Advent Devotions: Monday, Dec. 24, 2018

Isaiah 7:10-17                                               The Promise of Immanuel

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. Then Isaiah said: “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.

The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on your ancestral house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria.”

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In the midst of political turmoil, intrigue, and threats; King Ahaz does not know which way to turn. The prophet steps into this volatile situation and urges Ahaz to turn to the only one who can really help, “the Lord your God”. Ahaz is then offered a gracious gift, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign”, the assurance that despite the present circumstances God is in charge. Ahaz refuses the gift probably because he is already making political deals with the foreign kings to save his throne and his country.

In response, God appears to lose patience and what follows is both threat and promise. “The Lord himself will give you a sign”, “a virgin will conceive”, “a son”, “Immanuel”, “the land of the two kings you dread will be laid to waste”, “he will bring the King of Assyria”.

 When our backs are against the wall, when we don’t know which way to turn, God is present in that still small voice in the depths of our hearts pointing to Immanuel, God with us, through the one born in a manger and crucified on a cross.

Look for the signs in this season of waiting and watching.

Pastor Chuck Schwartz is a retired pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Pastor Chuck and his wife, Mary, reside in Ballston Lake, NY. They have been blessed with five children and seven grandchildren. Pastor Chuck’s last long term call was at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Clifton Park, NY. He has also served as Dean of the Hudson Mohawk Conference, as a member of the Upstate New York Synod Candidacy Committee, and on the staff of the Region 7 Leadership Event as the preaching mentor.