Later, the LORD sent this message to King Ahaz: “Ask the LORD your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.”
But the king refused. “No, he said, “I will not test the LORD like that.
“All right then, the Lord himself will give you a sign.” —Isaiah 7:10-12, 14a NLT
Isn’t that just like God? Always sending messages and messengers. In this case, it’s a prophet named Isaiah. Here, Isaiah is doing the “Isaiah thing” which, as we know, means being a specific spokesperson for God. You catch the gist of this story. In Isaiah’s presence, Ahaz does what we’ve all done—sidestep God. Having just heard that we can ask God anything for divine confirmation, we opt to go it alone. Ahaz never denies there is a God; he just refuses to engage in God.
Yet, in this disengagement, God does what God does anyway. Even though Ahaz, and, in turn, all of us, settle in our doubt, self-preservation, independence or stubbornness, God just keeps it coming. In this particular case with Ahaz, God whispers the birth narrative of a King unlike any other. This King is born to a virgin. She will call her son Immanuel, which means God with us (verse 14b).
To have our high King so low is not just beautiful, it’s endearing and, just as important, it’s enduring. God doesn’t leave us, even when we leave God. A son being born to a virgin is a miracle. That this son is always with us, well, let’s not just consider but also celebrate this miracle, too.
PRAYER: Dear LORD, the example of Ahaz turning from you is an example of the times we have turned from you. Stay with us, just as you promise. And, in gratitude, we say... Amen.