ahaz takes a sign
07Feb07
(here, i’m making it its own post)
what it is is…knowing only Christ.
that way our faith doesn’t rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. there’s a place to know Christ in the power of his resurrection. & it starts with writing off everything else we could be enamored by or take credit for, so that we might really know Christ.
look at king ahaz. he was in a bad spot with his dead religion. what choices did he have?
Ahaz faced being invaded by the northern kingdom of Israel, who was allied with Syria. God sent Isaiah to tell Ahaz not to worry about it.
What Isaiah spoke to Ahaz was incredibly powerful. “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” He offered Ahaz the chance to ask for a sign, which Ahaz religiously declined. Isaiah laughed in frustration, and gave him the sign of Emmanuel - God With Us.
Then we see Ahaz completely ignoring this, and going to find more “tangible” help - an alliance with the king of Assyria. Tilgath-pilnezer did help him, but not really. He ended up taking the gift that Ahaz had ransacked God’s temple to give, then looking for more.
The account in 2nd Kings focuses on the pagan altar that Ahaz copied. See any implications in terms of who influences you and me?
This has nothing to do with this post but thought you might like to see this. This is kind of what you were talking about doing for the guerilla concerts.
http://www.mackie.com/freshfish/2006/08/mackie_muscle_car_a_highvolume_1.html#more
actually that is ahaz playing bass
~ha!
Ahaz was in Jesus’ bloodline and had been entrusted with the kingdom of God in the earth. Same thing goes for anybody who’s in Christ now.
There is a culture that owes nothing to the derivative proud lust-driven culture of the world. If you’ve really got faith to stand, if you really see Emmanuel; you won’t run around apolgetically pandering to or imitating men. There is such thing as the culture of the kingdom of God.