Isaiah 7:10-17: A Most Dangerous Game

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”

But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”

Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria. - Isaiah 7:10-17

Why did Ahaz say that he didn't want a sign? If God spoke to me and told me that the thing I feared the most would not happen and then further told me that I could ask for anything-anything-to prove that this unlikely dreadful event would not happen, why would I turn it down?

Could it be that Ahaz had no confidence in God?  Why put yourself in a circumstance where the credit for any success would go to a God he didn't believe in.  We know that he shut down the temple of Yahweh and set up altars to the gods of Aram (2 Chronicles 28). Maybe he felt Yahweh was not a good bet and that Israel had historically allied with the weakling among middle eastern deities.  

Could it be that Ahaz didn't feel God was trustworthy? That in accepting this "sign" that God was really playing a trick on him. That God was really just waiting for a chance to pounce on Ahaz when he let his guard down.

Could it be that Ahaz didn't like God? That God was too grumpy or demanding or picky and that he had to respect God but never really liked him or loved him.

Or perhaps God asking Ahaz for a sign was a test. God spoke and said that that the feared attack would not happen. He's testing whether Ahaz's reasons for disbelief were genuine or just a smoke screen. When God answers us like this, he is giving us a chance to believe-to replace our misguided independence with a God-oriented dependence. When Ahaz refused to ask for a sign, God still gave him one-a virgin would have a child-something so off-the-charts crazy that Ahaz would know it could know it only could have come from God and also know that his own stubborn heart was refusing to acknowledge God. 

When I know the truth and I still act out the lie is the most damning sign of my sinfulness. If I do, God will still show himself powerful but the results are not pretty, unless God is merciful. Assyria was coming on the heals of Ahaz's deliverance. But (as signified by the name of Isaiah's son), Judah would survive. I don't want to play the same dangerous game as Ahaz.

Matthew 10:1-10: Signs of Heaven Are Around If You're Willing to Look

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

“Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts—no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. - Matthew 10:1-10

Jesus gave his disciples a clear message: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' He also gave a series of ways to show those who listened to his disciples that it was really true: 'Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.' He also gave his disciples a clear attitude: 'Freely you have received; freely give.' 

I'm not sure if driving out demons is the way that people today would recognize that the kingdom had come near. God chooses his own signs, but God's signs always involve God doing what only God can do.  But signs are only visible to those who are looking. If I am not looking, then no sign will convince me of the presence of God. The road sign, 'Rest Area' is meant to give me advanced notice that there is a good place to stop and go to the restroom and stretch my legs. But if I am not looking for the sign of a 'Rest Area' I will never exit the highway soon enough. And why should I be looking if I am not feeling tired? Why should I be looking if I don't know the possibility of 'rest'? That is what the disciples proclaimed: heaven is around you if you are willing and interested to look.