
Isaiah 7
Isaiah 7 describes a crisis in the kingdom of Judah during the reign of King Ahaz. The chapter opens with the northern kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Syria forming an alliance against Judah. In response, God sends the prophet Isaiah to reassure King Ahaz and to offer him a sign of divine protection. Despite this, Ahaz remains hesitant to trust in God's intervention. The chapter introduces the prophecy of the birth of Immanuel, signifying God's presence and His plan to protect His people even when they face great dangers.
Isaiah 7:1 (NKJV)
1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but could not prevail against it.
King Ahaz of Judah faced a significant threat from a coalition formed by Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel. Their goal was to conquer Jerusalem, but their initial attempt to capture the city failed. This verse sets the stage for the political and military tension that follows, showing the vulnerability of Judah under the pressure of foreign powers.
Isaiah 7:2 (NKJV)
2 And it was told to the house of David, saying, “Syria’s forces are deployed in Ephraim.” So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.
When Ahaz and his people learned about the Syrian forces joining with Israel (Ephraim), they were deeply shaken, much like trees swaying violently in the wind. This illustrates their fear and anxiety in the face of the looming invasion, which threatened not only their safety but also the future of Judah.
Isaiah 7:3-4 (NKJV)
3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field,
4 and say to him: ‘Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah.’”
God instructs Isaiah to meet Ahaz, along with his son Shear-Jashub, which means "a remnant shall return." The message Isaiah brings is one of reassurance. He tells Ahaz not to be afraid of Rezin and Pekah, describing them as "smoking firebrands," meaning they are like burnt-out stumps, no longer capable of causing lasting harm. God urges Ahaz to trust in His protection despite the threats.
Isaiah 7:5-6 (NKJV)
5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying,
6 “Let us go up against Judah and trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel”—
The alliance between Syria and Israel had a specific plan: to invade Judah, breach its defenses, and replace Ahaz with a puppet ruler, the son of Tabel. This would have effectively ended the Davidic line of kingship in Judah. Their strategy reveals the depth of their hostility and determination to weaken Judah and control its leadership.
Isaiah 7:7-9 (NKJV)
7 Thus says the Lord God: “It shall not stand, nor shall it come to pass.
8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken, so that it will not be a people.
9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.”
God responds to the plans of Syria and Israel, declaring that their scheme will not succeed. He identifies the cities and leaders of these nations, implying their limitations. God also foretells that within 65 years, Israel (Ephraim) will no longer be a nation, foreshadowing its fall to Assyria. The warning to Ahaz is clear: only by trusting in God's promise can he and his kingdom be secure.
Isaiah 7:10-12 (NKJV)
10 Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying,
11 “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”
God, through Isaiah, offers Ahaz the chance to ask for a miraculous sign as proof of His protection. However, Ahaz refuses, using the excuse that he does not want to test the Lord. Despite his pious-sounding response, this shows his lack of faith in God's offer of help, preferring to rely on his own political solutions.
Isaiah 7:13-14 (NKJV)
13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also?
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
Frustrated with Ahaz's refusal, Isaiah declares that God will give a sign anyway: a virgin will conceive and give birth to a son named Immanuel, meaning "God with us." This prophecy has a dual meaning—immediate significance for Ahaz’s time, pointing to deliverance from the threat, and a messianic fulfillment in the birth of Jesus Christ, symbolizing God’s ultimate presence among His people.
Isaiah 7:15-16 (NKJV)
15 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.
16 For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings.
The child born as a sign, Immanuel, will grow up during a time of scarcity, reflected in his diet of curds and honey. Isaiah prophesies that before this child matures enough to distinguish right from wrong, both Syria and Israel will be devastated, their kings gone, assuring Ahaz that the threat against Judah will soon be eliminated.
Isaiah 7:17-20 (NKJV)
17 The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah.”
18 And it shall come to pass in that day That the Lord will whistle for the fly That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt, And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
19 They will come, and all of them will rest In the desolate valleys and in the clefts of the rocks, On all thorns and in all pastures.
20 In the same day the Lord will shave with a hired razor, With those from beyond the River, with the king of Assyria, The head and the hair of the legs, And will also remove the beard.
God reveals that while Judah will be delivered from the immediate threat of Syria and Israel, it will face a far more severe consequence—the invasion of Assyria. The imagery of a razor shaving the head, legs, and beard represents utter humiliation and devastation. Judah's reliance on foreign alliances rather than trusting in God will lead to oppression and hardship.
Isaiah 7:21-22 (NKJV)
21 It shall be in that day That a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep;
22 So it shall be, from the abundance of milk they give, that he will eat curds; for curds and honey everyone will eat who is left in the land.
During this period of Assyrian domination, the land will be so devastated that only a few animals will remain, producing just enough for survival. The people will live on curds and honey, a diet signifying both scarcity and survival. Those left in Judah will experience great hardship, but a remnant will endure.
Isaiah 7:23-25 (NKJV)
23 It shall happen in that day, That wherever there could be a thousand vines Worth a thousand shekels of silver, It will be for briers and thorns.
24 With arrows and bows men will come there, Because all the land will become briers and thorns.
25 And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe, You will not go there for fear of briers and thorns; But it will become a range for oxen and a place for sheep to roam.
The once fertile and valuable vineyards of Judah will become overrun with briers and thorns, symbolizing the land's desolation. The people will no longer cultivate the land but will hunt with bows and arrows, as farming becomes dangerous. Fields will revert to wilderness, and only animals will roam there, marking a stark contrast to the previous prosperity.