The Coming King: 9/6/26

Isaiah keeps bringing Judah back to the same reality: when the world seems out of control, God is still on the throne. God rules over history, even when nations rise, kings make alliances, and threats gather like a wave. Isaiah has already shown God’s holiness, Judah’s sinfulness, and the invitation that scarlet sins can become white as snow. Now Isaiah asks what kind of God would deal with this mess, and God’s answer is a promised King.

Isaiah 7 places Ahaz in a moment of real fear. Syria and Israel have joined together against Judah, while Assyria looms in the background as the greater threat. Ahaz and his people shake like trees in the forest before the wind. God sends Isaiah with a word that feels almost impossible in the middle of a crisis: “Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint.”

Faith stands against fear because faith trusts that God is the only way through the coming crisis. Ahaz receives a promise that his enemies will not accomplish what they intend, yet Ahaz refuses the sign God offers because he has already decided to trust another way. God still gives the sign: a child called Immanuel, “God with us.” Isaiah’s immediate situation has a real historical fulfillment, but Matthew makes clear that the final fulfillment is Jesus. God does not save his people from a distance. God comes near.

Isaiah 9 pushes that promise further. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali, marked by darkness and anguish, will see a great light. Jesus begins his ministry in that very region and announces that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The child born to God’s people carries the government on his shoulders. The coming King is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. His government, peace, justice, and righteousness will have no end.

Isaiah 11 pictures David’s royal line as a cut-down stump, but God brings a shoot from the stump of Jesse. The royal tree looks dead, yet God is not finished. This King does not judge by appearances, wealth, power, popularity, or what his ears hear. The Spirit rests on him, and he judges the poor with righteousness, protects the weak, and punishes wickedness. The nations will inquire of him, and the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 12 gives God’s people a song because salvation turns away anger and brings comfort. The Holy One of Israel becomes strength, song, and salvation. The promised King calls for trust, submission, obedience, and public praise, especially in the places where control still grips the heart.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Faith is the antidote to fear Fear is real, and human responses to it can become frantic, defensive, or compliant. Faith does not mean pretending the crisis is small; faith means trusting that God is the only way through it. A heart that is not firm in faith will look for stability in alliances, control, or outcomes that cannot finally hold. [50:13]
• 2. God comes near in Christ Immanuel means “God with us,” and that promise reaches its final fulfillment in Jesus. God does not remain distant from sin, fear, suffering, or the wreckage of human rebellion. Christ enters the world and comes near to those who trust him. [56:50]
• 3. Jesus reigns with perfect authority The promised King carries the government on his shoulders, not because power crushes him, but because his rule is never unstable. His kingdom does not depend on elections, military strength, public opinion, or human strategy. His justice and peace increase without end because the zeal of the Lord accomplishes it. [60:43]
• 4. The righteous King sees truly Human rulers can be manipulated by appearance, influence, fear, and wealth. The shoot from Jesse judges with righteousness because the Spirit of the Lord rests on him. Christ sees the poor, the weak, and the wicked without confusion or corruption. [66:06]
• 5. Control belongs under King Jesus The places most tightly held often reveal where trust is most difficult. Submission begins by naming the area of life that is being managed apart from Christ’s authority. Prayer becomes the first act of release: “You are my promised King; this area belongs to you.”
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [32:29] - Isaiah and God’s Rule Over History
• [34:33] - God’s Holiness and Judah’s Sin
• [36:39] - The Promise of a Different King
• [38:27] - Ahaz Faces a Growing Threat
• [44:21] - Fear and Its Many Responses
• [46:58] - Be Careful, Be Quiet, Do Not Fear
• [50:13] - Faith Is the Antidote to Fear
• [52:02] - The Sign of Immanuel
• [55:15] - Scripture Interprets Scripture
• [59:18] - The King’s Perfect Authority
• [64:39] - The Shoot From Jesse
• [68:27] - A Song of Salvation
• [71:03] - Trust, Submit, and Live for the King
• [75:47] - Coming to the King’s Table

Bible Reading

Isaiah 7:1–14
In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. And the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s Field. And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, “Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” thus says the Lord GOD: “‘It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’” Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
[38:27] [44:21] [46:58] [50:13] [52:02]

Isaiah 9:1–7
But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
[59:18] [01:00:43]

Isaiah 11:1–5
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
[01:04:39] [01:06:06]

Isaiah 12:1–6
You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
[01:08:27] [01:11:03]

Observation questions

1. What details in Isaiah 7 show how deeply Ahaz and Judah were affected by the alliance between Syria and Ephraim?
2. What four commands does God give Ahaz in Isaiah 7:4, and what reasons does God give for Ahaz not to be afraid? [47:33]
3. In Isaiah 9:1–7, what changes does the passage describe for people living in anguish and darkness?
4. According to Isaiah 11:2–5, what makes the coming King’s way of judging different from the way human rulers often judge? [01:06:06]

Interpretation questions

1. Why is the statement, “If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all,” especially important for Ahaz when every political option appears dangerous? [50:13]
2. Ahaz’s refusal to ask for a sign sounds humble at first. What in the passage suggests that his refusal may actually reveal that he has already chosen another source of security? [52:35]
3. Isaiah’s promise of Immanuel spoke into Ahaz’s immediate crisis, yet Matthew identifies Jesus as its final fulfillment. How does “God with us” change the way believers understand God’s help in fear, sin, and suffering? [56:50]
4. Why does Isaiah connect the King’s endless peace with justice and righteousness rather than simply with strength, military power, or political success? [01:00:43]

Application questions

1. What current fear has made your heart feel unsteady—like trees shaking in the wind? What would it look like to bring that fear before God instead of trying to manage it alone? [50:54]
2. Fear can lead people to fight, run, isolate, or simply comply in order to feel safe. Which of these responses do you tend toward, and what does that response reveal about where you are looking for security? [45:00]
3. Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. In what specific situation do you most need to remember that Christ is not distant from you right now? [57:17]
4. The government rests on Jesus’ shoulders, and his peace has no end. Where are you tempted to believe that your peace depends on an outcome, a person, finances, health, or control of the future? [01:02:10]
5. Jesus judges with righteousness and cares for the poor and meek. What is one practical way you could reflect his concern for justice, mercy, or someone vulnerable this week? [01:11:44]
6. What is one area of life where you are trying to maintain control? How could you honestly pray, “Jesus, you are my promised King; this area belongs to you,” and take one step of obedience this week? [01:13:12]
7. Isaiah 12 calls God’s people to make his deeds known among the peoples. Who is one person with whom you could share something specific about God’s goodness, help, or salvation in your life? [01:12:18]