Trust God when Facing Trouble

Isaiah 7:1-9

(2 Kin. 16:5; 2 Chr. 28:5–15)

1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but could not prevail against it. 2 And it was told to the house of David, saying, "Syria's forces are deployed in Ephraim." So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.

3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller's Field, 4 and say to him: 'Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, 6 "Let us go up against Judah and trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel"— 7 thus says the Lord GOD:

"It shall not stand,
Nor shall it come to pass.

8 For the head of Syria is Damascus,
And the head of Damascus is Rezin.
Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken,
So that it will not be a people.

9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
And the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son.
If you will not believe,
Surely you shall not be established."'"

God sent Isaiah the messenger to King Ahaz of Judah to encourage him and God’s people as Syria and Israel were set to attack Judah.  When Uzziah reigned the prophet was cleansed from sin and called to preach righteousness even to those whose eyes and ears closed the way to their hearts of belief and trust in God and His word.  King Ahaz was Uzziah’s grandson who now sat on Judah’s throne and was fighting off the invaders.  The heart of Ahaz and the people were blown about with doubt and worry as the forest trees wave in the strong winds, and so the Lord sent Isaiah to the king for encouragement to believe and trust God’s deliverance over the desperate situation he saw.  God told him as He did Joshua (Joshua 1:6-8) when entering the land promised to His people whom He delivered as a reminder of His ability to do so.  He reminded Ahaz to be calm and trust on.  Ahaz should not fear or lose heart in the face of the threat, but believe the deliverance to come because of God’s wrath against the sinful attackers.  The enemy wanted to trouble God’s people and replace Ahaz with a puppet king to control them, but the Lord clearly told Isaiah to speak the message of deliverance.  The attack would not stand up or happen even!  God sets the rulers in place (Daniel 2:20-21, Romans 13:1) and can just as easily take them down.  That was the promise given to Ahaz and his people by the Lord’s servant Isaiah.  Ahaz was called to trust Him as Isaiah trusted and was preaching God’s words faithfully according to his own calling.  But if Ahaz disbelieved and did not trust the message of God’s word, he would not be established as king in the scheme of things.  Yes, if we disbelieve and distrust God’s word and refuse to act as we know, He can surely raise up another in our place to do His will which will certainly be done in earth as it is in heaven.  Like Ahaz,we are called to trust God when facing trouble and act according to His word in the faithfulness of obedience because we have His word and His promises as our foundation to still the trees from being blown about in doubt.  We are then to only trust Him and not allow the circumstances and situations rule or override our faith in God’s sovereign rule.