Assurance from God

KEY VERSE: “The LORD himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” —Isaiah 7:14

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 7:1-4, 10-17

DAVID, A FORMER KING, had rejoiced in the fact that all nations would eventually acknowledge, worship, and serve the God of Israel. He was especially happy in the knowledge that the great king of promise was to come from his family, his “house.” When God promised him, through the Prophet Nathan, that he would establish his ruling house forever, David was overwhelmed with appreciation and joy, and said to the Lord, “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord God; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant’s house for a great while to come. And is this the manner [Margin, Hebrew: ‘law’] of man, O Lord God?”—II Sam. 7:18,19

God had spoken of his ‘house for a great while to come’, but it was a much greater ‘while’ than David realized! He did not realize that through many future generations his ruling house would be divided, that wicked rulers would at times be in control, and that finally it would cease to function, as when the last king, Zedekiah, was overthrown, and the nation taken captive to Babylon.

The foes of Israel were both from within and from without. In another prayer of David we read, “Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.”—Ps. 83:1-5

God did not permit Israel’s enemies to destroy them as a nation, although they did lose their national independence, and the typical ruling house of David ceased to function.

The promise of our text, “The Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,” is presented in an interesting background. Enemies of Israel were attempting to destroy Jerusalem, but the Lord would not permit it. He promised instead that those who were then plotting against the house of David would themselves be destroyed. Then, out of this local scene came the long-range prophecy of the birth of the Messiah. This was to be a sign that God had not forgotten his people; all his promises would be fulfilled in his own due time and way.

Much that happened in connection with the birth of the Messiah was calculated to build up this same thought in the minds of those concerned. Mary did not casually discover that she was to become a mother, and left to wonder how it came about. Instead, the angel, Gabriel, was sent to announce to her the important role she was offered in the outworking of the divine plan. Later, angels announced the birth of the Messiah, and sang, “Glory to God in the highest,” affirming that this expression of God’s goodwill toward men would eventually lead to peace on earth. Yes, it was the Lord who was working to accomplish his plans, not the plans of men.

This point was emphasized by the angel in the announcement made to Mary. The angel said concerning Jesus, “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father, David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:32,33) Truly David was right when in his prayer he observed that God had spoken of his house for ‘a great while to come’!—II Sam. 7:19

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