Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are going to read a section of Isaiah 7 this morning. Of course, Isaiah 7 is well known for its 14th verse, which reads: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” But there is much more to this prophecy in Isaiah. In fact, we can say that this prophecy goes all the way to chapter 9. And since the other sections of Isaiah are rarely mentioned during this time of the year, I want draw your attention to a brief section of Isaiah 8. The prophet says: “Don’t call a conspiracy all that this people call a conspiracy; and don’t fear what they fear.” In other words, if you are going to fear someone, fear Yahweh. The King James translates this word “conspiracy” as a “confederacy;” that is, an “alliance.” The prophet is saying that when you consider the nations and their plans don’t follow their alliances and their conspiracies, follow Yahweh’s conspiracy; the alliance he is building through the One who is to come.
In our own day, we are exposed to all sorts of conspiracy theories. But always remember whose conspiracy you are embracing; whose plans you are endorsing; whose Messiah you are following. Make no mistake: there is a conspiracy, but it is a divine conspiracy. Yahweh is building His kingdom through humble worshipers who by their faithfulness day by day are bringing Messiah’s claims to every area of life. The alliance, the conspiratorial gathering begins this morning. Today, Yahweh calls us to meet with Him and He is going to tell us what His plans are, and then He is going to cleanse us, commune with us, and lastly, He will commission us to do what we were created to do: to fear God and walk in His holy ways all our days.
