Isaiah 7-9

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:10-17

Faith triumphing over doubt. Faith in the Eternal personified in the prophet, to whom all things desirable are to be hoped for, all things to be hoped for are possible; and distrust, the weakness of mere flesh and blood, represented in the timid Ahaz. Such is the illusion of appearances. The outwardly kingly man is the coward; the real king of men is the plain-looking prophet. I. THE CHALLENGE OF FAITH . In the Name of Jehovah, Isaiah bids the king ask a sign from above—a sign... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:11

Ask thee a sign . Asking for a sign is right or wrong, praiseworthy or blamable, according to the spirit in which the request is made. The Pharisees in our Lord's time "asked for a sign," but would not have believed any the more had they received the sign for which they asked. Gideon asked for a sign to strengthen his faith ( 6:37 , 6:39 ), and received it, and in the strength of it went forth boldly against the Midianites. When God himself proposed to give a sign, and allowed his... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:11-14

Rightful and wrongful asking for signs. To ask for a sign is sometimes spoken of in Scripture as indicative of want of faith, and therefore as an offence to God: "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign" ( Matthew 12:39 ), "This is an evil generation; they seek a sign" ( Luke 11:29 ). "Jesus sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given to this generation" ( Mark 8:12 ). "The Jews... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:12

I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord . Ahaz, who has no wish for a sign, because he has no wish to believe in any other salvation than flint which will follow from the realization of his own schemes, finds a plausible reason for declining to ask for one in those passages of the Law which forbade men to" tempt God" ( Exodus 17:7 ; Deuteronomy 6:16 ). But it could not be "tempt-tug God" to comply with a Divine invitation; rather it was tempting him to refuse compliance. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:12

True and false humility. We are to understand that Ahaz had already made up his mind to resort to Assyria for help; probably he had even already sent his ambassadors to Tiglath-Pileser, and he would not be deterred from his purpose by any promise or threatening of Jehovah's But he dissembled, and tried to get out of his difficulty by hypocritically pretending that he was deterred from asking a sign by a religious fear of tempting the Lord. His words sound as if he were humble and reverent;... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:13

O house of David (comp. Isaiah 7:2 ). It is not Ahaz alone, but the "house of David," which is on its trial. Men are conspiring to remove it ( Isaiah 7:6 ). If it will not be saved in God's way, it will have to be removed by God himself. Is it a small thing for you to weary men? i.e. "Are you not content with wearying men; with disregarding all my warnings and so wearying me? Must you go further, and weary God" (or, "wear out his patience") "by rejecting his gracious offers?" My... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:14

Therefore . To show that your perversity cannot change God's designs, which will be accomplished, whether you hear or whether you forbear. The Lord himself ; i.e. "the Lord himself, of his own free will, unasked." Will give you a sign . "Signs" were of various kinds. They might be actual miracles performed to attest a Divine commission ( Exodus 4:3-9 ); or judgments of God, significative of his power and justice ( Exodus 10:2 ); or memorials of something in the past ( Exodus 13:9 ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:14

Note on the general purport of the Immanuel prophecy . Few prophecies have been the subject of so much controversy, or called forth such a variety of exegesis, as this prophecy of Immanuel. Rosenmüller gives a list of twenty-eight authors who have written dissertations upon it, and himself adds a twenty-ninth. Yet the subject is far from being exhausted. It is still asked: I. The first theory is that of the Jewish commentators. Originally, they suggested that the mother was Abi, the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:14

Jesus our Immanuel. I. REASONS FOR BELIEVING THIS . 1. None but Jesus was ever born of a pure virgin. 2. None but Jesus was ever "God with us." 3. None but Jesus ever knew truly "to refuse the evil and choose the good." II. DUTIES FLOWING FROM THE BELIEF . 1. If Jesus is "God with us," we must obey him. 2. If Jesus is "God with us," we must trust him. 3. If Jesus is "God with us," we must strive to imitate him. 4. If Jesus is "God with us,"... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:14

The presence of God. We naturally ask the question—In what ways is God ours? "Immanuel;" in what respect is he one of whom we can say that he is "God with us;" how and where is his presence to be found and to be felt? There are many answers to this question; there is— I. THE ANSWER OF SACRED POETRY . That the presence of God is seen in the results of his Divine handiwork , in the foundations and pillars of the earth, in the "meanest flower that blows," in the varied forms of... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:10-17

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:11

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:11-14

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:12

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:12

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:13

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:14

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:14

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:14

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 7:14

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