The establishing power of faith.
The practical force of this prophetic utterance is found in the final words of it: "If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established" (Isaiah 7:9). We may see in them a declaration expressly personal. They intimate to Ahaz that if he, the present King of Judah, does not put his faith in the minister and in the message of the Lord, his kingdom and his power will suffer loss.
1. His faith was sorely tried. "His heart was moved as the trees of the wood by the wind" when he heard that two powerful monarchs were confederate against him (Isaiah 7:1, Isaiah 7:2). It required no little faith to accept, without reserve, the assurances of Isaiah (verses 4-9).
2. But he had solid ground on which to build his hope. The history of his country should have made it perfectly practicable to believe that, whatever the Lord had decided upon, all the hosts of heathendom would be unable to withstand.
3. His human fears proved too strong for his religious convictions.
4. The prophet warned him that with the failure of his faith would come material loss. This minatory prediction was only too painfully fulfilled. Elath, a port on the Red Sea, was lost to the kingdom (2 Kings 16:6); great numbers of the people were slaughtered (2 Chronicles 28:6); many captives were carried away (2 Chronicles 28:8); Judah became tributary to Assyria (2 Kings 16:8, 2 Kings 16:9). "The Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz" (2 Chronicles 28:19). He was not established; he was enfeebled and humiliated.
The lesson which the passage, particularly these final words, conveys to us is this, that WHEN FAITH FAILS, POWER DEPARTS; that faith is the one sustaining power which will establish us in the spiritual position to which we have attained. We look, therefore, at this broad principle applicable to every one.
1. As Christian men we enjoy an excellent estate. We are "kings and priests unto God;" we are made to "sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." "Now are we the sons of God," and all the joys and privileges of sonship are ours.
2. But our position is threatened by powerful adversaries. There come up against us the foes of our race—worldly allurements, fleshly indulgences, incitements to spiritual pride and unbelief, temptations to fall into selfishness or into untruthfulness, etc.
3. Only a living faith will uphold us in our integrity. We must have the faith which