4 “And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah.” – Isaiah 7:4
Comforting Words
Be careful. Be quiet. Do not fear. Do not let your heart be faint. The Lord commanded the prophet Isaiah to speak these words to Ahaz, king of Judah, as two opposing kings, Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekin, king of Israel, were conspiring to destroy Ahaz. We all have our struggles with fears. Those moments when our hearts are faint and our minds are overwhelmed. Sometimes our fears are valid and often times not. If two powerful enemies were conspiring to destroy me as was the case with Ahaz, I would be fearful also. Ahaz was familiar with Rezin and Pekin. Too familiar.
Smoldering Stumps
Second Chronicles chapter twenty-eight records a prior encounter between Ahaz and these two kings. It did not bode well for Ahaz and Judah. Pekin (Pekah) killed 120,000 men from Judah in one day. Ahaz also lost a son and his second in command. But that wasn’t all. Besides the men that were killed, another 200,000 women, and sons and daughters of Judah were taken captive. In addition to the captives, there was also much spoil taken to Samaria. Sounds to me like there should be every reason to fear the “fierce anger” of these two kings. While the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people “shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind” (verse 2), God calls the opposing kings mere smoldering stumps of firebrands.
Be Careful
Take heed. Ahaz needed to hear these words. Ahaz began to reign at twenty years of age and reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD. He made images for the Baals, and made sacrifices to idols, including burning his sons as a sacrifice. Ahaz consistently made poor choices. When threatened, he did not look to God, but rather made a pact with Assyria for protection. Hence the admonition to be careful. Ahaz was listening to the wrong voices, including his own. Now it was time to listen to the words of God. Good advice for all of us. Set aside all pretenses of self-sufficiency and listen for the voice of God.
Be Quiet
No more excuses. No more rationalizing. It is time to admit the mistakes that have been made. Amazing how we think that by rambling on we can convince others when in actuality we are often trying to convince ourselves. Oh, for the wisdom to know when to be quiet. It is hard to hear the voice of wisdom when we are filling the air with our ignorance.
Do Not Fear
How much fear in our lives would be eliminated if we would look at things from God’s perspective. These two fierce kings are in actuality only smoldering stumps. Isaiah relays from God to Ahaz the imminent death of these two figures. Unfortunately, Ahaz isn’t looking to God, nor is he looking at the opposing kings with a godly perspective. Instead of looking at the scenario with all of the facts, he is operating in the realm of ignorance. Hence his fear.
Do Not Let Your Heart Be Faint
Be strong. What you perceive as a ferocious fire is nothing more than smoke. Despite their threats, there is more thunder than lightning. You listen to these angry kings and you hear their threats. Listen to God and you will be assured of their demise. Are you going to be overwhelmed by the threats of firebrands and live in fear, or place your trust in the assurance of God and live in confident faith?
Comforting Words & The Stump of Jesse
When God sent Isaiah to Ahaz with this message, he did not send him alone, rather Isaiah was instructed to take his son along. His son’s name was Shear-jashub. Why is this significant? Shear-jashub literally means, “a remnant will return.” Ahaz and Judah may have had a bad history with Rezin and Pekin, but they had a promise for a glorious future from God. Isaiah proceeds to tell Ahaz of the virgin birth of Immanuel. God has a plan. No need to shake like a tree in the wind. No need to fear smoldering stumps. Our hope is in the stump of Jesse. Look at these verses from Isaiah chapter eleven.
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
11 In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.
We live in a world full of fear. The recent terrorist attack in Barcelona has reminded us of our vulnerability. After each such occurrence, the world leaders condemn those responsible. No disrespect to those in authority, but for the most part, they are smoldering stumps. Despite all of the rhetoric, they will never stop the violence. Our only hope is Christ, the root of Jesse. If we put our confidence anyplace else we are making a pact with Assyria which will always result in fear and shaking like a tree in the wind. Don’t listen to the threats of Rezin and Pekin. Isaiah and his son Shear-jashub are speaking to you on God’s behalf. Be careful. Be quiet. Do not fear. Do not let your heart be faint. Because of the root of Jesse, we can live in hope and not fear.
12 And again Isaiah says,
“The root of Jesse will come,
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.”
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. – Romans 15:12-13