WORD STUDY – TEMPT THE LORD אנסה את יהוה

Isaiah 7:11-12: “Ask thee a sign of the Lord, thy God, ask it either in the depth or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask neither will I tempt the Lord.”

 

Luke 12:24: “To whom much is given, much is expected.”

 

Generally, we will not escape this coming holiday season without hearing Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you sign: Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and call his name Immanuel.” There is no question that this verse is prophetically speaking of the birth of Christ, but I rarely, if ever, hear about the context this verse was written in. We call this passage ongoing prophecy because there was also a fulfillment of this prophecy during the time it was given.

 

King Ahaz was a toss up between a Godly king and an ungodly king who was facing a real problem.  Three kings had united to come against Judah and King Ahaz turned to the arm of the flesh for defense rather than turn to God. He contacted Assyria and offered to empty the temple of God of all its silver and gold and turn it over to Assyria if they would just come to his aid.

 

So God sent Isaiah to Ahaz to tell him that the Lord had already taken care of this matter and that he did not need to turn to a pagan country for help. Not only that God would give him a sign to confirm this. Ahaz says a very curious thing and that is he does not want a sign nor would he tempt God. Come on, I am sure all of us at one time or another has called upon God for a sign and one never came.  Here is an old boy who doesn’t even ask for a sign that his enemies will be destroyed and that all his troubles will be over, but God is giving it to him on a silver platter.  Of course Ahaz was not the only beneficiary of this sign, a whole nation was to benefit as it was also a sign of a coming redeemer.

 

The word used for sign in this passage is’oth which carries the idea of consenting or agreeing to something. The word ’oth is often used for a miracle. It would take a miracle for Judah to survive an invasion from the three kings without the help of Assyria. What Isaiah was really telling King Ahaz is that despite his rejection of God, his worship of idols and his disobedience, God would still give him a miracle.

 

Now who in their right mind, facing the odds would not accept a sign and a miracle to boot.  King Ahaz is one and if you really examine your heart, you may be surprised to find that you are another. It is no coincidence that the word sign ’oth also means a miracle and an agreement. Something to keep in mind with the upcoming election.  No matter who wins and whether or not the President is a Godly or Godless president God is still not adverse to doing miracles. He is in the business of saving his people whether their leader follows Him or not.

 

Years ago there was a book written by Don Basham entitled: “Face up with a miracle.” He told how when he experienced a miracle he realized he was now faced with a real obligation. If you experience a genuine miracle in your life, I mean a real, honest to goodness supernatural event, you will never be able to return to your former life. God has revealed Himself to you and you have a choice, either follow Him without reservation or just deny the whole thing, no middle ground here.  I can say this much for King Ahaz, at least he was honest. He knew that if God gave him this miracle then every time he went to worship an idol, every time he would seek to rest on the arm of the flesh, he would be haunted by the memory of a personal God who could deliver him from any situation.   Like it or not you have to face up to a miracle and when you do you no longer have the luxury of leaning on the arm of the flesh because God has given you a sign. You want a sign from God, then expect a lifetime warranty. 

 

King Ahaz did not want a sign or a miracle because that meant he would have to submit to the authority of God.  He did not want to do this. He also did not want to tempt God.  The word tempt that is used in the Hebrew in this verse could have two possible roots.  Most translations use the root nasah and means to tempt, try or test. However, I believe the root word would be ’anas which means to compel or urge. 

 

What King Ahaz is saying is that he neither wants the responsibility that a miracle would bring on his life, nor will he compel, urge or ask God for one. Many Christians say God is a personal God but live their lives as if He wasn’t. A personal miracle tends to wake you up to the fact that there really is a God out there who cares about you personally and is involved in your life personally. If that is the case, you will feel a real compulsion to clean up your act. Many would like a miracle but in their hearts, they do not want to make the changes in their life that such a special revelation of God would bring nor would they want the responsibility it would bring.

 

Luke 12:24 tells us that to whom much is given much is expected. This can have a wide range of meaning. Not only does it mean being given much materially and in talents, but also in a personal revelation from God. The more God reveals Himself to you, the more that will be expected from you spiritually. There are some people, like King Ahaz, who would rather not be shouldered with that responsibility.

 

Do you want a real, honest to goodness, supernatural miracle in your life. Hey, God is fully ready to give it to you, but are you ready to accept the responsibility that comes with it because to whom much is given, much will be expected. Miracles always come with a very high price tag.  Do you want to pay that price? Just between you and me, it’s worth it.