Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas
Jeremy approaches Bible teaching with a passion for getting the basic doctrines explained so that the individual can understand them and then apply them to circumstances in their life. These basic and important lessons are nestled in a framework of history and progression of revelation from the Bible so the whole of Scripture can be applied to your physical and spiritual life.
Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas
NT Framework - To Test or Not Test
The general rule is don't test or tempt God, however, God there is a time to do just that - when God wants to prove Himself to us and build our confidence in Him.
More information about Beyond the Walls, including additional resources can be found at www.beyondthewalls-ministry.com
This series included graphics to illustrate what is being taught, if you would like to watch the teachings you can do so on Rumble (https://rumble.com/user/SpokaneBibleChurch) or on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtV_KhFVZ_waBcnuywiRKIyEcDkiujRqP).
Jeremy Thomas is the pastor at Spokane Bible Church in Spokane, Washington and a professor at Chafer Theological Seminary. He has been teaching the Bible for over 20 years, always seeking to present its truths in a clear and understandable manner.
Welcome to Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas and our series on the New Testament Framework. Today a smaller, bite-sized piece from the larger lesson. We hope you enjoy it.
Speaker 2:Every time I go through this I actually see it better. So I realize there's over years of going through these passages, there's so much more to gain from this than what you might see at first, than what you might see at first. Isaiah 7,. Isaiah is 700 plus years before the Messiah was born, and this is a very difficult passage, but I'm going to try to make it as simple as I can.
Speaker 2:There's a situation happening between the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Israel, known as Judah. We notice in verse 1, it came about in the days kingdom of Israel known as Judah. We notice in verse 1, it came about in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin, the king of Aram and Pekah, the son of Ramaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it. What you have here is the king in Judah, whose name is Ahaz in verse 1, has two kings who are allying against him. These two kings are Rezan, who is the king of Aram, and Pekah, who is the king of Israel. They allied against the king of Judah and of course, you read of this in the end of verse 1. It says that they went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but they could not conquer it. It says that they went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it but they could not conquer it. Now, when it was reported to the house of David now that's an interesting phrase, right, house of David. We've studied in the Old Testament Davidic covenant. Right, god made a covenant with the house of David. So remember that, because that's going to come back several verses later. House of David, this isn't just about Ahaz, that king of Judah. He's part of the house of David, he's in David's line, but he's not the whole house of David, he's just the representative at that time. So when it was reported to the house of David saying the Arameans have camped in Ephraim, which is northern Israel, his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind. So was he scared? Yeah, he was shaking in his boots. Ahaz is worried that this alliance between Pecah and the northern king of Israel I'm sorry Rezan and the northern king of Israel, pecah, that well, they're going to get slaughtered. So, yeah, he's shaking in his boots.
Speaker 2:And then, verse 3, the Lord said to Isaiah go out now to meet Ahaz, the king of Judah, you and your son Shear-Jashub. Now, that's very interesting. Take your son along. Don't forget that son, because God tells him to take the son. There must be something important about this son. He says take him, go out and at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the Fullers Field, and say to him, say to King Ahaz, take care, be calm, have no fear, do not be faint-hearted because of these two stubs of smoldering firebrands. Who are the two stubs? Well, it's these two kings right that have allied against him Rezin, the king of Aram, and the son of Ramaliah, that would be Pekah. Don't be afraid of these two kings. Nothing's going to happen Verse 5, because Aram, with Ephraim, which is Israel, the son of Ramaliah, has planned evil against you, saying let's go against Judah, let's terrorize it, let's make for ourselves a breach in its walls, let's set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it. So these two kings who've allied want to knock off Ahaz right and they want to set in his place another king named Tabeel.
Speaker 2:This isn't that difficult to understand. This is politics. We want to put a guy in office who will do what we want. Ahaz won't do it. Let's put Tabeel in. Tabeel will do whatever we want. That's basically what we have in presidential elections. That's really all it is Other people wanting to get their will done through a certain individual. So they get these guys to be presidents, whatever. Okay, nothing new under this. This has been going on for centuries and centuries and millennia and millennia. It's about holding power and putting people in places of power that are really just mostly pawns, frankly, but they make everybody think this guy's really important. I would downplay its importance in the real world. So let's go against Judah and terrorize it and make for ourselves a breach in his walls. We'll set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it. Thus says the Lord God, you don't have to fear. This is what they want to do.
Speaker 2:Verse 7, the end of it says it shall not stand, nor shall it come to pass. Does King Ahaz of the house of David have anything to worry about? No. Now the interesting thing is the reason. It's not just because God said so. It's because God made a covenant with the house of David, verse 2. And God's not going to allow his covenant to be broken because it's his word. So this isn't going to happen. He's going to protect the house of David, he's going to protect King Ahaz.
Speaker 2:Verse 8, for the head is an explanation, for the head of Aram is Damascus, that's the capital city of Aramea, and the head of Damascus is Rezan, that's the king. And now, within another 65 years, ephraim, that's Israel, will be shattered. That means Ephraim, which is northern Israel, will go into exile to the Assyrians, so there's no longer a people. They're a scattered people, not a separate nation. In verse 9, and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, that was the capital of Israel, and the head of Samaria is the son of Ramaliah, who was Pekah. That was their king.
Speaker 2:He says if you will not believe, king a has, if you will not believe my word, you surely shall not last. In other words, your kingdom, the southern kingdom, will also go into exile, just like the northern kingdom is going to do in 65 years. Right? If you will not, what? Believe and look. I always tell people what does god want? One thing, hebrews 11 says without faith, it's impossible to please god. What does god want from you? He wants you to respond to him with faith. That's it. Believe the gospel, believe his promises. That's what he wants. That's what he's looking for. Trust him. So if you don't trust him, he says, you surely shall not last. Your kingdom will go into exile too.
Speaker 2:Then the lord spoke again to ahaz that's the king of Judah, and he said something very interesting. Think if God said this to you Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord, your God. Make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven. Just ask whatever you want. Make the earth, go out and go around Pluto and come back, and go around Pluto and come back. Ask whatever you want. Anything, bring me to the third heaven. Ask it. It's an open-ended offer. Anything in the world that he can ever dream of.
Speaker 2:The Lord says ask for it as a sign, as a sign of what? That the Lord's word is true. It should be believed. Right, but notice verse 12. But Ahaz said I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord. I'm not going to test the Lord. I'm pious. We're not supposed to test him. He's trying to come off as spiritual. He's not spiritual at all. What did the Lord say at the beginning of verse 11? Ask A sign. Ask. What does verse 12 say? Ahaz says I will not ask. That's called what Disobedience? It's called disobedience. The guy's not spiritual at all, the guy's just disobedient to the Lord.
Speaker 1:So I'm not going to ask the Lord Disobedience Thank you for joining us on Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas. If you would like to see the visuals that went along with today's sermon, you can find those on Rumble and on YouTube under Spokane Bible Church. That is where Jeremy is the pastor and teacher. We hope you found today's lesson productive and useful in growing closer to God and walking more obediently with Him. If you found this podcast to be useful and helpful, then please consider rating us in your favorite podcast app, and until next time, we hope you have a blessed and wonderful day.