Free Grace Women

Introduction

In this installment, we continue our discussion of Free Grace issues in the Book of Isaiah. As we mentioned in the previous blogs, the book of Isaiah is a book of contrasts. It covers the dramatic events that took place in the lifetime of Isaiah as a result of the disobedience of Israel and God’s discipline, and at the same time provides encouraging prophecies about the eventual coming of the Messiah, confirming the faithfulness of God to the promises He had given to His people. After discussing the book’s main theme and the prologue (chapters 1-6), with this installment we open the discussion of the next unit in the book (chapters 7-12), often referred to as the Emmanuel unit.

Chapter seven starts with the depiction of the geopolitical situation around the nation of Israel. The nation is split into two kingdoms – Northern Israel (also called Ephraim) and Judah with the Davidic throne. Their neighbors are gentiles – the kingdoms of Aram (or Syria) and Assyria. Assyria is a strong conquering power aiming at taking over the whole region. In an attempt to resist them, the kingdom of Aram is trying to persuade the Jews to ally with them. While Ephraim accepts the deal, Judah rejects it. At the beginning of the chapter, we see God sending Isaiah to the King of Judah, Ahaz, with a message saying that Aram and Ephraim are preparing to war against him and that God would protect him from them. God announces to Ahaz His support and calls him to believe in Him for this protection. 

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

What belief is in view?

Verse 9 is important. Without a solid understanding of the gospel, it can bring confusion since it mentions belief. We know that we have eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 11:25-26; Ephesians 2:8-9) and that this life can’t be lost (John 4:13-14, 6:35, 10:28-29). Nevertheless, if we forget about it, we can come to this verse and conclude that in order to enter the Kingdom of God we must persevere in faith until the end. That’s a distortion of the gospel, as it contradicts the idea that our eternal salvation doesn’t depend on us but on God’s promises in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 11:6; Romans 4:2-5; 1 John 5:13). 

What is in view here is the belief related to walking with God, not eternal salvation. King Ahaz did the right thing by rejecting an alliance with the pagan nations and was about to reap God’s blessing. Moreover, God knew in advance that the news about the alliance between Ephraim and Aram would throw Ahaz into fear and shake his faith, thus He sent an encouragement through Isaiah and even offered him signs as a confirmation of His words. 

Unfortunately, despite all the support offered by the Lord, the fears of Ahaz overtook his faith to such a degree that he even rejected receiving the signs from God. Being led by his fleshly fears, Ahaz made a decision that contradicted the Word of God. Instead of holding to God as his sole fortress, he bowed down before and trusted in the military strength of his aggressive neighbor Assyria, taking its side in the conflict. He lacked faith in the almighty Creator of the universe and His incomparable power. He didn’t have faith that God was able to deliver him despite God’s very words given through Isaiah. This refusal brings God’s discipline into his life and the life of his nation.

The law of double reference

After the refusal of Ahaz to obey the Lord, Isaiah proclaimed two prophecies: one concerning the ruling of King Ahaz and the immediate destiny of Judah due to his decision, and the second one concerning the final destiny of the nation of Israel as the chosen people of God culminating in the coming of the Messiah and Him establishing His rule over the world from Jerusalem. This passage reflects the main theme of the book: God will discipline His people for their disobedience but will not revoke His promises regarding their role in God’s plan for humanity. In the face of Assyrian aggression, Judah will be overtaken by their enemies, nevertheless, God will preserve a remnant, and from among their descendants who are faithful, He will bring forth the Messiah.

Application for church-age believers

God called King Ahaz to have faith in Him for deliverance from his enemies, and to stay away from the gentile world. In the same way, we are called to have faith in Him as we face trials and tribulations in this life (John 14:1-2, John 15:5) and keep ourselves clean from this world (James 1:27). Faith here is a matter of sanctification, not salvation. God will discipline us if we don’t believe His Word and we disobey Him, but at the same time He will never revoke his promise of eternal life in Jesus since we’ve believed it (John 5:24) and He never lies (Titus 1:2).

As believers, we often find ourselves at a crossroads: whether to obey God, or to follow what the world or our flesh says. This is inevitable as we walk with Him while still living in sinful bodies in the midst of this fallen world. To remain faithful to His Word we are required to have faith in what He says. As we do so and act upon this faith, we reap blessings in this life and eternal blessings in the form of eternal rewards at the coming Judgment Seat of Christ. When we obey God, we can be sure that God is on our side, even if we do not always perceive it. 

 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. (John 15:10 NKJV)

The decision of Ahaz had terrible consequences. He and his people ended up in captivity under idol worshippers for many years. In the same way, if we decide to disobey God, we will reap consequences in our lifetime and lose rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Obedience starts with faith in what God says. A disobedient Christian is walking in rebellion towards God and thus in darkness (1 John 1:6-7). This leads to a break in fellowship with the Lord and to a further darkening of our minds. With such an attitude we can end up denying the Lord and lose the privilege to reign with Him in the eternal kingdom. 

As you grow in your walk with your Heavenly Father, be a Berean (Acts 17:11-12). Once you understand what He says, be faithful. You will not regret it.