WEBVTT - Hour 1: Messianic Bible Study: Isaiah 7 0:00:09.200 --> 0:00:13.850 Speaking of the birth of Jesus, the Gospel of Matthew says, 0:00:13.850 --> 0:00:17.119 all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by 0:00:17.120 --> 0:00:20.209 the Lord through the prophet. And the prophet he was 0:00:20.210 --> 0:00:26.060 speaking of was Isaiah. What in the world was Matthew saying? 0:00:26.060 --> 0:00:29.090 Why did he say that? Stick with us. We're going 0:00:29.090 --> 0:00:33.050 to be talking about that today on a special edition 0:00:33.050 --> 0:00:36.890 of Open Line. Hello friends. So glad you could be 0:00:36.890 --> 0:00:39.680 with us today. My name is Michael Radonich. I am 0:00:39.710 --> 0:00:43.190 a professor of Jewish Studies and also dean of the 0:00:43.190 --> 0:00:45.980 undergraduate school at Moody Bible Institute, and I am here 0:00:46.159 --> 0:00:50.419 today with a several of my good friends. We're going 0:00:50.420 --> 0:00:53.360 to be doing some Bible studies about the book of 0:00:53.360 --> 0:00:58.100 Isaiah and its predictions of the coming Messiah. His book 0:00:58.130 --> 0:01:00.840 predicted the coming of the Messiah. And so we're going 0:01:00.840 --> 0:01:05.520 to talk about several of those passages. And so it's pre-recorded. 0:01:05.520 --> 0:01:08.520 No calls today. Normally you'd be calling with your questions, 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:12.270 but today it's a special pre-recorded program. So don't call 0:01:12.270 --> 0:01:14.100 if you'd like to send a question in. You can 0:01:14.100 --> 0:01:18.119 always do that by going to our website Openline radio.org. 0:01:18.150 --> 0:01:20.670 You can click on the link that says Ask Michael 0:01:20.700 --> 0:01:24.180 a question. And that would be a place where you 0:01:24.180 --> 0:01:26.100 can leave your question, and it will be added to 0:01:26.130 --> 0:01:29.220 the mailbag for future weeks. But for today, we're going 0:01:29.220 --> 0:01:32.520 to be studying the scriptures together. And so I hope 0:01:32.520 --> 0:01:34.320 you have a cup of coffee. I hope you have 0:01:34.319 --> 0:01:37.650 your Bible open. And now I'd like to let you 0:01:37.680 --> 0:01:39.869 know who's going to be studying together with me today. 0:01:39.900 --> 0:01:43.500 First of all, my favorite Bible teacher, Eva Radonich. She's 0:01:43.500 --> 0:01:47.130 a professor at Moody as well as an author she 0:01:47.130 --> 0:01:49.650 wrote in the Moody Bible Commentary, The Moody Handbook of 0:01:49.650 --> 0:01:51.600 Messianic Prophecy. Hey, Eva. I'm glad you're here. 0:01:51.630 --> 0:01:52.770 It's great to be here. 0:01:52.770 --> 0:01:57.420 And also voice you hear all the time. Uh, Tricia McMillan, 0:01:57.420 --> 0:02:00.910 she's the producer of Open Line. She's the one that 0:02:00.910 --> 0:02:04.270 brings the mailbag every week. The Febc mailbag. And I'm 0:02:04.270 --> 0:02:07.690 so grateful that she's here. And glad you're with us 0:02:07.690 --> 0:02:09.130 to study today, Tricia. 0:02:09.160 --> 0:02:10.360 I'm so glad to be here. 0:02:10.389 --> 0:02:14.050 Yeah, it's fun to be with you. And then from 0:02:14.050 --> 0:02:20.590 the cactus compound in Arizona, joining us is Chris Fabry, 0:02:20.620 --> 0:02:23.950 who sometimes joins me when I do the two Michaels. Oh, no. 0:02:23.950 --> 0:02:28.300 I'm joining him, uh, at those, uh, Chris Avery is 0:02:28.300 --> 0:02:30.910 with us. I love doing these Bible studies with you. Chris, 0:02:30.910 --> 0:02:32.260 thanks for being part of this. 0:02:32.260 --> 0:02:34.989 I don't know how I got the opportunity and the privilege, 0:02:34.990 --> 0:02:36.640 but I'm so glad to be here. I have my 0:02:36.639 --> 0:02:39.070 throat coat tea, and I'm ready to go. Okay. 0:02:39.070 --> 0:02:41.530 We we saw you standing by the backyard fence and said, 0:02:41.770 --> 0:02:42.610 come on over. Yeah. 0:02:42.610 --> 0:02:44.920 That's right, that's right. I'm so glad that we're all 0:02:44.950 --> 0:02:48.520 together to study the scriptures today. Uh, now, you know, 0:02:48.550 --> 0:02:51.700 a lot of people are wondering when you read the 0:02:51.700 --> 0:02:54.340 New Testament, one of the things that gets said over 0:02:54.340 --> 0:02:57.410 and over is that all the events of the life 0:02:57.410 --> 0:03:00.620 of Jesus were predicted in the Old Testament. The Lord 0:03:00.620 --> 0:03:03.530 Jesus himself said everything that was written about me in 0:03:03.530 --> 0:03:06.290 the law and the prophets and and the writings. Or 0:03:06.290 --> 0:03:11.180 actually he says, the Psalms in Luke 24 were predicted. Uh, 0:03:11.180 --> 0:03:14.660 it talks about the same the law and the prophets 0:03:14.660 --> 0:03:18.889 in Luke 24 and other passage. There are always these 0:03:18.919 --> 0:03:24.470 this emphasis on messianic fulfillment, and in particular, at the 0:03:24.470 --> 0:03:26.570 beginning of the Gospels, we see a lot from the 0:03:26.570 --> 0:03:29.780 book of Isaiah. And so I thought that would be 0:03:29.810 --> 0:03:32.570 a kind of a fun thing to do today for 0:03:32.570 --> 0:03:36.230 this Bible study is to go through some of the 0:03:36.230 --> 0:03:39.620 key passages, not throughout throughout the whole book of Isaiah, 0:03:39.620 --> 0:03:42.860 but some of the early passages. Here's why. When I 0:03:42.860 --> 0:03:47.900 was in college, I remember that was when the NIV 0:03:47.930 --> 0:03:52.010 Bible was coming out, the new translation, and they published 0:03:52.010 --> 0:03:54.560 individual books at a time. They didn't have the whole 0:03:54.560 --> 0:03:57.930 thing done. And they. I remember when they published Isaiah 0:03:57.930 --> 0:04:00.900 and gave it out. It was called the Gospel of 0:04:00.900 --> 0:04:06.060 Isaiah because that was so messianic. And so I thought 0:04:06.090 --> 0:04:08.310 to begin with, right to start. Now let's talk a 0:04:08.310 --> 0:04:12.330 little bit about Isaiah the prophet and I. Eva, you're 0:04:12.330 --> 0:04:13.950 all set with that, aren't you? Oh, sure. 0:04:13.980 --> 0:04:18.870 Sure. Uh, probably he's the, the most, uh, he is 0:04:18.870 --> 0:04:21.960 the most quoted prophet in the New Testament. So I 0:04:21.960 --> 0:04:25.320 think someone counted up and said 65 times. Wow. You 0:04:25.320 --> 0:04:28.320 can find the quotations from Isaiah in the New Testament, 0:04:28.350 --> 0:04:30.870 and he's also the most quoted in the rabbinic writings 0:04:30.870 --> 0:04:35.220 of the prophets. So significant. He he had a long 0:04:35.220 --> 0:04:38.640 ministry period of about 64 years. If you look at 0:04:38.640 --> 0:04:41.610 the very first verse in Isaiah, it says that he 0:04:41.610 --> 0:04:50.400 was doing his prophetic work during the reigns of, of, um, Uzziah, Jotham, 0:04:50.430 --> 0:04:54.090 Ahaz and Hezekiah, who were the kings of Judah. So 0:04:54.089 --> 0:04:57.270 that takes you from, you know, like 790 back to 0:04:57.300 --> 0:05:00.480 almost to the 66, 86. So he had a very 0:05:00.480 --> 0:05:05.310 long reign or or prophetic ministry. A long ministry in 0:05:05.310 --> 0:05:09.599 the reigns of these important kings, primarily to, um, Judah 0:05:09.600 --> 0:05:13.980 and and Jerusalem. But his his message wasn't limited to them, 0:05:13.980 --> 0:05:14.670 was it Michael? 0:05:14.700 --> 0:05:17.940 No, his his message went to the northern kingdom, the 0:05:17.940 --> 0:05:20.850 southern kingdom. And it really was it was to extend 0:05:20.850 --> 0:05:23.520 all the way to the coastlands, which was a term 0:05:23.520 --> 0:05:26.220 for the Gentile nations. So if they ever got the Bible, 0:05:26.220 --> 0:05:30.030 they would read it and see about themselves as well. Now, listen, 0:05:30.029 --> 0:05:33.990 I know that, Chris, you went to Moody Bible Institute, right? 0:05:34.680 --> 0:05:38.250 And I'm sure that when you you did the one year, 0:05:38.460 --> 0:05:41.490 the old program, we had the advanced studies program. Yeah. 0:05:41.520 --> 0:05:43.830 And I'm sure you took a course in the prophets, 0:05:43.860 --> 0:05:47.039 you know, like Old Testament survey, New Testament survey. And 0:05:47.040 --> 0:05:48.870 one of the most important things is they teach the 0:05:48.870 --> 0:05:51.690 two fold ministry of prophets. Do you remember what that 0:05:51.690 --> 0:05:52.109 was about? 0:05:52.690 --> 0:05:54.789 Ministry of Promises. I didn't know this was going to 0:05:54.790 --> 0:05:55.450 be a quiz. 0:05:55.480 --> 0:05:59.890 I know, I just wondering about predicting and challenging. Do 0:05:59.890 --> 0:06:00.670 you remember predicting. 0:06:00.670 --> 0:06:03.670 And challenging, as I recall. Yeah. From my days, you know. 0:06:04.000 --> 0:06:07.540 They used to call it foretelling or foretelling. Yes. And, 0:06:07.570 --> 0:06:11.320 you know, here's what I think is so important about 0:06:11.320 --> 0:06:14.710 that is often the prophets. We think of them today 0:06:14.710 --> 0:06:21.040 as only making predictions. Right. But they also challenged issues 0:06:21.040 --> 0:06:24.279 of their time. And sometimes they did it one after another, 0:06:24.310 --> 0:06:29.830 you know, foretelling, foretelling. And what does that do for 0:06:29.830 --> 0:06:33.190 us today? Does it give us any encouragement, any hope? 0:06:33.220 --> 0:06:36.130 Well, I, I think even as Ivar was talking about 0:06:36.130 --> 0:06:39.670 Isaiah one, I see the ox knows its owner and 0:06:39.670 --> 0:06:43.090 the donkey its master's feeding trough. But Israel does not know. 0:06:43.089 --> 0:06:46.599 My people do not understand, O sinful nation, people weighed 0:06:46.600 --> 0:06:50.110 down with iniquity. And you can think of the prophets too, 0:06:50.140 --> 0:06:54.560 as these really harsh, mean, you know, vindictive, you know, 0:06:54.620 --> 0:06:57.440 the God's wrath type thing. But it was because of 0:06:57.440 --> 0:07:00.230 his mercy that he said he could have just let 0:07:00.230 --> 0:07:03.080 them go, let the people go. But he didn't. He 0:07:03.080 --> 0:07:07.580 sent these prophets as representatives of himself and of his 0:07:07.580 --> 0:07:11.510 grace and mercy, to call them back to himself and 0:07:11.510 --> 0:07:15.470 to me. That gives me great hope today for my 0:07:15.500 --> 0:07:17.300 own iniquitous heart. 0:07:17.630 --> 0:07:20.360 And, you know, it's interesting, too, because it says, you know, 0:07:20.390 --> 0:07:23.570 that's pretty challenging verse there in Isaiah one, of course. 0:07:23.570 --> 0:07:28.280 How does Isaiah 40 begin? Comfort, comfort my people. 0:07:28.310 --> 0:07:28.490 Yeah. 0:07:28.520 --> 0:07:33.170 Comfort my people. Uh, and so they're not just, you know, 0:07:33.200 --> 0:07:36.350 it's the old thing about preachers. The role of the 0:07:36.350 --> 0:07:39.200 preacher is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. 0:07:39.350 --> 0:07:39.740 Yeah. 0:07:39.890 --> 0:07:43.070 And that's what prophets did. They they did that very thing. 0:07:43.070 --> 0:07:47.690 And they talked about the future. And now here's my 0:07:47.690 --> 0:07:51.060 question for you, Tricia. Did Isaiah the prophet know what 0:07:51.060 --> 0:07:54.030 he was talking about? Or did somehow you think that 0:07:54.030 --> 0:07:58.200 he just he became like, uh balaam's donkey and just 0:07:58.200 --> 0:08:01.350 talked without knowing what he was talking about? 0:08:01.380 --> 0:08:04.590 You know, I'm not entirely sure, but I could see 0:08:04.590 --> 0:08:07.440 it kind of being a both and that there would 0:08:07.440 --> 0:08:13.320 be some, some knowledge of what he was foretelling, but 0:08:13.320 --> 0:08:19.170 perhaps not understanding exactly how it would play out. Kind 0:08:19.200 --> 0:08:22.110 of like even the way that we interpret prophecy, like, 0:08:22.140 --> 0:08:26.400 as we look back at then, prophecy that has already 0:08:26.820 --> 0:08:30.960 been fulfilled, that that might not be the way that 0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:33.840 we would have described it, you know, like it. 0:08:33.840 --> 0:08:35.940 Happened literally, but it didn't happen the way we would 0:08:35.970 --> 0:08:37.079 have anticipated. Right. 0:08:37.080 --> 0:08:40.050 And what they're describing, you know, like, do they did 0:08:40.050 --> 0:08:42.390 he know, uh, I can't remember if Isaiah is the 0:08:42.390 --> 0:08:45.390 one with the, uh, the statue with the for Daniel. 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:48.120 That was Daniel. Okay. With the four layers. Like, did 0:08:48.120 --> 0:08:51.370 he know these are what these specifically mean and how 0:08:51.370 --> 0:08:53.350 long these rains are and that kind of thing. 0:08:53.350 --> 0:08:55.960 Or he knew that it was the kingdom of Babylon 0:08:55.960 --> 0:08:58.360 and the kingdom of Medo-persia. He knew that. 0:08:58.390 --> 0:09:00.580 But did he know the specific years and all of 0:09:00.580 --> 0:09:03.820 these details that we know, looking back to see that 0:09:03.820 --> 0:09:07.750 prophecy fulfilled? So I, I wonder how much he understood. 0:09:07.750 --> 0:09:09.969 I'm sure he understood some of it, but I don't know, 0:09:10.000 --> 0:09:11.410 like to what extent did he fully. 0:09:11.440 --> 0:09:13.750 Let's look at a passage about that. Look at let's 0:09:13.750 --> 0:09:16.540 turn to first Peter. Every one of us to chapter one, 0:09:16.540 --> 0:09:19.360 verse ten through 12. Now this is a verse that 0:09:19.360 --> 0:09:23.530 is commonly used to say that the prophets didn't understand 0:09:23.530 --> 0:09:26.230 about what they were speaking. And then if you read 0:09:26.230 --> 0:09:30.880 it really carefully, what you'll find is that it's saying 0:09:30.880 --> 0:09:35.470 something quite the opposite. So, Eva, you've got the official 0:09:35.470 --> 0:09:36.850 version there. 0:09:36.880 --> 0:09:38.349 Sure. First Peter one. 0:09:38.650 --> 0:09:40.929 Whatever's official version is she doesn't even like it when 0:09:40.929 --> 0:09:44.020 I read the hcsb out loud, because she's got the 0:09:44.020 --> 0:09:45.340 new American standard there. 0:09:45.550 --> 0:09:48.890 That's it's a it's a real and true. First Peter 0:09:48.890 --> 0:09:51.260 110 and 11. 0:09:51.290 --> 0:09:51.740 All the way through. 0:09:51.770 --> 0:09:56.630 1212. As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of 0:09:56.630 --> 0:09:59.960 the grace that would come to you made careful searches 0:09:59.960 --> 0:10:03.920 and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the 0:10:03.920 --> 0:10:07.640 Spirit of Messiah within them was, indicating, as he predicted, 0:10:07.640 --> 0:10:11.180 the sufferings of Messiah and the glories to follow. It 0:10:11.179 --> 0:10:15.350 was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves 0:10:15.350 --> 0:10:18.620 but you in these things which now have been announced 0:10:18.650 --> 0:10:21.380 to you through those who preach the gospel to you 0:10:21.380 --> 0:10:24.860 by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven things into which 0:10:24.890 --> 0:10:26.660 angels long to look. 0:10:26.690 --> 0:10:29.959 Okay. So let's let's look at that verse. What did 0:10:29.960 --> 0:10:34.400 they not understand? They were seeking to understand what. 0:10:36.260 --> 0:10:38.750 The grace that would come to you. 0:10:38.780 --> 0:10:41.630 Well, they understood that there was grace coming to them. Right? 0:10:42.440 --> 0:10:45.560 The the time or circumstances? 0:10:45.590 --> 0:10:49.349 Time or circumstances. That's how the hcsb translates. Yeah. 0:10:49.380 --> 0:10:52.590 And Iva 11 says they were seeking to know what 0:10:52.590 --> 0:10:57.209 person or time the spirit of Messiah within them was indicating. 0:10:57.240 --> 0:11:00.599 Yeah, it could be sort of a little circumlocution. That's 0:11:00.600 --> 0:11:04.860 a big word. Yes, a little repetitive statement. Time of circumstances. 0:11:04.920 --> 0:11:08.220 That could be a translation or possibly, and I think 0:11:08.220 --> 0:11:11.190 more literally what person or time. 0:11:11.250 --> 0:11:13.290 Who it was going to be and when it was 0:11:13.290 --> 0:11:14.250 going to happen. Yeah. 0:11:14.280 --> 0:11:18.150 They they knew they were talking about something about the future, 0:11:18.150 --> 0:11:19.890 about the grace that was to come to people. They 0:11:19.890 --> 0:11:23.790 knew it was messianic. What they didn't know is who 0:11:23.790 --> 0:11:27.840 would be that Messiah. And when he would come, sort 0:11:27.870 --> 0:11:30.030 of like, you know, I came to know the Lord 0:11:30.030 --> 0:11:33.330 in the early 70s and people were going, of course, 0:11:33.330 --> 0:11:37.470 everyone's experience can say this. In 1972, people were saying, oh, 0:11:37.500 --> 0:11:41.610 Henry Kissinger is the Antichrist. Yeah, they're trying to figure 0:11:41.610 --> 0:11:44.940 out they know the Bible is teaching. There's an Antichrist coming, 0:11:45.100 --> 0:11:48.220 But they don't know who it will be. And of course, Henry. 0:11:48.340 --> 0:11:48.850 It will be. 0:11:48.880 --> 0:11:52.690 Or when it will be. Exactly. So they're talking about that. 0:11:53.140 --> 0:11:55.990 That's what they're investigating. And then they got an answer. 0:11:55.990 --> 0:11:57.610 What was revealed to them. 0:12:00.490 --> 0:12:02.350 In verse 12 and verse 12. 0:12:02.380 --> 0:12:04.750 Yet it was revealed to them what. 0:12:05.320 --> 0:12:08.110 That the things which now have been, which have been 0:12:08.110 --> 0:12:11.319 preached to you, the gospel by the Holy Spirit, sent 0:12:11.320 --> 0:12:12.220 from heaven? Yeah. 0:12:12.250 --> 0:12:18.130 They were not serving themselves, but they were serving you. 0:12:18.340 --> 0:12:21.490 In other words, their messages weren't just for their own day. 0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:24.670 They're for a future day that they were looking forward 0:12:24.670 --> 0:12:28.120 in time to the coming of the Messiah, when he 0:12:28.120 --> 0:12:31.630 would come and bring deliverance and salvation and the glories 0:12:31.630 --> 0:12:33.910 of the Messiah and the sufferings, the sufferings of the 0:12:33.910 --> 0:12:37.510 Messiah and the glories that would follow. So, you know, 0:12:37.540 --> 0:12:39.670 I think that's really an interesting verse because people use 0:12:39.670 --> 0:12:43.330 that verse. Say the prophets didn't understand the messianic hope, 0:12:43.330 --> 0:12:45.380 but what is this passage saying? 0:12:46.460 --> 0:12:49.580 Opposite. They did understand the messianic hope. They just didn't 0:12:49.610 --> 0:12:51.740 know who this the name of this person was going 0:12:51.770 --> 0:12:52.190 to be. 0:12:52.220 --> 0:12:54.679 Or that's called the referent. They didn't know the referent. 0:12:54.920 --> 0:12:58.160 Or exactly when it was going to take place, but they. 0:12:58.160 --> 0:13:01.670 Were speaking about a future deliverance. Isn't that exciting that. 0:13:01.700 --> 0:13:03.800 So when the people in the first century are looking 0:13:03.800 --> 0:13:08.540 at the messianic passage, they're saying, hey, this is for us. 0:13:08.570 --> 0:13:11.510 This is for us. This is what this is what 0:13:11.510 --> 0:13:13.790 we should be looking for the Messiah, because he should 0:13:13.790 --> 0:13:16.640 be coming any time now. I think that's pretty exciting. 0:13:16.670 --> 0:13:17.480 Don't you think. 0:13:17.480 --> 0:13:20.209 So? The other thing that I see is that Peter 0:13:20.210 --> 0:13:22.430 is the one who's writing this, and Peter was the 0:13:22.429 --> 0:13:26.030 one who said, you know, when Jesus said he was 0:13:26.030 --> 0:13:29.600 going to Jerusalem and was going to suffer these things? No, no. 0:13:29.630 --> 0:13:32.209 You know, Peter was. No, no, you're not going to 0:13:32.210 --> 0:13:36.440 do that. And so these messianic sufferings, when he was thinking, 0:13:36.440 --> 0:13:40.040 Jesus is the Messiah, he wasn't thinking of the cross. 0:13:40.040 --> 0:13:45.690 He wasn't, you know, and I glory in that. That 0:13:45.720 --> 0:13:47.790 that gives me a lot of comfort too. 0:13:47.820 --> 0:13:49.860 Yeah. He was only thinking about the glories that were 0:13:49.860 --> 0:13:53.220 to follow. He wasn't thinking about the suffering. Uh, yeah. 0:13:53.250 --> 0:13:57.120 He he he didn't want the hard part. He he 0:13:57.120 --> 0:13:59.400 wanted the glorious part. I think that's kind of interesting. Well, 0:13:59.400 --> 0:14:00.929 we're going to come back and start talking about some 0:14:00.929 --> 0:14:05.340 of these prophecies. Uh, this is a special edition. A 0:14:05.340 --> 0:14:09.240 special Christmas edition of Open Line. Tricia McMillan is here. 0:14:09.240 --> 0:14:13.440 Chris Fabry, Eva Radonich. We're talking through various prophecies in 0:14:13.440 --> 0:14:17.040 the book of Isaiah that foretell told the coming of 0:14:17.040 --> 0:14:19.980 the Messiah. My name is Michael Ray Dolnick, and we'll 0:14:19.980 --> 0:14:33.150 be right back. So stay with us. Are you looking 0:14:33.150 --> 0:14:36.450 to deepen your grasp of Paul's powerful epistles, the Moody 0:14:36.450 --> 0:14:40.620 Bible commentary on Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians is your 0:14:40.650 --> 0:14:44.760 key to unlocking these treasured books with clear explanations and 0:14:44.760 --> 0:14:49.800 practical insights, this resource illuminates Paul's teachings on grace, unity, joy, 0:14:49.800 --> 0:14:53.190 and the supremacy of the Lord Jesus. Request your copy 0:14:53.190 --> 0:14:55.680 of this Moody Bible Commentary excerpt. When you give to 0:14:55.710 --> 0:15:05.640 open line, call (888) 644-7122 or visit Open Line radio.org. Everyone 0:15:05.640 --> 0:15:08.940 has questions about God, the Bible and living out our faith. 0:15:08.940 --> 0:15:11.250 And that's why we're here on Open Line. We take 0:15:11.250 --> 0:15:14.760 your questions and provide answers straight from Scripture. But we 0:15:14.760 --> 0:15:17.340 couldn't do this without you. When you become a kitchen 0:15:17.340 --> 0:15:20.280 table partner, you're not only keeping this program on the air. 0:15:20.310 --> 0:15:24.780 Every weekend, you'll also receive exclusive benefits like personal audio 0:15:24.780 --> 0:15:28.410 messages from me that offer biblical encouragement. Become a kitchen 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:33.720 table partner today by calling (888) 644-7122 or go to Open 0:15:33.720 --> 0:15:35.280 Line radio.org. 0:15:52.690 --> 0:15:54.460 O come. 0:15:54.490 --> 0:16:10.570 O come, Emmanuel and Ransom Captive Israel. One of my. 0:16:10.570 --> 0:16:16.510 Favorite Christmas songs with a great arrangement there by Selah. 0:16:16.840 --> 0:16:19.630 What a great song, don't you think? Reminding us about 0:16:19.630 --> 0:16:23.020 the coming of Emmanuel. So that's what we're doing today. 0:16:23.020 --> 0:16:27.010 We're talking with a very special pre-recorded Bible study. So 0:16:27.010 --> 0:16:32.080 don't call with Tricia McMillan, Chris Fabry, Eva Radonich and me, 0:16:32.110 --> 0:16:37.990 Michael Radonich. We're going through various, uh, of the, uh, 0:16:38.000 --> 0:16:39.950 Passages in the book of Isaiah. And we're going to 0:16:39.950 --> 0:16:43.280 start with the famous Immanuel passage in Isaiah seven. But 0:16:43.280 --> 0:16:46.310 I want to start with a question. What do you 0:16:46.340 --> 0:16:50.960 consider an impossible situation? I'll tell you what I do. 0:16:50.990 --> 0:16:54.650 I remember trying to explain logic to adolescents when I 0:16:54.650 --> 0:17:02.540 was or students. So there are impossible circumstances. What do 0:17:02.540 --> 0:17:03.470 you think of? 0:17:04.580 --> 0:17:08.540 I think of people who are addicted that I care about, 0:17:08.540 --> 0:17:13.850 that I love and or change in people, and the 0:17:13.850 --> 0:17:17.480 ability or inability of me to to think of what 0:17:17.510 --> 0:17:20.960 God can do. Yeah. And can can change a heart 0:17:20.960 --> 0:17:23.600 and see that kind of change in people. I have 0:17:23.600 --> 0:17:29.600 such doubt and, and disbelief that God's powerful enough to change, 0:17:29.630 --> 0:17:31.699 you know, somebody else. And and then I look at 0:17:31.700 --> 0:17:33.770 myself and it's like, well, he did it for me. 0:17:33.800 --> 0:17:34.070 You know. 0:17:34.100 --> 0:17:36.020 Sometimes I think that there are areas of my life 0:17:36.020 --> 0:17:38.220 I wish he would change. And I feel sometimes a 0:17:38.220 --> 0:17:41.700 little discouraged because here I've been a believer for 52 0:17:41.700 --> 0:17:48.510 years at least, and and I'm still longing for change 0:17:48.510 --> 0:17:52.710 in some areas, and that seems impossible. But it's. I 0:17:52.710 --> 0:17:53.970 agree with you about that. 0:17:54.000 --> 0:17:55.620 One of the one of the lines in the New 0:17:55.619 --> 0:17:58.740 Testament that is that rings most true is, yes, Lord, 0:17:58.740 --> 0:18:01.140 I believe, help me with my unbelief. 0:18:01.170 --> 0:18:01.680 Unbelief. 0:18:01.710 --> 0:18:05.189 Yeah, yeah, yeah. I wish I could. It's impossible for 0:18:05.190 --> 0:18:08.340 me to have more faith I feel sometimes. Yeah. So 0:18:08.640 --> 0:18:12.330 do you have an impossible circumstance situation that you're thinking of? 0:18:12.750 --> 0:18:16.620 I think when it comes to, I think even for me, 0:18:16.619 --> 0:18:20.400 thinking of biblical prophecy. Not that not that it's impossible, 0:18:20.400 --> 0:18:24.030 but it's impossible for me to try and figure it out. 0:18:24.030 --> 0:18:27.389 Or if someone says, hey, this is going to happen, 0:18:27.420 --> 0:18:30.810 it's hard for me to see how I can get 0:18:30.810 --> 0:18:33.900 from point A to point B, because I don't see 0:18:33.900 --> 0:18:36.370 a clear way for that to happen. So it could 0:18:36.369 --> 0:18:40.600 be related to anything. Um, but but I think specifically 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:43.510 in seeing like I teach a, I teach Sunday school 0:18:43.510 --> 0:18:47.350 at my church, and even as I teach them about 0:18:47.350 --> 0:18:51.669 how God kept his promises and keeps his promises. How 0:18:51.670 --> 0:18:55.540 how would people have known? Like like Abraham, you know, 0:18:55.570 --> 0:18:57.760 given this promise of here is what I will give you. 0:18:57.760 --> 0:19:00.760 But you know, how many years does that take? Like 0:19:00.790 --> 0:19:03.250 he he has no child when he's given this, but 0:19:03.250 --> 0:19:06.729 he'll have this great nation. What impossible circumstance? Impossible. How 0:19:06.760 --> 0:19:09.490 is that going to happen? Yeah. So? So things like that. 0:19:09.609 --> 0:19:11.560 And what I think is so interesting, we think Abraham 0:19:11.560 --> 0:19:15.070 was looking at the Abrahamic covenant on in the text 0:19:15.100 --> 0:19:17.770 of the Bible. All he had was a direct conversation 0:19:17.770 --> 0:19:20.800 with God, apparently. Right. You know, and it wasn't written 0:19:20.800 --> 0:19:22.720 down until later by Moses. Right. 0:19:22.750 --> 0:19:24.489 And how often do we doubt things we hear? It's like, 0:19:24.490 --> 0:19:26.590 did I hear that right? Maybe I misheard him or 0:19:26.590 --> 0:19:28.060 misunderstood him. Yeah. 0:19:28.090 --> 0:19:28.540 That's it. 0:19:28.570 --> 0:19:31.810 I think that's that's probably endemic to our nature, is 0:19:31.840 --> 0:19:34.000 we look for. I was thinking of the election. Well, 0:19:34.000 --> 0:19:36.350 what is the path here? The clear path is this 0:19:36.350 --> 0:19:39.020 way and the path is narrowing. And you know the 0:19:39.020 --> 0:19:41.960 path is closed here. We can't see that. And I 0:19:41.960 --> 0:19:45.199 see the same thing in my own life and, you know, 0:19:45.230 --> 0:19:49.040 400 years of silence. And then here's the cry of 0:19:49.040 --> 0:19:54.500 a baby, you know, in Bethlehem, nobody saw that path. No, nobody, 0:19:54.530 --> 0:19:56.090 you know, thought, well, this is the way it's going 0:19:56.119 --> 0:19:59.930 to happen right here. Um, and they had worked it out. 0:19:59.960 --> 0:20:02.480 There's a hint. Now, the reason I brought up impossible 0:20:02.480 --> 0:20:07.940 situations is during the reign of King Ahaz, uh, the 0:20:07.940 --> 0:20:12.350 son of Jotham in Isaiah seven, the son of Uzziah. Uh, 0:20:12.350 --> 0:20:18.470 two kings try to drag King Ahaz into a war 0:20:18.500 --> 0:20:21.379 that they wanted to have with Assyria. There was the 0:20:21.380 --> 0:20:24.500 king of Syria. Also some versions call him the king 0:20:24.530 --> 0:20:28.550 of Aram. Uh, resin. King of Aram. Aram is the 0:20:28.550 --> 0:20:32.659 ancient name for the land of Syria. Uh, so he. 0:20:32.660 --> 0:20:37.590 And then the King of Israel. Pekah, son of Remaliah, 0:20:37.619 --> 0:20:41.700 is the king of the northern ten tribes, and they 0:20:41.700 --> 0:20:46.170 are sick and tired of Assyria's domination of their countries. 0:20:46.170 --> 0:20:49.320 And they want to get all the different vassal states 0:20:49.320 --> 0:20:55.050 to rebel against Assyria. And you know, King Ahaz is 0:20:55.050 --> 0:20:58.619 not a picture of faith or courage. And so he's saying, no, 0:20:58.619 --> 0:21:01.650 I don't want to do that. Uh, and so what 0:21:01.650 --> 0:21:04.260 they do is they draft him, they basically say, okay, 0:21:04.260 --> 0:21:06.540 if you won't join us, we're going to bring our 0:21:06.540 --> 0:21:09.330 armies right into the north of you, and we're going 0:21:09.359 --> 0:21:11.700 to drag you. We're going to go to war with you, 0:21:11.700 --> 0:21:14.159 and we're going to kill you, and we're going to 0:21:14.160 --> 0:21:17.340 replace you. Here's what it says. The Lord said to Isaiah, 0:21:17.369 --> 0:21:23.669 this verse seven, uh, uh, I think that's verse seven. Uh, no. 0:21:23.670 --> 0:21:25.830 It says verse two, when it came down to known 0:21:25.830 --> 0:21:28.649 to the house of David that Aram or Syria had 0:21:28.680 --> 0:21:32.290 occupied Ephraim or Israel, the heart of Ahaz, and the 0:21:32.290 --> 0:21:35.200 hearts of his people trembled like trees of a forest 0:21:35.200 --> 0:21:39.520 shaking in the wind. They were terrified. Why? Uh, then 0:21:39.520 --> 0:21:43.390 verse five, for Aram, that's Syria again, along with Ephraim. 0:21:43.390 --> 0:21:47.050 That's Israel, the northern ten tribes. They say, let us 0:21:47.080 --> 0:21:53.200 go up against Judah. Terrorize it and conquer it for ourselves. 0:21:53.200 --> 0:21:58.330 Then we can install the son of Tabeel as king 0:21:58.330 --> 0:22:02.439 in it. In other words, they're going to say, if 0:22:02.470 --> 0:22:04.750 you won't join this war, we're going to take over 0:22:04.750 --> 0:22:09.310 your country, and we're going to take over the kingship, 0:22:09.310 --> 0:22:11.740 and we're going to put the one we want on 0:22:11.740 --> 0:22:16.090 the throne to make to deal with this and think 0:22:16.090 --> 0:22:19.090 about that. Because what do you think they would do 0:22:19.090 --> 0:22:21.400 to the other members of the House of David if 0:22:21.400 --> 0:22:22.600 they killed Ahaz? 0:22:23.200 --> 0:22:24.640 Then the same thing. Yeah. 0:22:24.910 --> 0:22:25.660 Exactly. 0:22:25.930 --> 0:22:28.300 But I can't get past the great writing there. The 0:22:28.300 --> 0:22:31.070 hearts of his people trembled like trees of a forest. 0:22:31.070 --> 0:22:34.669 Shaking in the wind. Yeah. That is such great writing. Yeah. 0:22:34.880 --> 0:22:36.860 It's terrifying, isn't it? And here's. 0:22:36.890 --> 0:22:39.470 I think it's hard for us to just kind of 0:22:39.500 --> 0:22:41.689 read this and think, well, yeah, that was scary. But 0:22:41.690 --> 0:22:45.200 it was really scary because Assyria was the greatest world 0:22:45.200 --> 0:22:47.750 power at that time, and it was on the move 0:22:47.750 --> 0:22:52.340 and it was threatening Assyria. Assyria? Yeah. Assyria was on 0:22:52.340 --> 0:22:56.390 the move against the northern kingdom and that whole region. 0:22:56.390 --> 0:22:59.000 And so they're saying we got to band together, or 0:22:59.000 --> 0:23:01.400 else we're all going to fall to Assyria. You've got 0:23:01.400 --> 0:23:02.690 to help us. Judah. 0:23:02.690 --> 0:23:05.060 And Judah doesn't want to. They want. They want to. 0:23:05.390 --> 0:23:08.810 Ahaz wants to rely and be a vassal king to 0:23:08.840 --> 0:23:12.170 Assyria and and keep his safety that way. But now 0:23:12.170 --> 0:23:15.619 he's so. Now he's being endangered in two directions. If 0:23:15.619 --> 0:23:19.550 he rebels against Assyria, he's doomed. If he doesn't rebel, 0:23:19.550 --> 0:23:21.620 then he's going to be doomed by these two nations 0:23:21.619 --> 0:23:24.200 that are going to drag him into the war by 0:23:24.200 --> 0:23:29.090 replacing him. And it's an impossible situation, and that's what 0:23:29.090 --> 0:23:34.649 he's really concerned about. He's facing impossible odds. That's why 0:23:34.650 --> 0:23:37.920 I asked about impossible situations. Now, let's point out one 0:23:37.920 --> 0:23:40.350 other thing. About what if they succeed and they kill 0:23:40.350 --> 0:23:44.970 the whole house of David? What promise is now being threatened? 0:23:45.510 --> 0:23:48.480 Anyone know the Davidic Covenant? 0:23:48.510 --> 0:23:49.710 Exactly. 0:23:49.740 --> 0:23:52.740 Because then there's no. There's no heir from David to 0:23:52.770 --> 0:23:53.850 be the Messiah. 0:23:53.880 --> 0:23:57.390 Exactly. So this is not just a threat against Ahaz 0:23:57.390 --> 0:24:00.690 in his household. It's a threat against the entire Davidic 0:24:00.690 --> 0:24:05.100 promise that the messianic king would come. And so sometimes 0:24:05.100 --> 0:24:09.240 people say, why would Isaiah bring up the messianic king's birth? Well, 0:24:09.240 --> 0:24:12.240 that's because the great threat was to the Davidic covenant. 0:24:12.630 --> 0:24:17.490 And that's. You nailed it there, Tricia. That's exactly right. 0:24:17.490 --> 0:24:21.870 And what I love about this passage is it shows 0:24:21.869 --> 0:24:24.840 us that there are some things that we can rely 0:24:24.840 --> 0:24:29.109 on when we face impossible situations, whether it's, uh, you know, 0:24:29.140 --> 0:24:37.359 an addiction, as Chris mentioned, or, uh, it can show us, 0:24:37.900 --> 0:24:41.859 you know, how to face it. If there's an illness 0:24:41.890 --> 0:24:44.859 and we think that there's no hope here, where can 0:24:44.890 --> 0:24:48.100 we find some hope in an impossible situation? 0:24:48.130 --> 0:24:50.109 You lost your job, and you think you're going to 0:24:50.230 --> 0:24:53.350 can't pay your mortgage, and you're going to be evicted? Yeah. 0:24:53.380 --> 0:24:57.730 Then there's hope in an in something. And that's where 0:24:57.730 --> 0:25:01.270 this messianic passage comes in. Because Ahaz had no hope. 0:25:01.270 --> 0:25:04.780 The Davidic line was about to collapse. The Davidic promises 0:25:04.780 --> 0:25:07.270 were going to go away. The messianic Son of David 0:25:07.270 --> 0:25:10.090 would never come. What are we going to do? And 0:25:10.090 --> 0:25:15.460 Isaiah comes along and he gives not one but two prophecies. 0:25:15.490 --> 0:25:19.480 And that's what we're going to talk about when we 0:25:19.510 --> 0:25:22.990 when we come back, we're going to really hit the, the, 0:25:22.990 --> 0:25:26.050 the main Emmanuel prophecy. That's what we're going to talk 0:25:26.080 --> 0:25:29.480 about when we come back in, and then we're also 0:25:29.480 --> 0:25:33.290 going to look and see how it fits the context, 0:25:33.290 --> 0:25:36.380 which is what's so important, and then hopefully draw some 0:25:36.410 --> 0:25:43.190 applications about what we should do when we face impossible circumstances. 0:25:43.580 --> 0:25:47.210 Stick with us, because I've got Chris Fabry here, Tricia 0:25:47.210 --> 0:25:51.260 McMillan and me, Michael Radonich, and we're studying the messianic 0:25:51.260 --> 0:25:54.110 hope of the book of Isaiah. We'll be right back. 0:25:54.109 --> 0:25:56.870 And don't go away. You don't want to miss this. 0:26:01.400 --> 0:26:04.760 We're so glad that Febc partners with Open Line with 0:26:04.760 --> 0:26:09.320 Doctor Michael Radonich, bringing the Febc mailbag every week. Learn 0:26:09.320 --> 0:26:12.230 how Far East Broadcasting Company is taking Christ to the 0:26:12.230 --> 0:26:16.760 world at febc. Org on their weekly podcast. Until all 0:26:16.760 --> 0:26:19.670 have heard with Ed Cannon, you'll hear stories of lives 0:26:19.670 --> 0:26:23.480 changed by Messiah all across the globe. Again, you can 0:26:23.480 --> 0:26:29.480 hear the podcast when you visit febc. Org that's febc.org. 0:26:45.619 --> 0:27:01.100 Emmanuel. Emmanuel. Emmanuel. Emmanuel. Wonderful. 0:27:01.100 --> 0:27:03.800 Counselor, I guess I better say something. I just like 0:27:03.800 --> 0:27:09.889 listening to the music. That's. I love this prophecy of Emmanuel, 0:27:09.920 --> 0:27:12.800 God with us. And what a great reminder from this 0:27:12.800 --> 0:27:19.760 song that we're looking here in Isaiah seven for Emmanuel. So. Well, 0:27:19.760 --> 0:27:23.060 joining me with I'm Michael Radonich. Joining me is Tricia McMillan, 0:27:23.090 --> 0:27:26.130 Eva Radonich and Chris Fabry. We are working our way 0:27:26.130 --> 0:27:31.710 through various prophecies, by the predictions by the prophet Isaiah 0:27:31.740 --> 0:27:33.780 about the coming messianic king, and we're starting to ask 0:27:33.780 --> 0:27:34.230 a question. 0:27:34.260 --> 0:27:35.880 I want to ask you a question. Yeah. Why does 0:27:35.910 --> 0:27:38.760 why does Emmanuel why is it spelled with I sometimes 0:27:38.760 --> 0:27:40.109 and e other times. Ah. 0:27:40.680 --> 0:27:41.400 There you go. 0:27:41.580 --> 0:27:46.050 Because Hebrew transliteration is is, uh. 0:27:46.050 --> 0:27:46.770 Random. 0:27:46.770 --> 0:27:50.370 Random. Yeah. That's it, that's it. It's the same word. 0:27:50.369 --> 0:27:52.830 It's exactly the same word. It seems to me, if 0:27:52.830 --> 0:27:56.340 I remember right, the Hebrew transliteration. No. I'm sorry. The 0:27:56.340 --> 0:27:59.730 Jewish transliteration very commonly, like if you see a synagogue 0:27:59.730 --> 0:28:03.990 named Temple Emmanuel, it's with an e. And if you 0:28:04.080 --> 0:28:07.380 look at a Christian translation of the Bible, it's with 0:28:07.380 --> 0:28:10.920 an I. And if you want to know why, I 0:28:10.920 --> 0:28:13.649 don't have the answer. Yeah, I don't know. 0:28:13.680 --> 0:28:16.800 I stumped him, I stumped him. I'll tell you, the. 0:28:16.800 --> 0:28:19.020 Funniest thing is when you go to Israel and you 0:28:19.020 --> 0:28:22.800 see things that are transliterated into English from Hebrew. 0:28:22.840 --> 0:28:23.650 Like road signs. 0:28:23.680 --> 0:28:26.380 Road signs. You'll go from one street to the next, 0:28:26.380 --> 0:28:30.040 and one street will transliterate it one way. And then 0:28:30.040 --> 0:28:33.669 you go a block away and it's transliterated in a 0:28:33.670 --> 0:28:37.900 different way. Wow. You know, and there's no consistency. There 0:28:37.900 --> 0:28:41.110 was an attempt in Israel a few years ago to say, 0:28:41.110 --> 0:28:43.810 you know what, we need to get one system and 0:28:43.810 --> 0:28:47.950 transliterate everything consistently. And they looked into the price of 0:28:47.950 --> 0:28:50.380 changing all their signs and they said, nah, we don't 0:28:50.380 --> 0:28:52.930 have the budget for that. And so it's figured. 0:28:52.930 --> 0:28:54.100 Out yourself, right? 0:28:55.420 --> 0:28:58.330 And you meet Jewish people today whose name is Immanuel. 0:28:58.360 --> 0:28:58.719 Yeah. 0:28:58.900 --> 0:29:00.520 That's right. And they spell it with an E. 0:29:00.730 --> 0:29:03.790 And that's a that's a really good good point. I 0:29:03.790 --> 0:29:07.270 have a good friend named Emmanuel. Uh, if you if 0:29:07.300 --> 0:29:09.580 you meet an Israeli and his name is Manny, you know, 0:29:09.580 --> 0:29:12.940 his real name is Emmanuel. So there we go. Okay, 0:29:12.970 --> 0:29:16.420 so let's look here at Isaiah seven. What happens is 0:29:16.420 --> 0:29:20.740 he's talking to Ahaz. Uh, Isaiah is told to bring 0:29:20.740 --> 0:29:23.030 his son. And I want to point out one thing 0:29:23.030 --> 0:29:28.370 that is told to him that we don't we can't miss. Uh, 0:29:28.370 --> 0:29:32.900 it says that he's supposed to bring his son, Shah Yesu. 0:29:32.930 --> 0:29:37.670 Verse three to the upper pool. Uh, if you're from Texas, 0:29:37.700 --> 0:29:39.200 you'd say shearjashub. 0:29:39.200 --> 0:29:41.450 But, uh, that's what I was going to say. 0:29:41.480 --> 0:29:45.470 Yeah, but Shah Yussuf is supposed to be brought there. 0:29:45.470 --> 0:29:50.330 And I think that this is really a vital part 0:29:50.330 --> 0:29:54.800 of this discussion. People think that that's just a little throwaway, 0:29:54.800 --> 0:30:01.100 but no, it's important. Uh, it's what, uh. Uh, the 0:30:01.100 --> 0:30:08.090 famous Russian playwright. What was his name again? Uh, Chekhov. Chekhov's. Chekhov's, uh, rule. 0:30:08.120 --> 0:30:10.520 Chekhov's law was that if you introduce a gun in 0:30:10.520 --> 0:30:12.920 the first act, you better have a murder by the 0:30:12.920 --> 0:30:18.050 second act. Uh, and the idea here is if if 0:30:18.050 --> 0:30:21.030 we bring in this child, he's got to play some 0:30:21.030 --> 0:30:25.410 sort of role. And he's brought there. And Isaiah comes 0:30:25.410 --> 0:30:28.980 along and this is what I he's told by the 0:30:28.980 --> 0:30:31.920 Lord to go to him. And it said, uh, in 0:30:31.920 --> 0:30:35.970 verse ten, the Lord spoke again to Ahaz through the 0:30:35.970 --> 0:30:39.540 prophet Isaiah, ask for a sign from the Lord. This 0:30:39.540 --> 0:30:42.390 is verse ten and 11 from the Lord your God, 0:30:42.390 --> 0:30:46.080 from the depths of Sheol to the heights of heaven. 0:30:46.110 --> 0:30:50.130 Verse 12. But Ahaz replied, I will not ask. I 0:30:50.130 --> 0:30:53.970 will not test the Lord. Okay. What kind of sign 0:30:54.000 --> 0:31:00.180 is Ahaz being offered? Because, you know, the word sign 0:31:00.180 --> 0:31:02.070 can mean a miraculous sign. Like we use the word 0:31:02.070 --> 0:31:04.080 signs and wonders. Is it? 0:31:04.110 --> 0:31:07.890 Is it something that's true? Absolutely true. You can't go 0:31:07.890 --> 0:31:10.230 any further than it's going to be true. Yeah. 0:31:10.380 --> 0:31:12.600 Is it? Here's the question. Is it miraculous that he's 0:31:12.600 --> 0:31:15.600 being told to ask for or just some ordinary thing? 0:31:15.630 --> 0:31:17.550 Oh, miraculous. Yeah. 0:31:17.580 --> 0:31:19.360 Why would you say miraculous? 0:31:20.710 --> 0:31:23.290 Because it it's compared with the depths of Sheol to 0:31:23.320 --> 0:31:24.220 the heights. Yeah. 0:31:24.250 --> 0:31:27.730 It's like ask for anything in the whole universe. 0:31:27.760 --> 0:31:28.360 Yes. 0:31:28.360 --> 0:31:31.330 Think about that. It's not, you know, just ask about. 0:31:31.330 --> 0:31:34.270 And this becomes really important because later on, as the 0:31:34.270 --> 0:31:37.810 passage develops, the sign that's given is about a young 0:31:37.810 --> 0:31:43.420 woman having a baby. Right. Mhm. How unusual is that. 0:31:43.420 --> 0:31:44.530 That's not unusual. 0:31:45.070 --> 0:31:47.410 There we go. It's got to be a big deal. 0:31:47.410 --> 0:31:49.990 It's got to be a big deal. So. But now 0:31:50.020 --> 0:31:52.570 how do you feel about Ahaz rejecting it. 0:31:53.410 --> 0:31:55.840 He rejects. I wondered about that. I wonder, you know, 0:31:55.870 --> 0:31:59.110 is it because it almost sounds like he's very humble, 0:31:59.230 --> 0:32:01.150 you know, it's like he's. Oh, I'm not going to 0:32:01.180 --> 0:32:02.860 ask that. I'm going to, you know, I'm just going 0:32:02.890 --> 0:32:05.469 to trust God. But I don't think that's it. I 0:32:05.470 --> 0:32:08.020 think he was probably a little prideful. Yeah. 0:32:08.020 --> 0:32:08.920 What do you think, Eva? 0:32:08.950 --> 0:32:10.420 I think he was a big hypocrite. He was one 0:32:10.420 --> 0:32:13.600 of the bad kings of Judah. I think he was 0:32:13.600 --> 0:32:16.480 being a little sanctimonious there. Yeah. I would not do that. 0:32:16.510 --> 0:32:16.840 He's the. 0:32:16.840 --> 0:32:19.280 Guy that offered children to the Lord baby's. 0:32:19.730 --> 0:32:21.290 Sacrifices during his reign. 0:32:21.290 --> 0:32:24.860 He was a terribly wicked king, and all of a 0:32:24.860 --> 0:32:28.250 sudden he gets a dose of spirituality. Here, this makes 0:32:28.250 --> 0:32:31.430 no sense. He's just looking for an excuse not to 0:32:31.460 --> 0:32:34.370 ask for a sign, because he just wants to go 0:32:34.400 --> 0:32:36.770 ahead with his plan. I'm trusting Assyria to get me 0:32:36.800 --> 0:32:42.200 through this, this attack. And so he rejects it. I 0:32:42.200 --> 0:32:44.209 will not ask. I will not test the Lord. By 0:32:44.210 --> 0:32:46.100 the way, when is it? You know, it says in Deuteronomy, 0:32:46.130 --> 0:32:49.250 don't test the Lord your God. Right, right. It says 0:32:49.250 --> 0:32:52.400 that the Lord Jesus quoted that when he was being tempted. 0:32:52.400 --> 0:32:54.980 What is it okay to test God. 0:32:55.880 --> 0:32:57.560 When it's God telling you. 0:32:57.590 --> 0:32:59.000 To ask for a sign? 0:33:00.110 --> 0:33:06.470 Exactly. In Malachi it says, test me. You know about giving, right? Yeah. Uh, here, 0:33:06.500 --> 0:33:10.640 God says to Ahaz, test me. Uh, when God invites 0:33:10.640 --> 0:33:12.110 us to put him to the test, do you know 0:33:12.110 --> 0:33:13.040 what we should do? 0:33:13.130 --> 0:33:14.210 But under the test. 0:33:14.240 --> 0:33:18.290 Yeah, exactly. I think that's one of the funnier things. 0:33:18.290 --> 0:33:23.510 I will not test the Lord. That false sanctimony right there. Uh, anyway, uh, 0:33:23.510 --> 0:33:26.660 then what we come up to is a shift in 0:33:26.660 --> 0:33:30.200 verse 13, and it's not not a shift that each 0:33:30.200 --> 0:33:34.220 of us could see in English. You have to be 0:33:34.220 --> 0:33:37.640 able to read Hebrew. And I'm going to clue you 0:33:37.640 --> 0:33:40.820 in on this. You know, you live south of the 0:33:40.820 --> 0:33:45.410 border even though you're in the west. Chris. Yeah. Uh, 0:33:45.710 --> 0:33:47.750 what do you say in the South, if you're talking 0:33:47.780 --> 0:33:52.040 to using the second person and you you're talking to 0:33:52.070 --> 0:33:53.540 a group of people. 0:33:53.720 --> 0:33:54.500 Y'all. 0:33:54.530 --> 0:33:57.500 Y'all. That's right. And what do you say in New York? 0:33:57.740 --> 0:33:58.700 You guys. 0:33:58.730 --> 0:33:59.030 Use. 0:33:59.030 --> 0:33:59.690 Guys? 0:33:59.900 --> 0:34:00.350 Yeah. 0:34:00.380 --> 0:34:02.390 Use, use. Yeah. 0:34:02.900 --> 0:34:08.390 Uh, use guys use. And then, uh, if you're really 0:34:08.390 --> 0:34:11.450 insistent in the South, do you know what you say? 0:34:11.480 --> 0:34:12.259 All y'all. 0:34:12.290 --> 0:34:17.130 All y'all. That's right. Well, this is what happens in verse, 0:34:17.370 --> 0:34:22.410 uh 13 verse. Up through verse 12 Isaiah is using 0:34:22.410 --> 0:34:29.040 the second person singular. He's just talking to Ahaz. Then 0:34:29.070 --> 0:34:32.819 in verse 13 it shifts. Listen, House of David. He's 0:34:32.820 --> 0:34:34.680 now going to talk to the whole house of David, 0:34:34.680 --> 0:34:36.989 because the whole house of David is under a threat. 0:34:37.020 --> 0:34:39.600 It's not enough for you to try the patience of men. 0:34:39.630 --> 0:34:42.360 Will you also try the patience of my God? Therefore 0:34:42.360 --> 0:34:44.969 the Lord himself will give all y'all. 0:34:45.570 --> 0:34:46.530 This a plural there in. 0:34:46.530 --> 0:34:50.759 Verse 14. Plural? Use guys a sign. This is not 0:34:50.760 --> 0:34:54.420 just a sign for Ahaz. This is a miraculous sign 0:34:54.420 --> 0:34:57.300 for the whole house of David. This is a miraculous 0:34:57.300 --> 0:35:01.739 sign for everyone. And what is that sign? The virgin 0:35:01.739 --> 0:35:07.500 will conceive, have a son, and name him Emmanuel. So 0:35:07.500 --> 0:35:10.800 now what I think is interesting is there's the first dispute, 0:35:10.800 --> 0:35:13.870 I don't know. Have you heard about this one? is. 0:35:13.900 --> 0:35:17.620 Does the word actually mean virgin? 0:35:17.650 --> 0:35:18.759 Yes, I've heard that. 0:35:18.790 --> 0:35:20.800 Yeah, that's a big deal. There was a big deal 0:35:20.800 --> 0:35:25.270 when the Revised Standard Version years ago translated at Young Woman. Actually, 0:35:25.270 --> 0:35:27.190 one of the things that I've done is I've looked 0:35:27.190 --> 0:35:33.100 through every usage of the word alma in the whole 0:35:33.100 --> 0:35:37.030 Old Testament, and in every one it refers to a 0:35:37.030 --> 0:35:41.980 virgin or you can't tell. It's just it's being used 0:35:41.980 --> 0:35:44.050 of a young woman. It doesn't say whether she's pure 0:35:44.080 --> 0:35:46.960 or not, but like it's used of of Rebekah in 0:35:46.960 --> 0:35:51.100 Genesis 24 and specifies that she's also a virgin and 0:35:51.100 --> 0:35:55.180 has not known a man. It's used repeatedly like that. 0:35:55.390 --> 0:35:58.960 So it's distinctively a word of a young maiden who 0:35:58.960 --> 0:36:03.730 is a virgin. That's why there's only one verse. And 0:36:03.730 --> 0:36:07.930 maybe we should look at it, uh, Proverbs 30, that 0:36:07.930 --> 0:36:10.810 that has the usage that people say, oh, this doesn't 0:36:10.810 --> 0:36:16.069 mean Virgin. Uh, let's look at Proverbs 30. Everybody, and 0:36:16.070 --> 0:36:18.589 I'll see what you guys think this verse means. 0:36:18.830 --> 0:36:19.880 Use guys. 0:36:19.910 --> 0:36:25.969 Use guys. All. Exactly. Uh, it says three things. Verse 18. 0:36:26.390 --> 0:36:29.480 Proverbs 30, verse 18. Three things are beyond me. For 0:36:29.480 --> 0:36:32.660 I can't understand the way of an eagle in the sky. 0:36:32.690 --> 0:36:34.640 The way of a snake on a rock. The way 0:36:34.640 --> 0:36:36.860 of a ship at sea. The way of a man 0:36:36.860 --> 0:36:40.970 with a young woman. Or with an alma. That's the 0:36:40.969 --> 0:36:44.480 word right there, young woman. This is the way of 0:36:44.480 --> 0:36:46.790 an adulteress. She eats and wipes her mouth and says, 0:36:46.790 --> 0:36:50.480 I've done nothing wrong. He says there's four things he 0:36:50.480 --> 0:36:53.510 doesn't understand. How does an eagle fly in the sky? 0:36:54.230 --> 0:36:57.830 How does a snake slither on a rock without legs? 0:36:58.310 --> 0:37:01.759 How does a ship navigate at sea without anything but 0:37:01.760 --> 0:37:04.880 the stars? And how? What is the way of a 0:37:04.880 --> 0:37:09.530 man with an alma? What does that mean? What do 0:37:09.530 --> 0:37:16.170 you think? That's, uh, that's kind of an unusual idea. 0:37:16.200 --> 0:37:19.140 Well, that by itself seems to make sense. Yeah, it's 0:37:19.140 --> 0:37:22.650 when you add verse 20 that talks about it being 0:37:22.650 --> 0:37:25.830 the way of an adulteress that kind of throws off. 0:37:25.860 --> 0:37:28.740 It's like, oh, okay, I could see a man with a, 0:37:28.770 --> 0:37:33.150 with a maiden like, yeah, that there's a special connection. 0:37:33.150 --> 0:37:35.130 But then you throw in verse 20 with the way 0:37:35.130 --> 0:37:37.350 of an adulteress. It's like, well, wait a minute, is 0:37:37.350 --> 0:37:38.340 that is. 0:37:38.520 --> 0:37:42.330 It's a contrast is what that is. Okay. Uh, you know, 0:37:42.360 --> 0:37:46.080 do you remember, uh, when when we were kids? I 0:37:46.080 --> 0:37:48.330 know this was true of guys. I have two women here, 0:37:48.360 --> 0:37:51.330 but Chris will remember this when we were nine years 0:37:51.330 --> 0:37:53.790 old and we thought girls were gunky. Yeah. 0:37:54.180 --> 0:37:54.990 And boys had. 0:37:54.989 --> 0:37:59.670 Cooties. Yeah. Boys had cooties. And then something happens called adolescence. 0:37:59.670 --> 0:38:03.840 And all of a sudden, it's not like that. That's 0:38:03.840 --> 0:38:06.270 the way of a man with a maiden. The attraction 0:38:06.270 --> 0:38:09.970 that happens that's unexplained. It's. It's sort of miraculous. is 0:38:09.969 --> 0:38:12.550 what the Proverbs writer is saying, but do what is 0:38:12.550 --> 0:38:19.180 beyond his comprehension. A woman who is impure, an adulterous 0:38:19.180 --> 0:38:23.950 who practices this behavior and says, I've done nothing wrong, 0:38:23.950 --> 0:38:27.880 that there's no stain that comes with it. So, so, 0:38:28.360 --> 0:38:31.150 so that to me shows that the word is really 0:38:31.150 --> 0:38:33.550 referring to an almah. 0:38:33.580 --> 0:38:34.690 To a maid. 0:38:34.719 --> 0:38:38.080 A maiden, a pure maiden, a virgin, because it's a contrast. 0:38:38.080 --> 0:38:41.590 So every usage is of a virgin. And so I 0:38:41.590 --> 0:38:43.600 think that's the best way to translate it. A young 0:38:43.600 --> 0:38:46.690 maiden who is pure. And we'll talk more about that 0:38:46.690 --> 0:38:49.029 when we come back, when we talk about the one 0:38:49.030 --> 0:38:52.060 she gives birth to. This is a special edition of 0:38:52.060 --> 0:39:00.100 Open Line. Stick with us. We'll be right back. People 0:39:00.100 --> 0:39:03.460 frequently think of Christmas as a Christian holiday and Hanukkah 0:39:03.489 --> 0:39:06.910 as a Jewish celebration. But if we really understood Christmas, 0:39:06.940 --> 0:39:09.860 we see that it's deeply connected to the Jewish people. 0:39:09.890 --> 0:39:13.189 I mean, we even sing born as the King of Israel, 0:39:13.310 --> 0:39:16.400 now Chosen People Ministries, one of open lines underwriters and 0:39:16.400 --> 0:39:19.069 a ministry that brings the good news to Jewish people 0:39:19.070 --> 0:39:22.580 around the world, is offering Christmas through Jewish eyes. This 0:39:22.580 --> 0:39:26.390 free booklet will show just how Jewish Christmas really is. 0:39:26.390 --> 0:39:29.120 For your free copy of Christmas Through Jewish Eyes, just 0:39:29.120 --> 0:39:33.320 go to the Open Line website. Open Line radio.org. Scroll down. 0:39:33.320 --> 0:39:35.600 You'll see a link that says A free gift from 0:39:35.600 --> 0:39:38.299 Chosen People Ministries. Click on that and you'll be taken 0:39:38.300 --> 0:39:39.799 to a page where you can sign up for your 0:39:39.830 --> 0:39:42.890 own copy of Christmas Through Jewish Eyes. 0:39:43.700 --> 0:39:49.129 Baby king, baby king, you've got to get ready for 0:39:49.160 --> 0:39:54.140 a baby king. You might dance, daddy. You might sing. 0:39:54.140 --> 0:39:59.750 But you never seen nothing like a baby king. Whoo hoo! 0:39:59.780 --> 0:40:03.200 What a great song. A reminder here in Isaiah seven, 0:40:03.200 --> 0:40:05.870 as we've been studying, that even though the Davidic Covenant 0:40:05.870 --> 0:40:10.830 was Endangered by this threat are the baby king is 0:40:10.830 --> 0:40:14.009 still going to come, and we'll recognize him when a 0:40:14.010 --> 0:40:18.300 virgin gives birth and has a son. In fact, you know, 0:40:18.300 --> 0:40:21.480 one of the more interesting things about the Hebrew is 0:40:21.480 --> 0:40:25.980 that it doesn't say a virgin will conceive. It actually 0:40:25.980 --> 0:40:31.320 says a pregnant virgin will bear a son. A pregnant virgin. 0:40:31.320 --> 0:40:33.540 You talk about a sign as big as the sky. 0:40:33.570 --> 0:40:36.180 You know, as high as heaven, deep as Sheol. Yes, 0:40:36.210 --> 0:40:39.419 that's a sign, don't you think? And in fact, where 0:40:39.420 --> 0:40:42.270 we get the idea of the virgin will conceive, making 0:40:42.270 --> 0:40:44.939 it a future like that is from the Septuagint. Because 0:40:44.940 --> 0:40:48.330 when the Septuagint. The Septuagint is the Greek translation second 0:40:48.330 --> 0:40:51.810 century BC, they translate the Hebrew, and they recognize that 0:40:51.810 --> 0:40:55.950 this was clearly a virginal young woman. And they thought, well, 0:40:55.950 --> 0:41:00.990 it's not possible for a pregnant young woman, a pregnant virgin. 0:41:01.140 --> 0:41:04.020 That's not possible. And so what did they say? 0:41:04.410 --> 0:41:05.730 They will conceive. 0:41:05.770 --> 0:41:08.140 They've made it a future, because it is possible for 0:41:08.170 --> 0:41:11.200 a virgin to have relations and then conceive. And so 0:41:11.200 --> 0:41:13.960 they made it the future. And every English translation that 0:41:13.960 --> 0:41:18.190 has the virgin will conceive. They're following the Septuagint. They're 0:41:18.190 --> 0:41:21.399 not following the Hebrew. The Hebrew is pregnant. Virgin. 0:41:21.400 --> 0:41:25.239 Is that Matthew one? Uh, now all this took place 0:41:25.239 --> 0:41:27.070 to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the 0:41:27.070 --> 0:41:31.000 prophet Isaiah. See, the Virgin will become pregnant. This is 0:41:31.000 --> 0:41:33.670 how and will give birth to a son. And they 0:41:33.670 --> 0:41:37.540 will name him Emmanuel, which is translated God with us. Yeah. 0:41:37.540 --> 0:41:41.080 That's it. That's exactly what it's about, that this is 0:41:41.080 --> 0:41:44.140 what the prophecy is about. It was directed, remember, the 0:41:44.140 --> 0:41:47.859 second person plural. All y'all. God directs this message that 0:41:47.860 --> 0:41:50.440 the Virgin is going to have a baby, and you're 0:41:50.440 --> 0:41:52.900 in an impossible situation with the House of David being 0:41:52.900 --> 0:41:57.460 under threat. But don't worry. Why? Because the the Son 0:41:57.460 --> 0:41:59.830 of David will come and you'll know it when the 0:41:59.830 --> 0:42:04.360 Virgin gives birth. And that's a far, far prophecy from Isaiah. 0:42:04.370 --> 0:42:09.739 And then what happens in verse 16? There's a shift 0:42:09.739 --> 0:42:13.490 and it goes back to this singular second person, you 0:42:14.180 --> 0:42:18.110 for the before the boy. Which boy? I like to 0:42:18.140 --> 0:42:23.300 call him old schlep along. Remember? Shaar Yashuv. 0:42:23.840 --> 0:42:24.740 Shearjashub. Yeah. 0:42:24.770 --> 0:42:28.280 Yeah. Shearjashub before this boy is really how the Hebrew 0:42:28.310 --> 0:42:31.160 should be read before this boy that I've schlepped along 0:42:31.160 --> 0:42:33.680 here and brought with me knows how to reject what 0:42:33.680 --> 0:42:36.230 is bad and choose what is good. The land of 0:42:36.230 --> 0:42:40.609 the two kings you dread will be abandoned. Don't worry. 0:42:40.640 --> 0:42:43.399 First of all, the Son of David prophecy will be fulfilled. 0:42:43.400 --> 0:42:46.819 The Virgin will bear a son. Uh, and that's verses 0:42:46.820 --> 0:42:50.690 13 through 15. Then verse 16. But about the current 0:42:50.690 --> 0:42:54.500 problem that you're facing. Don't worry about that either, because 0:42:54.500 --> 0:42:57.770 before old schlep along, this is the remember, uh, talked 0:42:57.770 --> 0:43:01.189 about Chekhov's law. This is the gun going off. This 0:43:01.190 --> 0:43:04.879 is the boy that was schlepped along. And before this boy, 0:43:04.910 --> 0:43:08.480 now we're talking to you individually as these two kings 0:43:08.480 --> 0:43:12.259 you dread. They're going to be removed. They're going to. 0:43:12.290 --> 0:43:14.660 They're going to fail. And you'll still be safe and 0:43:14.660 --> 0:43:17.330 secure on the throne. And so you really have, in 0:43:17.330 --> 0:43:20.390 verse 13 through 15, a long term prophecy. And then 0:43:20.390 --> 0:43:24.830 verse 16, a short term prophecy dealing with the problem 0:43:24.830 --> 0:43:26.060 that A has had. 0:43:26.090 --> 0:43:26.989 What does verse. 0:43:26.989 --> 0:43:29.750 15, by the time he learns to reject what is 0:43:29.750 --> 0:43:31.640 bad and choose what is good, he will be eating 0:43:31.640 --> 0:43:34.130 butter and honey. That's referring to Emmanuel. 0:43:34.160 --> 0:43:37.460 Yeah, that's referring to Emmanuel. Uh, it's saying, but that's 0:43:37.580 --> 0:43:40.129 by the time he comes of age because he's an infant. 0:43:40.160 --> 0:43:42.980 Just in a few years when he knows to reject 0:43:43.010 --> 0:43:47.419 the evil and choose the good, uh, he'll be eating 0:43:47.420 --> 0:43:50.840 butter and honey. That's one version. What does yours say, Eva? Curds. 0:43:50.870 --> 0:43:52.820 Curds? Yea, curds like cottage cheese. 0:43:52.820 --> 0:43:56.660 If you keep reading in Isaiah seven, the food of 0:43:56.660 --> 0:44:04.410 oppression occurs in honey. Why? Because you can't have agricultural development. 0:44:04.440 --> 0:44:08.820 When you're under oppression. And so Assyria is going to 0:44:08.820 --> 0:44:11.219 come and shave the land and all that, and the 0:44:11.219 --> 0:44:13.680 only food you will have are the wild. You'll have 0:44:13.680 --> 0:44:17.549 the wild, honey, because that will still be there, and 0:44:17.550 --> 0:44:20.460 the cows will be able to, and the goats will 0:44:20.460 --> 0:44:23.100 be able to graze, and you'll be able to get 0:44:23.100 --> 0:44:27.930 dairy and make curds. Or, uh, what is this version? 0:44:27.960 --> 0:44:31.740 Say butter and you can eat that. And so because 0:44:31.739 --> 0:44:33.690 we know butter and honey or curds and honey is 0:44:33.690 --> 0:44:36.480 the food of oppression, it is saying that this child 0:44:36.480 --> 0:44:40.020 will be born, but he'll be born of a virgin 0:44:40.020 --> 0:44:44.819 in a time of political oppression. And when was Jesus born. 0:44:45.239 --> 0:44:47.069 In a time of political oppression? 0:44:47.100 --> 0:44:49.020 Exactly, exactly. 0:44:49.170 --> 0:44:52.469 Romans. You know what? This speaks to me, Michael. More 0:44:52.469 --> 0:44:56.700 than anything, is the sovereignty of God. Because Isaiah is 0:44:56.700 --> 0:44:59.070 told to say to Ahaz, and this is my life 0:44:59.070 --> 0:45:00.910 verse I told you in the break, calm down and 0:45:00.910 --> 0:45:04.090 be quiet. Yeah. Don't be afraid or cowardly. You know 0:45:04.120 --> 0:45:07.690 when you think it's impossible, there's something bigger. There's something 0:45:07.690 --> 0:45:10.750 bigger going on here, and it's going to be going on. 0:45:10.750 --> 0:45:13.240 And you can trust the God of the universe who 0:45:13.239 --> 0:45:16.270 has this all in control. It doesn't mean that I 0:45:16.270 --> 0:45:19.509 can't feel what I feel, because certainly Ahaz was in that, 0:45:19.540 --> 0:45:22.300 you know, catch 22 that you described a little earlier. 0:45:22.630 --> 0:45:25.330 So it's like, okay, the psalmist did that. We can 0:45:25.330 --> 0:45:28.600 feel that. But where is our trust and hope? Is 0:45:28.600 --> 0:45:32.680 it in us figuring it out or in us placing 0:45:32.680 --> 0:45:36.339 our full faith and trust in what God has done, 0:45:36.370 --> 0:45:37.840 is doing and will do? 0:45:37.870 --> 0:45:41.800 Exactly. And what's the hope in? It's in Immanuel, the 0:45:41.800 --> 0:45:45.219 child that's born who is God with us. So we're 0:45:45.219 --> 0:45:48.460 in an impossible situation. Remember what Jesus said? What did 0:45:48.460 --> 0:45:52.270 he say about impossible situations? Nothing is impossible. 0:45:52.300 --> 0:45:54.129 Nothing is impossible with God. 0:45:54.130 --> 0:45:57.190 And if God is with us, who can be against us? 0:45:57.190 --> 0:46:00.350 And so I don't know what circumstance people may be facing. 0:46:00.350 --> 0:46:06.500 But just remember this the all powerful, all knowing, always 0:46:06.500 --> 0:46:10.940 faithful God is with us and that should give us hope, 0:46:10.940 --> 0:46:13.190 just as it did was supposed to do for Ahaz, 0:46:13.190 --> 0:46:16.430 just as it did for the the house of David. 0:46:16.430 --> 0:46:18.230 And just as it should do for all Israel in 0:46:18.230 --> 0:46:22.010 the world. Isn't that true? That he's the one that 0:46:22.010 --> 0:46:25.130 gives us hope? Well, that's the first hour of Open 0:46:25.130 --> 0:46:28.130 Line of our special Christmas Bible study on Isaiah seven. 0:46:28.130 --> 0:46:31.910 We're going to keep talking about Isaiah's prophecies of the Messiah, 0:46:31.940 --> 0:46:34.339 chapter nine and chapter 11. As you if you stick 0:46:34.340 --> 0:46:37.549 with us for the second hour of open line, this 0:46:37.550 --> 0:46:41.149 important Bible study across America will continue in the second hour. 0:46:41.180 --> 0:46:44.300 Stay with us. Open line with Doctor Michael Ray Dolnick 0:46:44.330 --> 0:46:48.560 is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody 0:46:48.560 --> 0:46:50.930 Bible Institute. See you next hour.