Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be as deep as the nether world, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!” Then he said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:10-14)
Ahaz was an unfaithful king of Judah, who made an alliance with Assyria and worshipped their gods. Yet God, through the prophet Isaiah, came to Ahaz and said, “I am here to help you. Ask me for a sign, and I will give it to you so that you will place your trust in me.” But Ahaz doesn’t want the Lord’s help. He has made his own plans, and he knows that a concrete demonstration of God’s love could change everything for him. So he refuses the sign, cloaking his intentions in hypocritical language.
We are all like Ahaz at times. God loves us anyway, even when we don’t want to hear from him, and he gave us the ultimate sign of his love, his son Jesus, to become a man like us and bear the weight of our sins for us.
Have a blessed and merry Christmas, and give thanks to God almighty for the sign he gave Ahaz, born in a manger some 2,000 years ago.
