I'll give you a sign - Chapter 7

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and shall call his name Immanuel."

Isaiah 7:14

Chapter 7 begins, "In the days of Ahaz..." another king of the Israelites, particularly Judah as this was during the time when the nation split into 2 kingdoms. Ahaz ascended the throne as a young king and quickly moved the nation to idol worship. He was an evil king. You can read more about him in 2 Kings 16 and 2 Chronicles 28. Let's just say, I'm glad he wasn't my dad, or I would most likely not believe considering he believe in child sacrifices.

We go onto to read that 2 great countries are preparing for battle against Judah and Ahaz is scared! God tells Isaiah to go meet Ahaz with his son. I think that's an amazing act of faith in and of itself. Going to meet a king who'd sacrifice his own child with you son. Thankfully, Isaiah has a good message to tell Ahaz.

Then God asks Ahaz to ask him for a sign! How cool is that?! I know God isn't a vending machine or a genie, but how cool that He's not afraid of putting Himself to the test. And why should He be, he created the world and everything in it. Only the one true God would ask knowing the King could request ANYTHING and He could fulfill the requet.

So often I'm like the king who responds, "I will not ask, I will not put the Lord to the test." I want to believe in God on my own terms and think it's selfish and childish to need God to provide a "sign". But, in the same breath how much does God want to prove Himself worthy? And how freeing would it be to KNOW?

Instead the Lord says he's going to make a virgin pregnant. WHAT?! Only God would come up with a sign that berserk. The Israelites heard this prophesy many times. Yet when Mary claimed she was pregnant without having slept with a man, no one believed her. How often to we choose not to believe thinking it to be impossible? How often do we limit God?