision ultimately jeopardized himself and the nation.
Yet Isaiah shows us something new: God works with a remnant (Is. 8). A remnant that stands out with defiant confidence, experiencing God as Immanuel. While they face the same crisis as the majority in Isaiah’s day (Is.9), they walk from that darkness into light, and out of their fears into joy.
God gives them a further sign: ‘A Child’. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder” (Is 9:6). God’s answer to everything that has ever intimidated us is a child. The power of God is far superior; His Kingdom comes to earth through his arrival as a mere child. Unlike unstable governments, His Kingdom rests on His shoulder, saving us from our fears and disappointments, ‘lifting us into His justice and righteousness’.
Peace to all the world’s crisis does not necessarily come through power and wisdom. Against our expectations, we find “weakness overwhelming power and foolishness outsmarting wisdom” (1 Cor. 1:18-25). Isn’t it hard to believe? Yet the remnant did, and may we too. May we find this Christmas trusting Immanuel – ‘God with us.’
Blessing for the Christmas Season and a Meaningful New Year.
Sathish Simon,
Director-TRACI