thus saith the Lord Jehovah It shall not stand, nor come to pass;
Syria and Israel had joined forces against Jerusalem. King Ahaz and his people were shaking with fear. Into that panic Isaiah carries a single sentence from God about the enemy plan: it will not stand.
The Plot Behind the Invasion
The "it" God rejects is not just an invasion. It is a plan: remove Ahaz and put the invaders' own man on the throne. One writer traces the plan back further than the two kings themselves:
The aim of "the two smoldering stumps of firebrands" was to dethrone king Ahaz and put "the son of Tabeal" in his place. He was probably a Syrian; it is not a Hebrew name. This was surely Satan's plot, if not man's, to destroy the line of David. For this reason God did not hand Jerusalem over to them.
A Blow Aimed at Messiah
God had sworn an oath about David's line. So an attack on that throne touched His own honour:
How could He look on in peace at a compact between apostate Israel and heathen Syria? Their plan, if it succeeded, would not only trouble Judah. It would set aside David's line. It was a blow at the Messiah, little as they may have thought of this; and the oath and honour of God were therefore at stake.
Why God Answered a Faithless King
Ahaz had no claim on this help. He was faithless. The reason for the rescue lay outside the king altogether:
But God takes care of His own purposes; no power on earth or in hell can frustrate them. He intends David's son and heir to rule the whole world in the coming day. So He would preserve the line to the end. "If we are faithless, He remains faithful — for He cannot deny Himself" (2 Tim. 2:13). So the prophet was sent to Ahaz to assure him about the evil plan of his enemies: "It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass."
God's Will, Not Their Plan
God told Ahaz what his enemies were plotting in private. He knows their plan better than the plotters do:
God knew all the details, as He shows Ahaz. Whatever Syria, Damascus, or Rezin might plan, it was not what God willed. On this everything turns. What the Christian needs is to know the relationship he has with God: then there is nothing to fear. The people should not dread the strength of the enemy, but their own sin, which weakens them.
Firebrands That Only Smoke
What looked overwhelming from inside Jerusalem looked very different from God's side. God measured the two kings differently:
The king may have seen his enemies as fierce, burning firebrands. But the LORD told him through Isaiah that they were only smoldering firebrands. There was no reason to fear or to be fainthearted. The LORD said about all the "evil counsels" of Ahaz' enemies: "It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass" (v. 7).
The Word That Waited for Faith
A word this sure asks to be believed. God was listening for an answer that never came:
Terrible as the failure had been, the LORD was ready to meet the heart that would respond to His faithfulness and trust in Him… He looked for some response from the heart before Him — some feeble "Amen" to His faithful word, a little link of faith. That would allow Him, so to speak, to bring about all He had promised. But no response came.
Summary
- Plot — The invasion aimed to unseat David's line and install "the son of Tabeal". Behind the two kings, writers see Satan's hand.
- Purpose — Messiah would come from that line. So God's own oath and honour stood in the way, and the plan had no future.
- Promise — The guarantee rested on God's faithfulness, not on Ahaz. God cannot deny Himself.
- Proportion — God called the enemies who terrified Judah smoldering firebrands. The real danger was Judah's own sin, not their strength.
- Response — A word this sure asks for faith; God waited for even a feeble "Amen" from Ahaz, and heard none.