Isaiah 7:1 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

And it came to pass, &c.— The fifth sermon, which extends from this to the 13th chapter, is of a very mixed and various argument; partly doctrinal and redargutory, partly consolatory and prophetic. It may be divided into five parts: the first contained in this seventh chapter; the second from chap. Isaiah 8:1 to chap. Isaiah 9:7 the third from chap. Isaiah 9:7 to chap. Isaiah 10:5 the fourth from chap. Isaiah 10:5 to the end of that chapter; and the fifth is contained in the 11th and 12th Chapter s. The first part of this prophesy, which sets forth the fate of the Jewish nation with respect to the Ephraimites, Syrians, and Assyrians, contains a kind of introduction to the subsequent prophesies in this discourse. The kings of Syria and Israel (Rezin and Pekah) had conspired against Ahaz, and determined to dethrone him. Ahaz, in great straits, instead of turning to the God of his fathers, thought of applying for help to the king of Assyria. In this state of things, God commands the prophet to take his son Shear-jashub with him; to go and meet Ahaz, and assure him of the vain attempt, nay, of the speedy destruction of these two kings; and at the same time, to permit him to ask any sign which he should think proper of his deliverance. This he refuses, having but little confidence in God; wherefore God himself gives to the pious and true believers a sign more certain than all others,—of the birth of the Messiah, the Immanuel, from a virgin; but to Ahaz, whose incredulity and hypocrisy were extremely displeasing to God, he denounces at the same time what he and his posterity should hereafter suffer from the king of Assyria, whose help he now regarded more than that of God. This is the argument of the first section of this discourse, whence we easily perceive its design, which is two-fold; first, to comfort the pious in Jerusalem, amid this great calamity which threatened their nation, and to testify the singular providence of God towards the house of David, which he had hitherto preserved, and would continue to preserve till the completion of his great design: and secondly, to upbraid the folly and ingratitude of Ahaz. The prophetic narration is two-fold; first, we have the occasion of its delivery, namely, the confederacy of the kings of Assyria and Israel, and the consternation of Ahaz and his people in consequence of it; Isaiah 7:1-2. Secondly, the revelation made to the prophet; Isaiah 7:3 to the end: and this revelation contains a consolatory prediction respecting the disappointment of the two kings of Israel and Syria, with a sign of that benefit given by God himself; Isaiah 7:3-16 and a convicting prediction directed to Ahaz, in which are denounced the evils which the king of Assyria should hereafter bring upon the Jewish nation, Isaiah 7:17-25.