Isaiah 7:9b - Stand Firm In Your Faith In God, Or You Will Be Unable To Stand At All.
Isa. 7:9b: Stand Firm In Your Faith In God, Or You Will Be
Unable To Stand At All.
CONTENT; What's in the verse; Translations; Paraphrase; Word
Study:
Isa 7:9b (KJV) If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be
established.
Isa 7:9b (NIV) If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will
not stand at all.'"
Isa 7:9b (CWR) Stand firm in your faith in the Lord your God,
or you'll be unable to stand at all."
CONTEXT; What's around the verse; Overview; Topic:
7:1-12:6
This major section of Isaiah contains a series of prophecies
related specifically to the Syro-Ephraimite wars--the invasion of Judah
by Rezin and Pekah. These prophecies aimed to call Judah back to
faith in God. [Nelson SB]
7:1-12:6
A reluctant Ahaz was given the sign of Immanuel (7:1-16), and
told that Assyria, on whom he relied, would bring devastation to
Judah (v. 17-8:22). Yet a Child identified as "Mighty God" would be
born and reign on David's throne (9:1-7), but not before the
wickedness of Israel, Judah, and Assyria have been punished (v. 8-10:19).
The survivors of Judah would rely on the LORD (10:20-34), and
Messiah will establish God's righteous kingdom worldwide (11:1-12:6).
[The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
7:2-8:10
This section consists of five prophecies (7:2-9, 10-17, 18-25;
8:1-4, 5-10) predicting both Judah's deliverance from the kings of
Syria and Israel and its devastation (short of annihilation) at the
hand of the Assyrian king. [Nelson SB]
7:4-8:15 Isaiah predicted the breakup of Israel's alliance with
Aram (Isaiah 7:4-9). Because of this alliance, Israel would be
destroyed; Assyria would be the instrument God would use to destroy them
(Isaiah 7:8-25) and to punish Judah. But God would not let Assyria
destroy Judah (Isaiah 8:1-15). [Life Application SB]
A Message for Ahaz
Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz (7:1-9)
A Virgin Will Bear a Son (7:1-8:10)
CROSS REFERENCES; What's in verses elsewhere.
2 Chron. 20:20b (KJV) Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye
be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
Romans 11:20 (KJV) Well; because of unbelief they were broken
off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) But without faith it is impossible to please
him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he
is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
COMMENTARY / APPLICATION: Moving From The Head To The Heart
What is God teaching here? What does it teach about Jesus?
A literal translation of the last part of the verse reveals a
play on words similar to, "If you will not be sure, you cannot be
secure" or "unsure--insecure." [Ryrie SB]
Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6), much
less to submit to His wise and gracious leadership. [SDA Commentary]
Believe and established are a play on the same Hebrew word from
which we get our word amen. Believing entails having knowledge of
God's Word, accepting that it is true, and placing our trust in the
Lord to help us keep it. Believing the Lord is the key to receiving
His promises (John 14:1). [Nelson SB]
It is not so much what God can do through you as it is what you
will allow God to do to you that determines the measure of your
effectiveness for Him.
God had a message for Isaiah to deliver - a message of holiness
and judgment, a message of hope in the midst of heartache. But
before His prophet could carry the message, Isaiah had to first carry
the burden. He had to come to grips with his own sinful condition -
his own waywardness and spiritual lukewarmness - before he could
confront an entire nation suffering from the same tragic conditions.
Before Isaiah could stand toe to toe with the king of Judah, he had to
first kneel before the King of the universe. After his vision of God,
Isaiah had a rekindled sense of God's awesome holiness and grandeur,
and had no trouble volunteering for the Lord's service.
Are you trying to serve God before you have seen Him? Take a tip
from Isaiah: Make no appeal till first you kneel, for that's the way
to serve with zeal! After you have walked with God today, share
with at least one other person how he or she can walk with Him too.
[Your Daily Walk SB]
When Silence Equals Agreement
As legend has it, a just and good man went to Sodom one day,
hoping to save the city from God's judgment. He tried talking to first
one individual and then the next, but no one would talk to him.
Next, he tried carrying a picket sign that had "Repent" written
on it in large letters. Nobody paid any attention to his sign.
Finally, he began going from street to street and from
marketplace to marketplace, shouting loudly, "Men and women, repent! What
you are doing is wrong. It will kill you! It will destroy you!"
The people laughed at him, but still he went about shouting. One
day, someone stopped him and said, "Stranger, can't you see that your
shouting is useless?" The man replied, "Yes, I see that." The person then
asked, "So why do you continue?"
The man said, "When I arrived in this city, I was convinced that
I could change them. Now I continue shouting because I don't want
them to change me."
Speak out for those things you believe to be true and good. If
you remain silent, others may take your silence as affirmation of
their position. [God's Little Devotional Bible]
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