Phillips Brooks was visited by a friend who found the typically calm pastor pacing the floor like a caged lion. He finally asked what was wrong. Brooks replied, “The trouble is I’m in a hurry, but God isn’t.” Have you ever been there? Are you there now? This was the situation Judah faced. Unrepentant sin had invoked divine judgment. Assyria would be the means and mechanism through which the Lord would punish his people. The northern kingdom of Israel had already fallen. The same fate would soon befall the southern kingdom of Judah. Rather than coming back to God in repentance, Judah went to Egypt, hoping a political alliance would rescue them from danger.  Isaiah 30:1-2 rebukes their foolish and futile plans: “Ah, stubborn children,”...

Assyria was quickly becoming the world’s superpower. Its conquering armies threatened all of the ancient Near East. However, Assyria’s growing power was not the result of political skill, military dominance, or economic strength. It was divine intervention. The Lord raised up Assyria to execute judgment on his unrepentant people. Resin of Syria and Pekah of Israel sought to establish a treaty with Ahaz of Judah, hoping their coalition of nations would stave off the armies of Assyria. Ahaz refused to participate. So Pekah and Resin turned against Ahaz.  This political intrigue is the occasion of our text. The armies of Assyria were on their way. Judah’s...

A Song For The Substitute (Isaiah 53:1-6)