Fear and Faith The Gift of God with Us: Isaiah 7:10-14

Introduction

Fear and faith are like oil and water. Two opposites that do not mix well. Fear and faith can each take us in a different direction. Our life is pulled by these two forces within us. Fear paralyzes us. Faith frees us to step forward. Faith is a gift of God. Fear is a strategy of Satan. Both faith and fear are contagious. Fear has a cousin named insecurity. Faith has a cousin named courage. God knows all about our fears and God is committed to building our faith so we will no longer be controlled by fear. These verses in Isaiah are all about faith and fear. The key to understanding these verses is to understand the context or the background of the verses.

Some Background Information

These verses are part of a message from God to a man named Ahaz who was the King of Judah (the southern part of the divided kingdom of Israel). Ahaz and the people he was leading were in a terrible situation and they were filled with fear. Isaiah chapter 7 beginning at verse one tells us the background. Two other kings and their armies had formed an alliance to attack and destroy Ahaz and the people of Judah. Verse 2 tells us that they were shaken as trees are shaken by strong winds - in other words they were terrified. God however had sent a message through the prophet Isaiah to Ahaz telling him that the attack would not succeed (verse 4-9). The challenge to Ahaz is to trust in God's word not in what he sees happening around him. Further background information can be found in the book of 2 Kings chapter 16.

King Ahaz had decide to take matters in his own hands and to not trust in God but rather make an alliance with the King of Assyria to help him. God offers to give King Ahaz a sign but he refuses a sign. He has decided to trust in chariots and horses and not in God and God's word. This proves to be a disastrous decision for the nation he was leading. God however gives a sign of His faithfulness in form of a prophecy or prediction. The prophecy is in verse 14. The prophecy is that a virgin young women would give birth to a child who would be Immanuel. Immanuel means God with us in Hebrew. This sign is intended to build our faith in the face of fear. The sign is designed to help us stand firm when circumstance would lead others to give up or run. This sign is design to be our rock through all the ups and downs of life.

The sign was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. Matthew in chapter 1 verses 22-23 specifically indicates that the prophecy of a virgin birth predicted by Isaiah was fulfilled in Jesus birth. Luke 1: 29-37 tells the story of the virgin birth in detail. It is important to note that the incident of the virgin birth is followed by verse 37 of Luke 1 which states, "For nothing is impossible with God." A clear connection between the sign of the virgin birth and faith. The virgin birth make the point that nothing is impossible for God therefore we can place our full confidence and trust in him.

Devotional Ideas

1. A great book on faith and fear is, " What Are You Afraid of? Facing Down Your Fears with Faith" by David Jeremiah. This is a good book to read a few pages a day to build your faith.

2. Read and meditate this week on the virgin birth of Jesus (Luke 1:29-37) and what that means for you in your life.

Final Thoughts

If Jesus was born of a virgin and is God with us then will not Jesus meet all our needs and help us through all of our fears as we surrender our lives completely to Him?