Vespers on Wednesday of Gaudete – December 18, 2024Psalm 85; Isaiah 2:2-5; Isaiah 7:10-15St. Luke 1:26-38a
In the Name of the Father, and of the +
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.[1]
The Divided Kingdom, that punishment for the idolatry and
apostacy of Solomon when the northern tribes broke away and formed the Kingdom
of Israel while the southern tribes formed the Kingdom of Judah around
Jerusalem, is marked by a series of wicked kings who did not remember their
father David nor obey the Word of God. Once in a while, you get a good king,
who is said to “do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.” Uzziah was one such
king, who did what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
However, Scripture is clear that none of these “good kings”
was perfect. In fact, they were deeply flawed. Uzziah did what was right in the
eyes of the Lord, but he did not tear down the high places – those altars
Solomon had built for his wives for the worship of false gods. People still
offered sacrifices on those high places and burned incense to false gods. This
was done in mockery of the true God who had revealed Himself to His people on
the “high place” of Mount Sinai and promised to save them from their sins on
the “high place” of Calvary.
Because Uzziah did not tear down these false altars, he was
struck by leprosy by the Lord. His son, Jotham, likewise did what was right in
the eyes of the Lord. But like his father, he failed to tear down the high
places. In an act of righteous piety, he added to the temple of the Lord. He
built the Upper Gate. Perhaps this act of piety spared him the leprous fate of
his father.
Perhaps the son of Jotham would finally tear down those high
places. Perhaps the son of Jotham would cleanse the land of the plague of false
worship, restoring it to the land of milk and honey promised by the Lord and
suitable for His holy habitation. Ahaz was the son of Jotham and was poised to
do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
Early in his reign, however, the king of the Kingdom of
Israel joined forces with the king of Syria to attack the Kingdom of Judah.
Jerusalem was under siege. For a while, Ahaz successfully drove off the
invaders. But they kept coming. As the forces of Israel and Syria bore down on
Jerusalem yet again, God sent the prophet Isaiah to Ahaz with a message and a
question. The message was simple,
It shall not stand, nor shall it come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus [the capital], and the head of Damascus is Rezin [the king of Syria]. Within sixty-five years Ephraim [the region of Samaria] will be broken, so that it will not be a people. The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son [the king of Israel]. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.[2]
God will deliver Ahaz from his enemies. He will deliver the
Kingdom of Judah from the northerners. This promise is certain and true. But
the consequences of not believing such a promise of God is that the promise
will be delivered to another, not Ahaz. So the Lord asks a question,
“Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it
either in the depth or in the height above.”[3]
The Lord God knew this to be a pivotal moment in the life of
Ahaz. Would he trust the Lord, doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord? Or
would he place his trust in man, like so many before him? Believing in the
promise wouldn’t make it come true – it was already true. But failing to
believe – that would result in the destruction of Ahaz.
His response is very curious. It almost sounds pious. “I
will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”[4]
Whenever Jesus tests someone’s faith in the New Testament, He tries to get them
to settle for the least He will give them; sometimes nothing at all. Those who
pass these tests do so by holding God to His Word, making Him keep His
promises. Ahaz does the opposite. The Lord has spoken and offered any sign in
heaven or earth to bolster his faith. God knows that Ahaz is in a difficult
position. Ahaz has won several significant battles by a large margin, but his
back is also against a wall. The Lord is willing to strengthen his faith by a
sign—and Ahaz refuses that sign. He refuses the gift of God. He refuses to
trust in the Lord.
We shall see that this arrogance led to the downfall of
Ahaz. Not only did he not destroy the high altars to false gods, but he also
increased their worship. He offered his own sons on altars of fire to false
gods. Let me say that again, he put his sons on altars to false gods and burned
them alive. What’s more, he encouraged such disgusting practices throughout the
Kingdom of Judah. He welcomed child sacrifice in the land of the Lord’s
promises.
God does not leave Ahaz without a sign, though it is no
longer the sign of Ahaz’s choosing. “The Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son,
and shall call His name Immanuel.”[5]
Just as the Angel Gabriel came to the Blessed Virgin to announce the coming
Savior, God sent Isaiah to Ahaz to announce the same. God would Himself be born
among these hills of idolatrous worship that He might be offered on the altars
of fire in the place of Mary and Ahaz.
Where Ahaz declined the offer of God’s miracle, Mary received it with joy. She was not without questions. She had no idea how she would be the mother of God since she was not yet married. She was even a bit confused by the greeting of the Archangel. But she did not refuse the Word of God for even a moment. She did not decline to have God visit her, where Ahaz did.
And do not mistake this praise of the Blessed Virgin as
praise of her actions or the particular strength of her faith. She could not
believe the words of Gabriel any more than Ahaz did if the Lord did not provide
her with faith. The Angel’s first words are, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the
Lord is with you.”[6]
If the Lord was not with her, she could not have believed. Faith is itself a
great gift of God. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit, who opens the hands
of our heart to receive the great gift of Love that is Christ. The Lord was
also with Ahaz, but he refused. He refused the presence of God and as such,
refused faith, refused to believe.
The fact of the virgin conception and birth of Christ is
true whether you believe it or not. God does not depend on man for His
miracles. Yet when God tells you He will come to you for your salvation, it is
best to believe. It is best to believe because it is already true. In your
hearing the promises of God, the promises are true. Do not be unbelieving but
believe.
In + Jesus’
name. Amen.
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