What are the consequences of choosing "Rezin and the son of Remaliah" over God? Setting the Scene • In Isaiah’s day the kings of Aram and Israel—Rezin and Pekah, “the son of Remaliah”—pressed Judah to join their anti-Assyrian coalition (Isaiah 7:1–6). • God sent Isaiah to tell King Ahaz not to fear them but to trust the LORD alone (Isaiah 7:4, 7). • Instead of trusting God, Judah’s leaders “rejoiced in Rezin and the son of Remaliah” (Isaiah 8:6). That choice triggered a cascade of consequences. What It Looks Like to “Choose Rezin and the Son of Remaliah” Choosing them meant: • Placing confidence in human alliances (Psalm 146:3). • Valuing political maneuvering over obedience (Proverbs 3:5–6). • Dismissing God’s warning, “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all” (Isaiah 7:9). Immediate Political Consequences • Assyria’s Invasion: “Therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates—the king of Assyria with all his pomp” (Isaiah 8:7). • Overwhelming Force: “It will overflow into Judah, flood and pass through” (Isaiah 8:8). The very empire they hoped to manage swallowed them instead. • Loss of Security: Whatever temporary safety Judah thought those alliances provided vanished almost overnight (2 Kings 16:5–9). Long-Term National Consequences • Devastated Land: “Where once there were a thousand vines… there will be briers and thorns” (Isaiah 7:23–25). • Economic Collapse: Fields that had produced grain now needed only “a bow and arrows” to hunt in wilderness (Isaiah 7:24). • Shrinking Population: War, deportation, and famine drained Judah’s strength (Isaiah 1:7; 2 Kings 18:13). Personal and Spiritual Consequences • Fear & Darkness: “They will look to the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom” (Isaiah 8:22). • Spiritual Blindness: Trust in human help hardened hearts, making them deaf to God’s voice (Isaiah 6:9–10). • Divine Discipline: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man… whose heart turns away from the LORD” (Jeremiah 17:5). Lessons for Today • God alone is an unfailing refuge; every human savior eventually disappoints (Psalm 118:8–9). • Pragmatism that sidelines obedience invites painful consequences; faithfulness secures true stability (Isaiah 26:3–4). • When tempted to lean on impressive but godless options, remember Judah’s story and stand firm in faith—“you will not stand at all” otherwise (Isaiah 7:9). |
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