Ask Me For Proof - Isaiah 7:10-16 (Advent 4A)

Two men made their way to the city’s edge one day. One was quite young, only 20 years old, but with an awesome responsibility on his shoulders. The other was more mature. He’d been around for a while and seen a few things. As they walked, he tried to encourage the young man. He had advised for a long time that Judah should stay out of entangling alliances, promising that God would intervene, God would protect the descendants of David, and that God was their hope. The year was 735 BC. The older man was the prophet Isaiah. The younger was Ahaz, King of Judah. When he came to power, the Assyrian Empire was asserting itself far to the north. Nearer at hand, the kingdoms of Syria and Northern Israel, from whom Judah had split a generation before, were feeling threatened by Assyria and forming an alliance to protect each other. These small kingdoms wanted Judah to join them. King Ahaz, like his father and grandfather, realized that any such alliance might threaten Egypt to the south and cause them to attack Judah, so they had pursued a policy of neutrality and stayed out of the fight.

But now, the Syrian and Northern Israeli armies were just outside of Jerusalem, having been turned back from their attack. And young Ahaz was not so sure about Isaiah’s preaching. What he saw looked a whole lot more real to him than Isaiah’s promises. Ahaz was afraid, frustrated, and exhausted. Our Scripture says his heart was shaken “as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind” Fear had set in and Ahaz felt like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. His focus was not on God’s promises but the impending of doom of attack against Judah.

What about you? Ever been between a rock and a hard place? Ever seen the dark circumstances around you and been afraid and frustrated, doubting whether God might intervene? Many of us have experienced the uncertainty of these days and allowed fear to invade our hearts and mind. The people, places and things in which we have placed our security have proven to be less stable than we once thought. The banks are still holding onto their money and not allowing new businesses to open and new projects to be built. Retirement funds are a fraction of what they once were. And yet the bills are still piling up. What do you do when you’re stuck between a rock and hard place?

When this frustrated, I throw my own hands up and pray for God to help. I know the answer is in God's time, and it most likely won't help, but where else do you turn? That's a pretty common response to stress and being stuck in a situation that may have answers that aren't obvious. It feels selfish, and it feels hopeless. I'd argue when we step out in faith - even in such dire need - it's still asking God for direction, and it may be the most honest thing we do. We acknowledge our depraved state and need help from the only source that can provide - God. 

Some of us may be frustrated with what seems to be a difficult time for churches around the world, that doesn't mean that God is not at work around us. Here are some examples: although COVID is still around us, I think the pandemic has been great at helping many of us find what's important. I am a product of that. I was sitting in my office at my previous job wondering, "I am well compensated and comfortable, but is this all I want to be? Is this all I have to offer the world?" And I found that the answer to those questions was no. Sure I was doing patient and careful work, helping the families of Allen County try to wade into difficult conversations around kids, money and time, but it didn't feel like I could really talk about what the Lord was putting on my heart. 

God told me that I needed more because I was created not just to be a paper-pusher in a bureaucratic office. My life has more value than that. I needed to get out there and find exactly what that meant. And for too long, I was afraid, just like Ahaz. But in our scripture this morning, Ahaz was ASKED BY GOD for God to give him a sign. CAN YOU IMAGINE? Like... dude - ask me anything, I need you to believe. I need you to trust that I will take care of you. Dig deep into the earth, sink your mind as low as the pits of hell, and I will give you a sign there. I can work such salvation that the dead come to life again and the underworld itself gives birth (Isaiah 26:19).

Turn your face, turn your mind, turn your hope upward, and I will show you a sign there in the sky. I put sun and moon and stars in the sky for signs (Genesis 1:14); I put my bow in the clouds as a sign of my covenant with creation (Genesis 9:12).

I gave Moses signs, and the people believed (Exodus 3:12; 4:3-31). I worked signs in Egypt (Exodus 7:3, 8:18, 10:1-2; Deuteronomy 4:34-35; 6:22; 7:19) to make it known that I have the power to save. I can save and I choose to save. Believe it. I know that you need a sign. I am ready to help you believe (cf. Isaiah 65:1). Ask me for a sign (cf. 1 Kings 3:5; 2 Chronicles 1:7; Psalm 2:8).

Ahaz refuses. Ahaz refuses because God’s signs are too good. If he sees a sign from God, how will he be able to discount it? No, says Ahaz, “I will not ask. I will not test the Lord” (Isaiah 7:12).

How have you met God in unexpected ways? And from there - how did you deal with the unexpected grace that met you? How did you trust in that moment that God was with you - Immanuel? Like Ahaz, have you refused? Have you backed away and rationalized it some other way? 

What kind of faith step is that? A fearful one, for sure. Ahaz’s fear was not his problem. Fear is not a faithless response, it’s an emotional one to particular circumstances. Sometimes, fear manifests from dire conditions. Sometimes, we manufacture potential outcomes and generate an emotional reaction to our own imaginings. Even that can be helpful as we teach children to be cautious when crossing the street or in proximity to a heated stove. Often, those imaginings are based on experience. The issue is not experiencing fear.

Our response to fear makes the difference. The Holy One recognizes Ahaz’s reluctance and refusal to follow their instruction and offers him another opportunity. This one is situated in assurance. God will provide any sign that will enable Ahaz to release his fears and proceed according to the Holy One’s plan for redemption and restoration. Deliverance comes not through the will of God alone; Creator employs and empowers living creatures–humans–to fulfill their will. We participate in our own deliverance and salvation.

 But what does God do in response? I'm gonna give you a sign anyway - I know what you need, I know what you want, so you better be ready when it comes. Trust that I have the best for you in mind. 

God's sign to King Ahaz was the birth of a child. The birth of Jesus is also a sign to us. It signifies God's love, mercy, power, and grace. Sometimes it takes a sign to convince us of these realities, just as it did for Ahaz. For the main character in the movie It's a Wonderful Life, it took an angel to convince him of his worth. For Dickens's Scrooge it took a vivid nightmare. For the characters on the "Peanuts" Christmas special, it took Linus's recitation of the story of Jesus' birth.

Ahaz had not been listening to God or to his prophet. He had not been a righteous king. This king was too busy with affairs of state to pay attention to spiritual things. He thought that problems such as the threat of invasion should be taken care of by practical means. To merely trust God, as Isaiah suggested, would be naive. It is proof of the grace of God that he continued to try to communicate with this errant king.

Jesus was born by impossible means—by a woman who was still a virgin. It was a miracle. In fact, Christmas is packed full of miracles—the angelic host, the guiding star, the escape from Herod, and more.

Asking for a sign is a movement of faith. It’s a reaching toward God for confirmation and companionship. When we ask a sign, we invite guidance and direction from the Holy One, and we commit ourselves to act. It appears that was the challenge for Ahaz, who refused to ask for a sign, not because it was an affront to God, not out of piety, and not because he did not believe God would provide a sign.

Ahaz was sure that God would fulfill their promise. There’s no expressed doubt in God’s ability or willingness to provide the sign, no matter how high or low the request may have been. Ahaz knows that God would do it, and that was his ultimate fear. Because once the Holy One supplied the sign, the only legitimate response would be for Ahaz to act according to God’s will. Many of us refuse to ask for clarity and direction from God because we already know what will be required of us.

Many of us have bought into the idea that we have to stop by Dillard’s, JC Penney, Wal Mart, Target and Best Buy to get ready for Christmas. But getting ready for Christmas means looking for the miracle of Christmas. That no matter what you are facing today, stand firm in your faith and get ready for the miracle of Christ in your life. Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, of things unseen.” God says preparing for Christ is putting your faith in Him even when you can’t see him. When it appears as if you are all alone and the world is conspiring against you, that’s the time to stand firm and expectantly wait on God. When it seems as if your life is falling apart and it’s unbearable but stand firm. Stand firm and wait on God. Getting ready for Christ means moving toward God even when you can’t see him. Standing firm in your faith is acting on God’s promises even before they have been fulfilled. It’s expecting God to act even when you can’t see him. It’s believing God despite the evidence. God might take his time showing up and acting but he will be on time.

No matter. It turns out that we don’t have to ask in order to receive. The Holy One will provide a sign without our permission or participation. The signs are there if we allow ourselves to recognize them. Fear does not prevail when we place our faith and trust in Emmanuel.

Ask God for a sign. Just also be willing to see it and trust where it goes. Part of getting ready is not just looking for a miracle but also asking the Lord your God for a sign. What would God have to do to prove to you He’s God and can work a miracle in your life? God gave Noah the rainbow to show him that he would never flood the entire earth again. He gave Gideon a sign when the angels set his offering on fire at the altar. God showed Pharoah signs and wonders to prove that he was God. And God will show you a sign and that he is God, that he loves and cares for you, that he is not only with you but for you this Christmas. In the midst of doubt and fear, Isaiah says, don’t turn to your left and don’t turn to your right. Don’t rely on your own understanding. Stand firm in your faith, look for a miracle and ask for a sign.