Isaiah 7:18-25 – The dangers of wilful disobedience

We talked about Ahaz’s unwillingness to trust the Lord but in his own resourcefulness. Despite God’s offer to help if he should trust Him, he chose to rely on the Assyrians for assistance to deal with Pekah and Rezin, the northern alliance. The Assyrians whom Judah turned to for help eventually turned on them and troubled her. In eight verses Isaiah showed how God would judge Judah because they chose to snub the generous grace He had extended to them. Here in eight verses, Isaiah described the thoroughness of the judgment of God. Using the phrase “in that day” four times, the prophet showed how extensive the judgment of God upon Judah would be.     

Firstly, what God would bring about to terrorize Judah would be effortless on His part. At a mere whistle of the Lord, the Egyptians referred to as the fly and the Assyrians as the bee would storm the land. God would allow the region’s great powers to hasten down on Judah effortlessly.     

Secondly, verse 20 suggests that Judah’s humiliation would be thorough and complete. The Assyrians, whom Judah would secure to help them deal with the northern alliance, would instead turn on them. Like a sharp razor, the Assyrians would completely shave off the hair on their heads and legs and even removed their beard. That was how thorough a humiliation Judah would have to endure.  

Thirdly, in verses 21-22, hardship would descend on the people. They would be deprived of the luxuries of life and their sustenance would be “curds and honey.” And finally, in verses 23-25, God meant to tell them that all their accomplishment would amount to nothing. Everything they once enjoyed would be reduced to brier and thrones. Devoid of people, the land they once dwelt would become “a place for pasturing oxen and for sheep to trample.”

From these verses, we need to consider the serious consequences for every decision we make in life. The outcome Ahaz and Judah went through ought to warn us not to take obeying God lightly. While He would rather bless than harm us, the call is ours to make. We really don’t need God to use toughness to help us align if we willingly choose to yield to Him. No one should be so foolish that even with the experience of hardship, yet not submit to God. Allow 1 Peter 5:6 to guide our walk with God. It says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time…”