Depression and the Christian Life

Depression and the Christian Life

Sermon Statement
It is a myth that Christians do not suffer from depression. The community of faith must be prepared to help those suffering from depression.

Introduction
The pencil sketch shown is a picture of a depressed man. This drawing has the power to evoke strong feelings of depression in us. Makes us feel depressed just by looking at it. It is drawn by Vincent Wan Gogh. (30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist artist. Van Gogh spent his early adult life working for a firm of art dealers. After a brief spell as a teacher, he became a missionary worker in a very poor mining region. He did not embark upon a career as an artist until 1880. He produced a large body of great impressionist art. However he struggled with depression his whole life. Van Gogh's depression deepened, and on 27 July 1890, at the age of 37, he walked into the fields and shot himself in the chest with a revolver.

Examples of Depression in the Bible

(1) Prophet Elijah
a. The duel with 450 Baal prophets (1 King 18:20-39)
1KI 18:20 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him."
But the people said nothing.

1KI 18:22 Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the LORD's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire--he is God."
Then all the people said, "What you say is good."

1KI 18:25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire." 26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it.
Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. "O Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.

1KI 18:27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened." 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.

1KI 18:30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me." They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD, which was in ruins. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Your name shall be Israel." 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood."

1KI 18:34 "Do it again," he said, and they did it again.
"Do it a third time," he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.

1KI 18:36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."

1KI 18:38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

1KI 18:39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD--he is God! The LORD--he is God!"

"The LORD--he is God! The LORD--he is God!"

b. The prediction of rain (1 King 18: 41-45)
1KI 18:41 And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." 42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.

1KI 18:43 "Go and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked.
"There is nothing there," he said.
Seven times Elijah said, "Go back."

1KI 18:44 The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea."
So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, `Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.' "

1KI 18:45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.
After three and a half year of draught as foretold by God the rain came.

“the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came”

c. Depression (1 King 19: 3-4)
1KI 19:3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."

"Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."

d. God’s response
i. Ministering angels (1 King 19: 5-8)
5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." 6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

1KI 19:7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God

The angel of the LORD came

ii. God’s presence (1 King 19:9-18)
9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.
And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

1KI 19:10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."

1KI 19:11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

1KI 19:14 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."

1KI 19:15 The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel--all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him."

I am here and you are not alone.

(2) Prophet Jonah
Jonah is one of the misunderstood prophet in the Old Testament. We are all taught that he ran away from God. We are also taught that he ran away because he was disobedient. He was disobedient not because he do not know God but because he knew God very well. He know God is a forgiving God. Jonah himself is not forgiving. He is not going to bring God’s compassion to his people’s enemies. Nineveh is the capital of Assyria. And it was a big fish, not a whale!

a. God’s instruction (Jonah 3:4-10)
4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." 5 The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

JNH 3:6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh:

"By the decree of the king and his nobles:

Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish."

JNH 3:10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.

He had compassion

Jonah followed God’s instruction and the one of the greatest revival in history occurred. The whole city (>120,000) and the king repented. This is exactly what Jonah expected and feared.

b. Depression (Jonah 4: 3, 8c)
3 Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live."
v.8c "It would be better for me to die than to live."

"It would be better for me to die than to live."

Jonah became depressed.

c. God’s response (Jonah 4: 10-11)
JNH 4:10 But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"
Should I not be concerned about that great city?

Important points
• Comes after service for God
• Even prophets get depressed
• God helps
• Depression improves in response to God

What is Depression?

There are two groups of depression
(1) Reactive depression (figure 1)
(2) Major Depression (figure 2)

Reactive Depression
Reactive depression occurs when something unpleasant occurs to us and we are temporary unable to cope with it. We are robbed of our happiness and describe it as ‘feeling down’ or ‘under the weather.’

Features are
• It is temporary
• Disappear with distraction
• Do not interferes with normal functioning of life



Major Depression

The American Psychiatric Association offers the following diagnostic criteria:
Major depression is diagnosed when an adult exhibits one or both of two core symptoms
• depressed mood
• lack of interest
along with four or more of the following symptoms, for at least two weeks:
• feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt
• diminished ability to concentrate or make decisions
• fatigue
• psychomotor agitation (cannot sit still) or retardation (just sitting around);
• insomnia or hypersomnia (sleeping too much)
• significant decrease or increase in weight or appetite
• recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal ideation.

Deep depression is embodied emotional suffering.

In the United States, 5 to 10 percent of adults currently experience the symptoms of major depression (as previously defined), and up to 25 percent meet the diagnostic criteria during their lifetime, making it one of the most common conditions treated by primary care physicians. At any given time, around 15 percent of American adults are taking antidepressant medications.


What are the Causes of Depression?
(1) Personal factor
Victor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning coined the term noogenic neurosis which is depression arising from “the pointlessness and meaninglessness of life”. Failure of the human drive to find meaning in life can lead to depression.

(2) Psychological factors
a. Unresolved conflicts (includes childhood)
b. Stress
c. Life events
d. Personality

(3) Biological factors
a. Lack of a neurotransmitter, serotonin.
b. Diseases

(4) Spiritual Warfare
a. Demonisation

Note: Need to differentiate depression and dark night of the soul.

Can Christians suffer from Depression?
It is one of the many cruel myths in the church that Christians cannot be suffering from depression. The impression given is that Christians are the happiest people on earth. Christians are excluded from ill health, poverty and all unfavorable circumstances. In our drive for conversion decisions, we often market “Jesus Saves” to “Jesus Saves you from anything bad.”

Jesus does saves. He saves us from eternal damnation by God. However he does not promise that he will save us from suffering. In fact, he said that if we are to follow him, we will suffer more.

We need to differentiate happiness and joy. Happiness is often a superficial emotion dependent on our external circumstances. We are happy when we received a fat bonus, a new contract for our company, not retrenched from our jobs or a good medical report. This good feeling evaporates when there is no fat bonus, no contract, retrenchment and sickness. Joy is a deeper emotion. It comes from being right with God. Therefore it is not dependent on external circumstances. Joy is still present when happiness is absent.

Christians may be unhappy yet joyful. Christians may suffer from depression yet retain the joy in their heart.

Studies of religious groups, from Orthodox Jews to evangelical Christians, reveal no evidence that the frequency of depression varies across religious groups or between those who attend religious services and those who do not. So in a typical congregation of 200 adults, 50 attendees will experience depression at some point, and at least 30 are currently taking antidepressants.

Martin Luther, the great leader of the Reformation struggled with depression. Charles Spurgeon, considered by some to be one of the greatest preacher of all times was unable to preach two to three months out of a year because of depression.


How can the Church Help?
(1) Rest
One of the causes of reactive depression is stress. This is especially active in people who are chronic caregivers: people to have to give care constantly like mothers or people nursing bed-ridden elderly or chronically ill people. It will be helpful if someone offer to lend a hand so that the caregiver may take a few hours off. Our bodies need rest and it is not built to function continuously under stress. Something will break. Even the Ever-Ready Bunny runs out of power.

(2) Personal choice

We can choose to be happy or sad. As persons, we are much affected by our surroundings and our inner life and beliefs. Dr. Willaim Backus identifies 3 misbeliefs in depression in his book, Telling The Truth to Troubled People :

Misbelief #1 : “I’m no good” The belief in personal worthlessness is found in several variations.”I’m a failure.” “I haven’t got what it takes”. The changes on the theme of self-devaluation are endless.

Misbelief #2 : “My daily life is no good”. The belief that nothing is really rewarding, that life is not worth the effort is another theme in those who are depressed.

Misbelief #3 : “My future is hopeless”. Most depressive believes that they will not recover.

We are influenced by our perspective of God. And it is from our perspective of God that we derive our perspective of ourselves. Unresolved sin needs to be deal with. As we seek the Lord through prayer and personal bible study, the Holy Spirit will transform us to the following truths.

Truth #1: “You are a creature of infinite worth and value.” The fact that God created you in His image and sent His Son to give His Life a ransom for your freedom establishes that you have worth and value.

Truth #2: “Even a depressed person can find meaning and reinforcement in activity.” One of the keys to treatment is to get the depressed person activated and doing things. Nearly always, the depressed person finds that the doing of the activity is very rewarding. The daily life of the Christian comes from the hand of God and is lived by God’s call. It has worth because of that.

Truth #3 : “God’s Word says that the future is not hopeless.” The future is not hopeless because “we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”(1 Peter 1:3 RSV).

This is where the teaching of the church comes in. Teaching in the church must always be helping us to discover what it is to be the sons and daughters of the living Go and what it means to be a people after his own heart.

(3) Talk to a friend
The church is a community and we must always look after one another. That is why everyone must belong to a cell or small group. In a small group, you can know everybody. In a church, very few people know everybody. People may be absent for long periods without anyone noticing. If they have migrated to another state or church, that is their choice. However people who are depressed will avoid people and not turn up. In a small group their absence will be noticed. In a large church setting, it may not be. Unfortunately, it is such people who fall through the gaps. The next thing we hear is that they have committed suicide! This shows how we have failed as a church.

(4) Group support
There is a tendency for people to form cliques. This is natural as people like to be with people who they are comfortable with. However, any church must intentionally form a support group for people who are depressed. These people may be receiving counseling from someone e.g. a pastor or counselor but they also need a group to belong to. The group will consist of other people who suffer from depression. It is really very helpful to know that you are a not alone.

John Ortberg is a popular preacher and author. Aside from a M.Div., Ortberg also earned a Ph.D. in psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary—and has penned two books on depression. He is the senior pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in California? In an interview with Christianity Today (March 2009), he said:

“One of the most appreciated ministries in our church is our HELP ["Hope, Encouragement, Love, Prayer"] ministry for people who are suffering from mental or emotional health issues. It has evolved into a support group for them and their families. These people will say that the single most important thing for them is to be a part of a community where other people share the same struggles, speak the same language, and are able to bear each other's burdens..”

(5) Discernment and Prayer
Another area the church may help is in the area of prayer and discernment. Prayer is important as prayer changes people and circumstances. Discernment is important as it reveals whether the cause of the depression is spiritual or emotional.

(6) Counseling
Counseling is an important ministry of the church. Often counseling falls to the pastor because it is assumed that he or she will be trained to counsel. Unfortunately counseling is only a small part of the training of the pastors. I believe that God will provide in the faith communities people who are gifted to counsel. These people may not even be in leadership of the church. It is important for the church to recognize and affirm these people.

(7) Medication
Anyone who is doing counseling must recognize their limitations. They must know when to refer to some other professionals such as psychiatrist or clinical psychologists. This is not an admission of their failure or inadequacy. Psychiatrist will to able to augment their counseling with medication such as Prozac or Zoloft. These are powerful anti-depressants who can make a world of difference to people suffering from major depression.

Conclusion
Christians may suffer from depression. Being a Christian does not exclude us from ailments of the body and of the mind. It is unfortunate that depression in Christians are often not acknowledged or recognized. The number of people (including Christians) suffering from depression continues to increase. The church must be ready to help such people.

Soli Deo Gloria

Boy's Brigade Enrolment Service 2009

Sermon on Discipline
Text: 2 Tim. 2: 3-7

Boy’s Brigade Enrolment Service 2009
29 March 2009
Holy Light Church, Johor Bharu

Introduction
Welcome to the Boy’s Brigade (BB). You are now member of a proud organization. It was estimated in 2003 that there are 500,000 BB members in the world.

One of the purposes of the Boys Brigade (BB) is to build character, to make you a better person. That is what all your officers and church members here are teaching you. All the activities: marching, Christian education classes, badge work and camping are to help you build character.

There are four pillars to build character:
(1) obedience
(2) reverence
(3) self-respect
(4) discipline

William Alexander Smith, the founder of the BB was born in Thurso, Scotland in 1854. He moved to Glasgow in his teens and became involved in church activities. William was also a lieutenant in the 1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers in 1883 while he was teaching in the North Woodside Mission Sunday School. While working with the children in church, he discovered the need for wholesome activities for children outside school hours. William Smith shared his ideas with his two friends, which later invited boys from North Woodside Mission Sabbath School and formed the first company of The Boys' Brigade, 1st Glasgow Company on 4th of October 1883.

Motto
William Alexander Smith is a Christian and he loved to study the Bible. That is why he took the motto of the BB from the Bible. The motto of the BB is SURE & STEDFAST (taken from Hebrews 6:19). "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." The original Old English (King James Version) spelling of "Stedfast" has been retained. The BB’s purpose was the advancement of Christ's Kingdom among members and the promotion of habits of Obedience, Reverence, Discipline, Self-Respect and all that tends towards a true Christian Character.

Apostle Paul’s teaching on discipline


Paul was writing to his student, Timothy as recorded in 2 Tim. 2: 3-7
3 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer. 5 Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

Here he uses three examples:
(1) Soldier
(2) Athlete
(3) Farmer
What do these three persons have in common? Discipline or self-control.
A soldier will not be a soldier if he or she has no discipline. Without discipline the soldier will not be useful to his army and country. To be a soldier, he must first learn how to obey orders, how to fight, how to use his weapons and how to work together with his team members. This does not come naturally. A soldier does not become a soldier overnight. It takes years and years of training.

An athlete also needs discipline. For example, a footballer, a basketball player and a table tennis player needs years and years of training. Though they may have natural talents, they still need the discipline to rain their bodies and home their skills. A professional golfers need to hit 1,000 golf balls a day.

Does a farmer needs discipline? Yes, he does. A farmer needs to know when to plant his seed, when to fertilize his soil and when to harvest his crops. If a farmer has no discipline, he will not have a good harvest.

Lessons on Discipline

(1) Do what you promise
Promise to attend BB activities
May have to sacrifice hanging out with your friends at the mall
Preparing your Christian education studies
Return your friend’s manga
Go home on time
Keep your word

(2) Make friends with the right people
· Right type of friends will make you better
· Bad type will destroy you

(3) Study hard
· Why are you in school?
· You can be anything you want

(4) Avoid taking drugs (dadah)
· All types of drugs and smoking
· Destroy your health
· Destroy your life

Conclusion

An enrolment service is for you to welcome and affirm new members. For those who are already members, this service to for you to reconfirm or rededicate yourself to the ideals of the Boy’s Brigade.

Soli Deo Gloria

Look Up, Look Up

Look Up, Look Up

Text: Numbers 21:4-9

Numbers 21: 4-9 (NIV)

NU 21:4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"

NU 21:6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.

NU 21:8 The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

Sermon Statement

Only by looking up at Christ on the Cross do we receive the grace to be saved, strengthened, comforted and healed.

Introduction

A few years ago, I was privileged to be invited to speak at a conference organised by the Fellowship of Evangelical Students (FES). The conference was themed “Professionals of Tomorrow” (POTs) and attended by medical, law and teaching students from universities from around the country. Medical students which included those studying in healthcare disciplines are called “Healthcarers of Tomorrow” (HOTs), law students (LOTs) and teachers (TOTs).

In the sessions we deal with the state of the various disciplines and conditions in Malaysia and the students were very vocal in their complaints. I was actually quite surprised because I thought students were only concerned with passing exams and their playstations. I was wrong. They are very concerned with the country they are living in. Initially the atmosphere was subdued as they were given more and more room to voice their concern. Then suddenly the atmosphere changed at about the third day when they realise that the answer to their complaints has already being given. The conference ended with a rousing recommitment to their task ahead.

In this sermon I will like to deal with complaints and what to do about it.

Text Exposition (Num 21: 4-9)

1. Avoiding Edom (v. 4a)

NU 21:4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom.

People have to turn south from Mt. Hor ( Num 20: 20-21), avoiding Edom because the Edomites refused allow them to pass through their territory. Why did the Edomites refuse them passage? Possible explanations include;

(a) they do not trust them to allow them into their territories

(b) Edomites are the descendent of Esau and there has always been enmity between Esau and Jacob and now their descendents. The other eastern neighbours of ancient Israel are the Amalek (descended from a son of Esau), Moab and Ammon (both descended from sons of Lot).

2. Complaints (v. 4b-5)

But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"

The word qāsar means that the lost heart or impatient. The people are becoming discouraged because they have to make a detour and they complained.

The complaints are similar to others (Ex. 14:11-12; 17:3; Num. 11: 4-35; 14: 2-4; 16: 13-14; 20: 4-5):

(a) the objects of their complaints are Yahweh and Moses

(b) the cause of their complaints are food and water

a. lack of water

b. acceptable food. If the complaint is against the manna, it is a direct rejection of God’s providence.

c. Compare. Wishing for the good old days.

3. The Desert Snakes (v. 6)

NU 21:6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.

Unlike similar episodes of complaints in the past, there is no verbal response from Yahweh or Moses, just action

.

4. The People’s Repentance (v. 7)

7 The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.

(a) confession

(b) request for intercession

(c) record of intercession

5. Yahweh’s Response (v. 8-9)

NU 21:8 The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

Both God’s command (v.8) and its fulfillments (v.9) demands an obedience i.e. look up at the object. The words used for the two verses are different. It is not simply to take a glance but to gaze one’s eyes upon the bronze snake.

This is not the beginning of a bronze snake cult nor does the bronze snake have magical powers. Unfortunately there is a tendency for people to turn everything into a magical cure. Hence in 2 Kings 18: 4

4 He (King Hezekiah) removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan. )

The association of desert snakes with bronze is an attempt to relate desert objects with the temple.

Lessons for us

1. Life is change

a. A flowing stream

Heraclitus, an Ephesian who lived out his life in his native town, was in his prime between the years 504 and 501 B.C. He is famous for his quotation "You cannot step twice into the same river; for fresh waters are continually flowing on." (Fr. 91,12). Such is the constantly changing world we live in. Globalisation has flatted the world. Not only is the world changing every second, we ourselves are also changing constantly.

b. We cannot resist change

The recent economic crisis shows us how rapidly the world is changing and just how unstable the world is at any moment in time.

In Malaysia, the euphoria of neo-politics of March 2008 has evaporated and now in the state of Perak, we have a state assembly meeting under a rain tree because its members are barred from entering the State Assembly building. There are at present, two Menteri Besars (Chief Minister), two State Assemblies and two of everything in the state, each one claiming legitimacy.

Changes come to us personally in terms of

• Children growing up and leaving home
• New births
• Deaths
• Diseases
• Ageing
• Economic insecurities
• Rising crime rates
• Forced to live a less lavish lifestyle

2. How to complain

It is okay to complain. Just do it right. The Bible is full of people’s complaints. Read the Psalms, lamentations and the prophets and you will get the idea. Job said

JOB 7:11 "Therefore I will not keep silent;

I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit,

I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

Just be careful that you are complaining about the situation and not against God. The ancient Israelite in Numbers made the mistake of complaining against God and was punished for their complaints. When they refer to the manna from Yahweh as ‘miserable’ food, they are in trouble.

In our relationship with God, in our prayers it is okay to complain as David and others did in the Psalms. We need to be open about our feelings. However we need to be clear about our reasons for complaining.

a. The squeaky wheel gets the grease

Some people complain because they know the louder is their complaint, the quicker you get a response.

• Patients who complained loudly in the waiting room get to be seen earlier.
• Patients who has been hospitalised who complain knows that they will get a discount.
• Passengers who complain during the flight either get an upgrade or a voucher.

The service paradigm of “the customer is always right” has made complaining into a fine art.

Complain as an action to stimulate the right action. Then do it loudly.

b. Complain but don’t enjoy it too much

The problem with many of us is that we love to complain. It is enjoyable to voice out that the whole does not revolve around us. It is a social activity where we can all sit around and spend out time complaining loudly to each other about how unjust the world is.

Lamentations is written when the Israelites are in exile. If anyone has reasons to complain, they have. Thousands of miles from home, exiled, homesick, terrified, their national identity and the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC. Yet one of the writers of Lamentations wrote,

LA 3:38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High

that both calamities and good things come?

LA 3:39 Why should any living man complain

when punished for his sins?

LA 3:40 Let us examine our ways and test them,

and let us return to the LORD.

Complain if you have legitimate reasons to but do not indulge in self-pity

c. Don’t play the “what if” game

Playing the “what if “ games will give us lots of reasons to complain. It is always easy to know and judge everything with hindsight.

What if …

· I have married A instead of B

· I have listened to my father’s advice

· C has been nicer to me

· D is not such a donkey

And it goes on and on.

Playing the ‘what if ‘ game never solves anything. It just create more discontent and create reasons for complaints.

d. Don’t live in the Good Old Days

Living in the past is not helpful. The older folks love to say, “In my days…” as if the past is the Good Old Days or Golden Age. Actually the past in the same as today. There was also a Great Depression in the past. It just happens that our minds selectively remembers the good times and continently forget the bad. So the past looks good. It is not. By comparing your present situation the ‘rosy’ past will only make you more unhappy and generate more complaints.

Live in the present and not the past. Let the past remain in the past.

How to complain? You complain by looking up.

3. Look up, look up

a. You must be down to look up

Moses was instructed to raise the bronze snake high on a pole. The people have to look up to see it.

In order for us to look up, we must be down. Sometimes we may be lying on the ground. Suffering is part of human life, whether we like it or not. I am not a big fan of suffering and I try to avoid it if I can. However suffering may be redemptive and helps us to know God. Paul notes in Rom 5: 3-5

3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

So the circumstances of our lives knock us down. So what do we do? We complain. Maybe we should look up.

b. It’s all about grace

The apostle John explains the significance of the bronze snake,

John 3: 14-15

14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

John 8: 27-29

JN 8:27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him."

This is all about Jesus dying on the cross. It is about the finished work of Christ on the cross. All that has been accomplished 2000 years ago. By dying on the cross, Jesus has paid for our sins with his suffering and his body. He has atoned for our sign. By his atonement, we have been made righteous with God. By his atonement, God justice has been satisfied. We have been justified.

We do not have to do anything. Everything has been done for us. This is grace.

c. Let go and let God

But like the ancient Israelites, we have to look up. We have to look at the source of our salvation. The ancient Israelites receive bodily healing. As we know, they eventually all die. The book of Numbers may be divided into three main sections:

(1) Preparing the Old Generation (1:1 -10:10)

(2) Postponement for Unbelief (10:11-25: 18)

(3) Preparing the New Generation (26-36)

For us, we only have to look up to Christ on the cross. Actually we are looking at an empty cross because Christ has ascended. Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. Not only has he gone ahead to prepare a place for us, he has sent us the Holy Spirit who will help us here on earth.

Complain if you have to but do not sin against God in your complaining.

• Remember what God has done for you in the past
• Remember God loves you and will care for you in the past, present and future
• Remember God will look after you
• Trust

Conclusion

Just before you complain, remember what Jesus says,

Matt 6: 25-34

MT 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

MT 6:28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Soli Deo Gloria

Understanding Buddhism

read more (best with Internet Explorer)

Consuming Fire

Consuming Fire
Text: Hebrews 12:28-29

Hebrews 12: 28-29
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”

Sermon statement
In our busy life, especially in difficult times, there is a tendency for us to ignore God and all that God has given us. We need to re-examine ourselves and make sure we are being obedience to God. Then all the good things that God has given us will be meaningful.

Introduction

The Book to the Hebrews
• more than any books perplexes scholars as to its authorship than more other book in the Bible
• produces the greatest information on Scripture on several doctrines: the Melchizedek Priesthood, the High Priest of Christ, the New Covenant, and the typology of the offerings and feasts in Leviticus
• Greek is considered to be the most elegant in the New Testament. At least 157 words are used in this epistle which are not found elsewhere in the New Testament
• OT quotes abound in the book. There are 86 direct quotes and altogether more than 100 references from the 21 OT books
• Often called the fifth Gospel. The four Gospels relate what Christ did while on earth, Hebrews supplement by explaining his role in heaven now
• Main message: Despite the perceived advantages, never let difficulties convince you to return to the religion you embraced before you were saved.












Outline of Hebrews

Rick Griffith, New Testament Survey (2), Singapore Bible College, 254

Today’s Text (Heb 12: 28-29) in Context (Hebrews 12:14-29)
14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.
18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm;19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” a 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.” b
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”


Structure of Hebrews 12: 14-29

v.28a Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken


v. 22-24 22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

v.28b let us be thankful

v.14-17 14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.

v.28c and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe

v.18-21 18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”

v.29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”

v.25-27 25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” c 27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.


In Heb 12:28-29, the author of Hebrews reminds us of who we are as Christians. The recipients of the letters are like us in many ways:
• Jewish Christian
• They live in difficult times
• Roman rules. Advantage to citizens, disadvantage to others. Social injustice
• Impending destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70 (Hebrews may be written in 67-68AD). Political unrest and terrorists. The Zealots had the leading role in the Jewish Revolt of 66. They succeeded in taking over Jerusalem, and held it until 70, when the son of Roman Emperor Vespasian, Titus, retook the city and destroyed Herod's Temple during the destruction of Jerusalem.
The Zealots objected to Roman rule and sought violently to eradicate it; Zealots engaged in violence were called the Sicarii. They raided Jewish habitations and killed Jews they considered collaborators, while also urging Jews to fight Romans and other Jews for the cause. Josephus paints a very bleak picture of their activities as they instituted what he characterized as a murderous "reign of terror" prior to the Jewish Temple's destruction.

• Religious persecution beginning
• Economic instability
• Temptation to go back to our old ways
• Illness, cancer, family conflict, relationship problems


1. Our inheritance
v.28a Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken

And such is the character of the kingdom which we are receiving.
Kingdoms of the world
• USA economic crisis
• China faltering economy
• Roman empire
• Alexander’s empire
• Mongol’s empire

v. 22-24
• 22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God.
• You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,
• 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.
• You have come to God, the judge of all men,
• to the spirits of righteous men made perfect,
• 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and
• to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

2. Our gratitude
v.28b let us be thankful

The words let us be thankful may be rendered “let us have [or, ¬obtain¯] grace” (echōmen charin) and are likely a final reference to the resources of grace available from the great High Priest (cf. 4:14-16).
v.14-17
• 14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
• 15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and
• that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.

3. Our worship

v.28c and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe

This is confirmed by the words and so (lit., “through which,” di’ ēs) which remind the readers that this grace is required in order to worship (better, “serve,” latreuōmen, also used in 8:5; 9:9; 10:2; 13:10) God acceptably within the New-Covenant community.

v.18-21
• 18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire;
• to darkness, gloom and storm;
• 19 to a trumpet blast or
• to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.”
• 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”


4. Our obedience
v.29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”

Failure to do so should be deterred by the concluding solemn thought that our God is a consuming fire (cf. 10:26-27). A believer who departs from his magnificent privileges will invite God’s retribution.

v.25-27
25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” c 27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

He is the white heat of purity that consumes everything unworthy of Himself. He will burn up all that is temporal, false, and sinful.

• True Christians do not lose their salvation
o Calvinism
 Teaching of John Calvin, Reformed and Presbyterian churches, Charles Hodge, Arthur Pink
 God’s sovereignty elects to salvation and helps believers preserves in faith until death
 Eternally secure in their salvation
o Arminian
 Teaching of Jacob Arminus, John Wesley, Methodists, Pentecostals
 God elects those whose free will accepts Christ and preserves them unless they lose faith
 Not secure in their salvation because no one knows if he or she will preserve

• Christians will suffer the consequences of disobedience to God
o Consequence of sinful actions
o God’s discipline (Heb 12:1-13)
 Realisation that we are God’s children from enduring God’s discipline (12:4-9)
 Righteousness results form enduring God’s discipline (12:10-11)
 Reassurance and spiritual strength results from enduring God’s discipline (12:12-13)
• God is a ‘jealous’ God

Deu 4: 23-34
23 Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the LORD your God has forbidden. 24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Like a consuming fire (4:24) He would purify what is precious (just as fire purifies precious metals) and destroy what is worthless. As a jealous God (cf. 5:9; 32:16, 21) He will not allow another to have the honor that is due Him alone (Isa. 42:8; 48:11). Therefore Israel needed to be extremely careful to remember the covenant

• Types of idolatry
o Worship of Money (Mammoth)
o Worship of our own strength
o Worship of God’s gift rather than God himself
o Worship of false teachers and teachings


Conclusion

This passage has an encouragement and a warning. In our busy life, especially in difficult times, there is a tendency for us to ignore God and all that God has given us. We need to re-examine ourselves and make sure we are being obedience to God. Then all the good things that God has given us will be meaningful.

The writer of Hebrews gives us two mountains representing two covenants to remind us who we are and to resist the temptations to turn back.


Move on, don’t look back

This is an important message for us. If you are a mountain climber, moving up a steep cliff, the best advise anyone can give you is to keeping moving upwards and don’t look back. If you look back, you are likely to fall. The only way you can make it to the top is to keep climbing until you have reached the peak.

1. Make up your mid to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things.
2. Make the best of your circumstances. No one has everything, and everyone has something of sorrow intermingled with gladness of life. The trick is to make the laughter outweighs the tears.
3. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Don’t think that somehow you should be protected from misfortunes that befall other people.
4. You can’t please everybody. Don’t let criticism worry you.
5. Don’t let your neighbours set your standard. Be yourself.
6. Do the things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.
7. Never borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder to bear than the real ones.
8. Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish jealousy. Avoid people who make you unhappy.
9. Have many interests. If you can’t travel, read about new places.
10. Don’t hold post-mortems. Don’t spend your time brooding over sorrows or mistakes.
11. Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.
12. Keep busy at something. A busy person never has time to be unhappy.


Sermon statement
In our busy life, especially in difficult times, there is a tendency for us to ignore God and all that God has given us. We need to re-examine ourselves and make sure we are being obedience to God. Then all the good things that God has given us will be meaningful.

Soli Deo Gloria

The Sign of Immanu_el

The Sign of Immanu-el
Text: Isaiah 7:1-17

7:1 When Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.
2 Now the house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself with Ephraim”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.
3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub, to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman’s Field. 4 Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah. 5 Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s son have plotted your ruin, saying, 6 “Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” 7 Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says:

”‘It will not take place,
it will not happen,
8 for the head of Aram is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is only Rezin.
Within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people.
9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.
If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.’”

10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test.”
13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 15 He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right. 16 But before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. 17 The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.”

Sermon Statement

The sign of Immanu-el for us is that God is in control, God saves and God is with us.

1. Introduction

Today is the 3rd Sunday of Advent. Advent is from the Latin word adventus which means waiting or anticipation. Advent is the period where we wait for the coming of the Christ. During the Old Testament times, it is waiting for the coming of the Messiah. In New Testament times, advent , known in the Greek as parousia means waiting for the Second Coming of Christ. Christ came as Jesus about 2000 years ago. The four candles signify the four Sundays before Christmas. Purple signifies waiting while pink signifies joy. The green wreathe in a circle signifies life. The pink candle is lit on the 3rd Sunday of Advent.

2. Isaiah’s The sign of Immanu-el
Isaiah 7:1-17 gives us an understanding of Isaiah’s Immanu-el.

a. The historical situation (7:1-2)

7:1-2. Most chronologies of the Old Testament place the reign of King Ahaz of Judah from about 735-715 BC.

The immediate event it describes is a planned attack against Jerusalem by a coalition of "King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel." This Syro-Ephraimitic coalition, as it is known, was an attempt to forge alliances among the nations of the area to withstand an impending invasion from Assyria to the north. Pekah, king of the northern Kingdom of Israel, had tried to get Jotham, Ahaz’ father, to join the alliance against Assyria. Pekah stood in the immediate path of the Assyrian invasion if they marched south. However Jotham had refused to join and so Pekah, with the help of Rezin king of Aram (Syria), had decided to send an army to Jerusalem to replace King Jotham with a puppet king who would agree to their demands to join the coalition (Isa 7:6).

However, before the plan could succeed, Jotham died and left his son Ahaz to face the crisis. While apparently the coalition did manage to lay siege to Jerusalem with considerable loss of life (2 Chron 28:1-15) Isaiah and 2 Kings both tell us that the plan failed (7:1).

The prospect of such formidable enemies as Aram and Israel caused the People of Judah to be afraid. The house of David (v. 2) refers to King Ahaz who was of that kingly line. Hearing of the Aram-Israel alliance Ahaz was terrified. Ephraim, Israel’s largest tribe, represented the entire nation. Perhaps Ahaz thought he could call on the Assyrian King Tiglath-Pileser III (745-727) to come to his aid and attack the Aram-Israel confederacy.

b. The assurance that Judah would not be destroyed (7:3-9)

7:3. God told Isaiah to go with his son . . . to meet King Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool. This pool was a reservoir that held water from the Gihon Spring near Jerusalem. (Isa. 22:9 refers to a Lower Pool.) perhaps Ahaz was there to inspect the city’s water supply in anticipation of an attack by Aram and Israel. The aqueduct was near the road to the Washerman’s Field, just outside Jerusalem’s city walls. The name of Isaiah’s son, Shear-Jashub (which means ”a remnant will return“; cf. 10:21) illustrated the prophet’s message. The nation of Judah would not be destroyed by the Aram-Israel alliance.

7:4-6. Isaiah told Ahaz not to be afraid of Rezin and Pekah, for they were mere smoldering stubs of firewood. Their lives would soon end; like firewood they would be burned up and gone. Both men died two years later in 732 BC. Aram and Israel threatened to invade Judah, split it between the two conquering nations, and set up a Puppet king.

7:7-9. In response to the Aram-Israel threat the Sovereign Lord had an answer: It (the attack) would not take place; it would not happen. The reason was that both of those nations were headed by mere (only, vv. 8-9) men. Ironically Isaiah referred to Pekah by name only once (v. 1). Four other times he called him the son of Remaliah or Remaliah’s son (vv. 4-5, 9; 8:6). He and Rezin could not thwart God’s plans.

In fact Isaiah made the startling prophecy that within 65 years Israel would no longer even be a people because they would be so shattered (7:8). Isaiah gave this prophecy in 734 BC., so 65 years later was 669. When Assyria conquered Israel in 722, many Israelites were deported to other lands by Assyria and foreigners were brought into Samaria (2 Kings 17:24). However, in 669 many more foreigners were transferred to Samaria by Ashurbanipal (Ezra 4:10), king of Assyria (669-626). This ”shattered“ Israel, making it impossible for her to unite as a nation (”a people“).

The second sentence in Isaiah 7:9 has been translated in various ways. But it challenged Ahaz to believe what Isaiah was telling him. Obviously Ahaz was not alive 65 years later. But he could have faith that God would fulfill both predictions: that Israel would be shattered 65 years later and that in his day the northern confederacy (Aram and Israel) would not overpower Judah. If he did not believe those predictions he too would fall.

c. Ahaz’s rejection of a sign (7:10-12)

7:10-12. As a means of strengthening his faith Ahaz was told to ask the Lord . . . for a sign, an attesting miracle that would confirm God’s word. The king could choose any miraculous work he wished, from the deepest depths to the highest heights. With a miracle performed simply for the asking, Ahaz would have visible confirmation that Isaiah’s words (vv. 7-9) were truly from the Lord. Ahaz could count on the fact that the northern alliance would not defeat Judah.

But Ahaz refused to request a sign, saying he would not . . . test God (cf. Deut. 6:16). This answer sounded pious but probably the way he said it showed he was not believing Isaiah. Perhaps he did not want to believe Isaiah, who had been prophesying about the eventual destruction of Judah if her people did not return to the Lord.

d. The Lord’s response (7:13-17)

7:13. Ahaz, by rejecting the offer of a sign from God’s messenger, was in effect rejecting the One who sent the prophet. The house of David (cf. v. 2) refers not to all David’s descendants, but to Ahaz and those kings of Judah who would descend from him. Ahaz’s answer was impious. He said he did not want to test the Lord, but by refusing to follow God’s directive to ask for a confirming miracle, he was testing the Lord’s patience (as well as man’s patience).

7:14-16. Though Ahaz refused to request a sign that would have confirmed the truth of Isaiah’s message, the prophet said God would give him one anyway. The sign was to be a boy named Immanuel. Three elements pertain to the sign:

(1) The boy would be born (of a virgin) (v. 14).

New Century Version, NIV, KJV, NKJV, American Standard, Darby Bible, NLT
14The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be pregnant. She will have a son, and she will name him Immanuel

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), New English Bible (NEB), New English Translation Bible (NET), New Jerusalem Bible
14 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


(2) He would be raised in a time of national calamity (v. 15 -The abundance of . . . milk was a distressful factor, not a good one. With many animals dying, a farmer’s young cow and two goats would have no young to nurse, and so the milk (and curds from it) would be plentiful for the people. Honey would also be abundant because wild flowers would grow in the desolate fields and bee swarms would be more plentiful).

(3) While he was still a youth, the two-king alliance would be broken (v. 16).



Most Bible scholars hold one of three views on the virgin in Isaiah 7:14-16:

(1) The boy of whom Isaiah wrote was conceived shortly after Isaiah spoke this message. A young woman, a virgin, married and then had a baby. Before he would be old enough to tell the difference between good and evil the northern Aram-Israel alliance would be destroyed. According to this view the woman was a virgin when Isaiah spoke his prophecy but was not when the boy was born because he was conceived by sexual relations with her husband.

Some say this child was born to Isaiah (8:3-4). They point out that 8:1-4 corresponds in a number of ways to 7:14-17. But this view must be rejected because
(a) Isaiah’s wife already had a child (Shear-Jashub, v. 3) and so was not a virgin, and
(b) the second child born to Isaiah’s wife was not named Immanuel but Maher-shalal-hash-baz which is a judgment on Judah while Immanuel is one of hope (8:3).

In this view Ahaz would have known this woman, and hearing of the child’s birth and his name Immanuel he would understand that Isaiah’s prophecies were correct.

(2) A second view sees the predicted birth as exclusively messianic and the virgin as Mary, Jesus’ mother. It is argued that in Isaiah 7:14 the virgin is said to be with child (lit., ”the virgin is or will be pregnant“). Edward Hinson points that the Septuagint’s interpretation of Isa. 7:14 is of a virgin birth. This messianic pre-Christian interpretation is shared by the rabbinic, Palestinian and Alexandrian Jews. It is also argued that Matthew, stressing the fact that Joseph and Mary’s marriage was not consummated till after Jesus’ birth (Matt. 1:18, 25), affirmed that Jesus’ birth fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy (Matt. 1:21-23).

Proponents of this view point out that since Isaiah spoke this prophecy to the house of David (Isa. 7:13) and not just to Ahaz himself, the sign was given not just to the king but to the entire kingly line and the entire nation. However, if the fulfillment did not occur until Joseph and Mary’s day, how does the prophecy relate to Isaiah’s point that the Aram-Israel confederacy would soon be defeated? And how does the birth of the Lord Jesus relate to the eating of curds and honey (v. 15) and to the breaking of the alliance before the boy was old enough to know good and evil? (v. 16) Proponents of this view answer that the time is similar: the two years of Jesus’ babyhood (before He would know between right and wrong) point to the same time segment, two years, within which the Aram-Israel threat would be gone.


(3) A third view, a combination of the first two, sees the prophecy as directed primarily to Ahaz regarding the breaking of the alliance. The ‘almâh was a virgin when Isaiah spoke his message, but then she would marry and have a baby. When the Aram-Israel alliance was broken the boy would still be young. Centuries later the Holy Spirit led Matthew to quote Isaiah 7:14 as a statement that was also true of a virgin birth (i.e., a birth to a woman who was still a virgin). This is the first of many prophecies about the Messiah given by Isaiah.

The sign must have had some significance for the historical situation in which it was given. The sign involved not only the birth and the boy’s name (Immanuel, ”God [is] with us, “ would assure the people of God’s presence), but also a designated length of time: before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings will be laid waste.

Within about three years (nine months for the pregnancy and two or three years until the boy would know the difference between good and evil) the alliance would be broken. It was broken in 732 BC when Tiglath-Pileser III destroyed Damascus. After Tiglath-Pileser had defeated Aram and put Rezin to death. Ahaz went to Damascus to meet the Assyrian monarch (2 Kings 16:7-10). Ahaz liked an altar he saw in Damascus, and had a sketch of it drawn so a similar altar could be set up in Jerusalem. No wonder Isaiah and God were angry with Ahaz. Even after the alliance had been broken by Tiglath-Pileser Judah had no peace. Though Assyria did not defeat Judah, she had to pay Assyria a heavy tribute. Isaiah foretold the consequences of Ahaz’s attitude (Isa. 7:17-25).

Three children’s Names
(1) Isaiah’s son (Shear-Jashub) Shear-Jashub means a remnant will return.
(2) Prophetess’ son (Immanuel) Immanuel means God with us.
(3) Isaiah’s son (Maher-shalal-hash-baz)

Therefore, Isaiah’s Sign of Immanuel = God with us


3. Matthew’s The Sign of Immanu-el

The Septuagint
The Septuagint simply "LXX", is the Koine Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, translated in stages between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC in Alexandria.

It is the oldest of several ancient translations of the Hebrew Bible into the Greek language, the lingua franca of the eastern Mediterranean from the time of Alexander the Great (356-323 BC). The word septuaginta means "seventy" in Latin and derives from a tradition that seventy (or seventy-two) Jewish scholars translated the Pentateuch (Torah) from Hebrew into Greek for Ptolemy II Philadelphus, 285–246 BC.

The Septuagint includes some books not found in the Hebrew Bible. Many Protestant Bibles follow the Jewish canon and exclude the additional books. Roman Catholics, however, include some of these books in their canon while Eastern Orthodox Churches use all the books of the Septuagint. Anglican lectionaries also use all of the books except Psalm 151, and the full Authorized (King James) Version includes these additional books in a separate section labelled the "Apocrypha".

The Dead Sea Scrolls include a complete copy of the Book of Isaiah, a fragmented copy of Isaiah, containing much of Isaiah 38-6, and fragments of almost every book in the Old Testament. The majority of the fragments are from Isaiah and the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). The books of Samuel, in a tattered copy, were also found and also two complete chapters of the book of Habakkuk. In addition, there were a number of nonbiblical scrolls related to the commune found.

These materials are dated around 100 B.C. The significance of the find, and particularly the copy of Isaiah, was recognized by Merrill F. Unger when he said, "This complete document of Isaiah quite understandably created a sensation since it was the first major Biblical manuscript of great antiquity ever to be recovered. Interest in it was especially keen since it antedates by more than a thousand years the oldest Hebrew texts preserved in the Massoretic tradition."


• The Septuagint was held in great respect in ancient times; Philo and Josephus ascribed divine inspiration to its authors.
• Of significance for all Christians and for Bible scholars is that the LXX is quoted by the Christian New Testament and by the Apostolic Fathers.
• Jews have not used the LXX in worship or religious study since the second century AD


Hebrew Bible (supported by the earliest manuscript)
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The ‘almâh will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

In the oldest Isaiah text available, the word is ‘almâh, a word used of an unmarried woman of marriageable age. The word refers to one who is sexually mature. It occurs elsewhere in the Old Testament only in Genesis 24:43 (”maiden“); Exodus 2:8 (”girl“); Psalm 68:25 (”maidens“); Proverbs 30:19 (”maiden“); Song of Songs 1:3 (”maidens“); 6:8 (”virgins“). It also occurs in 1 Chronicles 15:20 (alamoth) and in the title of Psalm 46 (alamoth may be a musical term).

The Septuagint’s translation of Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The parthenos will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Parthenos means ‘virgin’.

Question: Is it possible for seventy-two Hebrew scholars to mistranslate one word, ‘almâh in Isaiah 7:14?

Question: Could the mistranslation be a Divine Intervention?

It predicts the virgin birth of Jesus 735 years before it happens and also reveals the nature of God incarnate.

Matthew’s use of a passage from Isaiah 7:14:

Matt 1:20-24
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” —which means, “God with us.”

Matthew was only able to read Greek. In the New Testament times, very few people can read Hebrew. Hence he was dependent on the Septuagint. However, he was inspired to see in Isaiah 7:14, the nature of God incarnation as a sinless Jesus through a virgin birth and understand the story of Jesus’ conception in the conversation of Joseph and the angel.

Thus Matthew was able to understand the gospel from the perspective
• The virgin birth
• The sinless nature of Jesus
• The salvation of God
• God with us

It is interesting that as much as we talk and sing and discuss Jesus as Immanuel, he is never actually called by this name outside this one verse in Matthew. The name Immanuel (or its Greek form Emmanuel) never occurs anywhere else in the Gospels applied to Jesus. In fact, the name never occurs elsewhere in the New Testament.

4. Our Sign of Immanuel

We have come to understand the true nature of God in Jesus and his virgin birth. What does this sign of Immanu-el means to us?

(1) God is in control
God is in total control. He even uses our mistakes-a mistranslation for his purpose. As we look around at the world today, it is good to know that God is in control. That every single atom in this universe is under his control.

(2) God saves
Jesus, God incarnate came to save us. God plan of redemption continues even as we speaks.

(3) God is with us
God is always with us. As we move and have our being, God is with us.


Soli Deo Gloria

References
John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 1046-1049.