the throne. We read in II Chronicles 28:1 : “ He did not that which was right in the sight o f the Lord.” When trouble came in the form o f a confederacy between Samaria and Syria, designed to subdue Judah, the people o f Judah and their faithless king and his corrupt wife Jezebel, were sore afraid. Nevertheless, the Lord had a faithful prophet in the mighty Isaiah, and to him God delivered a message: “ Go forth to meet Ahaz . . . and say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted . . . It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass” (that is, this plot on the part o f Judah’s enemies) (II Chron. 28:1-15; Isa. 7:1, 9 :7 ). Certainly the evil Ahaz did not deserve such good ness from God; neither did the people in Judah who had departed from the Lord and were walking in the ways of the heathen nations about them. God does not deal with people according to what they deserve; if He “ marked iniquities, who would stand” (Psa. 130 :3 )? The abundance o f His grace was revealed in a special way to the nation of Judah, through this wicked King Ahaz. It was in connection with this prophecy to the children o f Judah that the Holy Spirit uttered two of the most wonderful prophecies recorded concerning Israel’s promised Messiah and the world’s Saviour and King. To “ the house of David”— not to Ahaz alone, o f course, but to David’s “ house,” came the promise of the virgin-born Immanuel: “ Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa. 7 :14 and Matt. 1 :22, 23). To the people in Judah who would heed His warn ing and obey His command, God spoke again, in this time of crisis, during the reign o f Ahaz, saying that the Divine Child was Israel’s “ only hope.” We have quoted the verse, giving the Heavenly names o f this Child, which are followed with these significant words: “ Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne o f David, and upon his king dom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform it” (Isa. 7 :7 ). Today, after hundreds o f years, Isaiah’s message comes down from God to a world in which war is going on. Even at Christmas time, when we remember the birth into the world of the “ Prince o f Peace,” nations are fighting in many parts o f the world. All over the world there is pain; there is anguish; there is sin! Down the centuries still echoes the voice o f the prophet o f God, pointing fallen man to “ Israel’s only hope,” even the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of sinners. “U nto us a C hild is born , unto us a S on is given .” The birth of the Child Immanuel is here distin guished from the giving o f the Son of God. The Child was indeed the Son o f God, but the language used by the Holy Spirit is most significant. As a Child, in human flesh, Immanuel, that is “ God with us” was “ born” in Bethlehem’s manger. As Son o f God, He had no birth, no beginning or end; as the Son, He has ever been and ever shall be: eternal! As the Second Person o f the Holy Trinity, our Lord came to die for sinners. But God cannot die; therefore, in order to “ taste death for every man,” the eternal Son was “ made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1 :14 ). Because He was born of 23
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b y L o u is T . T a lb o t A S WE APPROACH ANOTHER CHRISTMAS, in this year of our Lord nineteen hundred and sixty-eight, it is ■ | our prayer that the world’s suffering millions may look ■ I back to Calvary’s cross to find the peace of heart which at ' only the Christ o f the cross can give. We pray that all uj of us may look forward to that coming day, o f which jB f Isaiah wrote when He predicted not only the first H coming of the Babe o f Bethlehem, but also the second ■ coming of our King and Saviour, the Lord Jesus H Christ: H “ For unto us a Child is born, unto its a Son is I given; and the government shall be upon His . shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonder- r O ful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince o f Pease” ( Isaiah 9:6). The prophet’s message foretold the promise o f hope spoken by the angel o f the Lord to the shepherds on that first Christmas night, as they watched the flocks upon the Judean hills. “ Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city o f David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10, 11). We like to call the prophet Isaiah’s message o f hope, “ Christmas Chimes.” Surely it puts a song in our hearts, even in the face o f bloodshed and strife in a world that is continuously at war. Many will spend this coming Christmas in the horrors of battle or in the cruelty o f prison camps. Millions will suffer from famine, pestilence and cold. Saddest of all, the world is filled with men and women who have never heard the name o f the world’s only true Hope— the Lord Jesus, the Prince o f Peace. It is our prayer that those who do know Him may ever more zealously make known His message o f salvation; that many may receive Him as their personal Saviour and Lord. It is our prayer for you, our readers, that you may know “ the peace that passeth understanding.” Keep “ looking unto Jesus,” remembering His sure promise, “ I will come again, and receive you unto Myself.” Not until He comes back to reign will He be worshipped as the One whose name is “Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” “ Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20). A M essage to P eople at W ar When Isaiah predicted the coming of Christ, both as Saviour and King, he addressed his message to people at war. Judah’s wicked, idolatrous King Ahaz was on DECEMBER, 1968 I
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