Isaiah 7:14–16
Immanuel in the Middle of a Crisis
Isaiah 7:14–16 (KJV)
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.”
Before we look closely at verses 15 and 16, we need to understand who Ahaz was and what was happening when God gave this prophecy.
Verse 14 — The Sign
God gives the house of David a sign: the child will be called Immanuel, “God with us.” This verse reaches beyond Ahaz’s immediate crisis and is applied to the birth of Jesus in Matthew 1:22–23.
Verse 15 — The Child
The child is described as eating “butter and honey” and growing to the point where he knows to “refuse the evil, and choose the good.” This introduces a period of development and prepares us for the time marker in verse 16.
Verse 16 — The Time Marker
Before the child reaches that stage of discernment, the lands of the two kings Ahaz fears—Rezin and Pekah—will be forsaken. The prophecy therefore speaks directly into the crisis Ahaz is facing.
Who Was Ahaz?
Ahaz was the king of Judah. He was only twenty years old when he began to reign, and his father was Jotham, the king before him.
2 Kings 15:34 (KJV)
“And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.”
But when Jotham’s son Ahaz became king, Scripture gives us a very different description:
2 Kings 16:2 (KJV)
“Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father.”
When Scripture calls David his father, it is using “father” in the sense of ancestor. Jotham was Ahaz’s actual father.
David → Solomon → Rehoboam → Abijah → Asa → Jehoshaphat → Jehoram → Ahaziah → Joash → Amaziah → Uzziah → Jotham → Ahaz
For generations—roughly three centuries—the throne of Judah had remained in the house of David. And now that throne was being threatened.
Two Kings Come Against Judah
Two kings had joined forces against Ahaz and Judah: Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel.
Isaiah 7:2 (KJV)
“And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.”
Ahaz was frightened, and so were his people. But these two kings weren’t simply planning to attack Judah. They intended to replace Ahaz.
Isaiah 7:6 (KJV)
“Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal.”
For generations, a descendant of David had occupied the throne of Judah. Now these two kings intended to break into Judah, remove the Davidic king, and install a king of their choosing.
Isaiah 7:7 (KJV)
“Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.”
Men had made their plans. God had spoken.
Isaiah 7:4 (KJV)
“Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted…”
Isaiah 7:9 (KJV)
“…If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.”
Underneath the politics, the armies, and the threat to the throne was a much deeper question: Would Ahaz believe God?
Ahaz saw what was happening in the moment. He saw two kings coming against him, and he saw a throne that had remained in his family for generations being threatened.
But God saw beyond the moment. He saw beyond the two kings. He knew His purpose for the house of David, and He knew what was coming.
It is human nature to see what is right in front of us. God sees the whole story.
Verse 15
Isaiah 7:15 (KJV)
“Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.”
The word translated “butter” can refer to curds. But particularly important here is the description of the child growing until he knows “to refuse the evil, and choose the good.” That becomes a measure of time for what God says next.
Verse 16
Isaiah 7:16 (KJV)
“For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.”
The two kings are Rezin and Pekah, the very men Ahaz fears. God is telling Ahaz that before the child reaches that stage of discernment, the threat presented by those two kings will be removed.
Ahaz doesn’t know how it will happen. He doesn’t need to. God has already said:
Isaiah 7:7 (KJV)
“It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.”
And right in the middle of this crisis stands the promise:
Isaiah 7:14 (KJV)
“…and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Immanuel. God with us.
A Question for Further Study
Verses 15–16 also made me stop and wonder about what we often call the “age of accountability.” Isaiah describes a time before a child knows to refuse evil and choose good.
Deuteronomy 1:39 (KJV)
“…your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil…”
Numbers 14:29 (KJV)
“…from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me.”
Is there a connection? I haven’t had time to study that question further, so I’m not drawing a conclusion. But I think it is an interesting question worth coming back to.
The Plumb Line Press • Wednesday Night Bible Study
