Isaiah
7:10-25
10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your
God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not
put the Lord to the test.” 13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David!
Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself
will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and
shall call his name Immanuel. 15 He shall eat curds and honey
when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how
to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will
be deserted. 17 The Lord will bring upon you
and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that
Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria.”
18 In that day the Lord will
whistle for the fly that is at the end of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee
that is in the land of Assyria. 19 And they will all come and
settle in the steep ravines, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the
thornbushes, and on all the pastures.
20 In that day the Lord will
shave with a razor that is hired beyond the River—with the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the
feet, and it will sweep away the beard also.
21 In that day a man will keep
alive a young cow and two sheep, 22 and because of the abundance
of milk that they give, he will eat curds, for everyone who is left in the land
will eat curds and honey.
23 In that day every place where
there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels of silver, will become
briers and thorns. 24 With bow and arrows a man will
come there, for all the land will be briers and thorns. 25 And as for all the hills that
used to be hoed with a hoe, you will not come there for fear of briers and
thorns, but they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep
tread.
This is
the classic prophecy of the unwanted child. The Immanuel is the child, which
the people do not want to come because it will ring in the destruction of the
nation of Israel. Assyria will come down and destroy their faithful allies and
then sweep over their nation. God will give to those who are left to eat curds
and honey.
I find
this extension of the classic prophecy to be interesting. It does talk about
the future King of Israel or Israel & Judah. But more importantly this
talks about the devastation that will take place. Isaiah has the illustration
of “the
fly”
and “the
bee”
that will sweep down upon these people. Insects can be used to point out
wickedness or even demons. But the real problem comes with the “briers and thorns,” which indicate the curse of
the Fall.
Here is
your lesson: The curse spreads, there is hope that one day the cattle will
return and graze. This is one of my favorite sometimes overlooked hymns.
No more
let sins and sorrows grow
nor
thorns infest the ground;
He comes
to make His blessings flow
Far as
the curse is found,
Far as
the curse is found,
Far as,
far as the curse is found.
Joy to
the World, the Lord is come! The Lord comes to destroy the curse as far as it
is found. The curse comes to destroy and judge our sins. The thorns and biers
come to land in judgment of their sins. This curse will be lifted by the
Immanuel. Christ our Savior is born. He came to save us from our sins. He comes
to make his forgiveness flow far as the curse is found.
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