Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
—Psalm 25:6
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also?
—Isaiah 7:10-13
And the angel said to [the shepherds], “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
—Luke 2:10-12
I'm not a mind-reader, and it is not my place to judge.
There could be different reasons for the response of Ahaz when Isaiah delivered the Lord's offer of a sign of rescue. Taken at face value, it sounds sincere. After all, Moses had commanded the Israelites not to put God to the test. But the Lord sees (and hears) more than humans. He not only hears the words, He also hears what is in the heart that speaks them. And the next statement makes it clear that Ahaz's refusal is trying the Lord's patience.
The sign was given, regardless of whether Ahaz chose to receive it.
Luke records another audience given a sign—shepherds out in the fields at night. And an angel came to them announcing good news. And the next statement seems very strange, given what comes next. Let's think about that for just a minute. The angel appeared to them. They were surrounded by the shining glory of the Lord. The first angel spoke and then a “multitude” of other angels appeared, praising God before going into heaven.
Those sights and sounds would have surely gotten our full attention! Those surely were events totally outside the prior experience of the shepherds. But none of that was the sign. The sign was a baby in a manger.
Unlike Ahaz, they went searching for the promised sign.
Sign of Love
Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
—Psalm 25:6
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also?
—Isaiah 7:10-13
And the angel said to [the shepherds], “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
—Luke 2:10-12
I'm not a mind-reader, and it is not my place to judge.
There could be different reasons for the response of Ahaz when Isaiah delivered the Lord's offer of a sign of rescue. Taken at face value, it sounds sincere. After all, Moses had commanded the Israelites not to put God to the test. But the Lord sees (and hears) more than humans. He not only hears the words, He also hears what is in the heart that speaks them. And the next statement makes it clear that Ahaz's refusal is trying the Lord's patience.
The sign was given, regardless of whether Ahaz chose to receive it.
Luke records another audience given a sign—shepherds out in the fields at night. And an angel came to them announcing good news. And the next statement seems very strange, given what comes next. Let's think about that for just a minute. The angel appeared to them. They were surrounded by the shining glory of the Lord. The first angel spoke and then a “multitude” of other angels appeared, praising God before going into heaven.
Those sights and sounds would have surely gotten our full attention! Those surely were events totally outside the prior experience of the shepherds. But none of that was the sign. The sign was a baby in a manger.
Unlike Ahaz, they went searching for the promised sign.