School Sabbath

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Isa. 7:1–9, Isa. 7:10–13, Isa. 7:14.

Memory Text: “ ‘ “ ‘If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established’ ” ’ ” (Isaiah 7:9, NKJV).

One Sabbath Connie and Roy drove into their driveway after church. A bantam hen flew frantically across the yard in front of them. Something was wrong. The pet birds were supposed to be safely in their pen but had gotten out. Quick investigation showed a tragedy in progress. Beethoven, the neighbor’s small dog, also had escaped her yard and was down by the pond with Daisy in her mouth. Daisy was a beautiful laying hen with fluffy white tail feathers. Connie rescued Daisy, but it was too late. Her precious pet, now with a mangled neck, soon died in Connie’s arms. She sat down in the yard, holding the dead bird, and wailed.

Another pet was deeply disturbed. A tall, white duck by the name of Waddlesworth saw Connie holding Daisy and seemed to have assumed she had killed her. So, for the next few weeks, whenever Waddlesworth saw Connie, he would viciously attack her, pinching her painfully with his strong bill. Sometimes it is hard to sort out who your friends and enemies are.

This week we’ll look at a king of Judah who also had this problem, and we’ll seek to understand why he made the wrong choices he did.

Danger From the North (Isa. 7:1–9)

What terrifying crisis did King Ahaz face early in his reign? (2 Kings 15:37, 38; 2 Kings 16:5, 6; Isaiah 7:1, 2.)
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The kingdoms of northern Israel (Ephraim) and Syria (Aram) ganged
up on the smaller country of Judah to the south. This happened when
Judah was weakened by attacks from the Edomites and Philistines. In
the past, Judah had fought against Israel, but an alliance between Israel
and Syria presented an overwhelming peril. It appears Israel and Syria
wanted to force Judah to participate with them in a coalition against the mighty power of Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria (called “Pul” in 2 Kings 15:19), who continued to threaten them with his expanding empire.

Israel and Syria had put aside their longstanding struggle against each
other in view of a greater danger. If they could conquer Judah and
install a puppet ruler there (Isa. 7:5, 6), they could use its resources
and manpower.

What was Ahaz’s solution when his world was falling apart? (2 Kings 16:7–9, 2 Chron. 28:16.)
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Rather than recognizing that God was the only Friend who could
rescue him and his country, Ahaz tried to make a friend out of Tiglathpileser III, the enemy of his enemies. The Assyrian king happily complied with his request for aid against Syria and Israel. Not only did
Tiglath-pileser receive a rich bribe from Ahaz, but he also gained a
good excuse to take Syria, which he promptly did (2 Kings 16:9). The
power of the Syrian-Israelite alliance was broken. In the short run, it
appeared that Ahaz had saved Judah.

This action on Ahaz’s part, however, should not come as a surprise.
He had been one of the worst kings ever to rule Judah up to that point.
(See 2 Kings 16:3, 4; 2 Chron. 28:2–4.)

When we read about what Ahaz was like, it is understandable
why he reacted to danger as he did. What lesson is here for us on
a personal level? If we’re not obeying the Lord now, what makes
us think we’ll have the faith to trust Him when real trials come?
(See James 2:22, Jer. 12:5.)

Attempted Interception (Isa. 7:3–9)

While Ahaz was weighing his political options to meet the threat from
Israel and Syria, God knew some things he did not. For one thing, it was God who had allowed trouble to come upon him in order to discipline him and bring him to his senses (2 Chron. 28:5, 19). Moreover, although appealing to Tiglath-pileser for help seemed logical and attractive from a human standpoint, God knew it would bring the Davidic kingdom of Judah under foreign control from which she could never recover.

The stakes were staggeringly high. So, the Lord sent Isaiah to intercept
the king (apparently as he was inspecting Jerusalem’s water supply
in preparation for a siege) in order to persuade him not to contact the
Assyrian leader.

Why did the Lord tell Isaiah to take his son, Shear-jashub, with him? (Isa. 7:3.)
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Ahaz would be startled when Isaiah greeted him and introduced his
son, named “A Remnant Shall Return.” Remnant of whom? Shall return from what? Because the boy’s father was a prophet, the name sounded like an ominous message from God about people going into captivity.

Or was it about returning to God in the sense of repenting (the verb “return” also carries the meaning of repentance)? The message from God to Ahaz was: it means what you make it mean! Turn from your sins or go into captivity, and from captivity a remnant will return. The decision is yours!

How did God’s message address the king’s situation? (Isa. 7:4–9.)
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The threat from Syria and Israel would pass, and Judah would be
spared. Powers that looked to Ahaz like huge, fiery volcanoes were
in God’s sight only “two smoldering stumps of firebrands” (Isa. 7:4,
NRSV). There was no need for Ahaz to appeal to Assyria for help.
But in order to make the right decision, Ahaz needed to trust the Lord and His promises. He needed to believe in order to be established (Isa. 7:9). The words for “believe” and “be established” are from the same Hebrew root, from which come also the word for “truth” (that which is reliable) and the word amen (affirming that which is true/reliable). Ahaz needed to be sure in order to be made sure; he needed to rely in order to be reliable.

Look at that last section of Isaiah 7:9. Why are faith and belief
so important in order to be “established”? Established in what?
How does this principle apply in the life of the Christian?

Another Chance (Isa. 7:10–13)

Ahaz did not respond to Isaiah’s call for faith. So, God mercifully
gave the king another chance, telling him to ask for a sign that was
“deep as Sheol or high as heaven” (Isa. 7:11, NRSV). Here is one of
the greatest invitations to faith ever given to a human being. Unlike
lotteries or sweepstakes, God placed no restrictions in fine print. God
did not even limit His offer to the half of His kingdom, as human rulers did when they reached the upper limit of their generosity (see Esther 5:6, Esther 7:2, Mark 6:23). He was ready and willing to empty all of heaven and earth for a wicked king if he would only believe! As a sign, Ahaz could have asked for a mountain of gold or soldiers as numerous as grains of sand by the Mediterranean.

Why did Ahaz respond in the way he did? (Isa. 7:12.)
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At first glance, Ahaz’s answer seems pious and respectful. He would
not put God to the test, as the Israelites had centuries before, during
their wilderness wanderings (Exod. 17:2, Deut. 6:16). But the difference was that God invited the king to put Him to the test (compare Mal.3:10). To take Him up on His overwhelmingly generous gift would please Him, not test His patience. But Ahaz was not even willing to allow God to help him to believe. He barred and bolted the door of his heart to shut out faith.

Read Isaiah 7:13. What is Isaiah saying here?
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Isaiah pointed out that by refusing to put God to the test, outwardly to
avoid wearying God, Ahaz, in fact, wearied God. But the most troubling  aspect of this verse is the fact that here Isaiah refers to “my God,” by clear contrast to Isaiah 7:11, where the prophet asked the king to ask a sign of the Lord “your God.” When Ahaz refused the divine offer, he rejected the Lord from being his God. The Lord was the God of Isaiah—but not of Ahaz.

What does this day’s study teach us about God’s forbearance and
willingness to bring all of us to salvation? What also does it tell us
about the blindness and hardness of the human heart when not
surrendered completely to the Lord? In the end, even if God had
given Ahaz any sign that he had wanted, do you think Ahaz would then have believed? Explain your answer.
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Sign of a Son (Isa. 7:14)

An offer of a sign as “deep as Sheol or high as heaven” (Isa. 7:11,
NRSV) did not move Ahaz. So, when God says He Himself will come up with a sign (Isa. 7:14), we expect it to have breathtaking dimensions that only the divine imagination could devise (compare Isa. 55:9, 1 Cor. 2:9).

Surprise! The sign is a son. But how could a young woman bearing
a child and calling him “Immanuel” be a sign of biblical proportions?

Who is the woman, and who is her Child?

Nowhere does the Old Testament point out a fulfillment of this
important sign, as it had done for the signs given to other people, such
as Gideon (Judg. 6:36–40). So, here are some of the possible fulfillments, based on the Old Testament alone:

1. Because the word for “young woman” refers to a young woman
of marriageable age, many assume she is a married woman living in
Jerusalem, perhaps the wife of Isaiah. Isaiah 8:3 does record the birth of a son to Isaiah by “the prophetess” (referring to his wife, whose prophetic messages consisted, at least, of her children; compare Isa. 7:3, Isa. 8:18). However, this son was named Maher-shalal-hash-baz (Isa. 8:1–4), not Immanuel. Nevertheless, the signs of the two boys are similar in that before they reach the stage at which they can choose good or evil, Syria and northern Israel would be devastated (Isa. 7:16, Isa. 8:4).

2. Some suggest that Immanuel is Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, who became
the next king. But nowhere is the name Immanuel applied to him.

3. Because Immanuel is somewhat mysterious and His name, commonly translated “God with us” refers to God’s presence, He could be the same as the special Son prophesied in Isaiah 9 and 11. If so, His exalted description as divine (Isa. 9:6) and “the root of Jesse” (Isa. 11:10, NRSV) surpasses anything that could be ascribed to good King Hezekiah.

4. A natural birth to an unmarried woman of marriageable age would
result in an illegitimate child through illegal promiscuity (see Deut. 22:20, 21). Why would God refer to such a child as a sign to inspire faith? In contrast, the New Testament identifies Jesus as Immanuel (Matt. 1:21–23), born miraculously and with purity to an unmarried but
betrothed virgin. Jesus also is the divine Son (Isa. 9:6, Matt. 3:17) and
the “shoot” and “root” of Jesse (Isa. 11:1, 10; Rev. 22:16). Perhaps an
earlier “Immanuel,” whose development proved to Ahaz the timeliness
of prophetic fulfillments, served as a forerunner of Christ. We do not
know. But we know what we need to know: “when the fullness of time
had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman” (Gal. 4:4, NRSV), to
give us the presence of God with us.

Dwell on the reality of Christ’s coming into humanity. What kind
of comfort can this reality give us amid what seems like a cold,
fearsome, and uncaring world?

“God Is With Us”! (Isa. 7:14)

Like the name of Isaiah’s children (Shear-jashub, “a remnant shall
return,” and Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which means “swift is booty,
speedy is prey”), the name of Immanuel has a meaning. It is literally
“with us God.” But the commonly accepted translation “God with
us” misses something important. As with other Hebrew names of this
kind that lack verbs, the verb “to be” must be supplied, because it
is not expressed in Hebrew. So, Immanuel must be translated “God
is with us” (compare the same words in Isa. 8:10), just as the name
“Jesus” (Greek, and short for Hebrew Yehoshua, or Joshua) means
“The Lord is salvation,” with the verb again being supplied (compare
Isaiah, which means, “salvation of the Lord”).
But the name “Immanuel” is not just an abstract description; it is an
assertion of a promise that is fulfilled now: “God is with us”!
What is the significance of the promise that God is with us?
There is no stronger assurance and comfort. God does not promise
that His people will not endure hardship and pain, but He promises
to be with them. The psalmist says: “Even though I walk through the
darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your
staff—they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4, NRSV).
“God says: ‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk
through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume
you’ (Isa. 43:2).
“Where was the Lord when the Babylonians threw Daniel’s
three friends into the fire? With them (Dan. 3:23–25). And where
was the Lord during the time of Jacob’s trouble when he wrestled
until daybreak? In Jacob’s arms, as close as he could get (Gen.
32:24–30).
“Even when the Lord does not appear in physical form on earth,
He goes through the experiences of His people with them. Where
was the Lord when the mob condemned Stephen? ‘Standing at the
right hand of God’ (Acts 7:55). But when Jesus ascended to heaven,
He ‘sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high’ (Heb. 1:3).
Why did He stand when Stephen was in trouble, about to be stoned
to death? As Morris Venden has said, ‘Jesus wasn’t going to take
that sitting down!’ ”—Roy Gane, God’s Faulty Heroes (Hagerstown,
Md.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1996), p. 66.
Even though we have the promise that “God is with us,” what
difference does that make if we still face terrible trials and suffering?
What good does the knowledge of His presence, then, do
for us? Explain your answer.

Further Thought: “ ‘His name shall be called Immanuel, . . . God with us.’ ‘The light of the knowledge of the glory of God’ is seen ‘in the face of Jesus Christ.’ From the days of eternity the Lord Jesus Christ was one with the Father; He was ‘the image of God,’ the image of His greatness and majesty, ‘the outshining of His glory.’ It was to manifest this glory that He came to our world. To this sin-darkened earth He came to reveal the light of God’s love,—to be ‘God with us.’ Therefore it was prophesied of Him, ‘His name shall be called Immanuel.’ ”—Ellen G.

White, The Desire of Ages, p. 19.
“Well would it have been for the kingdom of Judah had Ahaz
received this message as from heaven. But choosing to lean on the
arm of flesh, he sought help from the heathen. In desperation he sent
word to Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria: ‘I am thy servant and thy son:
come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out
of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.’ 2 Kings
16:7. The request was accompanied by a rich present from the king’s
treasure and from the temple storehouse.”—Ellen G. White, Prophets
and Kings, p. 329.

Discussion Questions:
 When you are in the process of making a decision, is it appropriate
to ask God for a sign? What dangers are possibly inherent in doing something like that?
 It is good to have human assistance, but how do you recognize
its limits?
 Russian author Leo Tolstoy wrote to a friend that “once a man
has realized that death is the end of everything, then there is nothing
worse than life either.” How does our knowledge that “God is
with us” answer such a statement? Summary: God brought faithless King Ahaz to circumstances in which he had to make a difficult decision: To believe or not to believe, this is the question. Even though the Lord offered him any sign that his imagination could devise, he refused to allow God to demonstrate a reason why he should believe. Instead, he chose as his “friend” the king of Assyria.

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Isa. 6:1–4, Isa. 6:5–7, Isa. 6:8, Isa. 6:9–13.

Memory Text: “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple” (Isaiah 6:1, NKJV).

When asked by one of his disciples about the ingredients of good government, Confucius answered: “ ‘Sufficient food, sufficient weapons, and the confidence of the common people.’
“ ‘But,’ asked the disciple, ‘suppose you had no choice but to dispense with one of those three, which would you forego?’
“ ‘Weapons,’ said Confucius.
“His disciple persisted: ‘Suppose you were then forced to dispense with one of the two that are left, which would you forego?’
“Replied Confucius, ‘Food. For from of old, hunger has been the lot of all men, but a people that no longer trusts its rulers is lost indeed.’ ”—Edited by Michael P. Green, 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1989), p. 215.
People do, indeed, want strong, trustworthy leadership. When a soldier was signing up for a second term of duty, the army recruiter asked why he wanted to reenlist. “I tried civilian life,” he said, “but nobody is in charge out there.”
This week, we will look at Judah’s crisis of leadership and the sad results that followed.

The King Is Dead. Long Live the King!

Isaiah 6:1 talks about the death of King Uzziah. Read 2 Chronicles 26 and then answer this question: What is the significance of King Uzziah’s death?
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Different perspectives can be given regarding the death of this king.

1. Although Uzziah’s reign was long and prosperous, “when he had
become strong he grew proud, to his destruction” (2 Chron. 26:16,
NRSV) and attempted to offer incense in the temple. When the priests
rightly stopped him because he was not authorized as a priestly
descendant of Aaron (2 Chron. 26:18), the king became angry. At this
moment, when the king refused reproof, the Lord immediately struck
him with leprosy, which he had “to the day of his death, and being leprous lived in a separate house, for he was excluded from the house of the Lord” (2 Chron. 26:21, NRSV). How ironic that Isaiah saw a vision of the pure, immortal, divine King in His house/temple in the very year the impure human king died!

2. There is a striking contrast between Uzziah and Isaiah. Uzziah
reached for holiness presumptuously, for the wrong reason (pride), and
instead became ritually impure, so that he was cut off from holiness.
Isaiah, on the other hand, allowed God’s holiness to reach him. He
humbly admitted his weakness and yearned for moral purity, which he
received (Isa. 6:5–7, NRSV). Like the tax collector in Jesus’ parable, he
went away justified: “ ‘for all who exalt themselves will be humbled,
but all who humble themselves will be exalted’ ” (Luke 18:14, NRSV).

3. There is a striking similarity between Uzziah’s leprous body and
the moral condition of his people: “There is no soundness in it, but
bruises and sores and bleeding wounds” (Isa. 1:6, NRSV).

4. The death of Uzziah in about 740 b.c. marks a major crisis in the
leadership of God’s people. The death of any absolute ruler makes his
or her country vulnerable during a transition of power. But Judah was
in special danger, because Tiglath-pileser III had ascended the throne
of Assyria a few years before, in 745 b.c., and immediately went on the
warpath, which made his nation an invincible superpower that threatened the independent existence of all nations in the Near East. In this time of crisis, God encouraged Isaiah by showing the prophet that He was still in control.

Read carefully 2 Chronicles 26:16. In what ways do each one
of us potentially face the same thing? How can dwelling on the
Cross protect us from that pitfall?

“Holy, Holy, Holy” (Isa. 6:1–4)

Notice what was happening here in the first four verses of Isaiah 6.
The king dies during great political turmoil (the Assyrians are on the
warpath). For Isaiah, it could have been a fearful time when he was not
sure who was in control.
And then—what happens? While taken in vision, Isaiah gazed upon
the blazing glory of God upon His throne, heard the antiphony of shining seraphim (“burning ones”) calling out the words “holy, holy, holy,” felt the resultant seismic shaking of the floor beneath him, and peered through swirling smoke as it filled the temple. It must have been a stunning experience for the prophet. For sure, Isaiah now knew who was in control, despite outward events.

Where is the Lord in this vision? (See Isa. 6:1.) Why would the Lord make an appearance to Isaiah here, as opposed to anywhere else? (See Exod. 25:8, Exod. 40:34–38.)
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Ezekiel, Daniel, and John were in exile when they received their visions
in Ezekiel 1; Daniel 7:9, 10; and Revelation 4, 5. Like Isaiah, they needed special comfort and encouragement that God was still in charge, even though their world was falling apart. (Daniel and Ezekiel were captives in a pagan nation that had destroyed their own, and John had been exiled to a lonely island by a hostile political power.) No doubt, these visions helped give them what they needed to stay faithful, even during a crisis situation.

“As Isaiah beheld this revelation of the glory and majesty of his Lord,
he was overwhelmed with a sense of the purity and holiness of God. How sharp the contrast between the matchless perfection of his Creator, and the sinful course of those who, with himself, had long been numbered among the chosen people of Israel and Judah!”—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 307.

The transcendent holiness of God, emphasized in Isaiah’s vision, is a
basic aspect of his message. God is a holy God, and He demands holiness from His people, a holiness He will give to them if only they will repent, turn from their evil ways, and submit to Him in faith and obedience.

All of us have been in discouraging situations, where from outward appearances all seemed lost. And even if you didn’t get a
vision of the “glory of the Lord,” as did Isaiah here, recount the
ways in which the Lord was able to sustain you and your faith
during these crises. What have you learned from these experiences that you could share with others?