Don’t Sacrifice “God With Us” | Isaiah 7 and the Temptation of Fear

 

Isaiah 7 reveals how moments of crisis test our faith and tempt us to sacrifice the peace and presence of “God with us.” When King Ahaz faced political pressure, military threats, and fear of the unknown, he chose human alliances over trusting the Lord—rejecting the promise of Immanuel.

In this exposition of Isaiah 7, we explore:

• Why fear causes us to trust human solutions instead of God

• The messages of Isaiah, Shear-jashub, and Immanuel

• The conditional promise of God’s presence through faith

• The double meaning of the virgin sign—to Ahaz and to the house of David

• How sacrificing faith leads to forfeiting peace, assurance, and God’s presence

Isaiah’s warning still speaks today. The world urges us to trust its wisdom, power, and alliances, but the Lord calls us to stand firm in faith and find salvation in Christ.

If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.
Don’t sacrifice Immanuel. Trust the Lord and be saved.

Syria and Israel tried to persuade Ahaz to trust their help against Assyria.

A. Politics makes strange bedfellows.

B. If Ahaz did not join them, they were going to replace him with Tabeel.

Isaiah and Shear-jashub tried to persuade Ahaz to trust the Lord’s help against Assyria.

A. The message of Isaiah 7

1. “Be careful, keep calm, and don’t be afraid,” v. 4.

2. “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all,” v. 9.

B. The message of Shear-jashub, Isaiah 7 :3–God will preserve a remnant of His people.

C. The message of Immanuel: “God with us.”

1. Within 65 years, God promised that these rebels would be gone.

2. The promise of God’s presence is conditioned by faith.

3. The sign of the virgin has a double meaning:

a. To Ahaz, if he believed, he would have a son, a successor to the throne.

b. To the house of David, if they believed, they would have a Messiah, born of a virgin.

Ahaz made an alliance with Assyria, thwarting Syria and Israel, sacrificing Immanuel, “God with us.”

The Application

We sacrifice Immanuel (“God with us”) when we trust human fears more than God.

We sacrifice Immanuel when we trust human alliances more than God.

We sacrifice Immanuel when we trust human wisdom more than God.

The Conclusion

The crisis of the temporary tempts us to sacrifice “God with us” through faithlessness.

The world tries to persuade us to trust it more than God.

The Lord tries to persuade us to trust Him and be saved.

Don’t sacrifice the peace and presence of God through salvation in Christ.

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