The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 1 — Section 139

periods have beerl mixect up (Oheyne): but L6rd'a time •• asked for a sign," but would there is no suoh appeo.rance of clislocation not he.ve believed any the more hnd they In oh. vii., in its present form, llB necessitates received the sign for which they asked. ony suoh theory; ond, while it may be Gideon asked for a sign 1o strengthen hie grontod thot the comfort of the promise fe.ith (Jndg. vi. 37, 3!J), and received it, and given in vor. 8 WOllld be slight, it cannot in the strength of it went forth bolrlly be said that it would bo nil; it mny, 'there- against the Midia.nites. When God himself fore, have been (as it seems to us) without proposed to give a sign, and allowed his impropriety ndded to the main promise, creature to choose what the sign should be, which is that of ver. 7. The entire clause, there could be no possible wrong-doing in a Crom_" and within" to "not a people," must ready acceptance of the offer, which should !;>ii regarded ,08 l?arenthetio. ha.ve oi.lled forth gratitude and thanks. ,.Ver. 9,-If._ye will not believe, etc. Ask it either in the depth, or in the height Transla.te, If ye will not hold this faith above; i.e. "Ask any sign thou wilt, either fas!, surely:ye will not stand fast. Full faith in hell or in heaven "-nothing shall be in the ;promise pf ver. 7 would have enabler! refused thee. Ahnz to dispense with e.11 plans of eorihly Ver. 12.-I will not a.sk, neither will I policy, and to ".stand fast in .. the Lord," tempt the Lord. Ahaz, who has no wish for without c;i.lling i1J. . the a.id of 9:ny "arm. of a. sign, because he ha.a no wish to believe in B.esli." Distrust of the promise would lead any other sa.lva.tion tha.n tha.t which will h_im to take steps which would not tend follow from the rea.liza tion of his own schemes, t'o "establish " hlru, but would make his finds a plausible reason for declining to ask position more insecure (see 2 Kings xvi. for one in those passages of the La.w which 7:-18; 2 Chrcin ..'xxviii. 16, 20). - forbade men to" tempt God" (Exod. xvii. 7; ; 'vers.' 10:......rn.-TBE SIGN oP ll!MANUEL. Dent, vi. 16). Bnt it could not be "tcmpt- The euppo~ition that there was a c;qnsider- lng God" to comply with a. Divine invita- able interval between ver. 9 and ver. 10 tion; rather it was tempting him to refuse compliance. (Cheyne) is quite gratuitous. Nothing in Ver. 13.-0 house of David (comp. ver. 2). the text marks ariy such interval. God had It is not Aha.z alone, but the "house of sent .Ahe.z one message by his prophet (vera. David," which is on its trial. 1\Ien a.re con- 4-,,'..9)., ..'rt he.d apparently been received in spiring to remove it ( ver. 6). If it will not silence, ,at ,any rate without acknowledg- be saved in God's way, it will have to be ment.-: The faith he.d ,seemed to be lacking. removed by God himself. Is it a. small thing for you to weary men 1 i.e. " Are yon not wnich should hlive embraced with gladness content with wearying men; with disregard- the promise given (see the last clause of ver. ing all my warnings and so wearying me 7 ~)- God, however, will givci the unhappy Must you go further, a.nd weary God" (or, monarch another cha.nee. And so he sends ·• wear out his po.tience ") "by rejecting his him a second message, the offer of a sign gracious offers?" llly God. In ,er. 11 Isaiah had called Jehovah "thy Go,l; '' but as which should make belief in the first mes- Ah,\z, by rejecting God's offer, had rejectEd so.ge e_as_ier to him (ver. 11). Ahaz-proudly God, he speaks of him now as " my God." r13j~cte this offer (ver. 12). Then tile sign o( Ver. H.-Therefore. To show thnt your •• Immanuel." is given-not to Ahnz indivi- perversity caunot change God's uesigns, dually, .but to the whole" house of David," which will be accomplished, whether you and through· them to the entire Jewish hear or whether you forbear. The Lord himself; i.e. •• the Lord himself, of his own people. ",A virgin she.II conceive, nnd bea.r a free will, unasked." Will give you e. sign. son, whose name shall be called Immo.nuel; " Signs" were of various kinds. They might and before this child she.II have grown to be actual miracles performed to attest a the age of moral d,iscernment, God's people Divine commission (Exod. iv. 3-D); or will have been delivered, and their enemies jndgments of C:o,l, significative of his power made a desolation" (vers. H-16). The and justice (Exod. x. 2) ; or memorials of something in the past (Exod. xiii. D, I!;); or exnot bearing of the " sign" will be best pledges of something still future. Signs of discussed in th~ comment upon ver. 11. this lo.et-mentioned kin,l might be miracles Ver,,10,-:-The Lord epakee.gain unto Ahas. (Judg. vi. 36-40; 2 Kings xx. 8-11), or As before (vers, 3, ¾) by the mouth of his prophetio announcements (Exocl. iii. 12; prophet. 1 Sam. ii. 34; 2 Kings xix. 2:.J). These last Ver. 11.-Aak thee a sign, Asking for a. would only havo tho effect of signs on those sign ie right or wrong, praiseworthy or blaru• who witnessed their accomplishment. J!e- able, o.qcording to the spirit in which the hold. "A forewarning of 11, great event" 1e4uest is rue.de, 'l'he l' hal'iseeij in our (Cheyne). A virgin shall conceive. It ia  128 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH, [on. vn. 1-25.