Matthew 1:23
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us)
The Book of Ecclesiastes 2.6: "I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees."
Josephus wrote Solomon enjoyed the beauty of the water-rich "Etham" (one of the main springs is called Ein Eitam = Hebrew: עין עיטם )
Isaiah 7
In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. 2 When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.
3 And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer's Field.
4 And say to him, ‘Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, 6 “Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” 7 thus says the Lord God:
“‘It shall not stand,
and it shall not come to pass.
8 For the head of Syria is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is Rezin.
And within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be shattered from being a people.
9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.
If you are not firm in faith,
you will not be firm at all.’”
10 Again
The Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.”
13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. 17 The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father's house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”
18 In that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is at the end of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes, and on all the pastures.
20 In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired beyond the River—with the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the beard also.
21 In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep, 22 and because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will eat curds, for everyone who is left in the land will eat curds and honey.
23 In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels of silver, will become briers and thorns. 24 With bow and arrows a man will come there, for all the land will be briers and thorns. 25 And as for all the hills that used to be hoed with a hoe, you will not come there for fear of briers and thorns, but they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread.
The Plans of God are not short sighted. Father God is busy weaving all things for Good for those working for His Purpose. We see God's Living Word encompasses yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Abraham felt he would Help Further God's Plan. When we see Ahaz, hording the Temple (asking the Nation not to worship in the Temple, instead go to nature) to give his son Hezekiah the gold in the Temple to give. Ahaz is Helping God's Plan quote, and unquote, to not ask God for a sign. Ahaz probably is thinking he furthers God's Plan by asking God to be quiet. Instead of conversing with the Living God.
God has, of course, seen this before in the Exodus. And still Father God's Plans will be completed. Even Saul, later Paul, felt his job was to kill people off to further the Plans of God.
We have all sorts of Plans for Father God. God works with His Holy Virginal Plans. And yet, we know, Jesus has told us to pray with all hope. David knew to pray for the Mercy of God. And both fully expected to see His Mercy.
God's Plans are a Hope and a Future.
Abba,
We Thank You for Your Willingness as God giving us Hope every day in all situations. We leave the probable and enter Your Kingdom of Heaven were all things of God are possible.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” We will remove the millstone of not Seeing God in Life.
Jesus says to us, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
Jesus Raises up His Eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”
When Jesus had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Have Faith. Dead bones will rise up! Dust will be spoken to rise up!”
Jesus said to them, “All Things are Possible with God.”
We will speak the Name of Jesus to our concerns and cares. We will speak the Name of Jesus to the ones we Love on Elliott and Dee. We speak in the Name of Jesus to our Churches, work places and communities His Name. We will Speak the Name of Jesus upon the world knowing the saints of God ask Him for more Heaven on earth.
And we will say, "Thank You, Father God, for Jesus Christ."
Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †