Post by Admin on Mar 12, 2020 6:34:49 GMT
Tonight’s discussion tackled the next chapter in the story of Christ, His birth. The focus of the scripture used in Handel’s Messiah was a verse from Isaiah 7, so we began the evening with a look at that well-known verse, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel,“ in context.
As background, note that the twelve tribes of Israel previously had split into two kingdoms, one called Israel, the other called Judah (“house of David”). Before announcing the prophecy of the child Immanuel, Isaiah was relaying God’s instructions and assurances to King Ahaz of Judah. Ahaz and his people were threatened by the King of Israel (“Pekah son of Remaliah” and “Ephraim”) and the King of Syria (“King Rezin of Aram”) who wanted Judah to join in their fight against the Assyrians. The two kings conspired to overthrow Ahaz and put a puppet over Judah if necessary. Isaiah is giving Ahaz information to keep him calm and explain that the future will not unfold as Israel and Syria plan. These assurances do not seem to convince Ahaz. We talked about the parallels of that time to now, when like the king and people of Judah, we seem confronted by choices that are all unattractive – just look at the politics of today. Isaiah is urging Ahaz and his people to stand confidently in their faith. Again we considered parallels; we tend to waver in the face of crisis despite a lifetime of knowing that God will see us through.
Why did Ahaz refuse to ask for the sign (verse 12)? We were unable to reach any particular consensus – he might have thought it was wrong to ask, he might have been dodging responsibility, or afraid. Whether he asked or not, clearly God had a planned sign to give him and did so, in the familiar verse 14. Interestingly, this was not a sign to give Ahaz direction, like a clue to point him toward the best decision. Rather, it was a proof of God’s control over the situation. Assume that the “virgin” referred to a young woman not yet pregnant when the prophecy was given; she gets pregnant, has the baby, and he grows to age two or three, old enough to eat food and know right and wrong – so three years at least would pass from the moment of Isaiah’s announcement. That is what happened: Judah was left alone, Israel was scattered and destroyed within three years, and in twelve years Syria was conquered by Assyria. Within 65 years (verse 8), Israel was obliterated, and only Judah carried on a kingdom of the Jewish people.
So the prophecy was a proof of God’s promise in that time of Ahaz. Yet, we read in Matthew 1 that same prophecy as reinforcement of the angel’s explanation to Joseph about Mary’s pregnancy. One idea we discussed was that the immediate fulfillment gave validation to Isaiah’s power as a prophet, and therefore strengthens the validity of the second layer of the prophecy, about Jesus. We also talked about the message that scripture is the foundation of our faith, a resource at every turn, and full of tendrils that authenticate the Son of God’s mission on earth.
As background, note that the twelve tribes of Israel previously had split into two kingdoms, one called Israel, the other called Judah (“house of David”). Before announcing the prophecy of the child Immanuel, Isaiah was relaying God’s instructions and assurances to King Ahaz of Judah. Ahaz and his people were threatened by the King of Israel (“Pekah son of Remaliah” and “Ephraim”) and the King of Syria (“King Rezin of Aram”) who wanted Judah to join in their fight against the Assyrians. The two kings conspired to overthrow Ahaz and put a puppet over Judah if necessary. Isaiah is giving Ahaz information to keep him calm and explain that the future will not unfold as Israel and Syria plan. These assurances do not seem to convince Ahaz. We talked about the parallels of that time to now, when like the king and people of Judah, we seem confronted by choices that are all unattractive – just look at the politics of today. Isaiah is urging Ahaz and his people to stand confidently in their faith. Again we considered parallels; we tend to waver in the face of crisis despite a lifetime of knowing that God will see us through.
Why did Ahaz refuse to ask for the sign (verse 12)? We were unable to reach any particular consensus – he might have thought it was wrong to ask, he might have been dodging responsibility, or afraid. Whether he asked or not, clearly God had a planned sign to give him and did so, in the familiar verse 14. Interestingly, this was not a sign to give Ahaz direction, like a clue to point him toward the best decision. Rather, it was a proof of God’s control over the situation. Assume that the “virgin” referred to a young woman not yet pregnant when the prophecy was given; she gets pregnant, has the baby, and he grows to age two or three, old enough to eat food and know right and wrong – so three years at least would pass from the moment of Isaiah’s announcement. That is what happened: Judah was left alone, Israel was scattered and destroyed within three years, and in twelve years Syria was conquered by Assyria. Within 65 years (verse 8), Israel was obliterated, and only Judah carried on a kingdom of the Jewish people.
So the prophecy was a proof of God’s promise in that time of Ahaz. Yet, we read in Matthew 1 that same prophecy as reinforcement of the angel’s explanation to Joseph about Mary’s pregnancy. One idea we discussed was that the immediate fulfillment gave validation to Isaiah’s power as a prophet, and therefore strengthens the validity of the second layer of the prophecy, about Jesus. We also talked about the message that scripture is the foundation of our faith, a resource at every turn, and full of tendrils that authenticate the Son of God’s mission on earth.