7:1-12 Testing God Isaiah reminds King Ahaz that God is in control despite the politically troubled times. God promised to sustain Judah as long as Ahaz remained faithful, but Ahaz refused to comply with the prophet’s instructions about asking for a sign to confirm God’s faithfulness. Ahaz made an excuse that sounded like piety, but by refusing to participate in receiving God’s message from Isaiah, he implicitly rejected God’s plan to save his people. We can and should confidently ask God to fulfill his promises—he is faithful to sustain our faith in the midst of trouble.
7:14 Immanuel While Isaiah’s prophecies were partially fulfilled in his lifetime—before his son was twelve years old, Israel and Syria were defeated—their final fulfillment took hundreds of years, coming in the person of Jesus—Immanuel (Matt 1:22-23). Similarly, we experience a taste of redemption in this life and look forward to a full feast of salvation in the life to come.