LOVE IN FLOWER (4 OF 52)
Scripture: Isaiah 7:7-16
This content is part of a series.
Love in Flower (4 of 52)
Series: Lectionary, Year A
Christopher B. Harbin
Isaiah 7:7-16
The Bible is full of texts that call us not to be afraid. By one account, there are 365 times that Scripture uses the phrase, ''Be not afraid.'' Certainly, there are times in which fear is appropriate, but on the whole, we give in to fear far too readily. Repeatedly, we find God calling us to step back from fear, learning instead to trust God with the circumstances before us. To do that requires that we trust God. It requires that we be able to recognize and rest in God's love. Why do we find that so hard to do?
Ahaz, King of Judah, was in a tight spot. He was being pressured by enemies of Judah to give up the throne. He felt powerless and hemmed in by Aram and Ephraim. He did not believe he had the means to keep Judah from being overrun by outside forces. He could only see one way out. He would ally with a much more powerful nation, hoping to keep his enemies at bay.
It was not a well-considered plan. It was designed out of fear, uncertainty, inexperience, and his inability to see beyond the immediate concerns before him. It is one thing to ally ourselves with one who shares a mutual interest. It is quite another to seek to ally oneself with another whose ambition is to bring you under their control. That was an issue Ahaz had not thought through.
Aram was struggling to expand its borders along with Ephraim. Meanwhile, they were both under attack from Assyrian forces. Ahaz felt threatened by his two neighbors. He was afraid they would succeed in pressuring Judah to depose him in favor of a puppet king who would align Judah with Aram and Ephraim. He felt like he was losing control. He did not have the experience to navigate the situation before him. He did not seek Yahweh's direction through the prophets and priests. Instead, he devised a plan out of his anxiety and fear.
That is generally a bad way to proceed. Fear does not allow us to process issues rationa ...
Series: Lectionary, Year A
Christopher B. Harbin
Isaiah 7:7-16
The Bible is full of texts that call us not to be afraid. By one account, there are 365 times that Scripture uses the phrase, ''Be not afraid.'' Certainly, there are times in which fear is appropriate, but on the whole, we give in to fear far too readily. Repeatedly, we find God calling us to step back from fear, learning instead to trust God with the circumstances before us. To do that requires that we trust God. It requires that we be able to recognize and rest in God's love. Why do we find that so hard to do?
Ahaz, King of Judah, was in a tight spot. He was being pressured by enemies of Judah to give up the throne. He felt powerless and hemmed in by Aram and Ephraim. He did not believe he had the means to keep Judah from being overrun by outside forces. He could only see one way out. He would ally with a much more powerful nation, hoping to keep his enemies at bay.
It was not a well-considered plan. It was designed out of fear, uncertainty, inexperience, and his inability to see beyond the immediate concerns before him. It is one thing to ally ourselves with one who shares a mutual interest. It is quite another to seek to ally oneself with another whose ambition is to bring you under their control. That was an issue Ahaz had not thought through.
Aram was struggling to expand its borders along with Ephraim. Meanwhile, they were both under attack from Assyrian forces. Ahaz felt threatened by his two neighbors. He was afraid they would succeed in pressuring Judah to depose him in favor of a puppet king who would align Judah with Aram and Ephraim. He felt like he was losing control. He did not have the experience to navigate the situation before him. He did not seek Yahweh's direction through the prophets and priests. Instead, he devised a plan out of his anxiety and fear.
That is generally a bad way to proceed. Fear does not allow us to process issues rationa ...
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