The Preacher's Lectionary Notebook - Signs as Reminders
The Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year A)
Our Old Testament lesson sits inside one of the most dramatic moments in the early chapters of Isaiah, and the whole scene makes more sense when viewed through the book’s larger storyline. Isaiah 1–12 circles around themes of judgment, hope, kingship, and the future of God’s people, all set against the political chaos of the eighth century B.C. These chapters introduce Isaiah’s ongoing message—Judah is in trouble, not simply because of foreign enemies, but because of its own unfaithfulness. Yet even in judgment, God keeps planting signs of hope—small, sometimes quiet promises that point toward something larger than the moment. We think of signs as pointing to the future, but most often they are reminders what has always been, but often forgotten.
By the time the reader gets to Isaiah 7, the crisis has a name. King Ahaz is terrified because the northern kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Aram (Syria) have formed an alliance and are pressuring Judah to join them against Assyria. Ahaz knows he can’t defeat the coalition on his own, and instead of trusting the Lord or Isaiah’s words, he’s already leaning toward a political deal with Assyria. The heart of the king—and the heart of the nation—trembles with fear. Into that anxiety, Isaiah steps forward with a message from God: “Be calm. Do not fear. These two kings are nothing more than smoking stubs of firewood.” The danger looks huge, but from God’s perspective it’s already burning out.
Isaiah 7:10–16 is the turning point in the conversation. God invites Ahaz to ask for a sign as deep as the grave or as high as the heavens. It’s a gracious offer—an invitation to trust. But Ahaz refuses, couching his distrust in pious language: “I will not test the Lord.” It sounds humble, but it’s really avoidance. God responds anyway. If the king won’t ask for a sign, God will give one. A young woman will conceive and bear a son, and his name will be Immanuel—“God with us.” Before that child is old enough to know the difference between good and evil, the threat Ahaz fears will be gone.
In the flow of Isaiah’s message, this sign isn’t just about one baby or one moment. It ties into Isaiah’s recurring theme that God is still present with his people even when their leaders fail them. Isaiah 1–12 uses several child-signs—Shear-Jashub, Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, and the promised royal child in chapter 9—to show that God’s purposes are unfolding in the middle of crisis. Immanuel is one more sign that God has not abandoned Judah, even though Judah keeps stumbling.
What these verses add to the book’s larger story is the tension between fear and faith. Ahaz represents the way Judah keeps turning to political solutions rather than trusting the God who has already promised protection. Isaiah, on the other hand, keeps pointing to God’s providence, warning that misplaced trust leads to ruin while faith opens the path to restoration. The sign of Immanuel becomes both a reassurance and a quiet challenge—God is with God’s people, but will they recognize it? Will they trust it? In the broader sweep of Isaiah, the answer keeps unfolding as later chapters describe judgment, renewal, and the emergence of a faithful king who will finally embody the presence and rule of God.
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION
What does the contrast between Ahaz’s fear and Isaiah’s call to trust reveal about the ways people today respond to crisis, uncertainty, or pressure?
How does the sign of “Immanuel—God with us” challenge assumptions about where security and stability actually come from, both for individuals and for communities?
In what ways do the “small signs” in one’s own life—quiet moments of reassurance, unlikely provisions, or unexpected clarity—function like the child-signs in Isaiah, pointing toward a larger work of God?