Slices
Prepare
What is the situation of greatest danger that you have faced? It might be as an individual, a group – or perhaps even a nation. How did you feel? How did you handle it?
Bible passage
The sign of Immanuel
7 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 Launderer’s Field. 4 Say to him, “Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smouldering 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.”’
Explore
I didn’t know it at the time, but as a Westerner I was potentially in great danger. The previous week another tourist had been mugged and killed on the street we were on. My hosts told me afterwards, and the anxiety I didn’t feel at the time came flooding over me, even though by then we were perfectly safe!
Ahaz – Uzziah’s grandson – was king. A number of years had passed since Isaiah’s vision in chapter 6. Unlike me, he knew well the danger he was facing, and it was grave indeed. War was about to break out between the mighty Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel, whose borders were only 12 miles from Jerusalem. No wonder he was inspecting the water supply to the city (v 3), one of the most vulnerable points in a siege.
Isaiah knew that the attitude of the leader affects the people, to encourage or dishearten them. That is why he told Ahaz to keep calm (v 4), trust God and ‘stand firm’ in his faith (v 9). Do you think he will?
Respond
Sometimes we can forget God is worthy of our trust when faced with the immediacy of danger. Think of a situation of danger or trouble you or a group you’re part of is facing. How can you be a person of calm, faith and encouragement?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 2 Corinthians 2; Psalm 145
Pray for Scripture Union
In giving thanks for a wonderful Finance team, Assistant Accountant Alicia Wallace asks us to pray that, as they face challenges in what can be a pressured environment, their contributions would make the lives of those they serve easier, helping the movement to use the resources God gives wisely.