Thursday, September 1: Isaiah 7- Pretending to be godly

 

Ahaz, one of the despicable kings of Judah, is given an opportunity. God wants to do something to save Israel from an army coming against it. So God invites Ahaz to ask for a sign (11).

I am not one that believes we should go around asking God for signs to prove God is God. Gideon asked for a sign and God obliged but since the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, no Christ-follower in scripture asked for a sign. Instead, the Holy Spirit speaks and leads them.

Obviously this is an Old Testaments story and God, through His prophet, invites Ahaz to ask for a sign. But Ahaz, in a mocking tone, refuses, "I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test" (12).

This may sound pious but understand Ahaz has thrown God out of the temple and has begun worshipping false gods. He is not pious but mocking.

My thoughts spun. Do I ever use pious sounding talk to avoid God? Or do I ever act piously on the outside yet selfishly on the inside. In other words, do I ever pretend to be faith-filled?

I suspect that most reading this are no where near as despicable as Ahaz, one of the most faithless kings in Israel’s history. But I find it spiritually helpful to regularly examine myself to see if any seeds of faithlessness are growing within. This is what I find myself doing this morning as a result of this reading.

Maybe God is calling you to a time of self-examination as well.  Think about it.

Lord, it seems that You have me on a self-examination trail lately. Opening myself up to Your gaze and scrutiny. Go deep my Lord, that I might live faithfully before You. Root out all sin and wickedness within me, that I might grow in holiness even as You are perfectly holy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.