When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.
2 Now the house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself with Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.
3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field. 4 Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. 5 Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have plotted your ruin, saying, 6 “Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” 7 Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘It will not take place,
Isaiah 7:1-9 (NIV)
it will not happen,
8 for the head of Aram is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is only Rezin.
Within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.
9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.
If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.’”
Life can bring some challenges which appear extremely overwhelming. We can look at a big challenge with great fear. A sense that we are going to be unable to overcome this challenge can overtake us. When these types of challenges confront us, we may choose to flee from it rather than stand our ground. In some situations retreat is the wise survival choice. At other times, we are called to stand firm and push our way through the challenge.
Our passage from Isaiah presents a challenger for the king and people of Israel. They learn that King Rezin and Pekah are planning to attack them. Naturally, fear quickly overcomes King Ahaz and the Israelites. God sends Isaiah and his son to tell Ahaz to not be afraid. Isaiah tells the king to remain firm in his faith because the Lord will not allow them to be successfully attacked.
Isaiah’s message is good for us when we may feel attacked or are facing a difficult challenge. Encouragement to remain standing in our faith can assist us in overcoming our fear. Knowing that we have a Lord who will overcome whatever we face provides strength during a challenging time. While the outcome of each battle may not appear successful to us, the final outcome will be successful because the Lord is in control. So stand firm in your faith during life’s challenges for the Lord has already made you victor in the most important battle.
A Faith Understanding 